1/48 Spitfire Kits

[Pielstick]

I'm about to embark on a Spitfire binge and add some Spit kits to the stash. I already have the Hasegawa MkIXC with the slightly short fuselage and the very nice Airfix 22/24, but I am looking at adding the following, and any opinions of advice would be appreciated:

Airfix MkI - I would like to build a 1938 model, a 1940 BoB machine, and also a MkII. I believe all are possible with this kit? How does it stack up to the Tamiya kit?

Tamiya MkVB and VB Trop - Having already built the Tamiya MkI I know the Tamiya Spits are very nice builds, but how accurate are their MkVs?

Airfix Seafire - Any comments on accuracy, detail and fit would be appreciated.

Airfix MkIX - As above, but particularly in comparison to the Hasegawa kit.

Revell MkIX/XVI - I believe this is the Hasegawa kit reboxed? What differences are included to make a XVI? Just decals?

Hasegawa MkVIII - Any good?

ICM MkVII - Any good?

Academy XIVC/XIVE - Any good?

The Spit is one of my faves and I've wanted to build a nice lineup of them for years now, so any advice on these kits would be greatly appreciated.

[Troffa]

Recent thread on Mark IX kits here:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...hl=spitfire+MIX

[Dereknf]

I don't know if my thread is any help to you. I've built many that you mention, Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.

I've just finished the Airfix Seafire LIIIc and in the process of building the FR.47.

1/48 Spitfire builds

[AnonymousAA74]

I've built 2 of the Academy kits and they are a nice build. Some will argue their exact shape, but I love them.

Try this: LINKY

and this: LINKY LINK LINK

[Colin S-K]

Well where to start.........

Tamiya, don't worry, on the whole, accurate all round, unless you really want to quibble, but this is outweighed by ease of making... They are all tasty kits that reward your efforts.

Airfix IX, avoid like the plague..................Ghastly kit. Full stop. With emphasis.....!(cannot swear here, might get banned), Plenty of alternatives.

Airfix Mk 1, don't know, not built the kit, but have looked at in box and it didn't appear to be too different from IX to me, but I have not built it.........

Airfix Sea Fire, not built it, but seen it in box, seems much like IX, and the less said about that the better, God the IX is s___e........

Hasegawa, nice kit, albeit with the problem you already know about, but goes together well and looks reasonable... Lot of effort to correct, that tends to detract from overall finish. Make it as it is..

Revell, as above.....

ICM, well that generates much debate.... I personally think it is worth the effort, not as easy as Hasegawa or Tamiya, but I just think the shape is spot on....... Much under estimated kit in my opinion... Would get my vote for best overall shape....

Airfix F22-24, what can you say... Nice kit, pity Airfix didn't recreate this level of model making with later efforts, particularly IX..............

Academy, well you are kind of stuck with this one... Nice kit that makes up well, BUT it is too large from just behind the cockpit forwards, looks like forward fuselage is on 'Steroids', but does build up reasonably well..... Wing has issues with plan shape, but out of all the Spitfire kits, shows an aspect of the Spitfire that virtually none of the others do. Viewed from wing tip inwards, it has the correct 'washout' that most of the others do not, ie the 'twist' in the wing, less angle of attack at the tip, and for this I think it is a winner.... Pity you cannot easily graft F22-24 nose onto it....

One thing that I feel does affect virtually all of the kits, is the inaccuracy of the propeller blades, the Academy kit is ghastly in this respect.... Airfix IX is well........Hasegawa, bearable, ICM, not quite there, Tamiya is alright. Airfix F22-24 is grotty.... Definitely pay attention to propellers, can make a big difference to appearance....

Well, hope that helps, it's done me the power of good to slag the Airfix IX again.....

That's from a modeller that only builds 1/48, and 27 Spitfires later.......

Feel free to email me, I have a large Data Base of photos that am quite happy to send to you on CD.

[email protected]

Colin

[AnonymousA667]

Airfix IX, avoid like the plague..................Ghastly kit. Full stop. With emphasis.....!(cannot swear here, might get banned), Plenty of alternatives.

