Jump to content

1/72 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IIa (new tool) by Revell - released


Homebee

Recommended Posts

6 hours ago, Dave Fleming said:

 

Three, Fujimi

 

Yep! I forgot that one, which is odd because I have several in the stash. The big problems with the Fujimi are the parts breakdown of the rear fuselage to allow high back and bubbletop options and the almost complete absence of any cockpit detail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a few more thoughts about how to get the most out of the new Revell Spitfire Mk.II. Basically, it involves also purchasing the Airfix Mk.Va and an Eduard Mk.IX profipack (or the Royal Class Quattro Combo). The kit you get in the Revell box is closest to Mk.Va: the metal ailerons and the deHavilland prop are not correct for most Mk.IIs, especially as built. I guess some could have been retrofitted later. The Mk.II and Mk.Va both typically have five-spoke wheels, which are horrible in the Revell kit and I guess passable in the Airfix kit. The Revell kit also has passable 4-spoke wheels that I guess are for the future Mk.IX. The oil cooler in the Revell kit is not representative of either the early version with the U-shaped intake or the Mk.V version with the round intake. Fortunately, the Airfix Va kit has both. The Airfix Va has fabric covered ailerons, which are not correct for a Mk.Va but okay for earlier versions and it comes with the domed Rotol spinner and correct Mk.II prop. 

 

So, the obvious thing to do is cross-kit the Revell II with the Airfix Va. The late oil cooler and DH prop and spinner go to the Revell kit, which gets built as  a Mk.Va (you can use the Airfix decal if you like). The Airfix kit gets built as a Mk.II without using any parts from the Revell kit. You still need some 5-spoke wheels. These can come from an Eduard Profipak Mk.IX which has 5-spoke, 4-spoke, and 3-spoke wheels included. The Eduard kit also has an extra seat bulkhead, seat armour, and instrument panel that are not used because of the included photoetch. You can use these parts to spruce up the Revell or Airfix cockpits. If you build the Eduard kit with the late pointed rudder and late horizontal stabilisers you'll also have extras of these parts as well that could go on the Revell or Airfix.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said:

I have a few more thoughts about how to get the most out of the new Revell Spitfire Mk.II. Basically, it involves also purchasing the Airfix Mk.Va and an Eduard Mk.IX profipack (or the Royal Class Quattro Combo). 

 

I like your thinking there... buy more Spitfires is always good advice. 

 

I bought a Revell Hurricane IIc yesterday, a kit not without it's own self-inflicted wounds, looking at the sprues and reading this thread lead me to the conclusion that Revell have an inability to do anything right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, VMA131Marine said:

I have a few more thoughts about how to get the most out of the new Revell Spitfire Mk.II. Basically, it involves also purchasing the Airfix Mk.Va and an Eduard Mk.IX profipack (or the Royal Class Quattro Combo). The kit you get in the Revell box is closest to Mk.Va: the metal ailerons and the deHavilland prop are not correct for most Mk.IIs, especially as built. I guess some could have been retrofitted later. The Mk.II and Mk.Va both typically have five-spoke wheels, which are horrible in the Revell kit and I guess passable in the Airfix kit. The Revell kit also has passable 4-spoke wheels that I guess are for the future Mk.IX. The oil cooler in the Revell kit is not representative of either the early version with the U-shaped intake or the Mk.V version with the round intake. Fortunately, the Airfix Va kit has both. The Airfix Va has fabric covered ailerons, which are not correct for a Mk.Va but okay for earlier versions and it comes with the domed Rotol spinner and correct Mk.II prop. 

 

So, the obvious thing to do is cross-kit the Revell II with the Airfix Va. The late oil cooler and DH prop and spinner go to the Revell kit, which gets built as  a Mk.Va (you can use the Airfix decal if you like). The Airfix kit gets built as a Mk.II without using any parts from the Revell kit. You still need some 5-spoke wheels. These can come from an Eduard Profipak Mk.IX which has 5-spoke, 4-spoke, and 3-spoke wheels included. The Eduard kit also has an extra seat bulkhead, seat armour, and instrument panel that are not used because of the included photoetch. You can use these parts to spruce up the Revell or Airfix cockpits. If you build the Eduard kit with the late pointed rudder and late horizontal stabilisers you'll also have extras of these parts as well that could go on the Revell or Airfix.

