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1/72 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc by Airfix - released


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4 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

I don't think anyone here is damning the kit as unbuildable or fatally flawed. What some are mentioning here are little detail and features that 99% of modellers will live with.

The "problem" is that when it comes to 1/72 Spitfires the bar has been set very high and it would have been nice to have seen this kit approaching that bar. This kit seems to have set Airfix's bar a bit higher, that is good to see, but on the whole this kit also seems to be the proof that Airfix is not up there with the best yet.

Not that this is necessarily a problem, not everyone want or need the very best and often the second (or third) best is perfectly adequate. In any case this kit has a distinct advantage over the competition: it is a Vc, and even better it is an easily available Vc. And most likely should be an accurate Vc, that is something that wasn't available before.

That it's a "tenner" kit however is IMHO irrelevant ! The very best 1/72 Spitfire kit, the one that set such a high bar, is not a £ 10 kit anymore but the Eduard weekend edition Spit VIII is still available at Hannants for £ 10.60, compared to the new Airfix Vc at 9.99. There's a difference of 61p. and those 61p. get the best 1/72 Spitfire kit on the market. That of course, is not a Vc...

I thought that the price was high because the bottle of Mr.Hobby-Mr. Surfacer 500 and a vac Canopy were included in the box...😉

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8 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

That it's a "tenner" kit however is IMHO irrelevant ! 

Don't agree.  Airfix's purpose is to make money.  Here we have, not just a Spitfire, but an Airfix Spitfire at under a 'tenner'! 

 

A 'pocket money' price and surely enough to tempt a young person to move on from the likes of Lego and start building 'real' models.  If this is so, then I'm more than happy live with any shortcomings/limitations if it makes Hornby Hobbies lots of money.

 

I'm hopeful that the Aftermarket will 'come to the rescue' with small cannon bulges, bulged wheel covers, rear view mirror(s), Aboukier filter, and even an enlarged oil tank.  I'd love to build a 'Gibralter to Malta' direct flight.

 

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16 minutes ago, Denford said:

Don't agree.  Airfix's purpose is to make money.  Here we have, not just a Spitfire, but an Airfix Spitfire at under a 'tenner'! 

 

A 'pocket money' price and surely enough to tempt a young person to move on from the likes of Lego and start building 'real' models.  If this is so, then I'm more than happy live with any shortcomings/limitations if it makes Hornby Hobbies lots of money.

 

I'm hopeful that the Aftermarket will 'come to the rescue' with small cannon bulges, bulged wheel covers, rear view mirror(s), Aboukier filter, and even an enlarged oil tank.  I'd love to build a 'Gibralter to Malta' direct flight.

 

 

Not sure if I understand correctly... My point is that price is irrelevant to me in this discussion because the price at which this kit is offered is not 50% or 70% of the state of the art, it is pretty much the same. I don't agree with the "it's only a £10 kit, certain omissions can be excused" because others have managed to do better for the same £10.

Nothing against pocket money kits from my side, far from it ! Not that a tenner for a 1/72 Spitfire is anything to be impressed with, it is an average price for such a kit and both Italeri and Revell for example offer Spitfire kits for less. The same Airfix offer their Mk.I for less so there's no lack of pocket money options to bring youger people into the hobby.

Again, I'm not slaggin off this kit, it's a Vc and this alone is good reason for me to buy a few. The fact that it's likely going to have accurate shapes is another good reason and in any case I have plenty of Spitfire spares. I'm also sure that it will sell well, the Airfix presence in the UK alone will guarantee this. Still, the fact remains that if we have to judge this kit against others that cost the same, others are better. Unfortunately they do not represent this variant.

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On 30/11/2020 at 21:02, Giorgio N said:

Not that a tenner for a 1/72 Spitfire is anything to be impressed with, it is an average price for such a kit and both Italeri and Revell for example offer Spitfire kits for less. The same Airfix offer their Mk.I for less so there's no lack of pocket money options to bring youger people into the hobby.

Just checked EU price tags on big H. Italeri and Revell Spits as well as Airfix own mk.I are 7 to 8 GBP. New Airfix will go at 9.99 while Eduard weekend series is 10.6 GBP. Eduard weekend also has 2 decal options but gives you a PE fret and ton of spares to improve your Airfix kit, for example a large ventral tank :) Other Czech and Tamiya Spits go between 13 and 17 GBP. Eduard's profipacks in particular are 14.2 which you pay mostly for extra decal options.
The real cheap kits to bring little folks into the business cost 6.25 GBP and are coming from HobbyBoss of China. BTW these kits are typically available in toy and hobby shops in many countries and really work well as true starter sets.
And to finish up the discussion - Airfix Vc is not the only modern Vc option. For modeler geeks Vc has been released by KP recently. It costs 15.8 GBP on big H. It does not have perks like Eduard has, but has a lot of spares such as three prop options, extra pointed wings, maybe something else. It has nicely detailed cockpit, of course much nicer panel lines, full stencils set, optional open/closed canopy. So overall looks good in reviews. Just not sure how accurate it is shape wise and how well it goes together. 

