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

[Homebee]

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/

 

Quote

03953 Spitfire Mk.IIa, 1:72

Die Supermarine Spitfire ist das wohl berühmteste Jagdflugzeug des Zweiten Weltkriegs und gilt gleichzeitig auch als das Schönste. In die Version Mk.IIa sind die während der Luftschlacht um England gemachten Erfahrungen eingeflossen. So erhielt das Flugzeug beispielsweise den leistungsgesteigerten Merlin-XII-Motor.

Bausatz für den Gelegenheitsbastler mit einer Decal-Version (GB).

Basis: New Tool

10/2016

 

V.P.

 

Edited December 25, 2016 by Homebee

[PhantomBigStu]

New tool spitfires are welcome but whilst the panel line police will be happy with this Can't see it being better than the airfixs overall

[Gomtuu]

I would rather new efforts went into a Spitfire XIV, a version that is largely overlooked.

[sroubos]

There is certainly room for improvement on the Airfix kit; the panel lines are trench-like. If Revell can combine Tamiya's detailing with Airfix' outline accuracy they have a winner.

Edited January 1, 2016 by sroubos

[Geoff_B]

Try it with a Translator :-

03953 Spitfire Mk.IIa, 1:72
The Supermarine Spitfire is the most famous fighter aircraft of World War II and is also regarded as the most beautiful. In the version Mk.IIa the experience gained during the Battle of Britain have been incorporated. So the aircraft received for example the uprated Merlin XII engine.
Kit for the occasional hobbyist with a decal Version (GB).

Base: New Tool
10/2016

I get the feeling this, the Typhoon, the Gripen and Super Tomcat are all listed for the Occasional hobbyist, whilst the star wars stuff is intented for the casual hobbist so i think these may be entry level simple kits.

https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.plastik-modellbau.org/&prev=search

[sroubos]

I wouldn't read too much into the translation of the word gelegenheitsbastler, it is a rather generic term for hobbyists who are not too serious about their hobby. The term would cover about 80% of people on this forum.

[Geoff_B]

I wouldn't read too much into the translation of the word gelegenheitsbastler, it is a rather generic term for hobbyists who are not too serious about their hobby. The term would cover about 80% of people on this forum.

Ah but when you read it it in the context of the pager, the Models are listed by skill level, we'll just have to wait and see for the actual kit to come out but i suspect they may be more akin to the HobbyBoss range of simple kits than say the Airfix lego style, They may even be looking to counter Academy and doing pre-coloured snap kits like the Phantom F-4B

[sroubos]

Revell use the word in many of their releases without that context, and it's also commonly used outside this hobby. Revell also has no easy range where a Spitfire would fit in so it's in all likelihood a normal 72nd scale release.

Edit: from the Q1 release page it appears it is indeed a category name. But that same category also contains a lot of rereleases of exisiting normal kits. E.g. this Spitfire is in the same category as their 144th scale Hawkeye and 727, both normal kits. I'm still counting on this to be a new normal tooling and not a snaptite thing, but time will tell.

Edited January 1, 2016 by sroubos

[The wooksta V2.0]

Cautiously welcome, but I have enough Airfix ones in the stash as it is. Won't stop me buying a few tho!

[sniperUK]

Now will it have armor plating for the seat and the correct oil cooler or will it be a scaled down 1/32 BBMF restoration ?

[The wooksta V2.0]

If the oil cooler is wrong, it'll still be a reasonable basis. Hence my cautious welcome. I still remember the bitterness I felt after being cheated by their 72nd mk Vb in 1996.

[Dennis_C]

Interesting news! As already noted - I'm definitely buying it if Revell manages to combine merits of Airfix and Tamiya kits.

And I think this level 3 is just for normal 1/72 kits of fighters or similar aircraft. Higher levels include kits in larger scales or big 1/72 kits such as DC-4. Possibly their level 2 would be something like HobbyBoss or Zvezda no glue kits. And level 1 - lego-style?

[Richard Humm]

The definition of skill levels from the Revell website is:

• [1] includes snap kits for beginners which do not need to be glued or painted.
• [2] comprehends simple model kits to be glued and painted with up to 30 parts for beginners.
• [3] is the category for challenging models with up to 100 parts to be glued and painted.
• [4] is suited for experienced modellers, with up to 150 parts to be glued and painted.
• [5] refers to models requiring the highest handicraft skill level, with more than 150 individual parts to be glued and painted.

[PhantomBigStu]

3 is bog standard for a fairly simple kit which a mkii spitfire certainly qualifies, brought myself their hurricane IIC which is a 3

[Andre B]

3 is bog standard for a fairly simple kit which a mkii spitfire certainly qualifies, brought myself their hurricane IIC which is a 3

Their Focke-Wulf 190 kit is also what I knew an serie 3 kit but I don´t want say that this kit is an simple kit. It has lot of parts and many of them. It also has the fragile antennas for the nightfighter version. The Revell serie 3 kits has a big span from simple kits with few parts as the old Mustang P-51D, the Frog Ta 154 and newer kits with more parts as the Focke-Wulf 190 and P-47 Thunderbolt...

