Spitfire Mk XIV C RAF Fighter

Very nice kit of this late-model Griffon-powered Spit. Overall fit is excellent - just required sanding, no filler. Nice engraving and good decals that went down beautifully. Cockpit detail is decent, though the seatbelts are just a decal. I drilled out the exhaust stacks and gun barrels for a more realistic appearance. The propeller and spinner really catch your eye on this aircraft, as they are so large, and Academy did a good job here. Only real complaint is that the wing gun bays are very sparse - just the guns and nothing else. Kit manufacturers: if you're going to open up the innards of an aircraft in any way, at least provide sufficient details to look realistically busy. But if this bothers you, just cover the bays up (I usually keep the covers on, but took them off for the photos to demonstrate how empty they look). This kit really captures the shape and grace of the Mk. VIV. Falls together and looks great. Recommended.

This 1:48 Spitfire is reasonably priced and very well molded. There are excellent details for the cockpit, wheel wells and the panel/rivet lines which are recessed. The tired are molded for the on the ground bulge. The decals are challenging as they are large and the under wing decals don't fit perfectly around the radiator and wheel well so cut that piece off first. A great build!