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1/48 - Supermarine Spitfire F.R. Mk.XIVe by Airfix - released


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11 hours ago, Andrew Jones said:

Parts 49 and 50 would appear to be plain leading edge inserts , possibly for a future unarmed post war or preserved airframe release ?

 

Andrew

Yeah, I saw those too. Puzzling.  I'm not aware of any low-back griffon unarmed versions, but my knowledge of warbirds is slim

Cheers

Jonners

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Mine arrived this morning from Jadlam, and looks good on first inspection. My plan is to build it ( eventually, don’t hold your breath ) in conjunction with a high-back Mk XIVc, so I’m going to do some comparisons with the Airfix PR XIX to see if it’s a possibility.

 

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On ‎6‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 10:00 AM, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

Yeah, I saw those too. Puzzling.  I'm not aware of any low-back griffon unarmed versions, but my knowledge of warbirds is slim

Cheers

Jonners

 

My guess would be a future release for the Cleveland Air Race Spitfire FR.XIV: CF-GMZ Race Number 80.

 

This didn't have cannon spouts.

 

 

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On 6/7/2019 at 1:08 PM, David A Collins said:

 

My guess would be a future release for the Cleveland Air Race Spitfire FR.XIV: CF-GMZ Race Number 80.

 

This didn't have cannon spouts.

 

 

Agreed - it was an option in the Academy Special Edition XIV, although the only hint that there weren't any stubs was in the decal placement guide. Thunderbird decals did a set including the aircraft, and there are some photos of CF-GMZ to be found here . ISTR that there was a photo of the aircraft going round a pylon at an air race somewhere - probably the Key Publishing site.

 

ETA - on a bit of digging, it turns out that the photo I was thinking of is the same photo as in the link above.

Edited by XV107
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Mine arrived today with repop of Mk.22/24 and have to say I am not that impressed, yes I am happy that we have new Mk.XIV.e but to see that in 20+ years since Mk.22 was initially released Airfix is still behind, not able to reach that level of finesse in surface detailing is beyond comprehansion( at least for me ).

Compared it to any Weekend Edition Eduard Spitfire( same price range) that dates from 2013,  and its like two different kit generations, and I am not even taking riveting into account...

Also in my view plastic quality is 👎..as with majority of " Made in India" kits, if anyone has both Hurricane and Sea Hurricane+ Defiants, can be easily seen...rant over

Here's hoping that they will release more UK produced kits because quality difference is substantial.

Edited by Thomas V.
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57 minutes ago, Thomas V. said:

Mine arrived today with repop of Mk.22/24 and have to say I am not that impressed, yes I am happy that we have new Mk.XIV.e but to see that in 20+ years since Mk.22 was initially released Airfix is still behind, not able to reach that level of finesse in surface detailing is beyond comprehansion( at least for me ).

Compared it to any Weekend Edition Eduard Spitfire( same price range) that dates from 2013,  and its like two different kit generations, and I am not even taking riveting into account...

Also in my view plastic quality is 👎..as with majority of " Made in India" kits, if anyone has both Hurricane and Sea Hurricane+ Defiants, can be easily seen...rant over

Here's hoping that they will release more UK produced kits because quality difference is substantial.

I didn't find the P-40 kit moulded in the UK any better than those Made in India. It might be a different plastic but it still has moudling problems that the Indian kits suffer from.

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Airfix, as the customer, specifies the polymer resin and grade.  Having it produced anywhere else won't change the plastic they've spec'd. 

 

 

9 hours ago, Thomas V. said:

Also in my view plastic quality is 👎..as with majority of " Made in India" kits,

 

I'm sure there are good molders in India, just as there are poor molders in the UK, and elsewhere.

 

 

Look at it this way - Airfix has a contract with the molder.  That contract specifies what is an acceptable product.  If the molder hasn't produced parts to spec, Airfix have every right to reject the Lot and have the molder remake them until they meet spec and Airfix are happy - or take their business elsewhere.

So everything you are getting in that box is deemed acceptable per the contract by Airfix.

Now, whether Airfix' Purchasing or Quality Department are doing their job properly - well, that's a different question.  Sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

 

Edited by hendie
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Having finally received my kits I am intrigued with all the carry on about the panel lines and am wondering exactly which manufacturer and kit it's being compared against? While it is not perfect (if it was you would not see panel lines) it is not too bad at all with the finesse of the panel lines and detail represented, it might not be accurate (is it?) but it looks good to me when compared to several other manufacturers kits in my stash.

