Spitfire Mr T's Sytle

[SAC33]

Hmmm ... wonder why a jap kit would cost US$ 0.50 per piece compared with either DML/Trumpy/Academy ... well have a look at this "in box" review about Tamiya's latest 32nd offering ... interesting ... layout very much similar in concept as "0" -sen but price more than doubled ..

Would we be seeing a 32 tamiya butcher bird next ?

http://www.hyperscale.com/2009/reviews/kit...9reviewbg_1.htm

Looks like a very expensive winter coming...

[SAC33]

just a little update ... Hyperscale Plane forum has been buzzing on Brett Green's MkXI review.

Brett will post his progress shots on Hyperscales Plane Pic section as his build progresses.

He has also noted the kit's hollow exhaust stack and initial comments is that the kits exhaust is just fine as is ... so ... your choice ...

But considering this base kit cost as much as the F 16CJ ... you will have to like "to Spit-fire" a lot or else chose another kit lol ...

[SAC33]

Here's another update on the list of Auto-Pros vs De-cep-ti-con of tamiya's 32nd Spit ... so still verth it ah?!

Have just copied a Hyperscaler's "Sifu" comments below sorry but worried that the link might not werk so ...

anyway for those tamiya kaki or those that have RM 500 to spend on this kit .. read on ...

Hi Boffins
Everyone has been emailing me on this and that for the new Tamiya Spitfire. I have been studying the parts and it has a lot of pros and a few cons too. Overall the kit is beyond anything that I have ever seen in a kit before. The rivet detail is so fine that you will want to be careful about how much paint you use. The 1:48 Hasegawa kit has all the hatches and hinges looking like thick additions to the surface. Tamiya's look like the real deal and although they are there they are subtle.
The plans are step by step Tamiya. The first 15 steps are on the cockpit interior alone. The wheel wells have 10 parts each with an option for early or late cradle for the oleo leg making it 11 parts.
I will try to list little things that I have found under pros and cons.

Pros:
-You are instructed to paint the rear fuselage interior aft of the cockpit bare metal
-The wiskey compass is vary well done with PE and plastic and a decal
-The instrument panel is two piece - the panel and the blind flying panel is separate and you have a choice of early or late
-The control stick is very well done with a PE brake lever
-You get a PE drop tank handle
-The seat has the signal cartridge holder as a seperate part so it is optional although they don't mention this
-The PE harness, and seat and head armour
-The harness is optional for pilot in cockpit or not
-I am not going to put the fabric parts in the cons although the pinking could be a little more subdued for my liking but better than that they don't look like loose burlap either so they go in the pros
-Finally someone has the elevators as seperate pieces
- the tailwheel has 4 pieces and can be added later
-Faired over holes for the fuel cooler on early IX's
-The upper wings have no bulges over the wheel wells
-The flashed over holes are there for the later bulges over the wheel wells which is a hint at what is coming later
-There is a series of indentations inside the upper wing right where the leading edge fuel tank would be for a Mk VII or VIII or XIV
-Finally you are instructed to paint the wheel wells and u/c the underside colour
-The outer M/G bay cover is seperate with the bulge for the M/G breech not overdone. Of course this is another clue to a later "e" wing as they didn't have the bulge.
-The underside M/G covers are seperate. Another clue. "e" wings were just flat panels.
-The cannon tubes through the leading edge are seperate pieces. Can this be a clue for a future PR XI ?
-The blast tubes are seperate pieces for the M/G's. Another clue for the "e" wing.
-You get optional panels for the later IFF blade antenna
-Making the whole clipped wingtip a clear part
-Optional dropped flaps for those who want to show their Spitfire in a very unlikely pose and with the upper wing flap actuators that must be shown with flaps down
-The proper bumps on the upper wing fairings with the cine gun camera hole on the starbord panel and the optional flashed over hole on the port for the fuel cooler
-The oil breather pipes under the starbord wing aft of the leading edge
-The best fuel filler cap I have ever seen in a kit
-Datum reference plates on the port fuselage (these should be bare metal)
-The oleo legs are braced with a metal shaft inside and have the up-locks and the small pin that hits the micro switch for the indicating lights
-Optional torque link scissors and the optional oleo fairing for them
-Two part oleo fairings with the correct bulge
-Optional five spoke, five spoke covered and later four spoke wheels
-Brake lines
-Undercarriage that is totally optional, and changeable after the model is completed.
-The engine is a kit in itself and you get a propeller shaft that looks like a propellor shaft so you can leave the prop off if you want and not worry about what the real prop shaft looks like. There are 13 steps for the engine assembly.
-The Vokes Aero-Vee filter for the later IX
-The cowls are superb and are removable with magnets to hold them in place
-The early air intake does not look like a Mk V
-The later air intake has a shutter
-They give you masks for the clear parts
-The hood is bulged properly and has a PE handle inside and the notch on the aft edge for the mast
-The prop is innovative so you can't mess it up
-Radio mast is a model of the radio mast not some afterthought stick
-They give you a beautiful stand and the a/c attaches to it with the slipper tank
-The two pilot figures are outstanding and are NOT wearing Irvin jackets
-The decals are well done and the much aligned colour sky looks right to my eye


