ENDVIEW PLANE INSTALL

ENDVIEW PLANE INSTALL

I followed this order: 1) Cement the instrument panel into the right fuselage half, against and just forward of the cockpit framing, 2) glue the fuselage halves together, 3) install the pilot seat assembly from the bottom (there is plenty of room), the lastly 4) install the cockpit “floor” with the joystick, and rudder track. The cockpit assembly was made complicated by the absence of distinct locating points. The plugs fit, but will need much filling to be flush without gaps. Plugs/plates for the unneeded undercarriage bays are provided, but no attachment points are present to hold the plates in position. The replacement tips are slightly thinner than the actual wings, requiring some ample filling. I am not happy with the fit of the wingtip replacements. I recommend using some brass wire to make locating pins and reinforce the joint.

The lower wing does not need to be trimmed, but the tips of the upper wing do. The overlap of the upper wing on the lower wing provides a helpful reference line. The wing tips must be slightly trimmed and replacement tips added. Part numbers are not engraved on the sprues, but an excellent sprue diagram shows all of the part numbers and locations. The plastic is somewhat brittle, so caution is needed when separating small parts from the sprue trees. Fit in general was fairly good, but all parts required some sanding and trimming. ConstructionĬonstruction follows a logical and traditional progression from cockpit outward through fuselage assembly, wing assembly and attachment, and finishing with a pair of floats.

The base kit is for a different version of Spitfire, with extra parts included and modifications indicated to build the floatplane version. Many of the parts are not used, as shown by large X’s in the sprue map section of the A-4 size black-and-white instruction sheet. Clear canopy parts are slightly milky, but cleared up well after Future Floorwax “dip.” Parts are finely engraved and other details crisply molded. Six sprues in molded in light brown and medium gray styrene had minor if any mold release. Clear parts, decals and a photo etch (PE) fret were enclosed in a separate smaller bag inside the main bag. Initial Impression in the BoxĪll parts in the small cardboard, end-opening, color-printed one-piece box were in a medium-sized clear poly bag. The Hauler-Brengun kit is a great value and fun to build for an intermediate-skill modeler.

The Spitfire Mk.IXb Floatplane kit is a welcome addition to the scale modeling world, and represents an unusual subject. Finally operations in the Pacific were discussed and ultimately scrapped, leading to the Spitfire floatplane concept being abandoned. Operational considerations made this idea unworkable. Later the Spitfire floatplanes were suggested for deployment to the Dodecanese Islands in the Mediterranean, remotely supplied by submarines.

The rapid pace of the German invasion negated the need for the float-fitted fighters. Both Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane float plane versions of the respective fighters were considered for forward-deployment in Norwegian fjords early in WWII. But in this case the apparent contrast of a fighter to float variant is of interest. After all, the kit is the being reviewed, not the represented subject. I normally do not provide much historical background when reviewing a model kit. Thank you also to the IPMS Reviewer Corps staff members who do the hard work in getting us kits to review. Thank you to the great folks at Hauler-Brengun for bringing a welcome and unique variant of the iconic Spitfire to the scale model world.

Endview plane