Almost two years ago I traded in 1/48 in favor of the larger scale. My introduction to “man scale” was Tamiya’s 1/32 Corsair, and the following shift from 1/48 was tectonic and total. Tamiya’s Corsair was so good, in fact, that it took several 1/32 kits from manufacturers such as Hasegawa, Trumpeter and Special Hobby to illustrate just how far Tamiya had knocked the Corsair out of the park. It was Mark McGuire on steroids good.
The Tamiya experience was a paradigm shift in my perception of the build experience. It was like methamphetamine. I knew I would always be chasing that high so I had to be judicious with building Tamiya. For that reason, I have been hesitant to revisit any big Tamiya kits for an irrational fear that they really were that good. As such, I would get caught in a loop of only building Tamiya kits, letting the skills honed at the anvil of the likes of Special Hobby atrophy beyond recognition. Well, having built Special Hobby’s 1/32 Tempest Mk V in the livery of Pierre Clostermann’s famous mount, I wanted to have one of his Spitfires as well. Enter the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire Mk IX.
The bottom line for everything I write below, is that like the second hit of meth, the Spitfire falls marginally but noticeably short of the Corsair. It leaves you satisfied but wanting more. Most notably, between the Corsair and the Spitfire, Tamiya has thrown down the gauntlet to every other manufacturer and will leave you asking why can’t [insert every other manufacturer] mold plastic this cleanly, with so few fit issues.
That said, unlike the Corsair, the Spitfire does have some rather infamous fit issues. The fit of the multi part cowlings around the engine, and the engine sub assembly to the fuselage, leaves something to be desired. This part of the build left me frustrated enough to hit pause on the Spitfire for a few months to let my froth subside and contemplate alternatives. Ultimately I decided to permanently affix three of the four cowlings, hiding a great deal of the work I had invested in Tamiya’s beautifully designed Merlin. The fit of the wing assembly to the bottom of the fuselage needed some relatively minor work to smooth out the transition between the parts. This sort of fit issue is pretty typical when compared to most other kits I’ve built, but stands out against a kit where very little filler was otherwise needed. Beyond that, follow the lengthy instructions and everything essentially falls together.
Of note, there are only a few places where I believe the aftermarket has provided quality additions to this model.
1) As per usual I added HGW fabric belts. The kit belts are photo etch, but the HGW offerings are truly a must have for any build. While the fabric belts take several hours to assemble, I think it’s worth the effort.
2) Tamiya’s tires are molded in rubber. I have never liked this option and opted for a set of resin weighted wheels and tires as provided by Aires. These were flawless, as I have come to expect using them on several other large scale builds.
3) Don’t use Tamiya decals. I’ve learned this lesson over the years and let my experience be your guide. For most of the markings on this kit I used pre-cut masks from various manufacturers. The end result with painting roundels is that even though it takes significantly more time than throwing down decals, it is worth the effort.
4) I used parts from the Aires full cockpit but in hindsight believe this isn’t worth the effort. The Aires cockpit floor required too much effort to fit and was ultimately jettisoned in favor of the kit parts. Tamiya’s cockpit is good enough with the addition of some Eduard photo etch and some placard decals.
5) The Quickboost resin exhausts were a welcome and relatively cheap addition that didn’t require buggering up the weld lines on the kit plastic.
6) I used AM decals to get Clostermann’s LO-D specific markings. These were acquired on a decal sheet from, surprisingly, a French firm with markings specific to Free French Spitfires in 1/32. I highly recommend these decals, if Clostermann or other Free French are your preferred markings for Spitfires. Just plan well ahead as shipping to the US took a couple weeks.
In sum, its a kit worth the money and time. If you don’t have as much of either of those as you’d like, I still say you can get close with the new tool Revell offerings.
Check out the completed build here.
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