Eduard Spitfire Mk.IXc Late Version ProfiPACK (8281) - 1:48 Eduard

[Julien]

Spitfire Mk.IXc Late Version ProfiPACK (8281)

1:48 Eduard

 

 

A fairly well-known aircraft of WWII, the Supermarine Spitfire was the mainstay of British Fighter Command for the majority of WWII, with the Mk.IX being the most popular (with many) throughout the war, seeing extended periods of production with only minor alterations for the role that it was intended for differentiating between the sub-variants.  Originally requested to counter the superiority of the then-new Fw.190, a two-stage supercharged Merlin designated type 61 provided the performance in spades, and the fitting of twin wing-mounted cannons in wing blisters gave it enough punch to take down its diminutive Butcher-Bird prey.

 

 

The Kit

Eduard's range of Spitfire kits expanded almost as quickly as their Bf.109 range did, and is of comparable quality in terms of detail and buildability.  As usual with the Profipak editions, you get the kit, some extras and a generous decal sheet.  Inside the standard Profipak boxing are five sprues in a medium grey stryrene, a circular clear sprue in its own ziplok bag, a sheet of yellow kabuki tape masking material pre-cut to shape, and a nickel plated sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass with some parts pre-printed for the instrument panel.  The instruction booklet is glossy and printed in colour, with the rear pages showing the decal options that are included in the box.  There are two decal sheets included in the box, again supplied in their own re-sealable bag to keep them fresh and safe from damage.  There are a number of parts that will stay in the box after construction is completed, such as a set of lower wings, tail fins, landing gear and clipped wingtips.  Anyone that's an inveterate Spitfire fiddler will welcome the spares.

 

 

 

Construction begins with the cockpit – no surprises there then.  The sidewalls with their equipment are built up, and the rear frames are fitted into grooves , with the lower 'pit floor and control lines under the pilot's feet.  His seat is nicely detailed with a PE or styrene armour panel behind it, and a flare rack under the front lip, plus a pair of pre-painted harnesses to keep the pilot from headbutting the gunsight in the event of a sudden stop.  The control column is made of three parts and includes a linkage, with the other controls built up from PE and styrene parts, plus of course the lamination of the main instrument panel, into which the gunsight  and compass fit.  The completed assembly fits into the slot at the front of the sidewall, and the rudder pedals slot in from below just forward of the instrument panel frame.  The opposite sidewall secures the assembly and gives it strength until it is fitted in between the two fuselage halves along with a firewall spacer part and the spinner backplate.  At the rear a socket for the tailwheel is trapped between the halves, and the wingroot leading edges are added from separate parts that fit very well, from memory.  The Eduard Spit includes a short spar in the lower wing for strength, which also includes a short portion of the gear bay walls, the rest being added from short sections that are installed around the opening.  A choice of two upper wing halves are offered, with either a single narrow blister or a wide one, depending on which markings options you are going for.  The wingtips and ailerons are separate, and are added later in the build for whatever reason, as are the radiator housings on the underside of the wing, the chin intake, and the lower nose cowling.  The radiator baths have movable rear sections to allow

 

 

The fuselage and wings can be mated now, and the cowling added around the top of the engine compartment, after you have built up the fishtail exhausts, which by the way have hollow tips due to some clever slide-moulding.  The tail has a separate rudder and elevators that fit to the fins.  The landing gear is next, and they can be built raised or lowered, the latter achieved by cutting off the tab at the end of the leg.  Very little is said about how to achieve raised gear, but a little trial and error will soon result in a solution if you're not lucky enough to find out via a quick search.  The tail wheel is supplied on a long rod that slots inside the fuselage and connects with the socket that was glued in place at time of the fuselage closure.  The prop is provided as a single part, and is sandwiched by the front and rear spinner parts for attachment to the nose during the final stages, which also includes the single cannon barrels with the outer ports glazed over with a clear dome on most of the markings options. 

 

 

Canopy

The canopy is supplied with separate windscreen part with a choice of rear-view mirrors, and either a complete canopy and rear section in one part, or separate parts if you want to display the cockpit open.

 

 

 

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 white that a great many decals use.. 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.

 

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

A welcome re-release of a cracking kit from those nice folks at Eduard.  If you missed out on it the first time round, then now is your chance to pick it up this time.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of