Now I know most of the folks here are into larger scale. But there is a dedicated group that are 1/72 diehards. For whatever reason, price, storage area, variety etc. Not too many reviews of 1/72 stuff that is in detail.
Back to the model
So now I have all the parts to start the build. Open all the relevant baggies and boxes. First thing I notice is that the detail of the Spitfire for the cockpit and wheel wells is pretty good.
Here are some pic to show what is on the model verses what is in the detail kit.
First comparison is the fuselage halves. You will notice I have removed the entry hatch from the model so that the detail kit one can be used.
As you can see the model itself has a very good rendering of the inside cockpit. Plus to use the kit you will need to grind off a good size area to glue the kit piece in place. And as we all know, when you start to grind off something, sometimes you goof. At this scale you have very little room for making errors without causing serious problem to the structure of the model.
Next lets look at the Airfix cockpit assembly. In these pictures you will see it assembled and first painting just to bring out some details. According to the reference books I have seen, Airfix did a pretty good job putting things where they're supposed to be. The detail on the floorboard area is especially good.
Now the detail kit. It has a bathtub type assembly that has very little detail on the floor, it also has a great deal of flash that needs to be very carefully cut and trimmed before you can assemble the components. It is kind of a toss up on the seat itself. Compare the Airfix control stick on the sprue to the detail kit. Hands down Airfix's is better and not as fragile.
You will also notice that the tires on the model are molded to look like they have weight on them
The detail kit has some obvious advantages. Etched metal seat belts, highly detailed gauges, cockpit door hatch detailed and at the right scale.
The gun sight on the model is far better than the detail kit.
There is a fair amount of detail in the gear wells also.
There is a gold pot at the end of this rainbow though. I had also purchased 2 Spitfire MkIX kits. They have almost no detail for the cockpits, soooooo what I did with a lot of sanding and cutting and grinding, was to fit the MK1 detail parts I did not use and modified them and the model to use in the MkIX's
Here's a couple of pics of the cockpit installed, the first 2 are of the MK1 and the last is the MkIX. Neither model is near completion and there is still work to do refining the little details for the cockpit areas
Now the big question, was the detail kit worth the additional cost????? For me it was because I could also modify the Mk9's with additional parts. The Mk1 has a pretty good instrument panel decal that I used in the Mk9 kit. So it all worked out in the end. Now if I was to do it all over again, I would buy some generic RAF seat belt photo etch and stick with the kit by itself.
When you look at the detail of this $8.00 USD Airfix kit, it is well worth the money.
A side note, Czech also makes detail kits for the engine, gun bays, and fight controls, so if you really wanted to go hog wild on this 8 dollar kit, you could spend an additional $60.00
on super detailing it. Of course by the end of all that, your friends will be visiting you at the asylum on week-ends
Another side note that maybe you kind folks who are very familiar with the kit manufactures, and a little bit of a rant, Why do they have to make the canopies so darn thick! Also when they know that folks modify them, can't they add a few parts, like the side hatch. Also why can't they make the canopies in separate pieces so they can be displayed open. I know the larger kits now have these options, but it wouldn't take much for them to do it for the smaller scales. I would gladly pay an additional couple of bucks for the few extra details.
Ok I think I am done. It's 11:30 PM here in sin city and I am bushed, mom had a bad day. Damn Alzheimer's!!!!