 

A better question though, exactly which mark of Spitfire does the cockpit represent? I have looked at images of actual Spit Mk 14's and the kit is missing the prominant canopy winder (?) on the right hand wall that stretches most of the length of that wall.

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1 hour ago, Harvs73 said:

Having finally received my kits I am intrigued with all the carry on about the panel lines and am wondering exactly which manufacturer and kit it's being compared against? While it is not perfect (if it was you would not see panel lines) it is not too bad at all with the finesse of the panel lines and detail represented, it might not be accurate (is it?) but it looks good to me when compared to several other manufacturers kits in my stash.

 

A better question though, exactly which mark of Spitfire does the cockpit represent? I have looked at images of actual Spit Mk 14's and the kit is missing the prominant canopy winder (?) on the right hand wall that stretches most of the length of that wall.

I'm comparing them with Airfix kits.

 

The older Airfix kits such as the Mk.22/24 Spit had very nice fine panel lines. Then came the time when they appeared to switch to cheaper tooling, which gave us heavy panel lines on kits such as the Spit Mk.XII. Things then improved and the panel lines on the Mk.I Spit while a little wider than on some kits I found were pretty good. Then on the Sea Fury the panel lines for some reason didn't get wider, they got deeper and inconsistent, with a slight sort of joggles in some of the lines where things must have moved slightly when producing the lines in the tooling.

 

Like hendie said about people at Airfix doing there job properly - if this is the same company in India producing the Sea Fury that did the Mk.I Spit and if I worked at Airfix then I would not be accepting this reduction in quality or if it's a different company I would still be asking questions about there tooling quality.

 

Anyway it's not a big deal as it's just needs a little work on the lines to improve the looking of them, just disappointing that they got to a standard and haven't been able to keep it up. I don't have the Mk.XIV yet so can't comment on that.

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2 hours ago, Tbolt said:

Like hendie said about people at Airfix doing there job properly - if this is the same company in India producing the Sea Fury that did the Mk.I Spit and if I worked at Airfix then I would not be accepting this reduction in quality or if it's a different company I would still be asking questions about there tooling quality.

 

Again, the toolmaker will only make to the model he's been given, and that includes panel lines, gates etc.  The tool makers major input is to the cooling and ejection systems.  The tool makers experience lets him make the decision on how the part will eject, and where to put ejector pins. 

I regularly see complaints about ejector pin location... it's perfectly within Airfix' rights to say "no ejector pins here..." - it is their product after all, and let the tool maker figure out a different location, but that does carry some risk if it doesn't work - then it's Airfix's fault.  However, ejector pins can be profiled, and machined just like the rest of the mold.  The only reason they are not is when it's not required (i.e. flat surface) or to save pennies.

Regarding panel lines - they can easily be made much finer than they currently are - plenty other manufacturers are doing it, and the additional cost on tool building is minimal compared to the overall cost.

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4 hours ago, Tbolt said:

Anyway it's not a big deal as it's just needs a little work on the lines to improve the looking of them, just disappointing that they got to a standard and haven't been able to keep it up. I don't have the Mk.XIV yet so can't comment on that.

Forgive me but I'm trying to understand this.  The thread is about the Airfix Mk XIV , which you don't have, and cannot comment on, so how are your comments relevant?

 

 

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I compared the kit to Airfix Spit F22/24 and Sea Fury, Eduard Hellcat and various others in my stash and there is nothing wrong with what is represented on this kit. I can always post phitos of that as well as comparison images of the Acadamy Spit 14 or maybe the Hobbycraft Sea Fury to show real crappy panel lines.

 

I am also at a loss how you can comment on the panel lines if you don't have it, have you actually seen the production kit close up?

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6 hours ago, Harvs73 said:

A better question though, exactly which mark of Spitfire does the cockpit represent?

It seems to be based on the cockpit parts of the earlier Mk.Vb kit.

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3 hours ago, dambuster said:

Forgive me but I'm trying to understand this.  The thread is about the Airfix Mk XIV , which you don't have, and cannot comment on, so how are your comments relevant?

 

 

 

The conversation was also about the Indian moulded kits vs the UK moulded kit and I was pointing out the difference of some of Airfix's recent kit.

 

2 hours ago, Harvs73 said:

I compared the kit to Airfix Spit F22/24 and Sea Fury, Eduard Hellcat and various others in my stash and there is nothing wrong with what is represented on this kit. I can always post phitos of that as well as comparison images of the Acadamy Spit 14 or maybe the Hobbycraft Sea Fury to show real crappy panel lines.