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I like the recent KP Spitfires, but like their Sword equivalents they are a little short on span.  Not a lot, as the man used to say...  I would agree that the Hobbyboss make good starter sets, providing you don't mind missing parts such as wheel doors.  Some of these early 1/72 HB are really good value for money, the MiG 3 and the Texan, for example, but others are not for the "serious" modeller.  Airfix are of course also to release (unless their silence on the subject is to be taken as worrying) a simpler version of the Mk.Vc which presumably will also be cheaper.

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

Airfix are of course also to release (unless their silence on the subject is to be taken as worrying) a simpler version of the Mk.Vc which presumably will also be cheaper

On big H there is a future release of the starter set of Vc for the same 9.99 quid. So for the same cash we will likely have some paints and cement instead of stencils and choice of decal options. 

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

I would agree that the Hobbyboss make good starter sets, providing you don't mind missing parts such as wheel doors. 

Huh. Just read couple HB Spitfire kit reviews. Not much problems except for 'feathered' propeller, no gear doors, canopy too wide as if it's done by Sword (I do not know why but it's their constant trouble), and cockpit same as in Frog Spitfire but with no pilot :)

Not bad for pocket money kit to bring new modelers to the business? And BTW panel lines look better than Airfix ones.

Edited by Dennis_C
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Ah, but it "looks like" a Spitfire, is simple, and goes together well.  or at least so I assume from other HB kits.   Which are the prime requirements for young beginners.  Having been modelling for many years, inadequate propellers are nothing new and neither are vacant cockpits - these are the complaints of enthusiasts and older experienced modellers.  

 

There are, after all, many more experienced modellers willing to overlook major shape deficiencies for ease of modelling.  And companies which deliberately offer grossly oversized open canopy options.  Not to mention trench line panelling.  We are a varied tribe.

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20 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

I like the recent KP Spitfires, but like their Sword equivalents they are a little short on span.  Not a lot, as the man used to say...  

On a point of information, how short in span are the Sword and KP kits please?

Edited by Seahawk
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But, are there still youg modellers, in Britain, "dominion"or USA, perhaps.  But in Belgium, it is very rare.

Plastic modeling is now a hobby for young from 50+.

 

Alain   

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Macalain:  Someone is buying most of the mainstream kit producers' output, which far exceeds the number of the older enthusiasts.  Even on specialist boards such as these, there are people posting who are clearly of an age where even familiar (not to say "well-worn") types are completely new to them.

 

Seahawk:  no more than a few mm at each wingtip.  I didn't notice it until I was comparing tip shapes, unlike (say) the Airfix Mk.IXs excess chord or the Tamiya's unhappy trailing edge and fat fuselage.  Many people don't even notice those, and I strongly suspect that the Sword/AZ differences will not be seen on the assembled kits.  However Dennis was asking about its accuracy, and otherwise they are fine.  I've yet to see (or expect) a perfect kit, but it is the little unnecessary flaws that are most infuriating.  Although - I've had a Monogram Bearcat for decades, and it is such a beautiful tooling that I've not touched it for fear of spoiling it!  But having learned that the fin needs trimming... maybe it'll yet be made before I die.  Often it is the kits that need a little care and attention that get just that, whilst superior kits languish on the shelf.  Not always: I'd hate to be encouraging inferior products!  But I do find it difficult to get enthusiastic about the Eduard Spitfire - a huge box containing a small model and lots of unwanted parts, but lacking the one feature that I required (the wide cannon bulge).  

 

 

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On 11/24/2020 at 5:30 PM, Max Headroom said:

A bit of filler suitably sanded will sort that out. 
 

I’m planning how many I need.......

 

Trevor

So far I've decided I 'need' six.  Two Malta, two North Africa, one Burma, one Aussie. 

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Looking at the close-up CGI images on the Airfix website there appear to be two spigots protruding from the lower fuselage just forward of the flaps.  At first I thought these might be catapult spools and the hint of a Seafire release in the future but I think the spools were much further forward on the real thing, directly beneath the windscreen.  I can only imagine these spigots are to assist in the placing of the slipper tank and would need to be removed if the tank is not being fitted.  Aplogies if ths has already been addressed BTW.

Edited by Meatbox8
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There were two hooks fitted behind the slipper tank because of release problems.  The tank could slide back along the fuselage, but on hitting these hooks the rear of the tank would be held and the nose drop away, with the slipstream then taking it away and clearing the airframe.  Could these be what you see?  I don't know whether they were removed when the tank was not being carried, but if so it would seem like a recipe for error.

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22 hours ago, Dennis_C said:

On big H there is a future release of the starter set of Vc for the same 9.99 quid. So for the same cash we will likely have some paints and cement instead of stencils and choice of decal options. 

