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Spitfire Mk.22/24 Upgrades (for Airfix) 1:48


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Spitfire Mk.22/24 Upgrades (for Airfix)

1:48 Eduard

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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Review sample courtesy of

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Only one problem with this set from Eduard. They are confirming the mistake in the kit, the radiators which are angled. It is quite easy to modify the plastic, but then the photoetch for the radiators with the angle is of no use.

 

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On 28/11/2018 at 13:55, NPL said:

Only one problem with this set from Eduard. They are confirming the mistake in the kit, the radiators which are angled. It is quite easy to modify the plastic, but then the photoetch for the radiators with the angle is of no use.

 

Could you provide us with a bit more info and preferably a pic please?  I'm sure a lot of folks would be interested to see, myself included, as I have two in the stash, somewhere. :)

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And this front view from Falcon's instructions also tells the same story

 

F 24-2

 

Another problem with the Airfix version of the Seafire 47 is the nose intake which is not very good. Aires -- or was it Cooper details -- had the correction. 

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