Seafire and Spitfire
Detail Sets for Airfix FR.46/47 & F.22/24

Aires, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Aires' 1/48 scale Seafire 47 Detail Set will available online from Squadron.com
 

Aires has released a very comprehensive detail set for the Airfix 1/48 scale Seafire Mk.46/47 kit. These parts appear to the produced from the same masters as Aires used for the Grand Phoenix "Ultimate Seafire" kit from 2004.

Casting was pretty good in that kit, but it seems even crisper this time around.

The boxed set includes the following components:

The Engine

The engine is the jewel in the crown of this package. Detail is gorgeous, yet the number of parts has been kept to a minimum. For example, the engine block is cast with the cylinder heads, crankcase and numerous other details already in place, simplifying construction considerably.

In addition to the engine itself, the kit supplies engine mounts, firewall and replacement engine cowls. The cylinder head bulges on the resin top cowl are a noticeable improvement in shape and location compared to the kit parts.

The nose of the kit fuselage will need to be carefully cut off to accommodate the new engine. The cuts are all along panel lines, which should ease the task.

Cockpit

The cockpit builds up into a self-contained unit, with a fuselage floor that includes structural detail, rear bulkhead, pilot's armour plate, a nicely detailed seat correctly suspended over the control rods, new sidewalls, control column with separate yoke, instrument panel, gunsight and forward bulkhead.

The port sidewall features an open space for the pilot's entry door. You'll certainly want to leave this open to display all that lovely cockpit detail.

The raised detail moulded to the interior of the kit fuselage will have to be removed before the resin cockpit can be installed.

The seat is further enhanced with a photo-etched harness, while the instrument panel comprises a printed acetate sheet to be glued between a resin base and a photo-etched panel. Small photo-etched parts will also be added to the sidewalls.

Wingfolds

Assembly of the wingfolds are simple in the extreme. One resin part is inserted in both mating sections of each wing - four parts in total. That's it.

The Seafire 47 was the only aircraft in the family to feature powered wingfolds. I checked several reference and could not find any evidence of the wings folded with ordnance in place on Seafires of any Mark, so you should probably ignore the instructions and leave the rockets off if you plan to fold the wings.

Aires Sets
4331 Spitfire Mk.22 Cockpit &
4334 Spitfire Mk.24 Cockpit

These two sets are also available separately. They include the resin parts pictured in the Seafire cockpit above, plus unique photo-etched parts. Variations between the cockpit are minor, and seem mainly to relate to the position and/or presence of instruments on the panel.

The quality of these sets is every bit as nice as the components of the Seafire set.

It is almost inevitable that plenty of planning, thinning and test-fitting will be required to fit these parts, but if you are prepared to spend the extra time on these essential tasks the process will be more rewarding and the final result will be tidier. In common with any major resin accessories, some previous experience will be helpful.

Aires 1/48 scale Seafrire 47 set will transform your Airfix kit into a superdetailed masterpiece, and will also correct a number of errors present in the plastic parts.

Highly Recommended to experienced modellers.

Thanks to Aires for the sample

Aires accessories and conversions are available online from Aires website
and in retail model shops worldwide

Review Copyright © 2007 by Brett T. Green
This Page Created on 08 July, 2007
Last updated 24 December, 2007

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