 

I reckons almost certainly the Aldis and Lidls of this world have been asking Airfix for different product (they have been flogging the Spit/109/190/P-51/Gnat/Jeep/JP sets for at least 4-5 years and their orders simply must be the largest single orders Airfix get over the year - so if I were a betting man I'd look out for the Spit Vc and Sherman Starter Sets about this time next year (or the following) for close to £4.99 a pop....

 

 

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

There were two hooks fitted behind the slipper tank because of release problems.  The tank could slide back along the fuselage, but on hitting these hooks the rear of the tank would be held and the nose drop away, with the slipstream then taking it away and clearing the airframe.  Could these be what you see?  I don't know whether they were removed when the tank was not being carried, but if so it would seem like a recipe for error.

Hi Graham

 

On the model at least they don't appear to be hooks, more just simple protuberances, peg-like.  Maybe they are a 'representation' of the hooks.  I also have no idea if they were removed when not in use.  It would have been a bit of a pian in the backside for the erks if they had to keep removing and replacing them, I would have thought. 

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5 hours ago, MACALAIN said:

But, are there still youg modellers, in Britain, "dominion"or USA, perhaps.  But in Belgium, it is very rare.

Plastic modeling is now a hobby for young from 50+.

 

Alain   

 

Plastic modeling is now a hobby for young from 70+.  😜

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1 hour ago, Dennis_C said:

Anyway in my late 30s I'm probably a baby-modeller :)

I’ve got a couple of stalled builds that are nearly as old as you 🤣

 

I suddenly feel geriatric......

 

Trevor

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1 minute ago, Work In Progress said:

 

You are not alone. I've got one from 1982, a 1/32 Matchbox Spitfire 24

You win. I’ve got 3 stalled Fujimi Tomcats from 1988. Ready for decals. Every time I contemplate restarting I think about how many SF-260’s and Fokker S-11’s I could put in the same display case space and I back off again.

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On 12/3/2020 at 11:50 AM, Graham Boak said:

Macalain:  Someone is buying most of the mainstream kit producers' output, which far exceeds the number of the older enthusiasts.  Even on specialist boards such as these, there are people posting who are clearly of an age where even familiar (not to say "well-worn") types are completely new to them.

 

Seahawk:  no more than a few mm at each wingtip.  I didn't notice it until I was comparing tip shapes, unlike (say) the Airfix Mk.IXs excess chord or the Tamiya's unhappy trailing edge and fat fuselage.  Many people don't even notice those, and I strongly suspect that the Sword/AZ differences will not be seen on the assembled kits.  However Dennis was asking about its accuracy, and otherwise they are fine.  I've yet to see (or expect) a perfect kit, but it is the little unnecessary flaws that are most infuriating.  Although - I've had a Monogram Bearcat for decades, and it is such a beautiful tooling that I've not touched it for fear of spoiling it!  But having learned that the fin needs trimming... maybe it'll yet be made before I die.  Often it is the kits that need a little care and attention that get just that, whilst superior kits languish on the shelf.  Not always: I'd hate to be encouraging inferior products!  But I do find it difficult to get enthusiastic about the Eduard Spitfire - a huge box containing a small model and lots of unwanted parts, but lacking the one feature that I required (the wide cannon bulge).  

 

 

 

Graham, guess the option would be to treat the Eduard Spitfire as one of those kits that need little attention and do a bulge transplant. It is a bit disappointing that Eduard did not offer parts for an early Mk,.VIII with the wide bulge as they did for the Mk.IX but at least they made a proper Mk.VIII and not a IX with a retractable tailwheel as every other company had done before.

I am sometime somewhat intimidated by chopping parts from a kit with that kind of surface detail as I know that I'd struggle to reinstate it properly, still in the end it's a cheap enough kit to ruin in case things do not go as planned. I may add a wide bulged Mk,VIII to the collection myself and I keep contemplating the idea of a Mk.VII...

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Exactly what I am intending to do.  I perhaps should add that I have done several Mk,VIIIs in the past, so there is no "immediate" incentive.  (Not yet a pointy tip one.)  Otherwise perhaps I would have started it, and thus freed the superfluous pieces.  Although I do wonder quite what use as spares is the wide range of canopies without windscreens.

 

I  gather that one of the later options does include the wider bulges. 

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Just to say that the new Airfix Vc is available NOW on a well known auction site!

 

More than the big H (£8.99 on back order) at £11.99 but postage is free so not a bad deal if you need to get your hands on one asap as the seller apparently still has 8 available.

 

It always surprises me that the big H never get these new releases as quickly as other sellers seem to as I also recall when Revell released their 72nd scale Ju88A-1 it was some weeks after they were available elsewhere that they finally had it in stock. Given the volume of kits they must shift I'd have thought they would have been near the top of the pile when it came to distribution by the likes of Airfix, Revell etc.. 

 

Regards

Colin.

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