HELLER 1:72 SPITFIRE MK.XVI

 

Reviewer: Steve Papworth  (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  12 March 2003

Kit Details:

Heller 1/72 Spitfire Mk XVI, kit No. 80282

The Aircraft:

I often wonder if, when Reginald Mitchell designed the Spitfire, did he have any conception of the number of marks, variants and modifications the engine and airframe would go through and the legend the Spitfire would become.  This kit is the Mk XVI version.  The Spitfire Mark XVI came into being due to the British use of the U.S. Packard Merlin 1650 engine, which powered the P51B/D. Essentially the engine was the same as the Rolls Royce Merlin 66 which powered the Spitfire Mk IX.  However the Americans use different tooling, AF (American Fine) on the Packard whereas Rolls Royce used Whitworth, therefore none of the British Whitworth nuts and bolts would fit the U.S. engine.  For this reason the RAF redesignated this fighter as the Mk XVI to differentiate the tooling required and a squadron re-equipped with the Mk XVI would be completely equipped with this Mark.  The Spitfire Mk XVI was produced by Vickers Armstrong at their Castle Bromwich factory from October 1944.  Visually the only distinguishing feature is the serial number and the wing, the Mk XVI using the “e’ wing with a 20mm canon in the outer bay and a .50 calibre machine gun in the inner bay.  The version depicted in the kit has the ‘bubble’ canopy which first appeared on squadron service in April 1945.

The Kit:

The instructions in the kit are dated 1979.  The kit consists of 33 parts moulded in black plastic and two clear parts which form the canopy.  The moulding is good with very little flash on any of the parts but it is very black.  The canopy is nicely formed and clear enough to see through.   The panel lines and engraving on the kit are finely engraved which is nice after building a couple of Airfix kits recently.

Instructions:

The instructions are a big one page sheet about the size of a tea towel necessitating a few additional folds to fit in on the work table.  They carry instructions in 12 European languages.  They are in three colours + white and detail 12 constructions steps and one paint scheme.  The instructions are not detailed but provide the basic steps.

Construction:

The kit is simple and straight forward.  You start in the cockpit which has a floor, armour plate, seat, instrument panel and joystick.  The inner side of the fuselage halves contain the throttles and levers moulded in. The canopy is clear so attention to detail pays off here.  Step three details assembly of the four bladed propeller to its spinner and hub, I had difficulty here as the spinner attaches to a backing plate which doesn’t quite match up, leaving a line which is near impossible to fill and sand.  Step four is the assembly of the fuselage halves with the cockpit assembly and the propeller trapped between.  Step five requires the assembly of the canopy; however I left this till after the model was painted as I didn’t wish to display the lovely black colour through the canopy! Steps 6 & 7 are the tailplane, exhausts and engine oil cooler etc which are straightforward.  Steps 8 & 9 detail assembly of the undercarriage and its attachment to the wing.  The undercarriage legs are very fine and the attachment points are not well defined, I had some problems here as the whole set up is very flimsy.  Trying to get an acceptable angle on the undercarriage legs was neigh well impossible and I’m still not happy with the angle on my completed model.  The next step details assembly of the single piece lower wing with the two upper halves, these fit well with no major problems apart from a fine gap at the trailing edge which was too fine to fill but disappeared when painted over.  The wings assemble to the fuselage without any problem but a small gap is noticeable at the front of the wing/fuselage join.  Step 12 shows you what the completed model should look like.

Painting/ Decals:

The colours given are Heller colours which are identical to Humbrol.  I thought the paint scheme was a bit light on.  It gives one colour scheme only a leaves out details like the fuselage band, yellow leading edge facings and propeller tips, minor details but ones which sent me back to the internet looking for a colour picture of the aircraft to enable me to paint it properly.  I spent the time to paint the cockpit and left the canopy open showing the details.  An aftermarket instrument panel decal would have been useful here, however mine came out nicely. The underside of the aircraft is painted in Humbrol light grey, bearing this in mind Heller could have chosen a better colour than black to mould the kit.  I needed a couple of coats to stop the black showing through and to my mind the underside painting is too heavy. 

The decals provided didn’t appear correct in colour but once on the model are a good match for the photographs I found so I was pleased with this.  The model has one set of codes being GE-D.  GE is the code for 349 (Belgian) Sqn RAF.  My information is they flew Spitfire Mk IX’s until Feb. 1945 when they were to be replaced by Hawker Tempests but this conversion was abandoned.  The squadron returned to Holland in late 1945 equipped with Mk XVI’s and Mk XIV’s.  On 24 October 1946 the squadron passed to the control of the Royal Belgian Air Force and the Mk XVI’s were relegated to training duties.

Overall:

With the exception of the undercarriage the kit is not a difficult build.  It is comparable in quality to most of the Heller releases in the 1980’s.  I would have preferred a lighter colour than jet black for the mouldings as it was a pain to cover. For Spitfire aficionados the kit may be lacking in accuracy and details but for those of us looking to add an unusual Spitfire to the collection the kit is well worth the time.

 

Note: the following related reviews links have not been updated since early 2000's - more kit reviews of this aircraft may now be on SMAKR, not reflected below.  Refer to the Index for other kits of this type.

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