Introduction

Pavla Models new set of upgrades for the new 1/72nd scale Airfix Spitfire PR.XIX comprises of four sets, which have a new cockpit, early and late canopies, additional exterior details, plus two types of camera's.

The sets

Spitfire PR.XIX Cockpit and vacu canopy
C72085
£11.50
Spitfire PR.XIX
U72111
£7.50
Spitfire PR.XIX F.52 camera x 2, F.24 camera x 1
U72112
£5.25
Spitfire PR.XIX Canopy early production, and (pressurized) late production
PVV7270
£3.50

The cockpit (C72085)

The whole of the Airfix kits cockpit is replaced with this gorgeous resin interior set. Moulded in grey resin and comprising of eleven parts, which are flash free with the pour plugs only lightly attached to the underside of the pieces.
The detail of the cockpit tub is broken down into the main tub, front and back bulkheads and two side walls and is extremely fine with the instrument panel, various instruments and a couple of oxygen bottles on the side walls along with the internal framework beautifully reproduced. The cockpit also gets a new seat which has the lapbelts moulded onto it, but no harness's (most probably because the Airfix kit comes with a pilot with these moulded on). A set of foot pedals, compass, control column, and a control column linkage make up the rest of the internal details.
A new vac-form canopy replaces the kit part, and is clear, thin and free from blemishes. Unfortunately the canopy is in one piece so a little surgery is required to have it in the open position. The framework is in the form of raised detail. This canopy is for the early non-pressurised version, which lacks the rounded front screen of the pressurised canopy.
The instructions are printed in black and white line drawings. They are easy to follow with colours of different parts given, along with a sketch of the inside of the kits fuselage to be reduced to fit the new cockpit into.

Exterior details (U72111)

The exterior detail set has replacement propeller blades, a new spinner, radiators, exhausts, two types of main wheels, under-wing blisters, pitot tube and a couple of small additional parts, that I can't quite recognise lol.
The five propeller blades are nice and thin with a pretty good profile. The spinner has a quite large pour plug on the rear end but it doesn't look to hard to remove.
The exhausts are each in one piece and have the ends hollowed out.
The main wheels are of two differing types, with a 3 aperture and a 4 aperture wheel hub. The tyres are unweighted, with the three aperture set having no tyre detail, and the four aperture having some very fine tread engraved.
The radiator has a very fine mesh engraved inside the casing and with a little dry brushing should really pop the detail out. The outside has some very fine recessed panel lines.
The rest if the parts are well formed, but some of the smaller blisters might be a little problematic to remove from the pour plug as the connection is very small and hard to get too.

F.52 camera x 2, F.24 camera x 1 (U72112)

The Pr XIX could carry two vertical and one oblique camera (on the port side). The vertical cameras were either F.8s with a 14 or 20in focal length or F.52s with a 20in focal length. The oblique camera was an F.24 with either an 8 or 14 inch focal length.
Both types of camera are pretty nicely detailed with hollowed ends. Both cameras come with mounting pieces.

Early production canopy, and (pressurized) late production(PVV7270)

All but the first 22 of the 225 Spitfire PR.XIX 's produced had a pressurised cockpit, so if you are building a pressurised Pr.XIX then you will need this set. The major difference in the two canopies is the pressurised canopy has a more rounded front screen and is slightly more blown.
Both canopies are thin and blemish free but are one piece so surgery will be required for an open canopy.

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