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Spitfire Mk.22/24 Upgrades (for Airfix) 1:48 Eduard This kit from Airfix may not be the newest on the block, but it's a golden oldie that is generally well-liked by modellers, so much so that it has been re-released by Airfix a number of times over the years. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Detail Set (49924) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. It begins with a re-scribing template for the Mk.22 radio hatch, which was in a different place to the 24, the lines for which will need filling to finish the job. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, placards and sidewall instruments are the primary parts on the painted set, with a new seat with supports; rudder pedals; gun bay internal structure; wing details; radiator skins; roll-over bar behind the pilot's head; access door; main gear and tail-wheel bay detail also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE924) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE925) In case you don't already know, these belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new printing method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as the crew belts, you also get a bracket on the head armour that holds the tensioning of the shoulder belts, which will require you to remove the moulded-in part. landing flaps (48963) Eduard landing flaps use an ingenious technique to achieve excellent true-to-scale flaps using few parts, and requiring the modeller to simply remove the over-thick ribbing, plus scrape the upper wings to accommodate the thickness of the completed bays, and hollow out a hole in the upper wing for the flap indicator. Each half of the two flap sections (bay and flap itself) is constructed in the same manner, by twisting and folding over the attached ribs to create a 3D shape, plus some 0.6mm rod for the hinges from your own stock. The bays glue to the inside of the upper wing and the flap attaches to the rear wall of the new bay. Repeat this for the other side, and you're almost done. The indicator is placed in the hole opened earlier, and the cover is glued over it, with a scrap diagram showing its correct position. Masks (EX610) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for all the wheels (including the tail-wheel), allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review sample courtesy of

After the Spiteful F.14 (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234949742-132-supermarine-spiteful-f14-resin-kit-by-iconicair-released/) and the Seafang (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234975303-132-supermarine-seafang-resin-kit-by-iconicair-box-art/), Iconicair (http://www.iconicair.com/) is to release in November 2015 a 1/32nd Supermarine Attacker resin kit - ref. Source: http://www.iconicair.com/attacker/ Box art V.P.

Whirlybird Models is to release at the SMW 2018 a 1/72nd Supermarine 545 kit - ref. Source: https://www.facebook.com/whirlybirdmodels/photos/a.520880691670428/520895088335655/?type=3&theater V.P.

Spitfire Mk.VIII/IX Cockpit Doors (648380 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Cutting out the cockpit door on a Spitfire usually involves taking a saw or knife to the kit fuselage, taking care not to damage the part you cut out. No longer! Now you can cut out the opening and discard the piece, using this highly detailed resin alternative in its place. As usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. Inside the box are two resin doors on one casting block, one with the controversial crowbar installed, and one without, showing the clips that it normally affixes to. If you're building a post-war bird by all means paint it red, but for a WWII vintage build leave it interior green, otherwise the sticklers will get ya! There are also decals that are placed in vertically between the two internal stiffeners, with a choice of black or red text and the helpful folks at Eduard have split one set of stencils diagonally, to ease putting them in around the crowbar. Review sample courtesy of

I noticed that FlyPast had an interesting article about the Supermarine Scimitar in their last magazine. Sadly there is no available kit in 1/72... Cheers / André

Considering how the Scimitar is a historically important aircraft; being last aircraft produced by Supermarine, how come there's not been an injection plastic kit in 1:48 ? Of course there's the Dynavector kit but that's both vacuumform and starting to become both uncommon and expensive ! Is there a reason as to why a kit was never made by Classic Airframes who appeared to make kits of most other FAA aircraft during the 1950's/1960's ? With the release of other post war FAA subjects within the last 5 years like the Sea Vixen and Sea Hawk surely someone should have made one by now ? Gareth

