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.