It´s a little strange that revell took the decission to make an new Spitfire instead of an new P-51d Mustang? Their old Mustang has for sure seen it´s best years. Even an reissue of the Matchbox P-51d would be an big improvment instead of continuing with that old mould (who has this mould today). And it was a little surprise when Revell took the Hobbyboss P-51D and made an reissue...

But maybe the critics about the Revell Spitfire Mk Vb at last has got to attention at Revell? For sure it would be interesting what kind of kit the Spitfire Mk IIa would be.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Andre B

[Wez]

There is certainly room for improvement on the Airfix kit; the panel lines are trench-like.

Have you ever seen a Matchbox kit? Now there's trench-like.

Whilst I agree, the panel lines on the Spitfire I/II are too deep, compared to most Matchbox kits they ain't no trenches! I'm not sure this was an attempt by Airfix to compensate for brush painting with over thick paint from the starter kits, they have improved steadily since that kit though.

Regarding this new kit from Revell, I do wish they'd do a Vc or a XIV but I guess they're basing it upon the work they've already done for the 1/32nd kit which is understandable.

I'll wait and see how this turns out, like the Wooksta I still feel betrayed by their Vb, I spent quite a bit of time and effort replacing the lower wing/fuselage with a section from another kit (the old Airfix Ia IIRC although it could have been a Heller XVI), in order to get the gull wing section that they completely missed off the Vb. I junked it in the end, I was so unhappy with the result.

Wez

[sroubos]

Compared to other kits available at that time they are trenches in my opinion. Yes, they have improved considerably since then and I think they are quite good on the recent kits but not on the Spitfire. If that works well for brush painting, great, but I'm not a brush painter and sitting next to my Tamiya MkI (which has its own problems) I really dislike the panel lines. Even without using a wash they stand out.

So all in all, there is definitely space for a new Spitfire kit. If Revell get the measurements right and use the dude who did the panel lines on the Shackleton, we have a winner on our hands.

[occa]

Compared to other kits available at that time they are trenches in my opinion. Yes, they have improved considerably since then and I think they are quite good on the recent kits but not on the Spitfire. If that works well for brush painting, great, but I'm not a brush painter and sitting next to my Tamiya MkI (which has its own problems) I really dislike the panel lines. Even without using a wash they stand out.

So all in all, there is definitely space for a new Spitfire kit. If Revell get the measurements right and use the dude who did the panel lines on the Shackleton, we have a winner on our hands.

If ... maybe they'll miss the gull wing again?

[sroubos]

And here I thought everyone at BM was of the opinion that more Spitfires = better

I'll just look forward to it by myself then

[Dennis_C]

If Revell brings us an ultimate early Spit - that is a very good news.

If they bring just another Spit with its own issues - that's useless then as Airfix, Tamiya, AZ are all good kits - although not ultimate.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Dennis_C

[sroubos]

You'd think it'd be easy - if their guys would hang around this forum for a few days they would know all the pitfalls

[Wez]

And here I thought everyone at BM was of the opinion that more Spitfires = better

I'll just look forward to it by myself then

Personally, I'd rather Revell concentrated on their post-War Bundesluftwaffe heritage in 1/72nd and 1/48th (T-33, F-84F, F-86K etc), I'm not one of those that subscribes to the Spitfire was the be all and end all of RAF aircraft point of view.

If they are going to do a Spitfire I'd rather they did a mark that isn't well served such as the Vc and XIV.

Don't get me wrong, if Revell's Spitfire is better than Airfix's (and it depends on more than just panel lines for me), and it's of a comparable price, then that is good news and I'd buy the Revell kit, but the prospect of this new kit doesn't set me all aglow with eager anticipation.

[Dennis_C]

Yes - that's true that Revell could try serving earlier Luftwaffe's aircraft better. 60-yahre set includes F-104, F-4, Tornado and Eurofighter - while the earlier years are completely omitted.

On the other hand Spitfire Mk.II is a better choice than say recent F4U-1 that was represented by an ultimate Tamiya's kit already.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Dennis_C

[DominikS]

I second Sroubos opinion that there is need for new Spitfire Mk.I/II. But I'm not an optimist...Let's wait till October and see. It'd be great if model manufactures show products CAD designs before they go to mould manufacturer. And listen to people's opinions and suggestions.

And yes, there is a great need for new Spitfires Mk.Vs and the Griffon Spitfires.

[Wez]

It'd be great if model manufactures show products CAD designs before they go to mould manufacturer. And listen to people's opinions and suggestions.

And there you've hit the nail on the head!

The trouble is then sorting out the wheat from the chaff, there are people who are acknowledged experts on a subject but their voices often get lost in the noise. Then there's the problem of which acknowledged expert do you listen to? The one which tells you everything is tickety-boo or the one which tells you it's all gone horribly wrong?

Sometimes, people don't want to engage because they don't want to hear they've got things wrong and sometimes, even though they want to hear what people have to have to say, somebody else is controlling things and doesn't want to go to the expense or effort of putting things right.

Sadly, it's not as easy as it seems.