 

 

You're overthinking what are actually rather simple fixes and I've already said upthread as to what's best sourced from an Airfix kit.  You need the same backplate for either the DH or Rotol prop in the Airfix I/Ia/IIa/Va kit, whichever you use as there's only the one.  Basically, treat the Revell kit as a Va.  Build the Airfix Va kit as an early mk I, which means the 3 blade props and their solitary backplate are now spare, as is the later oil cooler.  You also have a decent bulletproof windscreen that can be shoehorned into the Revell kit with some surgery to both.  Wheels are best procured from a source whichever the modeller is happiest with - I'm nicking them from an AZ mk IX as they look surprisingly like Tamiya wheels. Okay, you still need to do something about the too wide u/c doors but these are easily trimmed.  If they're that offensive, trim off the wheels from the "wheels up" parts from the Airfix kit and go with them. The radiator is still horrible and I really can't suggest an alternate spare in any kit.

 

You don't need to replace either the rudder or tailplanes in either the Airfix or Revell kits (the way the Airfix ones are designed, it's not easy to replace them anyway), and nor the cockpit internals (okay, the seats could be better).  The armour is easily scratched with some plastic card.  Certainly easier than taking a bulkhead from a different kit that may not even fit.  And if you get it wrong?  Just use another margerine tub.

 

I doubt anyone really needs to buy extra Spitfires to do any of the fixes as most Spitfire fans should have them in their stash already, if not the spares boxes.  All it really needs is a bit of nouse and knowing what kit can give you the bits you need.

 

Me?  I'm sticking with Airfix, as I can get a decent kit straight out of the box without all the faffing about.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

The Airfix kit gets built as a Mk.II without using any parts from the Revell kit.

 

So, if someone wants to build a Mk II, there's no need to buy the Revell kit (ostensibly a Mk II) at all, because it's all done better in the Airfix kit!

 

33 minutes ago, The Wooksta! said:

Me?  I'm sticking with Airfix, as I can get a decent kit straight out of the box without all the faffing about.

 

 Fully agreed!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, KevinK said:


So, if someone wants to build a Mk II, there's no need to buy the Revell kit (ostensibly a Mk II) at all, because it's all done better in the Airfix kit!

 

Basically, yes! But the Revell isn't really a Mk.II at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Homebee said:

 

I'm sure it is, however the more I see these pictures the more I wonder where and when Revell's quality started declining ! Accuracy apart (the shapes don't look bad but that windscreen is horrible), the detail level looks ok but nothing great for a 2016 kit, with some parts quite disappointing. I understand that this is a product aimed at the lower end of the market and the kit is cheap, however others have issued better moulded Spitfire kits at similar prices in the past. The Academy Mk.XIV, with all its well known accuracy issues, still looks better in terms of moulding and sharpness of details, is cheap too and was issued in 1994. I'll still buy one because it's a Spitfire (sign that the Revell marketing department is doing right), but had it been a better product I'd have probably bought 5 or 6 (if only to use them as basis for the various recce variants).

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/22/2016 at 11:52 AM, VMA131Marine said:

 

Yep! I forgot that one, which is odd because I have several in the stash. The big problems with the Fujimi are the parts breakdown of the rear fuselage to allow high back and bubbletop options and the almost complete absence of any cockpit detail.

 

IMO the highback version also has a weirdly big canopy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, MiG-Mech said:

 

Interesting, two quite different German opinions on this kit, modellversium.de raise similar critique points as stated on BM while the ipmsdeutschland.de article only has praise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, occa said:

 

Interesting, two quite different German opinions on this kit, modellversium.de raise similar critique points as stated on BM while the ipmsdeutschland.de article only has praise


IPMS is not that critical.
Meanwhile kit description is always the same, sounds like few text bricks are used for.
Just take pics as information.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, MiG-Mech said:


IPMS is not that critical.
Meanwhile kit description is always the same, sounds like few text bricks are used for.
Just take pics as information.

 

Yeah like '... in der attraktiven aber unpraktische Schüttelbox ...'

They have this phrase in every review that is about any kit in a lid box, can't hear it anymore lol ...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, occa said:

 

Yeah like '... in der attraktiven aber unpraktische Schüttelbox ...'

They have this phrase in every review that is about any kit in a lid box, can't hear it anymore lol ...