Spitfire HF Mk. VIII ProfiPACK 1:48 Eduard The Spit needs little introduction other than that it helped to save Britain from the Luftwaffe's onslaught during the Battle of Britain, holding off the fighters while the Hurricanes went after the bombers. It was a flexible airframe and was capable of much improvement, which rendered it useful for the full course of WWII, with many changes during service both to the airframe and the Merlin powerplant, which was later replaced by the more powerful and larger Griffon engine. The Mark VIII airframes were all built by Supermarine themselves and saw a lot of use overseas, with the Mk.IX used more in defence of the British Isles and benefitting from the extra power the revised engine gave it. The high altitude HF was equipped with a set of wingtip extensions to improve climb and lift in the thinner atmosphere at height, and ran a Type 70 Merlin that was able to propel it a further 3,500 feet above the standard Mk.VIII, as well as 10mph or so higher top speed. The extended wingtips gave little in the way of assistance, while slowing down the aircraft's roll-rate, and although it was well-liked by pilots (with standard tips), it was eclipsed by the more potent IX. The Kit Eduard's Spitfire range just keeps on growing, and this new boxing uses as much existing tooling as is appropriate, and adds new parts to complete the airframe as its mark requires. Consequently there will be a fair number of parts remaining in the box after completion of your model. The kit arrives in the standard ProfiPACK box with the orange band, with four sprues in dark grey/blue styrene, one in clear, two sheets of decals, a small sheet of pre-painted and nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of yellow kabuki tape masks, and the glossy colour printed instruction booklet with painting and marking guide to the rear. The sprues are bagged in resealable clear foil bags, while the circular clear sprue is bagged separately in a ziplok type bag for extra protection from chaffing. The PE and masks are in a bag each, with the PE protected by a piece of card, and the decals are in their own bag with paper covering the printing to protect them. Eduard's 1:48 Spitfires are beautiful models that have exquisite surface detail, go together well and look the part. There's not much unusual about this build, and the cockpit goes together as you'd expect, with a small depression to fill on the head of the frame behind the seat, and a choice of two parts either with the head armour moulded in or added as a separate PE part. There are optional styrene or colour PE instrument panels, and a decal on the sheet to overlay the styrene part if you really don't like laminated PE panels. There's also a decal for the compass that sits between the pilot's knees hanging from behind the instrument panel. If you're closing up the canopy you'll need to trim a few sections of the cockpit sill, which are indicated in red on scrap diagrams, and a few holes need drilling in one wing root and in the starboard nose for the later application of a small teardrop fairing peculiar to the HF's engine configuration. The wings are full span underneath as you'd expect, and there are a choice of colours for the underwing recognition lights, which is predicated by your decal choice. The tops glue on after the wheel wells have been constructed from three parts each, and the airframe is brought together by adding the wings, elevators and rudder at the rear. The cowling is a perceived weak-point of the kit due to the fact that it must be moulded as two parts due to its shape and you then have to deal with the seams, which are prominent, and with some fillers have a tendency of coming back both there and over the fuel tank in front of the windscreen. This not limited to Eduard's Spits, as I remember having it with another brand myself. Don’t forget to add the exhaust stacks with their hollow slide-moulded tips, which are closer in look to resin than styrene. At this stage the wings are clipped and have no control surfaces, which are added next, and the former have long tabs that slip inside the slot in the wings, so take care with alignment here and save yourself a lot of heartache later by minimising the seam. Underneath you need to add the chin with prominent scoop plus the radiator housings, all of which have PE mesh intakes and in the case of the latter, exits too. The doors at the rear of the housings can be posed open or closed by fitting a different actuator, the angles and positions of which are shown in scrap diagrams. The Spit's landing gear was notorious for causing many a nose-over due to its narrow track, and this is replicated well by the kit, with each wheel having four parts, the main strut having either styrene or PE scissor links on the oleo, and the bay doors nicely detailed as well a commendably thin. If you are posing your model in flight, leave the tabs at the wing end intact, otherwise they need trimming as instructed. The VIII had a retractable tail-wheel in the search for speed, and this is well depicted with a two-part yoke around the tyre, and two clamshell doors that have the correct position pointed out in another scrap diagram. Pitot probe, aerial and two metal hooks are fitted on the underside, and then it's just a case of choosing whether to leave your canopy open or closed and fitting the prop. A rear view mirror and closure mechanism is provided in PE, and if you are closing the canopy, you have a single part for the opener and the fixed rear part, while the open canopy has two sections that fit one over the other. Choose your cockpit door position, then fix the single part prop to the back plate and top it off with the spinner, locating it on the front (shocker!) with its spindle through the thoughtfully provided hole. A fuel filler cap, aerial post behind the cockpit and a pair of cannon barrels with domed over outer positions finishes things off nicely. Markings This is a ProfiPACK kit, and you have your usual five markings options spread between two sheets. The main sheet contains the machine specific decals, while the smaller sheet is full of stencils for the airframe that are common between them. These are called out on a separate page of the instructions. Decals are by Eduard, with good registration, sharpness and colour density, and a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. From the box you can build one of the following: JF364, No. 32 Squadron, Foggia, Italy, early 1944 JF476, No. 92 Squadron, Triolo, Sicily, November 1943 JF519, No. 1 Squadron SAAF , Trigno, Italy, February 1944 JF630, flown by F/O L. Cronin, No. 81 Squadron, Palel, India, March 1944 308th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, Castel Volturno, Italy, 1944 Yes, those roundels on the right are a bit bright, but they're supposed to be like that. Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, the masks provide you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a small number of masks for the wing and fuselage lights where needed. Conclusion One of the less famous Spitfire marks with a quirky set of wingtips gets a thoroughly modern, well-detailed rendition with a nice selection of decal options that should please most folks. If you're hungry for more detail, just check out the back page of the instructions, which has an advert extolling the benefits of the resin wheels, engine, cockpit, gun bays, exhausts and various PE sets that you can add. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