 

I am also at a loss how you can comment on the panel lines if you don't have it, have you actually seen the production kit close up?

I didn't comment on the Mk.XIV - I did clearly say that I can't comment on the Mk.XIV ( though I could but I'll wait till I have my copy ). When I saw the pre-production copy the panel lines looked good for Airfix.

 

Sorry I thought you were referring to my comments when you said about panel lines but I guess you were referring to Thomas V.'s comments ( you don't seem to quote people so it's not always obvious, also quoting let some one know a reply has been left ).

 

I know what crappy panel lines look like ( I have enough of those kit ;) ) and I did say they weren't that bad on the latest kits, just not as good as they use to be and a bit inconsistent and not Eduard quality.

 

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5 hours ago, hendie said:

 

Again, the toolmaker will only make to the model he's been given, and that includes panel lines, gates etc.  The tool makers major input is to the cooling and ejection systems.  The tool makers experience lets him make the decision on how the part will eject, and where to put ejector pins. 

I regularly see complaints about ejector pin location... it's perfectly within Airfix' rights to say "no ejector pins here..." - it is their product after all, and let the tool maker figure out a different location, but that does carry some risk if it doesn't work - then it's Airfix's fault.  However, ejector pins can be profiled, and machined just like the rest of the mold.  The only reason they are not is when it's not required (i.e. flat surface) or to save pennies.

Regarding panel lines - they can easily be made much finer than they currently are - plenty other manufacturers are doing it, and the additional cost on tool building is minimal compared to the overall cost.

While the tool maker will only make to the tool they've been given on some kits either the tooling's been poorly done or the CAD has been and some of the error I find it hard to believe they are in the CAD model.

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27 minutes ago, Tbolt said:

While the tool maker will only make to the tool they've been given on some kits either the tooling's been poorly done or the CAD has been and some of the error I find it hard to believe they are in the CAD model.

 

If that is the case, then the Quality department has some answering to do.  Who's responsible for signing off on the First Article at Airfix?

 

In my experience, toolmakers will cut to the information they've been given - otherwise they are personally responsible for all the rework.  Without anyone from Airfix chiming in, it's all supposition, but at the end of the day, Airfix are the customer, they specify the resin, and the acceptance criteria.  Everything they sell onwards, they have deemed acceptable by their standards.

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16 hours ago, dambuster said:

The thread is about the Airfix Mk XIV , which you don't have, and cannot comment on, so how are your comments relevant?

I've made comments on many threads and didn't have the kit in front of me either? What difference does that have to do with anything ? It doesn't give you the right to be rude and uncivil about things. Now having read the comments above. I believe T-bolt was just comparing similar products and making the point that they (airfix) aren't able to maintain consistency from product to product. Personally since the Mk.14/18 are my 2nd favorite late model Spitfires so I will be getting at least one or two of these at some point. I'm not as discouraged by panel lines and such.

 

Dennis

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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(Level of) Quality, or lack thereoff, is a not alltogether easy concept. Misunderstandings tend to creep in.

I cannot see any lack of quality in my recently recieved Airfix 1/48 Spitfire FR.XIVe kit. Nothing lacking, decals looks just great (as you would expect from Cartograph). No short casting, no sinkmarks (well almost, I've found a very faint one). The usual type/quality of styrene in an Airfix kit. Clear parts are clear and free from distortion, no flow marks, commendably thin. It is what I expected, and I'm not disapointed, really.

Level of detail, in particular surface detailing and panel lines, is very similar to the most recent kits.  It is easy to see that it is a close realtive to the PR.XIX. It is a sibling to the recent MkI and Vb. In fact, the heritage is extremely clear, some parts are identical, many profiles and dimensions as well (as they should). It seems to be very accurate.

I believe that Airfix is trying to maintain a level of quality and "product profile", a way of designing and producing kits. 

They have almost succeded. The surface details/panel lines are a LITTLE heavier than on the Vb, perhaps a SMALL step backwards IMHO. But nothing I cannot handle. 

Comparison with the quality, or rather level of quality/level of detail/product profile, of for example, Eduard is interesting. Eduard has a different approach in many ways. But it is also futile if you want a 1/48 low-back FR.XIVe, Eduard don't sell any, not yet anyway.

Now it's up to me to make a fine model of it. It will be great fun!

 

Edited by Tomas Enerdal
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22 hours ago, Tbolt said:

I'm comparing them with Airfix kits.