 

The German-language equivalent to the English-language "Like most kits, construction begins with the cockpit..." :P

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 2017-01-01 at 0:28 AM, occa said:

 

Interesting, two quite different German opinions on this kit, modellversium.de raise similar critique points as stated on BM while the ipmsdeutschland.de article only has praise

 

Well, Germans are Germans and they selldom see the alternative kits from Airfix och can't always understand or read what is written in english. For an example my German uncle who has been build trucks (and aircraft as well) for almost 40 years still  talk of White truck as "Witte trucks" not "Wait trucks". And when you go into an German shop you found hundred of Revell kits but selldom any Airfix kits. And in Germany all the knewledge is about Revell kits and they do not compare them with kits of other brands. One can clearly see this reading German reviews of kits. One example is the disussion here about the correct shape of the windshield. That is a thing that germans don't knew, don't notice and don't discuss. I think when the earlyer Revell Spitfire that missed the  "gull shaped wings" they didn't notised this as well. The way they learned about it was from english speaking forums as Hyperscale and Britmodeller. And think about how short time we have had the "luxuary" of speaking with each other and discuss kits of different brands in forums as BM? Is it 10 years or 15 years?

 

Off course I agree with the common opinion that Revell again did a bad job concerning producing an Spitfire. I will go for another Airfix Spitfire. But I don't think this concerns Revell Germany as there are not that many Airfix sellers in Germany compared to Revell sellers. And even here in Sweden I see more of Revell kits these days then Airfix kits...

 

Cheers / André

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1.1.2017 at 3:28 PM, occa said:

 

Yeah like '... in der attraktiven aber unpraktische Schüttelbox ...'

They have this phrase in every review that is about any kit in a lid box, can't hear it anymore lol ...

Yes, for IPMS Germany is the kind of box more importent than the kit.

 

Often they made wrong interpretations for kits from other manufacturers than Revell.

 

The reson; sponsoring - don't know

 

modelldoc

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, modelldoc said:

Yes, for IPMS Germany is the kind of box more importent than the kit.

 

Comments on the type of box are notoriously not limited to German. It's to model reviews what "rosy-fingered Dawn" was to the Iliad.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Andre B said:

 

Well, Germans are Germans and they selldom see the alternative kits from Airfix och can't always understand or read what is written in english.

Hi André,

 

pardon my unpolite answer, but this is the kind of national stereoptype/prejudice we really don´t need in the 21st century!
I am German, can read and write English and realized that there are other manufacturers out there in the world...

 

19 hours ago, Andre B said:

 

 And when you go into an German shop you found hundred of Revell kits but selldom any Airfix kits. And in Germany all the knewledge is about Revell kits and they do not compare them with kits of other brands.

 

I don´t know which German hobby shop you ever entered, but those I do have some knowledge of are FULL of Kinetic, Trumpeter, HobbyBoss, Airfix, Eduard etc. kits plus some (but only some!) Revell kits.

 

And of course "we" do compare Revell kits with other manufacturer´s products ... we are not ignorant stone-agers carving our models out of bone!

 

19 hours ago, Andre B said:

 

One example is the disussion here about the correct shape of the windshield. That is a thing that germans don't knew, don't notice and don't discuss.

 

Have you read our thread about the testshot of Revell´s Spit Mk. II elsewhere here on Britmodeller? You should do my dear, you really should ...!

 

To sum it up (very sarcastically with lots of ironical content):
Well, Swedes are Swedes and they only buy kits from Marivox and they selldom see the alternative kits from Airfix or Revell and they can't always understand or read what is written in German. And in Sweden all they know is about Marivox kits and they do not compare them with kits of other brands.


Wouldn´t you see such a statement as an absolute non-sense and definitely not what you are experiencing everyday in your country´s modelling scene? On the other hand: Sounds familiar to you? I simply quoted some of your statements about "the Germans" and changed the nations.

 

So please: No stereotypical talking about "the" Germans, Swedes, Russians or whatever people ...

 

Michael

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi MiGMech,

ok, you are right: A lot of reviews do sound "familiar" and are often redundant in their interchangeable phraseology.

BUT (writing as a professional reviewer - although NOT for IPMS!!): It is not easy to "invent" a new phraseology with every review you do. Imagine me sitting in front of my computer and writing at least 1 review every day. Although I am trying to do my very best, there comes the time when I do surrender to redundance ... that´ s quite normal.

