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Spitfire Mk.IX Late -1:48 Eduard


Mike

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Spitfire Mk.IX Late - Profipack
1:48 Eduard


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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.

So successful was the IX that it continued in production for much of the war, and itself went through many subtle and not-so-subtle changes during this period, including a new more powerful Merlin 66 engine and the high-altitude Merlin 70 for a small number of airframes with specific duties. After the war the Mark IX continued in service into the 50s, seeing limited service in the Korean war.

It is said by many to be their favourite Mark of Spitfire, and there are many practical reasons why this must have been true especially for the pilots. Whether it is your favourite or not, it is one of the important marks of this beautiful but dangerous legend of an aircraft.

The Kit
After the Bf.109E that was released last year and which received high praise for its detail and fidelity, a lot has been expected of this new kit from Eduard, and this time around they have ensured that the major aftermarket items they will produce are ready at the same time as the kit, making it simple for the detailer to get the whole package right away, rather than leaving it in the stash and waiting around. This includes wheels, cockpit and exhausts in resin, plus cockpit, surface panels and flaps in Photo-Etch (PE) brass. The world really is your oyster with this kit - how far do you want to go with the detail?

Overtrees
As if that weren't enough, you can also buy what Eduard refer to as "Overtrees", which is a great way of getting another kit without having to pay for the packaging, instructions, decals or extras that are included in the Profipack release. You get a plain white box and the sprues in separate bags. Nothing more, and nothing less. If you want, you can also buy the PE that is included in the Profipack for a few pounds extra. It makes sense if you're planning on building a few kits, especially if you have some decals in mind - why pay for all the stuff you only really need once?

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Inside the Profipack Box
The artwork for this edition is stunning, and underneath the lid you will find four sprues of dark blue/grey styrene, a circular clear sprue, a sheet of PE that is pre-painted in parts, two sheets of decals, canopy masks in yellow kabuki tape (not pictured) and the glossy instruction booklet printed in colour. On the back cover you can see the aftermarket that Eduard themselves are producing, which as well as the previously mentioned items looks to include a Merlin engine and gun bay sets.



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Taking the sprues out of their bags in pairs left me with a broad grin on my face, as the detail is immediately evident. It's clear that Eduard's designers have tooled this kit from the ground up with everything in mind. There a subtle touches everywhere that both make the kit more realistic and should result in an easier build to boot. I'll try to remember to point these out as I go through the kit in detail. There are also a number of unused parts on the sprues, including different rudders, elevators, clipped wingtips, wheels and chin-scoops, all of which hint at more variants. Perhaps we'll be looking at a later clipped wing IX in due course, and maybe a few others too, ignoring the inevitable Weekend editions of course.

Construction starts with the cockpit, and here some of the sidewall detail is moulded into the fuselage, with the rest being supplied as separate parts that affix to lower sidewall inserts. The frame that holds the pilot's seat has recessed lightening holes that could be drilled out if you feel the need, and a sturdy mount for the seat and its two armoured plates behind it and in the head/shoulders area. The frame behind the pilot's seat is supplied as a top portion only, but little should be seen of that below the small rear glazed area anyway. The Brassin cockpit has this in its entirety of course. Under the pilot's feet are the control linkages, as well as a further strengthening attachment point for the seat. The seat is built up from back and side parts, with the adjustment lever on the starboard side, and a flare rack in front, under the pilot's knees, which is then dropped into the cockpit with its PE armour panel, and the pre-painted seatbelts from the etched fret can be draped over the seat in a realistic way. The control column and linkage is built up from three styrene parts and one PE part, then added in front of the seat along with a few additional sidewall details.

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The instrument panel is affixed to the footwell frame, and is supplied as either a single styrene part with raised instrument bezels on the surface, which you can paint or decal, or the more sophisticated lamination of three pre-painted layers to create a highly detailed panel with instrument dials that is glued to a styrene back-plate for strength. The gun-sight and compass assemblies are then added to the panel, with the compass glued on the backside of the panel and protruding through the footwell space between the pilot's knees, just like the real thing. Rudder pedals sit within the footwell, after which the other sidewall can be added, creating a neat assembly that is sandwiched between the fuselage halves after fitting the bulkhead to the engine-bay, the final frame to which the spinner attaches and he socket for the tail gear leg. If you're going to close the canopy, a couple of small segments of the sills are removed, as they won't be seen under the canopy, and would baulk its fitment if left behind. The leading edge of the wing root fairings are added at this point too, and here there are spares without the small bulges, which I'm sure Edgar could tell us about.

