Revell Spitfire Mk.XVI 1:48 (04661)

[woody37]

Spitfire Mk.XVI

Revell 1:48

The Spitfire Mk.IX was a major step forwards in the spitfire story, yet was initially conceived as a stop gap to the Mk.VIII that was being developed to counteract the threat imposed by the FW190A. The aim of the Mk.IX was to fit the more powerful Merlin 61 to the Mk.V airframe with as few modifications as possible and history shows that this concept was a damn fine idea. Compared to the Mk.V, it was 40mph faster at 28,000ft and service ceiling was increased by over 5000ft. The improved performance came from the engines two stage supercharger which necessitated a longer nose to fit it all in. In the end, the Mk.IX was one of the most numerous marks, seconded only by the Mk.V. Due to the demand for Merlin engines, Packard started to supply US built engines to maintain the demand for the war in Europe. The Mk.XVI was essentially a Mk.IX, but all being produced with the Packard two stage supercharged powerplant. Such was the constant evolution in aircraft design during this period, many modifications and variations on the Mk.IX/XVI flew. Initially, the 'C' wing was used housing 20mm cannon and .303 machine guns, but later variants used the 'E' wing with the noticeable difference of using the larger calibre 0.5in gun. All 1053 of this variant produced were built at the Castle Bromwich plant where the mating took place. Whilst the engine was based on the Merlin, one key noticeable difference was that the Packard was built to metric specs unlike the imperial spec Merlin. Further variations included clipped wing tips to improve roll rate at low level and some aircraft having low blown superchargers to give their best performance in the low level window of combat. As is represented here by Revell, the biggest visual difference on most later variants was the bubble canopy significantly improving all round visibility.

The kit

So here we have the kit formerly produced by ICM. In its new form, it comes packed in the familiar Revell format; end opening blue framed box with all the parts wrapped in a single bag except for the clear parts. The instructions are quite a busy affair due to the amount of detail that's provided in the kit. Having read previous reviews on the ICM kit, the summary I was expecting was a kit with quite accurate shape but suffers from sink marks and flash in areas. The plastic is moulded in a medium grey colour with a matt finish to the surface. I'm pleased to say that in this kit, the flash is very minimal, certainly better than I was expecting so quality control at Revell is clearly having a positive effect. There are indeed some sink marks worth noting. Key places where I can see them are the top wings around the ailerons and wing tips, lower wings where the interior gun bays are moulded, the cockpit sides on the fuselage and strangely on the tail planes near the roots. Are these going to be a problem ? Well I'd rather they weren't there obviously, but with a few dabs of filler and some experience of handling sink marks, they shouldn't be beyond most people to remove. Surface detailing in the kit is very nice. Recessed panel lines are controlled, deep enough to get a good panel wash into, but shallow enough not to look out of place.

One of the things that hits you about the kit when you open it is the shear amount of detail that is crammed onto the sprues. Clipped wing tips, normal tips, HF wing tips, different chins, bombs, rockets, different cannon arrangements, two types of tailplane and a huge slipper tank are included, so the possibilities are quite spectacular. And then there's the engine. I've counted 33 parts that make the engine assembly up excluding the engine mounts ! If you do decide to fit the engine, I recommend plenty of dry fitting to ensure that alignment between the engine, engine mounts and fuselage works out well as there is some intricate parts here. If having the engine on show isn't your thing, then you probably won't be surprised that you can choose to have the covers assembled. Looking at built images of the kit, it appears to capture the quite complex shape of the Mk.IX/XVI nose well. Just as with the open option, I suspect care will be needed to align the covers if you have them closed. Moving into the office, the detail in there has received the same attention as the engine and is probably one of the best detailed Spitfire cockpits on the market that aren't made of resin or etch. All the key parts are nicely produced with sharp detail. The only thing missing is some seatbelts.

The prop has individually moulded blades that sandwich between a hub and cone with a bush to secure it in place whilst allowing it to turn. Another option is the choice of having the cannon bays open or closed. The guns and ammo feeds are finely reproduced, although if you choose to have the bays open, only one configuration with four cannons appears to be available. If you close them, two cannon fairing options are up for grabs for either the two or four cannon variants. The bomb racks in the kit are a miniature work of art. Very fine parts will need some careful handling, but the results should be quite gratifying. The bombs themselves get this same treatment too. There are lots of extra parts in the kit that aren't included in the instructions, some being obvious such as the slipper tank, other small parts not so obvious, however I'm still impressed with the detailing on them ! You'll end up with plenty of parts for the spares box whatever variant you make, that's for sure.

The clear parts can often make or break a kit as the cockpit usually gets a lot of extra detailing attention. To then lose it all under a distorted over thick canopy can be frustrating. Fortunately, the canopy in the kit is quite good. There is a slight distortion on the canopy due to the curved profile, but certainly nothing to dissappoint and the windscreen is very well produced.

Two decal options are included:

No.421 Royal Canadian Airforce Germany 1945 - using the yellow ringed roundels

No. 612 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Airforce, Dyce, 1949 - using the later style roundels

As per Revell's recent offerings, the decals look excellent, vivid colours and well registered. There is enough stencils to add interest, but not enough to bore you to death applying them !

If painting the cockpit panel isn't your preferred choice, you can sand the detail off and apply the decal.

With so many options available in the kit plastic, you may want to investigate the after market decal options too.

Conclusion

Revell have taken a kit that whilst isn't without flaws, is quite a versatile option in the Spitfire range and probably the best Mk.XVI in 1/48. Yes, it suffers from some sink marks that will need attention, but the options and detail combined with revell pricing make this a great choice for anyone who likes spitfires (that probably covers 80% of modellers !!). I've always had a soft spot for the bubble top spits since my father made one when I was a wee nipper using what ever blue paint we had at the time, so I'm really looking forwards to building this one.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

[triumphfan]

Thanks for the review. I have just bought this kit and am really looking forward to getting it on the bench.

Regards,

Steve.

[woody37]

Thanks Steve, me too, although the bench keeps getting taken up with other stuff !

[Tim T]

I have exactly the same problem! I have this, the Revell rebox of the Hasegawa IX C and the Airfix XII lined up. I am tempted to do the three together. My concern is that Trumpeter are about to release the Seafang and that may well cock the whole thing up....

[grayh]

Many thanks for the review, i did wonder if it was the ICM kit but with nice revell decals

[spike7451]

Thanks for the review,just got the kit off E-Bay for a tenner post free!... ....

[Texian]

As I happens, I just picked up an old unbuilt ICM version alluded to in the original post. I realize it is an old one but, this ties right in and I think it might be of interest.

One significant difference though I understand either fuselage/canopy combination may be found, my kit came with the high back fuse. & Malcolm hood canopy system.

Some pics...

Edited October 17, 2015 by Texian