Not sure if this is the place to ask, and perhaps it's too broad a question?

I'm not new to modelling, but have not done any aircraft since the 60's. Interest was mainly armor, for years, then railway modelling for the past 30+ years.

Now have the time, space, and to a lesser degree, money, to look at building models of my few favorite aircraft, starting with the WWII ones. I also want to build each one in various scales (1/72, 1/48, 1/32 and possibly 1/24)

What I'm trying to learn is which kits do folks think are the best. By 'best', who makes the better models of each, in the smaller scales, where there is more than one or 2 choices? I know that can be subjective, but looking for, in order, accuracy of the model, level of detail (not super detailed, but not wargame 'simplified'), not too difficult a assembly.

Aircraft I am looking at are Supermarine Spitfire (late war), Hawker Typhoon (late war) and DH Mosquito FB.

Thanks for reading, and any info greatly appreciated.

Jim F

Tamiya makes the best Spitfire and Mosquito but these are both pricey and probably not the best to start out with; both are 1/32. The best Typhoon in the same scale contains a lot of resin parts, which some people don't like dealing with.

Don't know about smaller scales as I prefer 1/32 and 1/35 due to their more impressive presence on the shelf.

That all said, in the same scale Revell has released two new Spitfire toolings that aren't as nice as the Tamiya but are MUCH cheaper and will look good to most people except rivet-counters and Spitheads. There are no options for the other two planes at that scale.

You've asked a complicated question without realizing it. It might help to know which specific models of the late war Spitfire, Typhoon and Mosquito you are interested in, and as Shell said, the price range. I own the Tamiya kits of the Spitfire Mk VIII and the Mosquito FB in 1/32, and they are probably the best models you can buy of these kits, but come with a hefty price tag. In 1/72 or 1/48 scale, I'd have to say the same thing for the Tamiya offerings of these models in 1/72 and 1/48 scale, but at a lower price point. In addition, HK models makes a nice 1/32 scale Mosquito with the bomber nose, and so does Revell, but the Revell kit is more than 30 years old, so it's not as detailed and the HK kit which is also pretty pricey (over $100--but the Tamiya kit is over $200). The Typhoon is a mixed bag here-- nobody but Revell (and MDC--now OOP) offer a 1/32 Typhoon. The Revell kit is over 30 years old, and with lots of work, can be made into a nice model. Airfix offers the best Typhoon in 1/24 scale. There are Special Hobby and Pacific Coast (also OOP) kits of the Tempest, but these have resin parts included. The Tempest is the late war follow-on to the Typhoon. All these kits (except for the old Revell kit) have fairly steep price tags. Revell's latest offerings of the 1/32 scale Spitfire have great value, are well detailed, and easy to assemble (personally I don't care for the heavy Reiner detail on the nose, but that's just my opinion), but these are not "late war" Spitfires. By "late war" Spitfires, I assume you mean the Spitfire Mk IX or XIV versions (I personally like Pacific Coast models Mk XIV Griffon engined Spitfire with the 5 blade props, but they are OOP). There are great offerings of these Spitfires from Academy, Eduard, Revell and others in smaller scales. There are more offerings of the Typhoon, Mosquito, and Spitfire in 1/72 and 1/48 scale which are well detailed and easier to build, so it really depends on your interest, an the exact type of Aircraft you want-- it might be easier to identify the exact type of each to narrow your search down.
VR, Russ

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking saying late war would be easier, more generalized.

My goal is to eventually build the Spitfire Mk XII in 1/32, the Mossie FB V1 in 1/32 and the Typhoon Mk 1b in 1/24, all 3 the Tamiya kits (unless there is a better model, in those scales, from another mfr.

So I would be looking for the same aircraft in 1/48 and 1/72, as well, if available.

Hope that clarifies things a bit.

Thanks again.

