HobbyBoss Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb 1:32 pg.3

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The machine guns have the barrels ‘drilled out’ giving quite a pleasing effect, but the 20mm cannons are not drilled. You get bullet trays loaded with quite realistic looking ammunition and the 20mm magazines. All you might need is to add some wiring and perhaps some pipe work to add a little more realism.

As mentioned, the cockpit is made from 42 parts. The instrument panel has the bezels moulded-on but no instrument faces, those are on the decal sheet and you lay the decal on the panel. I’m not too sure of how well that will work but we’ll see when we get there, I may just use Mike Grant instruments. I’ve used them a few times now and I have to say I’m pleased with the look of the finished item.

An example of this can be seen in the picture below, which is a Tamiya P-47 cockpit.

The exhausts seem a bit strange at first but after a look at the parts it’s a good way of achieving a realistic look to the pipes.

The seat and mounting frame alone are made from 10 parts, the rest of the cockpit is just as well detailed. However, I can’t help wondering if we have parts for the sake of it; do we really need a basic WW2 fighter seat moulded in 4 parts? Maybe it’s an engineering problem. Again, we’ll see when the time comes how well it works.

Every part of the airframe is given the same treatment so we do get a whole pile of plastic parts for our money.

The photographs show the plastic to have a ‘grainy’ surface. This is true but it’s very fine and I’m sure that by the time you’ve finished painting you won’t see it.

The instructions are a bit strange. While the assembly of the model is well covered the painting guide is a bit hit and miss with some parts not covered at all, though if you’re spending £40 on a kit you can probably cope with that.

Conclusion

So a straight build out the box will result in a detailed replica that most of us would be happy with and will give the die-hard, every last nut and bolt, modellers, a good starting point.

Inevitably there will be comparisons with the Tamiya kit. I hold my hands up, I’ve never had a good look at that model, but with a starting price of about 1/3 of the asking price of the Tamiya offering I can see this kit selling well.

I’ve no doubt the aftermarket people will be working away with resin and etched brass to bring us corrections and improvements which, due to the kits relatively modest price of about £40, will be more affordable (Please, someone, help the tail planes out!).

So there you have it. A large, well-detailed Spitfire Vb for about £40. Now, will HobbyBoss do us a favour and give the Hurricane the same treatment?

N.B. I bought my kit off e-bay for £28.00 so shop about.