Spitfire Mk. II LR Conversion Kit

[Paul A H]

Spitfire Mk. II LR Conversion Kit

1:72 3D-kits.co.uk

In 1941 around one hundred Spitfire Mk. IIs were modified to enable them to carry an auxiliary fuel tank to extend their range. The tank was carried under the port wing and enabled the Spitfires of Nos. 66, 188 and 158 Squadrons to escort bombers on daylight raids over Europe. Unfortunately the increase in range came at the expense of speed and manoeuvrability.

Following on from their excellent Spitfire Mk. II conversion set, 3D-Kits’ latest set dedicated to the Spitfire allows the conversion of the Airfix (new tool) and Tamiya kits to the LR variant. The set is simplicity itself and is comprised of a single small sprue holding the two parts that make up the long range fuel tank. The quality of the mouldings is excellent, as is the fit of the two parts; very little work will be required to remove the seams.

This image shows the LR tank fitted to my Mk. I Spitfire. The small gap at the join to the underside of the wing is caused by the blu-tac holding it in place.

As with 3D’s other sets, decals are included. There are markings for two aircraft on the sheet:

• P8448 “Counter Attack” of 152 Squadron, August 1941, fitted with a Rotol propeller; and

• An aircraft of 66 Squadron, July 1941.

Both aircraft are finished in the standard Dark Earth/Dark Green over Sky camouflage. As with the Hurricane set, no roundels are supplied so the kit items or other aftermarket version must be used instead.

Conclusion

This is a nice little addition to the 3D-kits range and represents something a little different that will help your Spitfire stand out from the crowd. The addition of decals to the set is an excellent idea and will save you the trouble of seeking out aftermarket items separately.

Review sample courtesy of

[Moofles]

oh wow, never knew about early spits being about to carry these, something very different, might have to pick up one or two of these.

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Another nice review, Paul. I've wanted to build one of these Spits for ages, now I have no excuse!

[jimbuna]

Great review Paul.

[3DStewart]

oh wow, never knew about early spits being about to carry these, something very different, might have to pick up one or two of these.

That's great! You can use Airfix's new Spitfire Mk II directly, or you can use an Airfix or Tamiya Mk I with my Mk II conversion set. Though as one of the options I provide (LZ-C) in this set uses the earlier Mk I de-Havilland propeller, all you need to do is take a Mk I and scratch build the Coffman stater bulge with a blob of milliput or other modelling putty. Handy if you've just got a Mk I and don't want to buy any extras apart from this conversion.

Regards

Stewart

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Stewart, I love what you're doing. You're filling some gaps in the market with quality products, and I thank you for it.

[jonbius]

I'm actually starting on the Airfix Mk. II kit with this addition right now!

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Ooh, will you be putting it on your website? I'll keep an eye out for it.

[jonbius]

Ooh, will you be putting it on your website? I'll keep an eye out for it.

Absolutely! I plan to make the 3D Kits parts the feature of the article, as I think they are a great idea, and I know other modelers would love to know about them. I should have it completed in no more than three weeks.

I actually glued the two parts together this morning. Absolute perfect match. I used Tamiya Extra Thin cement to glue them, and it "bubbled" up a little bead as it does, which will scrape right off with a #11 blade, leaving no trace of the join. I test fitted it to another Airfix Mk. I (new tool) I built recently, and it's a perfect fit. The small gap shown in Paul's photo, resulting from using blu-tac to hold the part for the photo (as he mentions), truly does disappear. Not that I didn't believe him! But I can confirm it- this little part is the real thing! Great work!

Now, as to a K5054 conversion.....

Or maybe floats......

[3DStewart]

Stewart, I love what you're doing. You're filling some gaps in the market with quality products, and I thank you for it.

Thanks Obi-Jiff. Your appreciation is a great encouragement.

Stewart

[Julien]

whoops wrong place!