On 1.1.2017 at 13:25, MiG-Mech said:


kit description is always the same, sounds like few text bricks are used for.

Of course! That´s what happens to me too: You have only one brain and sometimes the same "Textbausteine" (meaning interchangeable phrases) slip through your attention and -bingo- they are in the text.
And imagine some volunteer with no or nearly no knowledge of writing - what do you expect him to write? Of course the usual "the construction begins with the cockpit" and "After this I glued that and then I glued this" or, as some kind of mantra IPMS Deutschlands´ "in der unpraktischen Schüttelbox". With this phrase they tried to change Revell´s policy of packaging their kits in these flimsy end-opening boxes. To no avail ...

 

So please be patient with us writers (professsional or not) and help us getting better by friendly and criticizing our work.... this way is the best way to learn.

 

Michael

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1.1.2017 at 01:59, The Wooksta! said:

Depends on who gets the free kits for review... I suspect the latter.

Frankly spoken: IPMS Germany as well as Modellversium do get their free samples!

As a reviewer for my own site Kitreviewsonline.de I also do get samples when I ask for them: Of course "the industry" has an interest in sending samples and does expect positive reviews in return!
To be honest: I normaly (with some exceptions) do prefer to buy the review samples from my own wallet. Know why? Because no one can blame me being "the industry´s servant" or "having been paid for positive comments".
Staying independant is a veeery high value in the kit-review business and although sometimes I must hear rather unpolite comments for my "I buy the samples myself"-policy from other reviewers, I can write whatever I want without the need to blandish or flutter and say "thank you for the free kit"!

 

Michael

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Der Lingener said:

Hi André,

 

pardon my unpolite answer, but this is the kind of national stereoptype/prejudice we really don´t need in the 21st century!
I am German, can read and write English and realized that there are other manufacturers out there in the world...

 

 

I don´t know which German hobby shop you ever entered, but those I do have some knowledge of are FULL of Kinetic, Trumpeter, HobbyBoss, Airfix, Eduard etc. kits plus some (but only some!) Revell kits.

 

And of course "we" do compare Revell kits with other manufacturer´s products ... we are not ignorant stone-agers carving our models out of bone!

 

 

Have you read our thread about the testshot of Revell´s Spit Mk. II elsewhere here on Britmodeller? You should do my dear, you really should ...!

 

To sum it up (very sarcastically with lots of ironical content):
Well, Swedes are Swedes and they only buy kits from Marivox and they selldom see the alternative kits from Airfix or Revell and they can't always understand or read what is written in German. And in Sweden all they know is about Marivox kits and they do not compare them with kits of other brands.


Wouldn´t you see such a statement as an absolute non-sense and definitely not what you are experiencing everyday in your country´s modelling scene? On the other hand: Sounds familiar to you? I simply quoted some of your statements about "the Germans" and changed the nations.

 

So please: No stereotypical talking about "the" Germans, Swedes, Russians or whatever people ...

 

Michael

 

Well Michael,

My aunt, my uncles and my cousins live in Mauern not far from Landsut in Bavaria. Not a single one of them can speak, read or understand English. In Sweden we start to learn english in third class and in those days my cousins started to learn english in fifth class. And in Germany you dubb every movie to german instead of hearing english you hear german. So you are rather bad at pronounce English words as well.

 

And yes I am born in Sweden and I am an Swede. But as I have a german father I spend a lot of time in Germany. I usually visit Kiel, Hambrg but much more Regensburg, Ingolstadt, Moosburg, Landsut and of course Munchen. I also have an uncle living in Pfeffenhausen also not far from Landsut. So I do knew a lot about Germany and how bad the older generations born in the 1960 an 1970's are at speaking something more than German...

So there are big difference concerning speaking, reading and understand different languidges in different countries. Some are for sure better than others, I am an Health Physiscist working in Ringhals nuclear plant, the biggest nuclear plant in northern europe an we have a lot of workers, engineers coming from UK, USA, France and Germany. And I am always amazed by how bad older germans are at speaking english. They always expect that we shell talk German with them...

 

Sorry to say that it isn't stereotypical. It's a fact...
Cheers / André

 

 

Edited by Andre B
Spelling problems, I am just a Swede...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...