Cons:
-They instruct you to paint the compressed air bottles Sky Grey. I have always thought that they were unpainted bare metal. The jury is still out on this one.
-The oxygen bottle is not connected to anything and although when you install the pilot figure he has the hose on his mask there is no provision for a hose when the pilot is not aboard.
-They supply the slipper tank hooks parts J1 and J2 and holes to drill out for them, they don't instruct you to do so nor do they mention them in the plans. You can see these in view 5 on Brett's photos on the far right.
-Although the bakelite insulated holes are there on the fuselage sides for the IFF wires, they make no mention of them although they show them in the painting instructions nor do they instruct you to drill them out
-I have never seen the large (double) upper cannon blisters this shape.
-lack of fuel vent holes aft of the fuel filler cap (They would be very hard to mold)
-Rubber tires without the option of plastic
-The oil tank has no filler neck
-The glycol tank has no cap
-The bulged hood has a very slight mold parting line right down the middle
-I think Ultracast makes better doors in 1:48 scale (Wanna hop to 1:32 Kevin?)
-The cannon barrels are early and there is no option

That is the way I see it without having cut any plastic yet.
There isn't much room for improvement for you aftermarket manufacturers and I wouldn't bother doing a conversion kit because it is pretty obvious to me that Tamiya has future plans for this tool.
Cheers
Bob Swaddling

[PoohBear]

Magnets to hold the cowls in place? whoa....

[SAC33]

so what did Hyperscale Editor Brett do with the in box reviewed spit ... read on ...

"Hi all,

I should have been working on tomorrow's update today, and Issue 45 of Model Military International, but I could not resist spending some more time on Tamiya's amazing new 1/32 scale Spitfire instead.

Actually, I have probably spent enough time in the cockpit to be certified on type. The time has been enjoyable though. It would be hard not to admire the planning and sheer engineering ingenuity that has gone into this kit.

Here are a couple of photos that I took a little earlier tonight. Please keep in mind that the kit has been built straight from the box, with the only exception being four placard decals from my rapidly disappearing Reheat sheet.





Most of the cockpit detail may be painted and weathered while still on the sprues. Here, smaller detail parts have been glued to the lower port sidewall while still in place.





The central cockpit assembly is a work of art. The instrument panel comprises plastic and photo-etched parts, with decal instruments backing clear lenses. The sub-floor detail is extraordinary.





Here we see the central cockpit sub-assembly with the lower sidewalls in place, ready for the fuselage halves to be sealed. The photo-etched Sutton Harness is very nice but I am not entirely happy with the painting of the straps, specifically defining the buckles.

I am struggling to think of a model that is better detailed and has fitted more precisely than Tamiya's new 1/32 scale Spitfire, but nothing is coming to mind at the moment. This is a truly breathtaking kit. "

If the pics did not "materlise" in this transfer , visit Plane Pic (page 2) to see those wonderful oob build pic... wow... as if steping into the actual plane liao...