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As usual with the Spitfire's wings in this scale (and most others), the lower wing is a single full-span part, and in this case, there is a stub spare that crosses the midline with around 3cm on each side providing a little strength to the wings, and forming part of the front wall of the landing gear wells. It's notable here that the radiator bath recesses have their inner side trimmed slightly to keep a realistic depth, while avoiding baulking the upper wing parts. Similarly, the upper wing section has a thinner skin within the wheel well to give a more realistic depth, and also has details of the ribbing moulded into its surface. The balance of the wheel bay walls are constructed from short sections, which allowed Eduard to put some wall detail on them where appropriate, but take care getting alignment and orientation correct before committing to glue. Once the upper wings are installed, the fuselage can be dropped into the gap and secured in place, which if it fits as well as the 109 at this stage will be a perfect fit.

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There is no engine provided with the kit, so it's cowling closed for the time being. As mentioned earlier, cowling open will be available later with a no-doubt exquisite rendition of the Merlin from Eduard's Brassin range in the works. The top cowling differed later to accommodate new equipment, so this is a separate assembly, made up from two halves, and you have a choice which depends on which markings you intend to use. The exhausts that adorn each side of the canopy are slide-moulded to have a hollow exit, although the edges are a little thick when compared to the resin replacements. The exhausts fit into a pair of backing parts that give an impression of the engine within the cowlings, which must be almost unique on a stock kit at this scale, but it means that they have to be inserted before the top cowling is added, so must be painted and masked beforehand.

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The elevators are separate from the tail plane, and they are supplied as a single part with some impressive fabric and rib-tape texture on the surface. They must be installed before the rudder, and are locked in place by a pair of small parts that should allow then to remain mobile if you are careful with the glue. You have a choice of two, one of which has an extended balance horn that is often seen on later IXs, and both have the same fabric detail as the elevators. Ailerons are also separate, and these are of the metal type, so devoid of any fabric detail, as is correct. They can be posed at any sensible angle, and have small tabs at the hinge-points to improve the strength of their join. The wing tips are also separate parts too, for obvious reasons.

Underneath, a two-part chin for the engine cowling is added, with the chin intake built in, and the radiator housings are built up from individual sides, with the radiators themselves having very nice detailed mesh surfaces that should look good once painted carefully. The rear radiator flaps can be posed open or closed by substituting one jack-part for another, using the same panel, with the correct angles shown in a pair of scrap diagrams.

Because of the almost scale depth of the wheel wells, the landing gear is built up the same way whether you are choosing to model it up or down. The only difference is that a small portion of the dished leg cover is removed so that they can fit within the bay recess. The tyres are provided in halves, with separate front and rear hubs, with a flat PE hub-cap installed on only one of the marking options. If posing them down, the gear legs sit in a pair of keyed holes that ensure the angle and orientation are correct, but a pair of scrap diagrams provide clarification if you are unsure. The tail wheel is a single part that fits into the two-part yoke that terminates in a long shaft to plug into the socket within the fuselage that was installed earlier. If you've forgotten to install that part earlier, you'll be kicking yourself at this stage - guaranteed!

The Spitfire IX had a four-blade prop, and this is one of the last assemblies, consisting of single part for the blades, around which the front and rear plate of the spinner are clamped. This then fits into a small hole at the front of the cowling, and will need to be glued in place unless you do a little scratch-building. The cannons in the leading edge of the wing are installed to the inner stations, while the outer ports are faired over with a pair of hemispherical bumps. The canopy gives you the option of a two-part closed assembly, which has the sliding and rear portions moulded together, or a three-part open assembly to display your hard work in the cockpit. The windscreen is adorned with a circular rear-view mirror on the very top of the roll-over loop, and the sliding portion has a small PE grab-handle/latch added to the front, which is a nice addition. The side door is detailed with locking mechanism that is also made from PE, and you use different parts for open and closed canopies. The eminently breakable aerial on the spine behind the cockpit is based on a small tear-drop shaped insert, which I'm guessing is to allow for different bases for other variants - my knowledge doesn't go that far, I'm afraid.

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Weapons
It might seem odd to speak of a Spitfire carrying bombs, but as a testament to its versatility, it did on many occasions, using hard-points just outboard of the wheel wells. The kit includes two shackles and two small bombs, which were used just for one of the marking options in the box.