Airfix Mk 1, don't know, not built the kit, but have looked at in box and it didn't appear to be too different from IX to me, but I have not built it.........

Whilst I would concur that the Mk IX is a nasty build, if you persevere with it, the basic shapes end up as good as anything else. Unfortunately mine got stuck at the sanding/filling/re-scribing stage...

The Mk I is a much simpler build and doesn't suffer from the over-thick wing apparent with the Mk IX kits. The fin leading edge profile requires slight re-shaping and the ailerons require a couple of passes with a scribing tool to accentuate the hinge lines a bit. I enjoyed my build immensely, but if you want shake 'n bake then buy Tamiya.

Both kits suffer from thick trailing edges to the empennage that need either working over (if you want) or replacement. Also the cockpits are quite rudimentary by today's standards and transparencies thick, but very clear.

[Pielstick]

Thanks for the replies everyone

Is the Airfix IX really that bad? I know about the short fuselage on the Hasegawa IX, and although I haven't built it yet I compared the parts to the Tamiya MkI and it is definitely shorter (and I believe the IX should be a tad longer than the earlier marks due to a longer engine cowling). I see there are some correction fuselage parts available... don't know if they're any good though. I'd really like to build a nice IX as it's my favourite mark of the Spit.

I'll give the ICM VII a shot - I've seen it available for a little over a tenner so it's no great loss if it turns out to be a lemon.

I placed an order tonight for the Hasegawa MkVIII, as well as a couple of Typhoons and a Kittyhawk MkI... oops

Are there any kits that would make a suitable base for conversion to a PR?

I'll probably pick up the other Spit kits at the end of the month.

Thanks again!

[John]

I've got a Revell/Hasegawa, an Airfix and an ICM MkIX lying here. My take on them is that they all need work out of the box to get a decent model.

The Hasegawa really is too short and needs the Aeroclub fuselage - that's probably the best way to an accurate 1/48th scale MkIX at the moment.

The Airfix has a good shape but is a bit chunky, while the ICM is over-engineered and can have quality control issues, although mine looks ok. In terms of the work needed to get an fairly accurate model oob, I think they are both a reasonable bet. I'd be buying Aeroclub props for both of them though.

I've never liked the Tamiya Spitfires as models, although they are excellent kits. Even after all these years I still find the Airfix Vb the most visually satisfying Merlin Spitfire. Similarly, nothing really touches the Airfix 22/24 and Seafire 47.

John

[AnonymousA667]

Is the Airfix IX really that bad?

If you enjoy filling and sanding, no...

The main problem is the thick wing, which is difficult to correct. That aside, component fit is, shall we say, less than optimum and there are some very annoying things like the separate wing tips not matching the wing in thickness (they are too thin) and all the trailing edge surfaces being very thick. The nose requires a spreader adjacent to the wing leading edge joints to ensure that the surfaces all mate up. The whole thing has a clunky appearance that can be refined with lots of elbow grease, assuming you don't mind that sort of thing. Once you've finished sanding it is out with the scriber to replace all the by now missing panel lines. It is a great pity given the number of optional parts and possibility of cross-kitting with other Airfix Spitfires to produce any number of variations.

I have an ICM Mk IX that looks very nice on the sprue. Everybody reports this as a difficult kit to build, but those who actually have will say it is not too bad and well worth the effort. Still in my 'to do' pile.

The perceived wisdom appears to be go with the Hasegawa/Revell Mk IX and buy the replacement fuselage from Aeroclub to go with it.

peebeep

[cmatthewbacon]

Nothing wrong with the Tamiya Vb - the wing shape issues with the 1/72 kit are not repeated in the larger scale. Easy to build, and fits together perfectly.

For Mk IX I'd take the ICM every time... there are several online builds that tell you how to do it without difficulty, and you can have two for the price of a Hase + Aeroclub fuselage, three if you thought you needed to get the Ultracast seat as well (The ICM cockpit is great, apart from the grip on the stick...). Mind you, you'll need aftermarket decals with the ICM.

Airfix for Mk 1 and 22/24.

