1/48 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk.22
Eduard's Limited Edition re-pop of Airfix's Supermarine Spitfire F Mk.22 from the late 1990's.
Markings are for a scheme included in the kit for a 1948 entry in the Cooper Trophy Air Race, from No.607 RauxAF County of Durham Squadron.
The Eduard boxing is a great package, but there is a fly in the ointment with the resin cockpit interior. Yes it's beautifully detailed but it won't fit if you follow the kit instructions.
If you have this kit & have yet to build it, my advice would be to thin down the resin side walls before gluing directly to the fuselage sides. (& please do a lot of trimming and dry fitting beforehand). Then add the front and rear bulkheads followed by the seat & floor.
...Or you can save yourself the bother as most folks won't even see the amount of work put into the interior and use BarracudaCasts's late model Spitfire Update set and Eduard's photo etch set.
Once you get past the cockpit issues the rest of the kit goes together pretty well.
...Until you get to the landing gear. Not one of Airfix's best efforts and consequently is a bit fiddly to fit. Be prepared to trim the odd stub arm in order to get the assembly to fit snugly.
I also used some additional aftermarket on the build, namely BarracudCast's replacement prop & spinner. The kit blades look a tad strange to me to say the least and the resin replacements are a worthwhile addition.
Also used is a vac-formed canopy, as the kit one unfortunately was damaged.
(I'm not 100% happy with how it turned out, but for the time being it'll do!).
Also, the exhausts were hollowed out.
Paints were a mix of Tamiya & Gunze acrylics, followed by a clear coat and the usual pin washes from Mig and a final dull coat on top.
So in summary a very nice kit from Airfix that still looks good twenty years on, and the Eduard enhancements though good in parts can be a mixed blessing in places.
Comments as always most welcome, bit in the meantime thanks for looking.
Great work Marek. Wonderful paintjob and it looks well used. I like the subject as well and still have an unbuild 1/48 F.Mk22 from Airfix in my stash in a older boxing. Resin and aftermarket parts are allways worth some investigation. Thank you for the information on the challenges fitting the resin cockpit, that's usefull. However I will build The Cooper trophy version in 1/72, as Airfix released a new tooling of the F. Mk22 some time ago in that scale, which is also waiting in my stash.
Thanks for the comments Ferry, and yes the Cooper Trophy scheme will certainly look great in 1/72 on the "new tool" Airfix Spitfire Mk.22.
One additional comment / observation regarding the resin aftermarket cockpit included in the 1/48 Eduard kit is that I think this was originally the old Aires set...since both look very similar in construction. So, if you pick up the Aires cockpit update set my advice is proceed with caution as I think the same issues will apply.
Spitfire modelling.. a never-ending infinite story. always new..!
Very true!
Excellent Marek! You got it all together. The build, the pain job, the decals and the weathering. Hat off.
Thanks Ulf ?
Beautiful work, Marek!
Cheers Rob
Nice job Marek, good information on your build as well.
Thanks Tom, it's still a good kit to build even without the ton of aftermarket shown here, the surface detail in particular is well done & beautifully restrained.
Stellar build, Marek...nicely done indeed!
Thanks Craig, much appreciated.
Marek, This looks great ! Probably my favorite version of the Spitfire, and its a real treat to see it built this well. I like it a lot !
Cheers Terry, good to hear from another fan of the big griffon engined Spitfires.
Marek, beautiful model! Just about the end of the Spitfire line. Imagine seeing one of these racing! Also, the RauxAF deserves to be remembered. Unless you were in one of their squadrons or knew someone who was, people wouldn't know about or appreciate their service. Local and proud outfits. Went out in 1958, when the equipment got too expensive and complicated.
Hi Bernard, yes the postwar Spitfires (& Seafires) hold a fascination for me, possibly because unlike their wartime brethren, this subject matter hasn't been done to death. I also agree the RauxAF has been too long a neglected subject.
A great build!
Cheers Robert ?
Excellent build! Lovely paint and weathering work. Looks beautiful!
Thanks Greg ?
You just caused me to pull my older Airfix Mk.22 out of the stash and put it on the build pile for the New Year... Thanks for the inspiration ! Your Spit looks wonderful... I like it ... a LOT !
As we say here in Australia...good on you!
Build information like this is always appreciated, and your model looks really beautiful, a real classic.
Thanks George, much appreciated ?.
Very nice
Cheers! ?