Search the Community

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc Early Eduard Weekend 1:48 The Model Having released what is possibly the best Spitfire model so far in this scale, in Profipack and Royal Class editions, this kit is now available in a Weekend Edition. This kit includes all the styrene of the Profipack edition, but loses the pre-painted etched parts, masks and all but one of the marking options. What you do still get is a load of parts destined to go straight to the spares box. The build begins with the cockpit, and here some of the sidewall detail is moulded into the fuselage, with the rest being supplied as separate parts that fit to the 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. 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 armoured panel. The control column and linkage is built up from three parts, and then added in front of the seat along with a few additional sidewall details. The instrument panel is the forward bulkhead, and is supplied as either a single styrene part with raised instrument bezels on the surface, which you can paint or a flat plate on which the modeller can use the provided decal, 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 bulkhead opening between the pilot's knees, just like the real thing. Rudder pedals sit within the bulkhead, 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 the 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. At this point, the leading edges of the wing root fairings are also attached. As is standard with the Spitfire wings in this scale (and most others), the lower wing is a single full-span part, and in this case, there is a stub spar 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. The upper wing section has been moulded with 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 and separate wing tips are attached, the fuselage can be dropped into the gap and secured in place. The top cowling 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 are fitted to each side of the cowling 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. 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. 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. Underneath, the two piece 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 inner and outer hubs. 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. 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 fitted 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. and you use different parts for open and closed canopies. Lastly the aerial mast if attached to the fuselage via an insert followed by a small clear teardrop shaped bubble just aft of the mast and only used with certain marked aircraft. Decals The main decal sheet provides markings for just one aircraft, the decals for which are printed in-house by Eduard and are in good register, are sharp, and appear suitably opaque. They appear more matt than the Profipack decals. The decal used for the instrument panel then these too are very well printed and look quite realistic. No stencils are included in this edition. The markings are for Spitfire Mk.IXc, EN354, flown by 1st Lt Leonard V. Helton, of the 52nd FG, 4th FS, La Sebala Airfield, Tunisia, June 1943, in a similar scheme as EN315 above in Mid Stone, Dark Earth and Azure Blue colour scheme with a red spinner. Conclusion These Spitfires from Eduard are superb and no matter if you go for the Profipack or this Weekend edition the modeller is in for a treat. This edition is, in my opinion, really good value for what you get, loads of build enjoyment and a great looking Spitfire at the end. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of