It was around this time that I discovered that each manufacturer had their own approach to the plane, with some better than others. In March of 1978, I found a number of Revell battle scene kits that usually consisted of two to three aircraft and a box that would convert into a diorama of sorts. One of these was a Battle of Britain type set that contained a Spitfire Mk.II and a Bf-109E; I know that there were three planes in the kit, I just don't recall which one was doubled. The Spitfire Mk.II really fascinated me, though to my fifteen year old brain it did not look quite right. Still, Mayport Naval Station's Hobby Shop had the kits at $1.39 each, so I walked away with two of them.
I do remember that Art's Hobby Shop had also found some of those Revell Famous Fighter Plane series models in his storage room, and he brought those out as well, marked still at $.79 a piece. Either way, I soon had a number of the Revell Spitfires, bumps and all.
Still, they looked odd. It was when I picked up another Spitfire (the old Heller Spitfire Mk.Vb) that I discovered that the Revell kit was too long (Spitfire Mk.V's were the same length as Mk.I's and II's sans propellers). Painted and displayed, however, the models didn't look so bad.
Aside from the Revell kit (which I currently do not have in my collection), the 1960's through 1970's saw a few 1/72 early Spitfire kits produced. In addition to the Revell kit, there is an earlier Frog kit that is not shown here, though its heritage can be seen in the PM Models Mk.Vb.
The eldest Spitfire in this collection is the Heller Mk.I, with dies that date back to the 1960's, followed by Hasegawa's offering from the late 60's - early 70's.
In 1975, Monogram released a SnapTite Spitfire Mk.II. This is its current incarnation.
Not shown is the packaging for the Airfix Spitfire Mk.I, released in 1978.
When you open the traditional kits and compare them side by side, you see that all three kits are fairly decent, with the Heller kit on the left, Hasegawa in the center and Airfix on the right. The Heller kit has rivets, though they aren't too bad. The Hasegawa kit is unique in that it allows the builder the option of building a very early Mk.I with flat canopy and two bladed propeller, whereas the Airfix kit is fairly simple but almost dead accurate. In fact, the Airfix kit was derived from their earlier Mk.Vb, released in the early 1970's and also very accurate.
It's when you examine the wings that you discover the big errors. While the Heller and Hasegawa kits are fairly well detailed, they botch the shape of the wings, in particular the undersides. Only the Airfix kit (right) gets it correct. In fact, the Hasegawa kit has other issues as well; what are those "strakes" on the wings? This was a problem that most Spitfire kits had at this time, failing to model the slight gull wing.
As for complexity, the Airfix kit, in addition to being the most accurate, is the simplist. The Heller kit, though, has three full sprues, though fewer parts than the Hasegawa kit (just a note; I've not included images of the canopies here; my camera was having issues taking them).
There is another issue, though, and again it involves the Heller kit. Years ago, when trying to combine parts from the Heller Mk.Vb and I, I discovered that the earlier mark was smaller. It seems that Heller's Spitfire Mk.I is actually 1/75 scale, just slightly smaller than 1/72.
So much for the traditional kits, how about the Monogram SnapTite model? Well, in its current form, it is a Revell kit, labelled 1/72, and curiously pre-painted.
The colors don't look right; that "brown" (supposed to be dark earth) looks too red, while the green is light. The plastic is molded in a color that is close to sky, though a little dark, and the markings are painted on (curiously, the plane they represent is a Mk.I, the "County of Chester", 610 Squadron, Royal Auxillary Air Force, during the Battle of Britain, 1940).
Again, the kit is labeled as a 1/72 model. It is not; it is 1/64 (see previous entry). Compared to a 1/72 kit, it is quite large.
And again, as with too many Spitfire kits, the underside is wrong.
Which model do I recommend? Aside from the Monogram/Revell SnapTite model, the only one of those classic kits that is still available is the Airfix kit, and amazingly, aside from very basic detailing and raised panel lines, still represents the Spitfire Mk.I best. With a little work, it can be made to represent all of the early "A wing" variants.
I do remember that Art's Hobby Shop had also found some of those Revell Famous Fighter Plane series models in his storage room, and he brought those out as well, marked still at $.79 a piece. Either way, I soon had a number of the Revell Spitfires, bumps and all.
Still, they looked odd. It was when I picked up another Spitfire (the old Heller Spitfire Mk.Vb) that I discovered that the Revell kit was too long (Spitfire Mk.V's were the same length as Mk.I's and II's sans propellers). Painted and displayed, however, the models didn't look so bad.
Aside from the Revell kit (which I currently do not have in my collection), the 1960's through 1970's saw a few 1/72 early Spitfire kits produced. In addition to the Revell kit, there is an earlier Frog kit that is not shown here, though its heritage can be seen in the PM Models Mk.Vb.
The eldest Spitfire in this collection is the Heller Mk.I, with dies that date back to the 1960's, followed by Hasegawa's offering from the late 60's - early 70's.
In 1975, Monogram released a SnapTite Spitfire Mk.II. This is its current incarnation.
Not shown is the packaging for the Airfix Spitfire Mk.I, released in 1978.When you open the traditional kits and compare them side by side, you see that all three kits are fairly decent, with the Heller kit on the left, Hasegawa in the center and Airfix on the right. The Heller kit has rivets, though they aren't too bad. The Hasegawa kit is unique in that it allows the builder the option of building a very early Mk.I with flat canopy and two bladed propeller, whereas the Airfix kit is fairly simple but almost dead accurate. In fact, the Airfix kit was derived from their earlier Mk.Vb, released in the early 1970's and also very accurate.
It's when you examine the wings that you discover the big errors. While the Heller and Hasegawa kits are fairly well detailed, they botch the shape of the wings, in particular the undersides. Only the Airfix kit (right) gets it correct. In fact, the Hasegawa kit has other issues as well; what are those "strakes" on the wings? This was a problem that most Spitfire kits had at this time, failing to model the slight gull wing.
As for complexity, the Airfix kit, in addition to being the most accurate, is the simplist. The Heller kit, though, has three full sprues, though fewer parts than the Hasegawa kit (just a note; I've not included images of the canopies here; my camera was having issues taking them).
There is another issue, though, and again it involves the Heller kit. Years ago, when trying to combine parts from the Heller Mk.Vb and I, I discovered that the earlier mark was smaller. It seems that Heller's Spitfire Mk.I is actually 1/75 scale, just slightly smaller than 1/72.
So much for the traditional kits, how about the Monogram SnapTite model? Well, in its current form, it is a Revell kit, labelled 1/72, and curiously pre-painted.
The colors don't look right; that "brown" (supposed to be dark earth) looks too red, while the green is light. The plastic is molded in a color that is close to sky, though a little dark, and the markings are painted on (curiously, the plane they represent is a Mk.I, the "County of Chester", 610 Squadron, Royal Auxillary Air Force, during the Battle of Britain, 1940).
Again, the kit is labeled as a 1/72 model. It is not; it is 1/64 (see previous entry). Compared to a 1/72 kit, it is quite large.
And again, as with too many Spitfire kits, the underside is wrong.
Which model do I recommend? Aside from the Monogram/Revell SnapTite model, the only one of those classic kits that is still available is the Airfix kit, and amazingly, aside from very basic detailing and raised panel lines, still represents the Spitfire Mk.I best. With a little work, it can be made to represent all of the early "A wing" variants.
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