 

The older Airfix kits such as the Mk.22/24 Spit had very nice fine panel lines. Then came the time when they appeared to switch to cheaper tooling, which gave us heavy panel lines on kits such as the Spit Mk.XII. Things then improved and the panel lines on the Mk.I Spit while a little wider than on some kits I found were pretty good. Then on the Sea Fury the panel lines for some reason didn't get wider, they got deeper and inconsistent, with a slight sort of joggles in some of the lines where things must have moved slightly when producing the lines in the tooling.

 

Like hendie said about people at Airfix doing there job properly - if this is the same company in India producing the Sea Fury that did the Mk.I Spit and if I worked at Airfix then I would not be accepting this reduction in quality or if it's a different company I would still be asking questions about there tooling quality.

 

Anyway it's not a big deal as it's just needs a little work on the lines to improve the looking of them, just disappointing that they got to a standard and haven't been able to keep it up. I don't have the Mk.XIV yet so can't comment on that.

This is probably the most  absurd discussion we have had for long. I finally got my copies of the Mk.XIV today, and have compared the parts to Airfix Mk.Vb (new), the new Tamiya Mk.I, and Eduard Mk.XVI. The quality is almost the same. Tamiya maybe with slightly refined panel lines, but that is not much. Eduard is about the same level as Airfix. 

 

So I really do not understand all this fuss -- somebody here who hates Airfix? The Mk.XIV is a winderful project. What will be next is difficult to know. It is as if some changes in planning happened during production as the insert in the front of the wings without guns, and the preparation for rockets. It is also a mystery why the wings were not cut to XIVe standards. 

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37 minutes ago, NPL said:

This is probably the most  absurd discussion we have had for long. I finally got my copies of the Mk.XIV today, and have compared the parts to Airfix Mk.Vb (new), the new Tamiya Mk.I, and Eduard Mk.XVI. The quality is almost the same. Tamiya maybe with slightly refined panel lines, but that is not much. Eduard is about the same level as Airfix. 

 

So I really do not understand all this fuss -- somebody here who hates Airfix? The Mk.XIV is a winderful project. What will be next is difficult to know. It is as if some changes in planning happened during production as the insert in the front of the wings without guns, and the preparation for rockets. It is also a mystery why the wings were not cut to XIVe standards. 

What's absurd is people getting upset with peoples opinions - Thomas V. made a comment about the quality that he wasn't that impressed then several people disagreed with that, which is fine, we are all entitled to our own opinion.

 

The comment I made was just referring to some inconsistencies in the newer Airfix kits in reply to that Thomas V. comment, simple as that.

 

It's funny you can talk here about lots of manufacturer kits pluses and minus but when some one does it about Airfix some people start getting all defensive about them.

 

I love Airfix Spitfire's and will continue to buy all the 1/48th scale ones ( as well as many of their other kits ).

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1 hour ago, Tomas Enerdal said:

(Level of) Quality, or lack thereoff, is a not alltogether easy concept. Misunderstandings tend to creep in.

I cannot see any lack of quality in my recently recieved Airfix 1/48 Spitfire FR.XIVe kit. Nothing lacking, decals looks just great (as you would expect from Cartograph). No short casting, no sinkmarks (well almost, I've found a very faint one). The usual type/quality of styrene in an Airfix kit. Clear parts are clear and free from distortion, no flow marks, commendably thin. It is what I expected, and I'm not disapointed, really.

Level of detail, in particular surface detailing and panel lines, is very similar to the most recent kits.  It is easy to see that it is a close realtive to the PR.XIX. It is a sibling to the recent MkI and Vb. In fact, the heritage is extremely clear, some parts are identical, many profiles and dimensions as well (as they should). It seems to be very accurate.

I believe that Airfix is trying to maintain a level of quality and "product profile", a way of designing and producing kits. 

They have almost succeded. The surface details/panel lines are a LITTLE heavier than on the Vb, perhaps a SMALL step backwards IMHO. But nothing I cannot handle. 

Comparison with the quality, or rather level of quality/level of detail/product profile, of for example, Eduard is interesting. Eduard has a different approach in many ways. But it is also futile if you want a 1/48 low-back FR.XIVe, Eduard don't sell any, not yet anyway.

Now it's up to me to make a fine model of it. It will be great fun!

 

That's good to know. So they fixed the left upper wing gunbay where the fasteners blend into the panel line? I haven't got my copy yet, but it's pay day soon so the order will be going in :)

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