If you base your modeling decisions on value, this kit needs to be top of the heap. Revell’s new tool early war Spitfire is a gem where value intersects quality. I highly recommend it to modeler’s of any skill. That said, we are modelers and there are always things to complain about.
The first and major concern is, regardless of quality and how fun this kit was to build, this is actually not a Spitfire MkIIa out of the box. It is closer to a Spitfire Mk V with a fantasy prop and spinner and incorrect ailerons. Or, it could also be a Spitfire MkIIa with an incorrect oil cooler, a fantasy prop and spinner, and incorrect ailerons. You get to decide.
Either way, unsurprisingly, there are correction sets to let you go any way you want. As I wanted an early war Spitfire, I chose the slightly more ambitious project of correcting the wing with a new resin set of ailerons, a corrected oil cooler, and a more detailed radiator, from Barracuda. It truly was an easy fix if you follow the instructions, with only having to cut out part of the kit wing out for the cooler and radiator. Everything fit beautifully, including the ailerons.
The second concern is that the canopy included with the kit doesn’t fit correctly in the open position. It is too narrow to slide back over the fuselage and thus will sit noticeably too high on the spine if open. The simple solution is to put the canopy in the closed position, where the canopy fits perfectly. Closing the canopy partially solves another problem: out of the box the cockpit is a bit sparse for an open canopy inspection. This too can be corrected rather easily, but I chose the “good enough under glass” option. For my route I simply added some HGW fabric belts, and once again leaned on Barracuda for a replacement resin seat with armor (it’s head scratching why Revell left out the armor backing from their kit). I even used the kit decal for the instrument panel and carefully applied 5-second fix to create the appearance of lenses. I think it turned out rather well. It’s not Tamiya, but it looks good enough.
Construction was a breeze. Everything fit like it should with no real issues along the typical trouble areas like the wing root. The horizontal stabilizers actually fit better than my experience with Tamiya Spits, and it was a relief to not have to wrestle a full Merlin, four cowlings and tiny magnets.
The third and final concern is the fit of the landing gear legs into the wing. There is no other way to describe it but sloppy. I used some 15 minute epoxy and spent a few minutes checking the alignment of the legs to each other and the aircraft, and let it set. I think it came out okay, but the issue here was surprising given the overall fit of the rest of the kit.
Finally, I painted, lightly weathered, and threw on Eagle Parts resin Rotol prop and spinner and called it done.
In sum this is a great kit. There are issues, but all kits have them. For the money, especially if you want a Mk V spitfire and don’t mind errors like an incorrect prop/spinner and or ailerons, this kit will surpass even much more expensive kits. If you want an early war Spitfire, a Mk I or II, you can invest in some resin replacement parts, and with a little work have the best early mark spitfire in 1/32 scale.
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