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Spitfire 1/48 -Looking for recommendations


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Hi folks,

 

following the success of my Tamiya Mosquito (been a long time since I built a 'real life' aircraft) I'm currently building a F14D, however I have always wanted to build a 'definitive' Spitfire.

 

I'm thinking a Battle of Britain model but have always thought the mki ix to be the ideal merlin spitfire.

 

 

Any suggestions? 

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Eduard gets quite high praise from a lot of modellers, they do quite a few different marks & have good detail, but may be a little fiddly to build.

There are also good kits from Airfix but they may have small accuracy issues, especially the later marks, but are reasonably detailed. Tamiya also do a Mk.I and Vb, which gets good praise also.

ICM kits are also available, if you are on a bit of a budget, not sure on how good or bad these are accuracy wise, but again may be fiddly to build.

 

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I'm nearing the end of a personal Battle of Britain theme build right now which included Spitfire Mk.Is from Airfix, Tamiya and Eduard.

 

 Airfix: I like their most recent moldings of the plane. There is a red boxing out there that is labeled Mk.I/Mk.Ia/Mk.IIa and if you see it, run away. It is their older reworked mold and no longer measures up. There is just enough detail to keep the build moving without being fiddly and it looks the part when it's finished:

DSC01467a.thumb.jpg.f023f5387cfb9323cab63a2aa9bf112f.jpg

 

 

 The Tamiya and Eduard kits are equally fiddly. Tamiya doesn't rely on photo etch for some of the cockpit parts like Eduard does  but the Eduard kit has terrific surface detailing. I'd consider it a toss-up between the two but the Tamiya build seems to go a bit faster and the way they did the landing gear makes that part of the build issue free. Eduard Mk.I early:

IMG_0916.thumb.jpg.f12049085c8d3eed30e6de6fec936ac1.jpg

 

 Tamiya Mk.I. This build was a test mule for True North enamels and it didn't go well at all. Don't care for their take on Dark Earth and the Dark Green would be best described as paste in the bottle. No reducer I have on hand would cut it and ended up using Humbrol, which I don't care for either:

DSC01294a.thumb.jpg.dde3da4a90c3303d773d332cb35a03ec.jpg

 

 I still have another Tamiya kit and Eduard's Mk.I late to build (on the bench now) and I'm done with BoB Spitfires. My summary-if you want a quick & easy build go Airfix, if you want the additional detailing go with the one you can get the best price on between Eduard and Tamiya.

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Just to add a bit to WymanV's post, if you want to do any of the late Merlin Spits (VIII, IX, XVI), Eduard has them all covered, and they're really good kits. Fiddly in the way Eduard always seems to be: why mold it in one piece when you can do it in four? However, they're very well engineered and fit very well where it counts if you take your time and study the instruction drawings carefully. People complain about the exhaust manifolds/stacks, but they do go together fine once you figure out what aligns with what. My only real nit is the two-part upper engine cowling. It's possible to eradicate the seam without losing much detail, but it does take some work. There are at least a couple of aftermarket resin alternatives if you're so inclined (Barracuda and Ultracast).

 

For a Mk. I/II, if you decide to go with the Airfix kit, it's no. A05126 and/or A05126A. Although labeled as Mk. I(a) only, it has the parts needed (mainly props and Coffman starter bulge) to do a Mk. II as well. Most reviews will mention two issues: the main landing gear struts and the fuel tank cover in front of the cockpit. The struts are engineered in two pieces; you're supposed to attach the bottom parts later in the build, but the joint is flimsy/fiddly. I chose to glue the strut parts together and install them before joining the wing tops/bottoms. This assured secure joints and symmetrical gear angles, but care then had to be taken not to break the struts as construction continued. The fuel tank cover doesn't quite sit down where it should. i found that removing some plastic inside the part with a spherical Dremel sander solved the issue pretty well.