ICM is to release a 1/48th Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIc "beer delivery" kit - ref. 48060 New tool apply to the beer barrels, not the airframe. Source: http://www.icm.com.ua/news/501-spitfire-mkixc-beer-delivery-wwii-british-fighter.html Box art 3D renders V.P.

A recent rediscovered photo I bought a long time ago has posed a question. In the picture below are 5 different flying boats, the description on the press release it was used for is the second photo. According to Wikipedia the flying boat at the bottom was consigned to end its days at a flying training school a year earlier yet here it is alive and well. Did all these different types actually see active service or is this photo a PR stunt from 1939. cheers Pat PS, I didn't tell you the names of the different flying boats deliberately so you can look them up as I had to

Well this really is a rarity for me, my first ever Vacform build and finishing a Group Build, something I fail to do on too many occasions ! I have had this kit in the stash for many years and like many of us was completely terrified of building a Vacform kit, but thanks to the encouragement of everyone on here, WE have done it. Until I built this kit I didn't know much about Gordon Stevens, the man behind Rareplanes, but having read about him he was a remarkable man who by his undoubted skills and determination brought us the opportunity to build kits that none of the mainstream manufacturers would have looked at. I would therefore like to dedicate my rather modest build of this, one of his earliest kits to him. The poor old Supermarine 224, wasn't a success ending its life on a firing range as a target, but hopefully RJ Mitchell learnt something that he later used to make the more recognisable Spitfire the success it was. As for this kit I learnt a great deal, cutting out the parts from the sheet is nerve racking, the sanding seems to take forever as you are frightened of taking off too much and you constantly worry that the parts aren't going to fit. However the sense of achievement is amazing, so please dig out that Vacform kit you have had in the stash for years and give it a go, everyone on BM, especially me is right behind you. cheers Pat

Hi All, While the glue/paint is drying on my other builds I thought I'd do a quick one. One that did 400mph. Most of the major parts had been helpfully removed off the sprues already. One lunch hour later we were here... One more lunch hour and we were here... Can see why these only used to take a rainy afternoon.....

Revell is to release in Otober 2016 a new tool 1/72nd Supermarine Spitfire Mk.II kit - ref. 03953 Source: http://www.plastik-modellbau.org/blog/revell-neuheiten-2016/2016/ V.P.

Hi, all! In what a difference on fine details between the Swift Mk.7 and the Swift FR. 5? It seemed to me that on some photos a nose wheel the Swift Mk.7 is more than a nose wheel at the Swift FR.5. Whether so it? What else small distinctions on fine details between the Swift Mk.7 and the Swift FR. 5? B.R. Serge

