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Spitfire XIV Best Kits 1/72


wellsprop

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Hi all,

I admit. I'm nuts about Spitfires. Especially the XIV. Unfortunately theres isn't a single 1/72 perfect/near perfect XIV out there :( Here I will try to create a definitive list of popular XIV kits and highlight their pros and cons.

First off, Academy

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Pros

  • Cheap and readily available
  • Easy build
  • Only £5
  • Good fit
  • Fantastic panel lines and detail
  • Overall good in construction

Cons

  • It's dreadful
  • Wrong shape
  • Really fat
  • Too short
  • Rubbis h decals

Next AZ Models

AZM73020.jpg

AZML7217.jpg

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Pros

  • Good shape
  • Very nice fine panel lines
  • Readily available
  • Also a high back version available however I can't comment on that as I haven't made it

 

Cons

 

  • At £17 quid its pretty expensive
  • The cheaper Legato version has dreadful decals
  • No intake over the right engine cowl
  • Fiddly, ill fitting and cloudy canopy

 

Now my favourite Fujimi

 

fujimi_spitfire_series.jpg

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Pros

  • Very good shape
  • Good panel lines
  • Good props
  • High or low back versions
  • Easy build
  • Can get it for only £10 (possibly)

 

Cons

 

  • Hard to get hold of
  • Can be expensive
  • Dreadful high back insert (you'll have to buy the resin upgrade)
  • Fiddly engine cowling
  • Sparse cockpit
  • One mold tries to make a few different versions so theres a bit of altering to be done for each version
  • Stupid fixed tail wheel (u/c doors need to be cut off and opened up)
  • The canopy for the high back is rather bulbous
  • The high back version needs the rear cockpit upper deck removing (and the bulkhead removed)

 

Frog

 

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spitfireXIV_frog_01.jpg

Pros

  • About £10
  • Easy build

Cons

  • Hard to get hold of
  • Ancient kit
  • Raised panel lines
  • Poor shape
  • Costly for what it is

 

Ark Models (Frog re-pop - see above)

 

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Airfix (this takes a lot of time and patience)

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Pros

  • Good kits
  • Easily available
  • Good cockpit detail (XIV)
  • Cheap £7-8
  • You'll end up with an XIV and a PrX/XI
  • They support Airfix!

 

Cons

 

  • Requires cross kitting and conversions (a joy for some though)
  • No decals if you're building an XIV of X/XI
  • Not ideal to do a double conversion
  • Lack of detail in cockpit (IX)
  • Lack of wheel well detail
  • XIX fuselage shape is off
  • Wing chord is 1mm too great
  • IX wing would need aileron rescribe and clipped wings
  • Deep panel lines and lack of detailed lines

 

Sadly there is no mainstream kit that is accurate/easy to get hold of :(

 

Please feel free to correct me and/or add other kits to the list, I will update this post with any new info.

Ben

Edited by wellsprop
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There's also the Ventura XIV.

Pro's:

Nice fuselage

White metal prop blades, gear legs

Often cheap when found

Con's:

VERY short run molding

Crude wing, radiators in particular need complete replacement

Even cruder cockpit

lousy decals

It's probably a better choice for a fuselage donation to an Airfix IXc to make an F.XIVc

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I suspect the ARK is the Frog. Talking of which, this has a nose that is too short and a propline slightly too high. IIRC the solution was an Airfix Tiger wheel glued on the front, slightly lower, then fill and sand. But still pretty crude. From the photo, it doesn't have the shortened ailerons.

The Airfix is also a bit basic for its (recent) age, and the wing has 1mm too broad a chord. A lot of people find they can live with that but it isn't difficult to improve. Recessed panel lines are bit overdone. There was been a lot of talk about the Griffon nose being too short but I'm not sure how that ended: possibly in a discussion about the wing being in the wrong place. I suspect this is linked to the chord problem.

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Thanks for starting this handy ready reference. Some points (strictly my personal opinions):

  • Fujimi 1/72 Spitfire XIV additional con: fixed tailwheel (so wrong for Griffon Spits, other than a number of Mk XIIs that were based on Vc airframes.
  • FROG Spitfire additional cons: IMHO the shape is wrong and there's no gull wing fairing of the wing into the fuselage.
  • ARK Spitfire is a re-pop of the FROG/NOVO kit which has also been marketed by Eastern Express. Also want to say Maquette but not certain.
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May I comment a bit on your conclusions ?
The Academy kit has a few more pros that are not listed: it is a brilliant kit in terms of detail and engineering ! It fits well, has lovely panel lines and the cockpit detail is superior to most 1/72 mainstream Spitfire kits. If you consider the detail in the airfix combo good, then the Academy should be rated fantastic.. yes, it's much better.

In the end the "only" problems with the Academy kits are in the accuracy department, had this not been botched so badly it would have been the best 1/72 Spitfire kit around.

The Frog kit is not really that accurate, just look at the area where the wing trailing edge meets the fuselage for example.... totally invented and way different from the shape of the real thing.

Speaking of accuracy, even the airfix IX/XIX cross kitting exercise suffers a bit: the fuselage shape of the XIX is not great and the wings of both are a bit too wide in chord. The Mk.IX wing also needs the hinge line of the aileron to be moved (can't remember if the upper or lower). The overall detail level of both its is not good with things like opern wheel bays and so on.

