This
is the wonderful Airfix kit of the (in my opinion) best of the Spitfire/Seafire
breed. The kit is a marvel as the fit is great, the options are marvelous and
the general quality-to-money paid is top notch... If you haven't built this kit,
do so!
The
kit itself comes in a sturdy top-opening box with options to either build an
Fr.46 or an Fr.47. You also get the option to build it with the wings folded or
down straight which is great if your running out of shelf space like I am...
Perhaps I need a bigger house?
Construction
begins with the cockpit an although the rivet counters will be let down, ala in
all, it's not too bad. I replaced the seat with a resin alternative from the
spares box and added some wiring to juice up the emptiness beneath the seat but
other than that, the whole cockpit is a good fit and finish. Here is where you
have to make a decision (if you haven't already) to either build the Fr.46 or
the Fr.47. Building the fuselage requires the different parts for the different
marks so watch the instructions and follow your references! The wings were a
dream to build and tapered off to a wonderfully thin trailing edge... The fit to
the fuselage required NO filler! The gear and wing rockets look good with little
fuss to get a decent stance - I modified some of my wing rockets to show some of
them fired (cutting off some and hollowing out the launch rings) to give the
impression of a returning, operational Seafire.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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The
entire model was primed and painted with Vallejo colours matched to Royal Navy
paint chips that I had purchased ages back... ALWAYS A GOOD INVESTMENT! The
decals are the only downfall to this wonderful kit... As per usual, the decals
are not quite up to modern standards but there is little you can do unless you
can scrape up some after-market post-war RN stuff...
All
in all, a great gem in the vast world of modern modeling. As I write this, I've
just heard that this same kit will be re-released by Grand Phoenix with all
sorts of added value for more than three times the price! I'm not sure if that's
in my budget but with a little scratching, you can build the original to great
results.
Thanks
to my favourite hobby shop for the foresight to get this kit in stock.
Hank
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