Revell 1/32nd scale Spitfire Mk.IXc Review.

[Airframes]

Revell 1/32nd scale Spitfire Mk.IXc Initial Review.

The new Revell (Germany) kit has just been released, and I received my example today.
Priced at around £27 in the UK, with 154 parts, including optional bombs and other parts, and decals for two aircraft, this kit provides a very affordable alternative to the Tamiya kit, especially if the builder prefers not to display the completed model with all panels open and the engine on display, as this Revell kit does not include an engine or detailed gun bays, but does provide parts for a reasonably detailed cockpit and wheel bays.

As there are quite a few photographs, I'll divide this review into three parts, covering a description of the kit, the parts sprues, and some of the detail areas.

The kit comes in the typical, end-opening box common to Revell Germany, and displays some nice, if perhaps slightly inaccurate box-top artwork, with the reverse of the box showing details shots of a completed model.
The Instruction Booklet is quite impressive, being 'A4' format, in colour, and running to 20 pages, including the two pages of colour scheme and decal placement 'four view' drawings, again in colour, and utilises the standard Revell format of 'exploded' drawings, clearly indicating the construction sequence, with the colour call-out included for Revell paints, a list of which is shown at the front of the booklet.
The decal sheet provides full markings for two aircraft, and includes the main stencils, and decals for the instrument panel, and is nicely printed and in register.
The markings provided cover a camouflaged, full-span aircraft of 416 (RCAF) Sqn, based at Tangmere, UK, in May 1944, and a clipped wing, aluminium finished machine of 601 Sqn., RAF, at Fano, Italy, in November 1944.
The parts appear to be crisply moulded, in a light grey plastic, and exhibit fine surface detail, although, like their recent Mk.II Spitfire, some of the rivet lines might be considered slightly 'heavy' by some, although personally, I feel that, once a primer coat, colour scheme and clear coats have been applied, this should not be a problem. (more on this later.).

The pics below show the box, Instruction Booklet, colour schemes and decals, and the next two posts will show the parts, and describe some of the details areas.

 

[Airframes]

Revell 1/32nd scale Spitfire Mk.IX continued.

Moving on to the parts sprues, Revell provide fourteen sprues in the light grey plastic, and three clear sprues, covering the total of 154 parts.
Construction commences with the cockpit, which is made up of 42 parts, the majority of which form a 'module' which fits into one fuselage half.
Apart from the main frames and the seat frame assembly, these parts include such items as separate throttle quadrant, landing gear selector, radio remote controller, gun sight(s), oxygen bottles and rudder pedals etc., and overall, provide a nicely detailed cockpit area, although some modellers may wish to add further detail, either scratch-built, or in the form of after-market PE and resin parts.
A separate entrance flap, complete with crow bar, is also included, to be posed open or closed.

The seat is basically the same as that provided in the earlier Mk.II kit, and exhibits the same, slightly odd back padding, presumably modelled from a present day example. Also included is the flare rack, for the front edge of the seat, an item that had mainly been deleted by this period.
The wings are provided as a single-piece lower section, with the 'gull wing' area faithfully reproduced, and two upper sections, the inner faces of which include detail for the flaps area, although the flap actuator covers are moulded in the closed position.
The wheel bays are detailed on the inner surfaces of the upper wing sections, and inserts are provided for the wheel wells themselves.
Control surfaces, including the flaps, are provided as separate parts, and. although not needed for either of the decal options, the later, broad-chord pointed rudder is included as an option.
Underwing radiators include the front and rear rad screens, and separate shutters, which can be posed open or closed, whilst the lower engine cowling, also made up from thee separate parts, features the later-style, 'long' carb intake.
The main undercart legs include separate parts for the torque links, with the doors nicely detailed, and with the correct curve to the outer surface.
Separate parts are provided for the cannon fairings, and the 'stub' fairings.
Two styles of exhausts are included, both of which, once assembled, exhibit open stacks, and the various small scoops and intakes are provided as separate parts also.
The canopy sections are sharply moulded and very clear, and the alternative parts for the bomb load include the bomb racks, sway braces and bombs.

PICS below show the sprues, and the next post will show some of the details areas.

 

[Airframes]

Revell 1/32nd scale Spitfire Mk.IXc Conclusion.

Moving on to the final section of the review, and some of the details areas.

As mentioned earlier, some may not approve of the overall surface detail, but I believe that, once primed and painted, and if not over-emphasised by heavy panel line treatment, it should look acceptable enough.
The moulding of the smaller, detail parts is well executed, and there is some nice detail, particularly in the cockpit parts, which should provide a very good appearance 'out of the box' and can, of course, be enhanced by added details to the modeller's own requirements or taste.
The main wheels, although much better than the rather odd examples in the earlier Mk.II kit, could probably benefit by being replaced with resin items, but again, they are acceptable as provided.
The windscreen has been nicely moulded, and I'm happy to say that, at first glance at least, it looks much more accurate than the again somewhat odd example in the Mk.II kit.
A nice touch is the provision of clear parts for the 'clipped' wing tips, allowing a neat finish for the wing-tip navigation lights, and the underside and upper surface I.D. lamps are also included as clear parts.
There are two clear gun sights included, which I have yet to check to see any difference, and again, although acceptable, these would benefit from some alteration, or replacement with after-market parts.
Incidentally, both of these are the standard reflector type sight - the later gyro sight is not included.