Spitfire Mk.IXc Early Version Profipak (8282) 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 (probably not a real word, but you know what I mean). This reboxing is the early IXc, some of which were converted Mk.Vcs that were taken from the production line and fitted with the more powerful engine and little else in addition. As usual with the Profipak editions, you get the kit, some extras and a generous decal sheet for your shekels. 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, and you are advised to affix a pair of antennae from the tips of the elevators to tiny circular panels just behind the radio compartment hatch, but this is best done at the end so take it as a reminder to drill some tiny holes to thread some EZ-line or invisible mending thread later. The landing gear are 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. Speaking of clear parts, 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 There are two decal sheets in the box, one containing the individual markings and nation insignia, the other the stencils. The main sheet is by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencils are printed in-house by Eduard on their vibrant blue paper, and are of good quality. From the box you can build one of the following: Spitfire Mk.IXc early version 1/48 - EN315, Flown by S/Ldr. Stanislav Skalski, Polish Combat Team, Northern Africa, Spring 1943 Spitfire Mk.IXc early version 1/48 - EN133, No. 611 Squadron, Biggin Hill, Early 1943 Spitfire Mk.IXc early version 1/48 - BS392, Flown by S/Ldr. Bernard Dupérier, CO of No. 340 Squadron, Biggin Hill Airbase, Autumn 1942 Spitfire Mk.IXc early version 1/48 - EN354, flown by 1st Lt. Leonard V. Helton, 52nd FG, 4th FS, La Sebala Airfield, Tunisia, June, 1943 Spitfire Mk.IXc early version 1/48 - EN568, Flown by W/Cdr. Alan C. Deere, CO of Biggin Hill Wing, Biggin Hill Air Base, June, 1943 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 up the new boxing in its Profipak form. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi fellow modellers, my last three completions of the year. All made out of the box and painted with K4 acrilics. All very enjoyable kits. First the Airfix Spitfire Mk.22, decals, the only additions were the seatbelts and a PE instrument panel. Second is the beautiful Eduard Spit Mk.IXc. A very complex kit for me, but, excellent and very detailed. And third is the Academy Spitfire MK. XIVc. A very simple kit, thee fuselage is a it fat but it looks like a Spit to me. The decals come from the kit and are excellent, made by Cartograf. I hope you like them. All comments and critics are welcomed. Best regards and happy new year! Ignacio

Supermarine Spitfire XVIe TB863 pictured undergoing restoration at Temora Aviation Museum, Australia. Pics thanks AlexN.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII MV239 delivered to RAAF as A58-758. Currently airworthy in the markings of A58-602/RG-V/Grey Nurse at Temora Aviation Museum, Australia. Pics thanks to AlexN

Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb "Build Introduction" (4.1.16) Hello Chaps, In 3 weeks time, my wife and I will be moving to our new home, so, I'm not going to start another large scale plane build until we are settled in. But, that said, I feel I might be able to grab a few hours here and there, in between packing, to build a smaller quicker build kit. Therefore, I've chosen this kit, which was one of five kits that my wife bought me for Christmas from the Airfix "Black Friday" sale. I have made a start on her this week, but haven't found the time to start a WIP on here until now. So, without further ado, here goes..... The box is a typical Airfix two-piece construction- Lid and Base, which I much prefer compared to the end opening single units offered by Revell. The box art on the lid shows a Mk.Vb chasing and shooting down an enemy aircraft over the Mediterranean waters and is shown in the first of two color scheme/markings that are offered with this kit. The color scheme and markings are for the aircraft flown by Pilot Officer Robert Wendell "Buck" McNair D.F.C (Royal Canadian Air Force), No.249 (Gold Coast) Squadron, Royal Air Force, Operation "Spotter", Ta'Qali (Ta Kali), Malta, March 1942. This is the version that I will be modeling. On the sides of the box there are 5 CAD generated images showing some of the details included with this kit and the two options of color scheme and marking... Inside the box there is a large clear polythene bag containing 5 grey sprues and a smaller clear bag containing a single clear sprue. There is a 16 page Assembly/Instruction booklet and one sheet of decals... The decals are typical AIrfix, which I personally think are some of the best decals on the market, they are nicely printed, with roundels in register, minimal carrier film and the decals are nice and thin and have a matt/satin finish.... The 16 page booklet is printed in black, white, red and yellow and the last two pages showing the painting and decal instructions offering two options of color schemes and markings, are in full color. There are 46 assembly stages which are very clear with CAD generated images, clearly marked part numbers and color call outs. All colors are for Humbrol paints only will require converting should you choose other brand paints. The five grey sprues are very well molded, with nice crisp clean parts that have zero to minimal flash, if any. There is no warp, distortion, stress marks and sink to be seen and ejector pin witness marks are only visible on the inside of some parts. Other parts are ejected via "ejector slugs" that exist outside of the part geometry which eliminates any ejector pin witness marks on the parts. Sprue "A" Sprue "B" Sprue "C" Sprue "D" Sprue "E" Clear Sprue "F" includes options for open or closed canopies with three styles of hood available. All parts are nicely molded and very clear. Well, that's it for the introduction, so I'll see you guys when I have a "Build Update" ready to report. In the meantime, if you'd like to watch my YouTube Channel "Build Introduction" video for this kit, then here is the link to that: Thanks in advance for taking a look at this WIP, watching the video and leaving any comments, should you do so, much appreciated! Happy modeling and have fun! Cheers, ​ Martin

Ref.AK148001 Source: https://www.facebook.com/AKinteractive.official/photos/pcb.1062704810417911/1062704483751277/?type=3&theater V.P.

