Hi Steffen Somehow, I thought that would be your answer! All the best Rowan

I can't wait. Mine is on pre-order.

Hi all, When I've read the review at Hyperscale I was surprised not to see any negative point in the "disadvantages" box. The kit is indeed fantastic but there are some minuses. It's like the Storch when it came out. Everybody spoke of perfect kit but it had it's (very minor) flaws. In the case of the new Spitfire, this is what I found so far: - seam line on the canopy hood which will have to be removed and polished (it took me 2mn). - many ejector pin marks on the parts. A minimum of 10 will have to be removed (2 in each wheel wells, 3 on eack cockpit inner sides) and a few more if you really want your model to look clean. The opened side door has 4 for example! - The sheet of masks is a great addition, but it is still not pre-cut... doh! But they work well. - I haven't glued the engine on the fuselage yet, but the test fit of the 4mm engine cowling panels makes me think that it will be very difficult to put them in place precisely without gluing them in place definively. The magnet system is obviously not strong enough... or I made a poor job when assembling the parts, I don't know. Well, we will see once the model is finished. - the PE hinge system "a la Trumpeter" to keep the movable surfaces functionning is a gimmick for me. I will glue them in place definitively. I had a lot of problems with a similar system on Dragon's Mustang. Don't get me wrong, the new Spitfire from Tamiya is a fantastic kit. It is an enjoyable build so far. I would rate it between 90 and 95 out of 100. The fit is really EXCELLENT. I heard that people complained about the numerous inserts and that if it was a Hasegawa kit, everybody would have made negative comments. The big difference is that the Tamiya inserts fit perfectly, with no filler needed whatsoever. I just glued the wings to the fuselage yesterday and the fit is great. The level of detail is fantastic. The engine is a real gem and the cockpit looks very busy. Except for cables and hoses, I don't see what could be added to the kit. I won't comment on the overall shape and dimensions because I'm not a spitfire specialist. I'll let the others do this. Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc Without seeing the parts for real yet, it's hard to comment, but perhaps you can confirm it - from the photos it looks as though Tamiya haven't depicted the overlapping panels and raised rivets evident on some areas of the full-sized aircraft. Perhaps they were so badly stung by the criticism of the correctly raised rivets on their Wildcat a few years ago, they were frightened to add them again and have just followed the latest trend for embossed rivets everywhere, regardless or not if it's accurate... All the best Rowan

Hi Rowan, There are indeed only embossed rivets on the kit. They are much finer than on the Trumpyboss kit though. Some panels are in relief but I found no overlapping panel effect on the kit. There are always panel lines. I apologize for not posting pictures for copyright reasons... Jean-Luc

Hi again Actually, double-checking close-up pics of some Mk. IXs against a Mk. V, it does look as though there was more extensive use of flush-riveting. As early Mk. IXs used Mk V components (complete with raised rivets), I think the change could well have happened progressively in the course of the long production run, so Tamiya's compromise is probably the wisest approach. All the best Rowan

Hi again Martin Waligorski has published a 3-part First Look at Tamiya's new Spit on the The Spitfire Site. All the best Rowan

From June 10th., 1943, all Marks of Spitfire, excluding the Vb & VI, were flush-rivetted. From 13-9-43, the fuselage interior, from the radio compartment aft, was left unpainted (on the IX only.) The "bulged" upper cowling was introduced from 25-7-44, and is attributed only to the IX, probably, because, as a Mark no., the XVI didn't exist before 4th. of August, 1944. Edgar

Thanks Edgar I was wading through The Spitfire Story trying to find the explanation! I just found a reference to the change on mid-production Mk IXs on The Spitfire Site. All the best Rowan