The pics below show a selection of some of the detail areas, including three areas of the surface detail.

Summary.

Overall, I think that Revell have once again turned out a very nice kit, which should build into an impressive model out of the box and, with a little extra work, could be very nice indeed.
Yes, there are a couple of minor areas that could benefit from a little modification, such as the wheels, and maybe the seat and gun sight, and no doubt there will be a bunch of rivet counters out there who will criticise something, but in the main, this is a great kit and, for the price, a real alternative to the excellent, but quite expensive, Tamiya example.
As I prefer to display my models as 'complete' aircraft, rather than 'opened up' with everything on show (unless for the purposes of a diorama), the lack of engine and gun bay detail suits me perfectly, and, of course, keeps the kit price down, which again suits me, and no doubt many others too.
So, a score of 9 out of 10 from me, and certainly recommended.

 

[Robert Porter]

Awesome! But I can't find it to buy it myself yet.

 

[Wurger]

Nice. But the wing looks like the one for a later C variant rather? Is there any alternative for the other wing types?

 

[Airframes]

No my friend, just the later style wing. The lower cowling and carb intake are also the later style.
Presumably, it won't be long before after-market conversion and detail parts appear, and, of course, with the kit parts, an 'E' wing version could be produced fairly easily.
EDIT:- I forgot to add, the upper engine cowling is also the later, slightly bulged type, not that clear in the photos.

 

[fubar57]

Not for me but a nice review

 

[Wurger]

No my friend, just the later style wing. The lower cowling and carb intake are also the later style.
Presumably, it won't be long before after-market conversion and detail parts appear, and, of course, with the kit parts, an 'E' wing version could be produced fairly easily.
EDIT:- I forgot to add, the upper engine cowling is also the later, slightly bulged type, not that clear in the photos.

THX Dear Friend for the replay.

 

[Airframes]

Robert, the kit has only just arrived at Model Hobbies (UK) on Friday, and is not yet even on the Hannant's web-site.
It should be available in the USA very soon I would think, and of course, it will probably be slightly cheaper there too - it was £26.99 at MH, with full UK retail price at £29.99.

 

[Crimea_River]

Good review Terry. Is this a new tool are a reboxed PCM?

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Andy.
It's a new tool, in the same vein as their Mk.II from a couple of years back.

One point I forgot to mention in the review, when dealing with surface detail, are the 'rib tapes' on the elevators and both rudders.
These are quite pronounced, being raised mouldings, and would definitely benefit from being rubbed-down, or removed completely, perhaps replacing them with tape or decal strips.
Also, whilst the elevators in the kit are the latter style, with the larger-area mass balance, the tail planes are the earlier style, with the single-angle outward slope from aft to front. However, the instructions do show this, and include an icon showing that the ends of the tail planes have to be cut off along the moulded line.

 

[Airframes]

Here's a small addition, with an extract from the Instructions showing part of the cockpit construction sequence, after the assembly of the seat and frames etc.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Wayne Little]

That looks pretty good.

 

[Robert Porter]

Nice indeed! I want one!

 

[Airframes]

Certainly worth having, even with the very minor inaccuracies with the wheels and seat.
It is now available at Hannant's BTW.

EDIT:- Something I hadn't noticed when preparing the review - as with their Mk.II kit, the seat lacks the back-armour, a strange omission, even allowing for the kit being patterned on a restored example.
Of course, this can easily be made from plastic sheet, or there are a number of resin seats available, some of which include the back armour as a separate part.
Also, it's probable that the instrument panel is not that of a Mk.IX, early or late version, as I suspect it is a common moulding from the Mk.II kit - I haven't checked it closely yet.
Again, pre-coloured panels are available from Eduard, or the really excellent Yahu items, for both early and late production Mk.IXs.

 

[Silver wings1]

Sounds like a nice kit but I like an engine and guns on models and have started on the Tamiya Spitfire which is put aside for now pending the Trumpeter Bf 109E-3 in 1/32 build

 

[JKim]

Thanks for the great review Terry! Very useful information for prospective buyers. It's hard to tell from the photos, but I'm not sure I dig the way the rivets are portrayed. It kind of looks like the Trumpeter school of surface detail.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks John.

The rivets did indeed remind me of the Trumpeter, and Dragon surface detail.
When I got the Revell Mk.II Spitfire, I checked the rivet detail against my (built and painted) Dragon 1/32nd scale P-51D, and, although the Spit detail is quite prominent, it's not as 'deep' as the detail on the Dragon kit.
Their new Mk.IX has identical detail, and I think it should look a lot better under paint and clear coats. I've only seen photos of a built Mk.II, from Steve (Stona), and it looked fine to me, whereas the heavily panel-washed Mk.IX shown on the reverse of the Revell box, and on the instruction booklet front page, emphasised the rivets too much - a good case for being very subtle with weathering and panel lines !