This is another very well engineered and nicely molded product by Revell of Germany that goes together very easily and is a fun build. The cost of this kit and the details that are included make it a great Value For Money purchase! The kit includes a nicely detailed cockpit, rigid nicely detailed undercarriage, the option to have the canopy open or closed, poseable ailerons, flaps, elevators and rudder and finely molded recessed panel lines and rivet details. No Pilot is included, that would be nice, but, this is a very low priced kit for what you're already getting out of the box!
Regarding providing my scores for the overall quality of engineering, quality of molded product, quality of details included, quality of the instruction manual and the decals and packaging, I score as follows:
Quality of Engineering Fits: 9/10 Everything goes together very well and very easily. The only reason that I marked the score down to 9, was because the bullet proof windscreen was about 0.75mm from the surface of the fuselage leaving a gap beneath it. I rectified this by scraping down the two sides of the fuselage profiles where the windshield fitted into, then applied a small amount of filler along the joints of the windshield to fuselage, and then blended it in.
Quality of molded product: 9/10- the product is very nicely molded, parts are crisp and clean with just a few spots of flash. No warp was present on any of the parts and ejector pin witness marks were away from visual area. I didn't have any sink marks to contend with and the canopy parts were nice and clear with minimal distortion when looking through. There are finely recessed panel lines and rivet details, although some of the rivet details are too fine for them to show when the plane is given a dirt wash during the finishing stage. A good rivet forming tool would cure that, should you have one and want to attempt improving them.
Quality of details included: 8/10- I'd pay an extra $5.00 to $8.00, if this kit was further enhanced with the inclusion of a Rolls Royce Merlin Engine to display with the cowlings removed.
Quality of the instruction manual: 9/10- I thought it was very easy to follow, but, it would be nice if the painting instructions were in color and alternative manufacturers paint shades were included for those that cannot get Revell paints easily, or prefer to use other brands.
Quality of Decals: 9/10- There are two options for squadron markings and the decals go down very well with a decal setting solution, conforming nicely to raised and recessed surface details. The kit does lack some of the smaller stencil markings such as no step.
Quality of packaging: 8/10- Typical Revell thin card packaging with access to the box by opening the end flaps. The Sprues are packaged in clear polythene bags that are taped closed.
Further notes: I would recommend this kit to anyone that has half a dozen or more builds under their belt, despite its Skill Level 4 marking, it's very easy to put together and goes together very well.
Revell Germany are certainly developing a nice set of large scale models at unbeatable prices just recently which satisfies the majority of the modeling demographic that do not have a lot of disposable income to pay the Tamiya prices that are 5 times more for the same scale plane. Albeit, they are more accurate and have far more details included. But, at the end of the day, it looks like a Spitfire, is easy to build, looks good when completed and is satisfying to build at the same time. I won't lose sleep over its inaccuracies, I can sacrifice those for value, fun and enjoyment!
