Spitfire Mk.IX (Late) ProfiPack
1:48 Eduard
There's not a lot you can say about a Spitfire to most modellers that will be new, unless you want to get highly technical and go deep into the archives. The Mark IX, Supermarine Type 361, came out of the need to leapfrog the new Focke Wulf Fw.190's performance, which had showed up the Mark V as wanting. A new dual-stage Merlin engine, that had been developed for a high-altitude variant of the Wellington was mated to the airframe, which were initially converted from Mark VIIIs, so had a few differences from the more refined IXs that were to come later. It was a surprise to the test pilots that it transformed the Spit into a much more responsive aircraft, with better climb rates, high altitude performance and manoeuvrability, even at speed. This was a bit of a surprise to the German fighters, as from a distance they looked identical to earlier, slower marks. More...
Spitfire IX Cockpit
1:48 Eduard Brassin
Timed to coincide with the launch of their brand new tooling of this iconic aircraft, this mixed resin and Photo-Etch (PE) set provides a complete replacement cockpit with additional details that recommend it over and above the kit parts. It arrived in Eduard's standard oblong box, and inside are three bags of resin containing 33 resin parts, plus a PE sheet and a small sheet of clear acetate with printed shapes for the gun-sight glazing. The instruction booklet is a little larger than normal, which helps when examining the instructions, and as well as being colour coded, there are colour call-outs throughout in Gunze Sangyo codes, which if not readily available in your territory can easily be converted using one of the many online paint charts. More...
Spitfire Fishtail Exhausts
1:48 Eduard Brassin
This set arrives in Eduard's standard slim clamshell box, and contains six pieces of resin, four of which contain four individual exhaust stacks each. The new IX kit from Eduard has hollow exhaust stacks, so why would you want a resin replacement? When you see the weld detail running along the length and around the lips, you will realise that they are actually worth the effort, and as a bonus, you get a replacement section of the engine block into which they are inserted individually, which as well as being more detailed is more simple than the two-part kit assembly. Removing the stacks from their casting blocks is the work of seconds, and a straight saw cut will remove the block from the engine section, and then part G44 from the kit is used to finish off the rear of the piece. More...
Spitfire 5-Spoke Wheels
1:48 Eduard Brassin
This set of resin wheels for the new Eduard Spitfire IX (and others) is supplied in one of Eduard's slim clamshell boxes, and inside you get four resin parts and a small sheet of kabuki masking material (not pictured). The wheels are shod with treaded tyres, and have a rather familiar looking manufacturer's name on the sidewall, a company called Donlup, which is easily changed to the real thing without any breach of copyright or trademark. It also gives me a little chuckle whenever I see them, which is nice. More...