Wanna know about the Spitfire? Watch the History Channel or read any of the many other reviews dedicated to this aircraft. The major interest in this preview is the kit and the scale.

You've probably heard or at least know of the cooperation between Revell and Hasegawa. Hasegawa gets to release R-M kits in Japan in Hasegawa boxes and in return, Revell kits get Hasegawa plastic in them. This particular kit is a back-dating of the Hasegawa Mk V kit. Basically it includes a couple of new sprues. One is for the wings and the other for the ancillary bits to make a Mk.I/II. If you look at the sprues above, the wings and small one on the right are the new ones.

This also brings a bit of a mix into things. You see, the Hasegawa kit is far from new. It is from the raised panel line era of kits. The wings are nicely engraved. Though many will chose to ignore that little difference, there are those who will rescribe the old Hasegawa parts to match the wings. Best of luck and have fun.

You may also notice when looking at the Hasegawa sprues that there are lots of what seem to be 'extra' parts. If you have the inclination to do so, you could probably build a Mk V or Mk VI from this kit if you want to use the C or Universal wing. Usually the V and VI have a 20mm cannon in place of the two inner machine guns.

The kit itself is fairly well appointed. Not to current standards, but it does offer a full cockpit with a pilot should you wish it. The rest of the kit is pretty straight-forward. The Spitfire is not a complicated aircraft and neither is the kit. It does have a nice three piece canopy and you should be able to display it in the open position should you desire.

There is not much difference between the Spit I and the Spit II but those are taken care of. The biggest difference is in the prop and spinner. Both are supplied. You also get two different exhausts, though neither is listed as preferred. Finally, the Spit II has a Coffman Starter so a small blister is provided to take care of that difference.

Instructions are really very good. All the construction steps are well done and color information is provided throughout. Markings are provided for two planes. Both are in Dark Earth/Dark Green over Sky with Sky spinners and fuselage bands. The Mk I is from 118 Sq in 1941. The Mk II is the Box art plane from 609 Sq during the Battle of Britain. Both of these planes have been used several times before in kits by Revell and others. I'd have thought that something a bit different could have been chosen. Not sure what the aftermarket decal situation is regarding 1/32 Spits, but I'd look for another option. The decals themselves are very well done. They are beautifully printed, glossy and appear quite thin. After decades of poor decals, R-M has come around in the last few years and I, for one, do appreciate it.

At last, we have a semi-modern replacement for the very old Revell 1/32 Spitfire I. While that older kit wasn't bad and still makes into a nice model, this one will be much better. It is a fairly simple build and one that just about anyone capable of using glue should be able to build with some success.

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