As follow up to the Spiteful (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234949742-132-supermarine-spiteful-f14-resin-kit-by-iconicair-released/), Iconicair (http://www.iconicair.com/) is to release in November 2015 a 1/32nd Supermarine Seafang resin kit. Source: http://www.iconicair.com/seafang/ Box art V.P.

Dogfight Doubles - Supermarine Spitfire Vb / Messerschmitt Bf109-E Airfix 1:48 The air war over Malta in WWII was a bloody battle with the odds stacked hard against the residents and small Allied presence there. The island posed significant strategic value to the Axis forces to prevent attacks in its shipping lanes interrupting supplies to their forces in North Africa. Initially under assault from the Italians, the Germans reinforced them in early 1941. Malta was under threat not only from military attack on the island itself, but from resource and food starvation as a result of attacks on the ships bringing supplies to the small fortress. In February 1941 Bf109E fighters of Jagdgeschwader 26 led by former Battle of France and Battle of Britain ace Oberleutnant Joachim Munchenberg gained air superiority operating from Sicily when their experienced crews overwhelmed the RAF pilots many who had limited combat experience based on Malta. As well as the RAF crews lacking combat experience, their Hurricanes had seen better days, let alone being already inferior to the 109E in good service condition. German efforts against Malta were strained due to resource distractions elsewhere, namely the Balkan Campaign and the attack on the Soviet Union. In mid 1941 this left the Italians taking the lead in attacks on Malta. With the weakening attacks and the influence of Air Commodore Hugh Lloyd, the RAF were able to get supplies through to the island, both in materials and aircraft. By July 1941 around 120 Hurricanes including some newly delivered Mk.II’s with a heavier punch and 60 bombers were now available to create an offensive from Malta. Despite heavy losses in low level shipping attacks, the RAF offensive continued, however in early 1942 German reinforcements were moved to Sicily where they could defend the shipping lanes using Bf110’s and Ju-88’s with great effect. This impact not only affected the RAF strike capability, but also the defensive capability yet again over Malta. In March 1942 Spitfires began to arrive on Malta from the carrier HMS Eagle as part of Operation ‘Spotter’. Opponents by this time were the more effective Bf109F and Macchi C.202’s which were outclassing the Hurricanes providing the back bone of the defensive operations. Despite the presence of the Spitfires, attacks on Malta severely hindered their ability to be effective, many being destroyed on the ground, however as supplies of new fighters got through as part of Operation Bowery in May ‘42, the tides began to turn in the RAF’s favour as Axis losses steadily increased. Hugh Lloyd was replaced with Keith Park of Battle of Britain fame in July ’42. His experience and abundance of British fighter planes by this time led him to take the enemy on using tactics favourable to the British. By October 1942, it was clear to the Germans that the RAF were too strong to be defeated on Malta, so their efforts were turned to North Africa. After almost 2 years of continual bombing and near starvation, the residents and British forces based on Malta had overcome the odds and defeated their Axis rivals. The kits Two of the iconic aircraft that operated during the air war over Malta were the Messerschmitt Bf109E and the Supermarine Spitfire Vb. First of all, to clear up any confusion, whist this set is sold as a ‘Dogfight Double’, as mentioned above, the Spitfire wasn’t available during Joachim Munchenbergs time when based on Sicily using Bf109E’s, he would have been opposing Hurricanes. The Spitfires of 229 Sqn would more than likely of been opposing the new Bf109F’s and Macchi C.202’s in ’42 onwards. With that out of the way, both kits are the newer toolings supplied by Airfix. The pack comes in an end-opening box with artwork of the two aircraft enclosed. It also comes with a stand to display the two aircraft in combat pose and a set of brushes, paints and glue. Each aircraft is individually wrapped. We have previously reviewed both aircraft kits on Britmodeller, so please see the links below for more information about the plastic: BF109E BF109E Tropical (same plastic as the ‘E’ review above) Spitfire Vb The stand comes in black plastic with a self adhesive label and Airfix moulded emblem to finish it off. Be aware if you decide to display the aircraft on the stand, then you will need to leave the slipper tank and drop tank off the Spitfire and Bf109E respectively and the holes for the stand need to go there. If this set is for a young or novice builder, you have to drill the holes for the stand yourself following the instructions. For this you will need a 2mm drill bit. Materials to build the kit As well as 2 brushes and two tubes of Hornby glue, 10 small pots of Humbrol acrylic paints are included to paint the aircraft. Including a 2mm drill bit would have been a good addition to this pack given the need to use one if you want to use the stand included. Decals Decals for two aircraft are included: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb, No. 229 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Qrendi, Malta, December 1942 Messerschmitt Bf109E-7, aircraft flown by Oberleutnant Joachim Muncheberg, 7./JG26 “Schlageter”, Gela, Sicily, Spring 1941 The decals are in excellent register with a semi-matt finish and look superb. Having used some of the recent decals by Airfix, I’ve been very impressed with how they settle down. A good selection of stencils are also included for both aircraft. Conclusion Given that this set includes new tooling for both aircraft and different decals than the single box options, it offers excellent value for money. Both kits build up in to great renditions in their own right and together will form a superb display of history ignoring the reality that they didn’t actually see combat with each other. As a young modeller myself (many, many years ago!!), I was captivated by these heroic periods in aviation warfare and these sets remind me of where my passion for both aviation and modelling came from. As such, I’m sure that these latest efforts by Airfix will have the same impact on today’s budding young modellers or even us older ones on a nostalgic trip! Review sample courtesy of

