Airfix Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX (A02017B) 1:72

[Mike]

Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX (A02017B)

1:72 Airfix

 

 

The Spitfire is possibly the most iconic and well-known fighter of WWII, so I'll not drone on about how great it was, as we already know - It and the Hurricane were the saviours of Britain’s bacon on a number of occasions, and are immortalised in aviation history as a result. The Mark 19 Photo Reconnaissance model was the last PR model of the Spit, and was powered by the mighty Griffon 65 engine, with the resulting extension in forward fuselage length, power bulges over the exhausts, not to mention pure grunt as it was pulled along by the massive five bladed prop. It could carry over 250 gallons of aviation fuel to extend its range, and after the initial batch it had a pressurised cockpit common with the Mark 10. It was introduced in 1944 and remained in service until 1954, although its last operational sortie was as asymmetric combat partner for an English Electric Lightning in 1963, when there was a chance of it having to engage Mustangs in Indonesia in actual combat.

 

The last PR.XIX was serialled PS888, and is currently mimicked by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Mark 19, PS915, which wears its colours and markings in honour of this historic aircraft that carried out the last operational sortie in Singapore, when it photographed an area of jungle looking for communist hideouts on the 1st of April 1954.

 

 

The Kit

The original tooling for this kit reached the shelves in 2009, and is back again in a new box with different decals, arriving in a red-themed top-opening box.  Inside are five sprues of dark grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed in spot colour on matt paper.  Detail is typical of Airfix at the time, and some might find the panel lines a little strong/wide/deep, but after a coat of primer and the various subsequent layers of paint, they should reduce to an acceptable level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the three-part pilot, who has separate arms for a more dynamic pose than the usual hands-on-lap we typically see in older kits.  He is fitted into the cockpit after the front and rear bulkheads are added to the floor, mounting his seat on the rear, and control column behind the moulded-in rudder pedals.  To add detail to the instrument panel, a decal with a black background is applied to the front bulkhead above the foot well, making the prop from a five-bladed part that is trapped between the spinner and back-plate.  Before the fuselage halves can be closed, the sidewalls are painted interior green, and here the instructions don’t show the moulded-in details, or the shallow ejector-pin marks that you can hide if you think they’ll be seen.  The horizontal camera window is installed in the port side, slotting the cockpit assembly and a bulkhead behind it into the starboard side, then mounting the prop with a styrene washer before the two halves are mated.

 

The lower wings are full span out to the tip joints, and are joined by the upper wing surfaces, leaving the bays blank out of the box.  There isn’t much detail in the real gear bays, but if you feel the urge to get creative a couple of parallel ribs and other small details could be added, fitting a vertical camera window in the trailing edge of the wing assembly in the fillet under the fuselage.  If you intend to pose your model in-flight, a pair of inserts should be placed in the bay cut-outs, which have the doors and wheels moulded into their outer surface.  The completed wing assembly is brought together with the fuselage, installing the elevators in slots either side of the tail, and a separate rudder is fixed to the fin, giving the option of deflecting it for a more visually interesting appearance.  The cockpit is covered by the one-part canopy, and a pair of tubular exhaust stacks are slotted into the cowlings on both sides of the Griffon engine.

 

Turning the model on its back allows installation of the main gear legs if you are modelling them down, adding a wheel to each strut that has the captive bay door moulded into it.  They slot into sockets at the inner ends of the gear bays, fitting two radiator housings behind them, and a two-part chin intake under the nose, adding a pitot probe under the port wingtip, and fixing a single door over the tail-wheel bay for in-flight, or mounting the tail-wheel with moulded-in wheel in the bay, with two bay doors either side, following the painting instructions given in the booklet.  A trio of scrap diagrams show the correct angles for the main and tail wheels to assist your complete of the build.

 

 

Markings

There are two decal options on the sheet, both long after WWII, with substantially different colour schemes and operators.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• PM574, 81 Sqn., RAF Seletar, October 1949
• PS888 Royal Thai Air Force, 1954

 

 

 

Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

The last of a great line of aircraft is depicted in this kit, and the airframe that carried out the famous last operational service flight of the Spitfire with the RAF.  Detail is respectable for the scale, and it should sell well.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

[Hook]

That Thai one looks tasty!

[Skyf24]

Good to see this one back, i'll probably grab a few to make an FR XIV from and some of the other nice options available for PR XIXs.

[-Ian-]

One for my wish list.

 

I built one of the earlier boxings a few years ago, a fairly quick, simple but enjoyable build. I also have a liking for modelling aircraft in the schemes of smaller, less commonly seen operators, a Thai Spit definitely ticks that box.

Edited September 22, 2024 by -Ian-