Jim F

Well, there's only one Mosquito FB in 1/32 scale-- Tamiya's (they produce it in 1/72 and 1/48 too. There is an old (OOP) MDC conversion kit for the 1/32 Revell bomber nose Mk IV, which is actually very good, but, it requires a lot of surgery on the old Revell kit, as the FB version and the bomber nose are quite different. There are several kits in various scales of the Spit VII, and one could be converted from some of the earlier marks-- there are all kinds of aftermarket sets. As for the old "Car Door" Mk I Typhoon, only the Revell kit in 1/32 exists, but your best bet is the 1/24 Airfix kit-- however it's a later mark with the bubble top.
VR, Russ

Howdy Y'all
I don't want to change the topic or hijack Jim's thread. But since we're talking about 1/32 British airplane models: how good is the Revell Spitfire and the Special Hobby Tempest? Thanks.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

I'm halfway through the IIa and recently picked up the IXc. The IIa went together pretty nicely, and the detail is good enough to me, but like most kits aftermarket cockpits always offer more detail. But, I am an OOB guy so I go with what comes in the box. The IXc looks good. The reviews have generally been favorable from what I can see.

The Tempest, however (which I have) seems to be love/hate but then again it is basically a short-run type of kit and needs a little more work than a normal kit. And there is resin to deal with which I know is a negative for some. I don't care, as it is probably the best one available. I know of one guy at LSP who has built 14 of them, so they can't totally suck, right?

This depends on what you mean by "how good is it?" I personally am not a fan of the new Revell kits, because I think their "rivets" are overdone around the nose panels, and they have some errors in the oil coolers, wing radiators and flying surfaces. That being said, I think they a still pretty good kits in comparison to the older Hasegawa offerings (which in their day, also were not too bad). Here's a trick for you-- if you really want a nice Mk I or II Spitfire, go find the ancient Revell Mk IA that was released in about 1967. That kit has absolutely beautiful ENGRAVED panel lines all around--believe it or not, and a mostly correct oil cooler shape. It also has the correct flying surfaces that the newer kit doesn't. What it does not have is a really nice cockpit of the newer kit (it's a typical "lame" early Revell cockpit with a mis-shaped pilot figure expected to take up the space). But, when combined with the recent Revell Mk II offering, I think it will look pretty good (you can get the recent Revell offering for about $25 in some paces, and the older Revell kit goes for as low as $5--now that's a bargain). Folks often go for the "latest and greatest" kits, but there are some golden oldies that can be made into nice models-- the elusive old Revell kits are an example (Jack, Oscar, Frank), and the Spitfire came from the same pattern maker who really liked the engraved panel lines-- way ahead of their time. Too bad some of their other 1/32 kits like the Stuka, Typhoon, Mustang, Thunderbolt, FW 190, ME 109F and Mosquito didn't have the same guy, or we'd still be building them!

I've seen, but not built, both the Special Hobby and the Pacific Coast Models Tempest. Both look like good models in the box, but look-- since there are no other offerings of a 1/32 Tempest, I think it may be a toss-up here. Both have resin and PE. I think the PCM kit looks easier to build, but both are in the "short run" category, so you know they will both require additional work and fit. I've heard the PCM kit is the "easiest" to build, but you can gets lots of add-ons (like a complete engine) for the SH kit.
VR, Russ

Large Scale Kits: Any experience with the new Revell Mustang? How do they compare with the older Hasegawa kits?
Thank you,

Don "Lakota"

There's no comparison. The new Revell is very much nicer than the old Hasegawa. Just be prepared to deal with the modular bits because the Revell is obviously designed to accommodate multiple variants.

RE: new Revell Mustang

There is an issue with the canopy having distortions in many of the kits, which some think might be due to the pieces being pulled from the mold too quickly. You can order replacements, but it seems hit or miss whether you get a good one or not. If you have a Tamiya Mustang you can use one of the spare canopies from that kit with a bit of adjusting. Might be able to buy just that part from Tamiya.

Hi all

I have a different transparencies problem with Revell's Mustang. I'll stress straight away that it looks a superb kit and amazing value for money! - but I've bought two kits now online that haven't included any clear parts at all. Two duds in a row looks to me like there's been a whole batch that slipped through QC without all the sprues - and, with a company the size of Revell, a batch is probably pretty big!

Revell are chasing up parts for me now (full credit to them, they were quick to respond) - but I've got to say this experience has underlined the value of shopping at your LHS if you can, because I'd recommend opening the box on this one to check all the sprues are there.

Once I've got a complete kit, I intend to review it to fill the gaping void in our database.

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

I've just received a letter from Revell advising that it could be a 4 to 6 weeks wait for clear parts for my P-51D. It's a surprise and kind of neat in a way to get a physical letter in these days of e-mails. Proper old-school. Hopefully, it won't be that long a wait in reality. I'll post when the parts arrive and note if they show the distortion that Shell mentions.

All the best

Rowan