TAMIYA 1:72 SPITFIRE MK.1
'In The Box Review'

 

Reviewer: John Walker  (taken from rec.models.scale newsgroup)

Kit:  Tamiya 1/72 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1

Moulded in 2 dark grey and one clear sprues. Very nice restrained panel detail and certainly looks like a Spitfire Mk1. Only outline comment at this point is that the trailing edge of the wing has a slightly different profile to the Airfix 1/72 kit (noted as being arguably the most accurate Spitfire Mk.1 on the market in this scale- ed), being a bit more curved. Nice interior but area between floorboards is moulded solid. It has raised instrument panel, no decal for console but decal harness. The Access door is moulded closed.

The kit provides 2 windscreens (with\without external armour) and 3 hood\rear glazing (flat, blown and another not called for in the instructions) combinations. The hood can't be displayed open from the box. Early style protruding gun muzzles but later style tapered radio mast. DH prop and spinner. It has the same strangely profiled exhausts as the 1/48 kit.

Markings are for X4561, QJ-B, 92 Sqdn, DE\DG\Sky with black port wing and yellow-outlined roundel and L1043, DW-O, 601 Sqdn DE\DG\Sky, no underwing roundels.

I'll be building it and an Airfix Mk.1 Spit side by side over the next few days. First impressions - shame about the canopy, its expensive in the UK (GBP9.99) but looks promising.

I've now had the opportunity to compare the new Tamiya Mk1 with both an Airfix Mk1 and the 1/72 scale profile and plan in the recent Modeller's Datafile.

Fuselage : the kits are an excellent match with each other and with the profile, except in the cockpit aperture, which is slightly longer in the Tamiya kit, both at the front and rear of the cockpit. Apart from that they match very well. The Tamiya tailplanes even fit the slots in the Airfix fuselage!

Wings : a bit of discrepancy here. The Airfix kit and the plans match each other very well, but the Tamiya kit is noticeably wider in chord at the wing root. Compared to the Airfix wing the chord starts about 2.5mm - 3mm wider at the root and gradually sweeps in to meet the Airfix chord at about 3/4 span, making the Tamiya wing more elliptical than the Airfix. I suspect that this may be quite marked displaying the 2 kits built up together, but we'll have to wait and see!

 

Related Reviews:- 

In the Box reviews:-  

SMAKR Home  |  What's New  |  Submissions  | Information Requests |  News  |  Links  |  Reference Corner  |  Site Info 
1/72 Reviews  |  1/48 Reviews  |  INBOX Reviews