Supermarine Walrus L2301 at the FAA Museum, pics thanks to Merlin101. This is a composite aircraft, using the fuselage and engine of Walrus L2301. It was built in 1939, for the Irish Air Corps, who flew it during World War 2 carrying the Irish designation N.18. During its delivery flight, on 3 March 1939, it suffered engine failure and later hull damage from ditching in the high seas. The aircraft was towed to the former launch strip at the US Naval Air Station, Ireland. On 9 January 1942 it was stolen by four Irish nationals who intended to fly to France to join the Luftwaffe. However, they were intercepted by RAF Spitfires and escorted to RAF St Eval; the aircraft and its occupants being returned to Ireland. After the war, it was transferred to Aer Lingus and given the Irish civil registration EI-ACC. However, the Irish airline never flew it and instead sold it to Wing Commander Ronald Gustave Kellett in 1946 for £150 It was given the British civilian registration G-AIZG and flown until 1949 by members of No. 615 Squadron RAF for recreation.[38] In 1963, it was recovered from a dump at Haddenham airfield (formerly RAF Thame)[40] by members of the Historic Aircraft Preservation Society. They presented it to the Fleet Air Arm Museum who restored it between 1964 and 1966, it has been an exhibit at the Fleet Air Museum since then.

Supermarine Spitfire Vb Airfix 1:48 The Spitfire hardly needs an introduction, an iconic war machine and graceful lines satisfying the technical theory that ‘If it looks right, it flies right’! With around 6000 aircraft produced across the various sites, the Mk.V was the most produced version of the 20,000+ built. Coming in to service in 1941, it incorporated many of the improvements developed in the Mk.III, however instead of using the planned Mk.XX Merlin which was in short supply, the Mk.45 with a single stage single supercharger was used as it could easily be fitted to the standard fuselage of the Mk.I/II. Three types of wing were available in the Mk.V range, the ‘A’ wing using the traditional 8 gun layout and the ‘B’ wing housing two 20mm cannon and 4 machine guns. The universal ‘C’ wing introduced shortly afterwards had a more flexible arrangement being able to house either the ‘A’ or ‘B’ configurations or 4 cannon and 4 machine guns. A key feature of the Mk.45 Merlin introduced in late ’41’ was the ability to cope with negative ‘g’ without cutting out significantly improving dogfight performance in an effort to close the gap on the newly developed FW190. As well as being used in the UK, the Mk.V saw considerable service abroad. The need to cope with hotter and harsher climates led to some of the ugliest and slowest Spitfires to be built (I say that in principal, but I actually like the tropical versions!). Tropical versions accommodated a deep chin Vokes filter, but the extra drag and reduced intake charge speed affected the performance by around 8mph and clime rate aby about 600ft/min. Later, in-field improvements led to a more streamlined ‘Aboukir’ tropical filter which went some way to restoring the original lines of the spitfire too. The Mk.V’s endured fierce combats with front line fighters of the Axis air forces across most theatres of WWII including Europe, the Mediterranean, Pacific and Russian. In an ironic turn of developments, the ‘stop gap’ MkV was gradually replaced by the next ‘stop gap’ version, the Mk.IX which became the second most widely produced variant. The key difference in the two aircraft was a notably longer nose to accommodate a two stage supercharger giving a much improved high altitude performance to deal with the FW190’s over Europe. The kit The release of this new kit by Airfix was somewhat of a surprise, with very little hype. Maybe a new quarter scale Spitfire just doesn’t need the marketing effort other kits require and given the interest of forums, this may well be the case. It replaces the 1977 tooling with the iconic QJ-R tropical Spitfire artwork that is probably the reason I developed such a soft spot for the ‘ugly’ Spits in the first place. That said, the Tamiya Vb is probably the current bench mark in this scale that Airfix have entered the competition with. From the various comparisons across the internet (thanks to some of the guys on here, Troy Smith in particular), it appears that Airfix have produced a gem of a kit in terms of accuracy. Comparing the two, the Airfix wing is considered more accurate and the nose correct in length, whereas the Tamiya is a few mm too short. First