Markings
We are treated to six markings options in this kit, the decals for which are printed in-house by Eduard and are in good register, are sharp, and appear to have good colour density. Even the difficult Polish chequerboard is dead on, and the instrument panel is highly detailed, using grey for the instruments, rather than a rather toylike white that a great many decals use. After the kerfuffle about the roundels, the finished articles appear to be in proportion, but I'll let you decide whether to throw in the towel and take up gardening, or not. The options out of the box are as follows:
  • LF Mk.IX MH712 flown by W.O. Henryk Dygala, No.302 Squadron, Summer/autumn 1944 - grey/green over light grey, with invasion stripes on the underside only.
  • HF Mk.IX MJ296 flown by F.Lt. Otto Smik, No.312 Squadron, North Wealdon, late August 1944 - grey/green over light grey.
  • LF Mk.IX MJ586 flown by Pierre Clostermann, No.602 Squadron, Longues sur Mer, July 7th 1944 - grey/green over light grey, with invasion stripes on the underside only.
  • LF Mk.IX MJ250 No.601 Squadron, Italy, summer 1944 - overall bare metal/aluminium with - grey/green upper cowling and fuel tank panels.
  • LF Mk.IXc ML135 flown by Jerry Billing, No.401 Squadron, Tangmere, June 7th 1944 - grey/green over light grey, with invasion stripes.
  • LF Mk.IXc ML135 flown by Jerry Billing, No.401 Squadron, Tangmere, July 1st 1944 - grey/green over light grey, with invasion stripes on undersides, topside black on upper fuselage still visible.

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You'll need your masking skills for the majority of these options, as no invasion stripe decals are included, but from personal experience with other manufacturers, they seldom fit well anyway, so no great loss.

Conclusion
What more can I say other than stunning? The surface detail is lovely, with restrained rivets on the outer fuselage and wings, which should look quite appropriate to scale once they have been painted, weathered and varnished. The engraved panel lines are nicely done, although I'm sure some will still find them too deep, but for the other 99% they look just fine.

I'll be taking a look at the aftermarket parts as soon as I've finished this review, so watch out for them if you're considering taking the plunge, and haven't yet got your hands on the kit, but don't forget those overtrees!

Very highly recommended.

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Review sample courtesy of
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It is a great looking kit, and I'll be putting the Eduard engineering to the test when I start my build review - probably tomorrow after I've finished reviewing the additional sets. :)

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You will not be disappointed, Mike. The detail is exquisite and everything seems to fit perfectly. Those wheel wells look daunting with all those separate parts, but they fall into place perfectly.

The rivet marks are not to everyones taste, but they really are wery restrained, so that those who like them can highlight them and those who do not can tone them down. So far I onlyhave two reservations. Firstly I find it hard to believe that Eduard could be so subtle with the panel lines, buttenmould great lumps for the cowling fastners.Secondly, my decals were slightly out of register and the reds too bright and inconsistent. Annoying, but no disaster.

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There is also a multi-part tail wheel included; easier for painting I would think but could be a bit fiddly to put together! Sorry Mike, should have added, great review.

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Linky - will add a button to the review too ;)

Thank you very much!

Less than a 'weekend edition', more like a 'bank holiday edition' then!

Think I'll be investing in one of these.

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It's a fabulous kit - even having the datum plates and various other subtleties included. It matches - as far as I can see - both Aeroclub's Mk IX replacement fuselage and the Scale Models drawings perfectly. It's almost as though Eduard and Tamiya shared the same CAD work. This is definitely my vote for kit of the year.

I just hope that the BoB Mk I's will get the attention next (after the inevitable MkVIII and XVI versions) - the original vision of Mitchell's masterpiece. What with this and Airfix's PR XIX, this is the dawn of a new age for 1/48 Spitfire modellers!!

Nick

Oh yeah, sorry, good review!

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:lol: I won't argue with your excitement showing through there Nick - it's a good time to be a Spitfire modeller in 1:48 at the moment. I'll be cutting plastic shortly on this kit :)

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Oh yeah!! :yahoo: I'm picking up a couple this evening and have had two overtrees delivered already. I think this is the first Spitfire kit that I won't feel the need to do any extra work on . . .

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Yes Mark... yes you are :mental: I cut all the resin parts off their casting blocks last night in between times, just not enough progress to warrant a thread yet ;)

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I cut all the resin parts off their casting blocks last night in between times, just not enough progress to warrant a thread yet ;)

I've got to say that I'm really impressed with the Brassin pit it almost falls together, only making up the seat assembly was a little fiddly. Whats more, after removing that raised part on the inside of the lower wing it fit like a glove into the fuselage.

Tim.

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