And if you're going to replace the "gull wing" section with a resin PR version anyway, the old Arii/Otaki VIII is a good-shaped starting point for a PRXI...

bestest,

M.

[Harvs73]

The ICM kit has the advantage that it builds the Mk VII, Mk VIII and Mk IX. You will require replacement seats and possibly propeller plades if you want it to look ok. Here is a link to one of my builds that lists a few problems and fixes:

http://www.aussiemodeller.com/pages/Galler..._SpitMk7-2.html

[TheModeller]

Of the readily available kits and conversions the Tamiya early Merlin Spits make up well and look good to me.

No, they aren't spot on but I'm happy to forgive them some minor errors due to the excellent fit and reasonably fine detail. The Mk.I is particularly well suited to a pre-war Spit as it includes the pre-war protruding muzzle flash shields, early pattern exhausts and lacks the outboard underwing fairings fitted to later Mk.I's for venting the gun heating system. An Ultracast 2 bladed prop and a Falcon vacform flat-hood and you're pretty much there. The recent Airfix Mk.I is a laughable attempt at a cartoon impression of a Spitfire... But thats just my opinion...

Hasegawas Mk.Vb is held in high regard but again the Tamiya kit wins for me because of the quality of fit, the Hase looks a little skinny to me as well, the Airfix Vb has long been considered the best for outline accuracy, but still not without its problems as well as being somewhat crude and simplistic by modern standards, same goes for the Mk.IX as well, even though its a recent tooling the overall clunkiness, thick wing, heavy details and poor fit kinda put me off. The problems with the Hase Mk.IX are well documented, easily fixed with the Aeroclub correction and the kit has some outstanding details included, for me the ICM Mk.VII/VIII/IX and XVI kits are the best for the 60-series Merlin Spits, again not perfect but a very good canvas for extra detailing, and the build isn't as hard as some suggest.

For the wartime Griffon machines we are still sadly lacking a good kit, the recently re-issued Academy kit is a good build and nicely detailed but just looks heavy and clunky when built due to the thick wing and deep fuselage, a good XIV/XIX can be produced from the Hasegawa Mk.IX wing and the Aeroclub Mk.21 fuselage conversion for the Airfix kits...

The later Griffon Spits are well catered for by the excellent Airfix kits which are available with loads of add-ons as part of the Eduard range from time-to-time.

If you're looking for PR conversions the Airwaves range includes a number of resin sets to make just about any PR variant, they use a variety of base kits including the Tamiya Mk.I, the Hasegawa Mk.IX and the Academy Mk.XIV.

Edited September 15, 2009 by TheModeller

[Mattlaker]

Personally, i didn't have many issues with the Airfix MkIXc... A little bit of sanding and filling needed, but all in all, i really enjoyed building it.

I don't think there is a perfect spitfire kit- the problem being it is such an iconic aircraft, but you would hope that manufacturers would take the trouble to make one that is as near as damnit right?! Personally, i much prefer the Tamiya Vb, although that one is not without it's shape issues either

[Don McIntyre]

If the Airfix Spit 22/24 props and the Seafire props are out to lunch, Aeroclub makes some very nice resin (and IMHO inexpensive) replacements. I ordered directly from John, and even including shipping, I got them cheaper than I could have gotten them from a mail order place here in the states.

Here's my Academy 14, so you can decide if you can live with the errors in the nose area...

Tamiya's Vb (yes I know the markings are for a Vc, I just didn't realize at the time):

[Pielstick]

Thanks for the great info everyone!

Does anyone know where I can get hold of the Aeroclub corrected fuselage for the Hasegawa IX? Hannants are sold out and the Aeroclub site doesn't list them?

Cheers.

[Notdoneyet]

Thanks for the great info everyone!

Does anyone know where I can get hold of the Aeroclub corrected fuselage for the Hasegawa IX? Hannants are sold out and the Aeroclub site doesn't list them?

Cheers.

Pielstick,

Aeroclub do list them - here you go

HTH,

Ian

[Pielstick]

Thanks Ian! I was looking in the wrong section. Doh!

