Spitfire XVIE

This is a fast, fun, and pain-free build. There's not a lot of detail, but just enough: the cockpit features an instrument panel, control column, and some extra bits and pieces on the sides, and the canopy comes in two pieces. Surface detail is finely molded, with raised panel lines, and the fit throughout is superb. The plastic is black, which is unusual, but it doesn't really affect anything. The only major drawback of the kit are the thick wings, which almost ruin the Spitfire's graceful lines. This kit is really let down by the rest of the items included in the box. The instructions are sometimes vague and unhelpful, leading to some trial and error. The color call-outs are inaccurate, even though it was nice of them to include numbers for Humbrol paints. Finally, the decals are very disappointing -- the squadron code letters are bright green, rather than pale greenish-grey as they should be, and the roundels all look slightly blurry. But for the price, and for an unusual subject, this is a pretty good kit.