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I would also like to add that the Legato re-issue's parts require more clean-up than the original release (unsurprisingly), and that the Indian Air Force option for the original release appears to be for an XVIII and not a XIV (granted, outwardly they don't look different). AZ also released a high-back XIV as a 'Silver' limited-edition kit:

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AZMS7205

Wellsprop, when you say the Legato reboxing's decals are dreadful, are they out of register or do they not work well? I plan to use the kit stencils but not the markings.

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I would also like to add that the Legato re-issue's parts require more clean-up than the original release (unsurprisingly), and that the Indian Air Force option for the original release appears to be for an XVIII and not a XIV (granted, outwardly they don't look different). AZ also released a high-back XIV as a 'Silver' limited-edition kit:

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AZMS7205

Wellsprop, when you say the Legato reboxing's decals are dreadful, are they out of register or do they not work well? I plan to use the kit stencils but not the markings.

The stencils are fine, the serials and squadron codes were totally wrong shape and colour. I recommend Freightdog's XIV 2TAF/BAFO decal set

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If you're looking to mate a fuselage to,say an Airfix IX's wing to produce an XIV,

then this is the Holy Grail of Griffon Spit fuselages,period.

There is nothing out there that is as accurate as this is.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aeroclub-Models-1-72-Supermarine-Spitfire-Mk-14-C-Fuselage-Conversion-Kit-/390724725448?pt=UK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item5af9022ac8

Search E-Bay for "Aeroclub Spitfire",there's actually two XIV's an XII and Seafire XVII conversions on there.

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The Fujimi low-back is my favourite too but it does need the Quickboost cowling.

The Academy XIV was a really enjoyable build and doesn't look too bad as long as you keep it away from your other Spitfires. I did find the propeller assembly to be difficult to construct with the correct angle and pitch and also the blades are too wide. I recently refurbished mine with the prop off the Airfix Mk.22 and also a couple of correctly sized wheels. There's another one in the stash, bought for next to nothing for the cockpit parts. I might try to file down the fuselage halves and see if it looks any better.

John.

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I would also like to add that the Legato re-issue's parts require more clean-up than the original release (unsurprisingly), and that the Indian Air Force option for the original release appears to be for an XVIII and not a XIV (granted, outwardly they don't look different). AZ also released a high-back XIV as a 'Silver' limited-edition kit:

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AZMS7205

Wellsprop, when you say the Legato reboxing's decals are dreadful, are they out of register or do they not work well? I plan to use the kit stencils but not the markings.

Except that the XVIII has the big-big pointy rudder and e wing,not always fitted to the XVI.

Edited by Miggers
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Except that the XVIII has the big-big pointy rudder and e wing,not always fitted to the XVI.

True; however the Legato XIV does have an e wing and comes with both rudders. I would even say the plastic for the XIVe and XVIII are the same and the 'XIVc' label on the box is misleading.

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Can't add too much to this discussion other than i bought the Quickboost cowling for my recent Fujimi mkxviii but found the kit item was easier to fit and was the correct size! The quick boost one was too short and needed too much filling.

Rick.

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True; however the Legato XIV does have an e wing and comes with both rudders. I would even say the plastic for the XIVe and XVIII are the same and the 'XIVc' label on the box is misleading.

Most XIVc's had the high-back fuse and,obviously,the c wing(wouldn't be an XIVc otherwise would it)

and the smaller big Griffon rudder.

XIVe's(in both F/FR flavours) had the e wing,the RV fuse and quite often the big-big Griffon rudder,

XVIII's had the e wing and the big-big Griffon rudder.

The big-big rudder was generally used with Griffon 65/80 RV fuses to help compensate for the smaller

fuselage area of the RV.

By this stage of procedings,the two stage,two speed Griffon 65/80 series was a monster of an engine stuck

onto the front of an airframe that had really only been designed to use at the most a two stage two speed

60/70 series Merlin.

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They're not difficult to find - I have quite a few in the stash, although I never did manage to get even one of the Seafire 15 conversions he did.

There's other plus points to the AZ/Legato kits - the wings are interchangeable and there's always oodles of spare bits. I've several whiff plans based around several spare fuselages.

Edited by The wooksta V2.0
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They're not difficult to find - I have quite a few in the stash, although I never did manage to get even one of the Seafire 15 conversions he did.

There's other plus points to the AZ/Legato kits - the wings are interchangeable and there's always oodles of spare bits. I've several whiff plans based around several spare fuselages.

Whats the detailing like on the fuselage? I'd mate it to a spare E wing. I want to add an engine to it so would it be easy to add the armycast/cmk griffon engine?

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Nope, sorry. (GRR! once again forgot there was already a second page! This was a response to Miggers.)

"XIV" was a high-back, 'c' armament

(F)XIVe was a high-back, 'e' armament (and 27 or 29- can't remember offhand- low-backs)

FR.XIV (interim) was a high-back, 'e' armament, modified post-production line (though JUST post) with oblique camera

FR.XIV [production version] was low-back, 'e' armament, oblique camera, aft fuel (though whether cleared for use during war I'm not sure) and was all but the 27 or 29 early production 'RV fuselage' Mk.XIVs

The 18 (F or FR) introduced a strengthened wing, with 'e' armament but with new skin patterns eliminating the vestigial .303 positions.

The "big big" rudder started out with contra props, and was adapted for the 18 (XVIII) to solve a handling issue with external fuel tank fitted. This was then required on the 18, and allowed on the FR.XIV.

I hope I didn't screw anything up in the sequence too badly.

bob

Edited by gingerbob
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