Cheers,

Nick

[Doug Rogers]

IMHO for a MkIX go for the ICM, although just made my first Hasegawa MkIX which I have to say I was very impressed with, and you can make a MkVIII from that kit too, but yes it does have length issues.

Haven't made a Tamiya or Hasegawa MkV, so can't honestly comment. Airfix MkV is basic but does look nice with some TLC

Haven't made an Airfix Mk1, but have made several Tamiya Mk1's, which I think are great.

[Philby72]

The Hasegawa MK8/9 1/48 kit, where exactly is the fuselage incorrect?, I hope it is just the nose and spinner as I have a resin replacement for it.

[Harvs73]

The Hasegawa MK8/9 1/48 kit, where exactly is the fuselage incorrect?, I hope it is just the nose and spinner as I have a resin replacement for it.

The error is throughout the fueslage length and takes a conisderable amount of work to correct it. A new spinner takes care of a small amount of the problem but in no way solves the problem. But it all comes down to how much you would notice the problem.

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

Hi all.

In terms of Mk Vs, my experience is the the Hasegawa model looks slimmer and sleeker, while the Tamiya model seems slightly chunkier. You can see 'aspects' of both models in pictures of MkVs - depending on the angle of the pic, so my completely unscientific take would be the truth lies somewhere in between!

I just bought the new Special Hobby Mk Vc yesterday and from a swift look it seems to my eye to look pretty decent shapewise - with perhaps just a bit of a tiny niggle over the rudder trailing edge shape.

For the MkIX/VIII, my take is this: ICM for overall shape, Hasegawa/Revell for ease of building and detail (with Revell's boxing having all the optional bits in the one box - something that some Hasegawa boxings dot have).

I have the Aeroclub corrected fuselage and it does make the Hasegawa model look much more like a Mk IX.

Whether you can mate an ICM fuselage with the rest of the Hasegawa kit I dont know - but I reckon that would give you a pretty good IX or VIII too.

The ICM model also has extended wingtips ofr the HF versions and the Mk VII.

I bought an Airfix Mk IX was was generally underwhelmed by the clunky details, overly thick wings, weird propeller, and less than good fit.

If you want a Mk XII - then Aeroclub make an excellent conversion for the Has/Revell kit.

For Mk XIVs and XVIIIs again Aeroclub have a conversion, as do they for the Mk 21 ( I should know I'm building it at the moment)

Mks 22 & 24 - Airfix's excellent model.

I would also recommend Falcon's lovely vacform canopy set for pretty much all marks of Spit and Seafire.

The other thing I'd recommend is to keep all the bits you dont use form your Spitfire kits. over the years I've gathered together a very useful stashette of wing tips, canopy types, exhausts, wheel hubs etc etc, which really can help to detail up other spit models etc.

Cheers

Jonners

[desmojen]

I pretty much concur with what most people are saying here. I find the Tamiya kits to be perfectly acceptable for the MkI and MkV. To my eye I think the old old Airfix MkVb still looks lovely shapewise, more than making up for what it lacks in detail. The later Airfix kits I find very underwhelming, much like Jonners.

The MkIX issue still seems to rack up reams of debate, when really and truly it is pretty simple. The Hasegawa kit is beautifully detailed and engineered, but plain wrong. The ICM kit is almost as nice and nearly right. It is also nowhere near as hard to build as everyone likes to suggest. Best of all, it is cheap.

That said, I always pick up Hasegawa IX's when I see them cheap, because they look great when mated with the Aeroclub fuselage.

As Jonners has mentioned the Falcon canopies, don't forget that they do a lovely MkXVIII and also a triple conversion with some interesting options.

Jen.

[biggles2000]

A word of warning regarding the Airfix Mk.I - it you want to build a BoB Ia or a Mk.IIa from it then you'll need a replacement canopy as that included in the kit is a later style with bulged sides as well as domed top (it ought only to have the latter). Personally, I go with the Tamiya Mk.I instead.

If you want to use the Airfix Mk.IX, then I suggest you get the Aeroclub correction set for it, which includes a new rudder, wingtips, prop blades and spinner and wide and narrow canon bulges.

John

Edited April 5, 2009 by biggles2000