 

The Tamiya Mk. I is probably the most trouble-free build of the three main contenders (along with Airfix and Eduard). After all, it's recent Tamiya. I have one in the stash, but haven't gotten to it yet; I definitely will. The one disadvantage of the kit is that it doesn't provide for many options: you're pretty much limited to a mid-1940 BoB machine. If that's what you're after, go for it.

 

I can't comment on the Eduard Mk. I since I don't own one, but a lot of it must be similar to their Mk. IX family, and there's been a lot written about the kits lately.

 

HTH

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Thanks folks,

 

I've been looking at the Eduard kits, to be honest I've never built one of theirs before but the reviews and your advice has been good.

I'm thinking perhaps one of the duel kits "spitfire story: Tally Ho!" and make one of each mk (IIa , IIb), one on the ground and one flying any one had any experience with these.

 

I stopped building Airfix kits in the 80's when I moved over to the Japanese manufacturers in response to Airfix simplifying their kits I did buy their 1/48 TSR2 which I've not built yet, Have Airfix really improved? 

 

That having been said my friend bought me the Tamiya Mosquito for Christmas, apologising for it not being a feminine present! and thanks to that and a clean airbrush I've rediscovered my pleasure at aircraft construction.    

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In 1/48:

For Spits up to the Mk II, Tamiya.

For Spits Mark V to Mk XVI, Eduard, not even a question.

For Spits Mark XIV and up (Griffon), only Airfix post war bubbletop types are available, unfortunately. I adapt Eduard Mk XVI bubble canopies to the Mark XIV, as the Airfix Windscreen does not convince me. The Airfix panel lines also look bigger and less convincing.

 

  Eduard Spits are a marvel, among the very best kits ever made in my opinion, but have patience for the walls of the wheel wells that are 12 flat/curved pieces... This is done for a reason, and after that the rest is not that complicated. Do not even think of ICM or other brands: Even built well, you put an Eduard next to them and they look bad...

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On 8/28/2022 at 11:18 AM, Delanie said:

I stopped building Airfix kits in the 80's when I moved over to the Japanese manufacturers in response to Airfix simplifying their kits I did buy their 1/48 TSR2 which I've not built yet, Have Airfix really improved?

 

Very much so, if it's one of the new tools in a red box it's generally accurate & reasonably well detailed, decals should be ok.

Just check out the all new, just released Buccaneer for how far, possibly a candidate for Airfix's best ever kit.

 

https://uk.airfix.com/community/blog-and-news/workbench/new-buccaneer-kit-catches-wire

 

You do have to watch though, as they have tight tolerances for fitting. No hint of paint or mold lines must be on joining parts, otherwise it can cause fit problems later down the line. Panel lines can also be on the deep side depending on which kit you get, but are probably fine if you are a brush painter.

 

Airfix do also include some old tool clunkers in their newer red box range, which are from their old tools but if you put in a question to the forum about it, someone will probably chime in with an answer as to which is which.

 

That TSR2 you have is reputedly quite a challenge to put together & certainly will likely need to break out your favourite model filler, that said it does look the part when finished.

 

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Edited by barkin mad
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2 hours ago, barkin mad said:

Very much so, if it's one of the new tools in a red box it's generally accurate & reasonably well detailed, decals should be ok.

Just for the record, some of their older kits are now showing up in red boxes, including the Spitfire I/II (no. A05115), so you have to be sure you've got the right kit number.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have built many of the Eduard Spitfire variants, including their Mk. 1, and the latest Tamya Spitfire Mk. 1.  Honestly, I think both (Tamiya and Eduard) are fantastic models, and either one would be great for the OP to build.  If I were a first time Spitfire builder, I'd probably suggest the Tamiya Mk. 1.  The Tamiya may be just the tiniest better fitting, easier to build.  But either one would be a great one as a first Spitfire.  Now, regarding the 'definitive' Spitfire, I'll leave that to others better versed in Spitfire history.  All the Eduard Spitfire models I've done been fabulous to build!

Edited by Curt B
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