impressions are certainly favourable. Moulding quality is superb with the panel lines recessed and more refined than some of the recent Airfix releases. The parts breakdown add a little more complexity than the Tamiya kit which I’ll pick up in the review later on, but there is a good range of options covering most of the Vb variations. Flash is almost none existent and there are only a few observations of sink marks which I’ll mention later too. The box is thankfully top opening with stunning digital artwork of a tropical version. The instructions are excellent in my opinion with good clear steps using colour to improve clarity. So, on with assembly. Traditionally it starts with the cockpit interior. Unlike the fuselage moulded sidewall interior of the Tamiya kit, the Airfix kit has two inserts with excellent detail moulded on that mate to the fuselage inner walls. The seat comprising three main parts is also nicely formed, although looks a little thin in width by itself. Once in place, I doubt that this would be as noticeable. Unfortunately, there are no harnesses, so you may want to scratch build these, purchase some aftermarket parts or fit the included pilot. The bulk head and surrounding frame work is well catered for as is the main panel. The framework, seat and flying panel are all assembled within the two sidewall inserts making a complete interior that then sandwiches inside the fuselage halves. Before you do this however, there is an important decision to make. If you want to have the canopy closed, you have to cut a small section of the fuselage away to locate the canopy. This is one of the complexities that leads me to believe this kit is a little more challenging for novice builders. There are marks in the fuselage interior as a guide and with the right tools, is quite straight forwards. If you want the canopy open and the access door open too, it will need cutting away. Again, there are cut lines on the fuselage interior as a guide. If you do take this option however, you don’t need to use the cut-away door, there is a separate part on the sprue. The nose panel fasteners are well produced as are the various lumps and bumps around the engine area. I appreciate that there is a divided opinion on rivets on a Spitfire, but some faint rivets on the fuselage would improve the surface in my opinion. Eduard has done an excellent job of it on their Mk.IX as an example. Finally, to complete the fuselage assembly, there are two options for the cockpit forward upper bulkhead. These ‘saddle’ parts accommodate two different styles of windscreen installations. Based on experience of building modern Airfix kits, the tolerances are very precise. As such, any paint on the edges of the fuselage structure under the upper this saddle part may need sanding off for a flush fit. On with the wing assembly next. As with the fuselage, detail is nicely reproduced with the cannon bumps and wing stiffeners moulded in (you may need to remove the latter if producing an aftermarket scheme as not all had these fitted). There is a very slight sink mark in the wing tips. One of the lower wings is slightly warped being very thin, however once mated to the upper wing, this shouldn’t be a concern. The ailerons are separate parts allowing off centre positioning to add a little interest to your build. Again, there is a little more complexity here than with the Tamiya kit for comparison and I’m not sure why this option was taken by Airfix. Two spars are included with a hinge mechanism for the main gear legs. The main gear legs are then fixed to these hinge parts, but the join is just a butt joint albeit with a step. The instructions call for the correct angles of positioning both laterally and longitudinally, but care will need to be taken to get this right. A good choice of glue will be critical here and I suspect this will be a weak point if displayed wheels down. The tyres are moulded with flat spots and bulged for in the lower position with separate hub parts making painting much easier. None bulged ‘half’ tyres are included for in the retracted position. Two choices of oil cooler are included, one for the tropical version, one for the standard variant. However I thought that tropical versions also had a deeper radiator, but only one type of radiator is included, maybe someone can clarify this? On the 1/24 Spit, both radiators are included. That aside, the radiator builds up well with a separate exit flap that can be positioned at preference. With the wing in place, the