Eduard Spitfire Mk.XVI Bubbletop Profipak 1:48

[Mike]

Spitfire Mk.XVI Bubbletop Profipak
1:48 Eduard

The Spitfire XVI was a variation on the IX that was license built in the US using Packard Merlins that were optimised for low level operations and some had clipped wings, with a slightly bulged cowling to accommodate the changes. They were armed with two 20mm cannon with an additional pair of .303 machine guns inboard, and a great many of them had the reduced fuselage spine or bubble-canopy. Just over a thousand were built overall.


The Kit
We reviewed the initial release of this tooling here some months ago, and now we have the individual Profipak edition of the bubble-top with clipped wings that was included in the dual combo. There are five sprues in mid-grey styrene, a circular sprue of clear parts in a ziplok bag, a sheet of pre-painted nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE) parts, a small sheet of yellow kabuki tape pre-cut masks for the canopy, two sheets of decals and a glossy colour instruction booklet in the box.

As well as the standard wing, you also get a sprue containing the wings with additional aerodynamic blisters that were needed for the wider wheels, which are used in two of the decal options provided. All the other parts are the same, and construction follows the same steps as the earlier kit, with the pre-painted nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE) parts being used heavily in the cockpit as an optional instrument panel and seatbelts. If you are using the included bombs, you'll need to drill some holes in the lower wing before you close them, which applies to the to the same decal options as the wider tyres. The exhausts are beautifully moulded with hollow stubs thanks to slide-moulding, as are the miniscule barrels for the cannon. You'll really have to squint to check though, as they are so close to scale size. If you used the bulged wing, don't forget to select the wider tyres when you get to that stage, or the purists will have you! The other decal option dependent changes you'll have to make are in the armament department, where you fair off the inner cannon ports and cut back the outer barrels to the same length and profile.


Markings
There are five decal options in the box, with plenty of variation in colour and markings, with the back page devoted to common stencils to avoid duplication of effort and cluttering up the markings diagrams. From the box you can build one of the following:

• SL549 No.17 Squadron RAF, Farnborough Air Base, 1950 – All over silver with a blue and white spinner.
• TD138, No.317 Squadron RAF, Ahlhorn Air Base, Germany, Summer 1946 – Grey/green camo over medium sea grey, with black spinner & Polish crest on the cowling.
• TB702 Flown by Cpt. P.G.J. Albertin, No.340 Squadron RAF, B105 Airfield (Lingen/Drope), May 1945 – Grey/green camo over medium sea grey, and black spinner. Yellow wing leading edges, and roundels over-painted with French, but RAF tail flash remaining.
• RW393 No.601 Squadron RAuxAF, 1949 – all over silver with red/silver spinner and red tail band.
• TE199 Flown by Air Officer Commanding, No.21 Group RAF, Swindersby Air Base, 1948 – All black with yellow spinner and wingtips.

You can view the full markings guide for the last option online here, as it appears there was only space in the instructions to print a side profile.

The decals are well-printed in the Czech Republic, with good register, colour density and sharpness. A decal for the instrument panel is also included if the PE option doesn't suit your style.


Conclusion
Another superb Spitfire with detail oozing from every part. The inclusion of the PE and a set of canopy masks marks it as ProfiPack, as does the wide choice of decal options, which are happily completely different from the special edition.

Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Mark]

My favourite mark of Spitfire, by my favourite 1/48 manufacturer, reviewed by my favourite.... No, that's going too far!

Seriously Mike, great to see some really unusual schemes with a a nice mixture of silver and camouflaged aircraft. I've never see the 17 Sqn Farnborough airframe before, it looks superb! But did TE199 not have gold spinner and wingtips?

I've already got the dual boxing of Hi and Lo-back, but I will definitely be getting this release purely for that 17 Sqn scheme.

[Mike]

It is nice to see the Spit being depicted in her dotage, isn't it?

[AndyC]

Nice review Mike - I think it was only the engines that were license built?

[Antoine]

Thanks Mike,

• TB702 Flown by Cpt. P.G.J. Albertin, No.340 Squadron RAF, B105 Airfield (Lingen/Drope), May 1945 – Grey/green camo over medium sea grey, and black spinner. Yellow wing leading edges, and roundels over-painted with French, but RAF tail flash remaining.

I think there's a typo in the name of the pilot, not from you but Eduard.

That's Pierre Aubertin, and I believe he was Commandant (Squadron leader) at the time (Promoted in march 1945).

[Mike Esposito]

Does anybody know if this mark was used by any of the Arab air forces ca; 1947-48?

Want a Spitfire to go with my Israeli Avia s-199.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Mike Esposito

[Antoine]

No it was not.

Look toward a F.22 for SyAF, or Mk.IX or V for EAF.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Antoine

[Mike Esposito]

Thanks. It's such a cool mark with the clipped wings. Will have to build a British version

[Antoine]

If you want to go "exotic", appart the French machine here, the aircraft also got Belgian colours.

[Bigglesof266]

Gorgeous kit

[Mike Esposito]

Trying to do a post war variant. How does this kit differ from a Spitfire mk 22?

The 5 bladed prop would be so cool

Edited March 3, 2016 by Mike Esposito

[Antoine]

Well, absolutely no spitfire expert here, but the two variants differs by their engine, Merlin for the IX, and Griffon for the 22.

Airfix might help if you look toward a 22.