chin parts can be fitted. Both standard and Vokes tropical parts are included. If you want to do an Aboukir variant, Freightdog have just released an aftermarket part which I can recommend having seen it at the Brampton show. The tail feathers are fitted next. Separate elevators and rudder parts again make for a more interesting display if you prefer to position them off centre. The fabric effect on these parts is pleasingly subtle. There are three types of exhausts included in the kit, although one type are the pre-fishtailed ones that I can only imagine were used on very early Mk.V’s at best. The two options included in the instructions are both fish tail, but one has the gun heating pipes. Two types of propellers are included in the kit. The Rotol with wooden blades looks very good although there is evidence of sink marks at the base on my example. This is quite visible, but some filler will easily sort the issue out. Whilst the blades on the DeHavilland propeller are fine, the spinner is too long. Again, Freightdog can come to the rescue here with a correct ‘stubbier’ one, or if you have one knocking around in the spares box, that might be an option. Dropping some filler inside the point of the hub might allow for it be sanded back to the correct length as another option to consider too. The cockpit options are quite thorough. You have the choice of three windscreens and canopies as well as either open or closed. Again, if you are using aftermarket decal options, do your research before choosing the correct type. The parts are very good with thin moulding and the only distortion on the blown hood parts which I would consider as minimal. Another option included in the kit is both clear and non-clear clipped wing tips. Finally there is a large slipper tank and two 250lb bombs included in the set although there is no call for the bombs in the instructions. To summarise the options included, there are: Intakes - standard or Vokes Windscreen / canopy - three styles Oil cooler - standard or tropical Wing tips - standard or clipped Aerial masts - 2 types Slipper tank 250lb bombs x2 Exhausts - 3 types Gear - retracted or lowered Decals Having built a few Airfix kits recently, the quality of the decals have been impressive. Whilst thin, they are also strong and settle down well. The decals in this kit appear to be of the same quality. Very sharp and detailed print with a slightly matt finish. As well as the plentiful stencils included, the following aircraft schemes are provided: 249Sqn (Gold Coast) RAF flown by P/O Robert Wendell “Buck” McNair DFC during Operation ‘Spotter’ from Ta’ Qali, Malta 1942 with an interesting dark earth / sea grey paint scheme BM597 (G-MKVB) restored in the colours of 317Sqn Polish Fighter Squadron. More conventional scheme and now based at Duxford with the Historic Aircraft Collection Ltd. Conclusion As mentioned at the start, this is regarded as a very accurate kit, which is a sensitive area of discussion when it comes to Spitfires. There are some steps that require care and attention during assembly which probably make it less of a beginner’s kit than the Tamiya equivalent, but the optional parts included allow for a wide range of aftermarket choices which I suspect will fuel future decal releases. The cockpit is nicely detailed, although there is still room for aftermarket improvement should you wish. All in all, an outstanding kit and probably Airfix’s best Spitfire in any scale yet. I’ve already bought another! Review sample courtesy of

After the Mk.V floatplane (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234947642-172-supermarine-spitfire-mkv-floatplane-by-brengun-released/), Brengun/Hauler (http://www.brengun.cz/) is to release a 1/72nd Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXb Floatplane kit - ref.BRP72019 Source: https://www.facebook.com/440180076140646/photos/a.443370235821630.1073741831.440180076140646/465876970237623/?type=1&theater Box art V.P.

Spitfire LF Mk. VC, serial no. AR501 G-AWII operated by the Shuttleworth Trust. This aircraft was acquired from Loughborough Technical College by the Shuttleworth. Trust during 1961. Initially it was stored dismantled, but become one of the Spitfires restored and flown for the Battle of Britain movie production in 1968. Put into storage again, it was once again rebuilt to airworthy condition in Duxford during 1973-1975. It has been one of the most popular attractions of the Collection's displays at Old Warden ever since. Pics thanks to Mark Mills.