Preview: Airfix brings us the Spitfire Mk.VIII in 1/24th scale

The first Spitfire Mk.VIII in 1/24th scale injection plastic, Airfix's kit has interesting schemes & new parts. The first kit is a limited edition with a celebratory coin. We look at it in our preview..

Preview: Airfix brings us the Spitfire Mk.VIII in 1/24th scale

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII + Collectors Coin

From Airfix

1/24th Scale

Product No #A17002 

452 parts

3 colourscheme options,
length of 402mm and a wingspan of 469mm

First edition limited to 500 kits (after the first 500 the kit is sold without the coin).

Price: £99.99

Product Link

Airfix has released news to inform modellers of their new 1/24th scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII to their 2024 range. This is the first Spitfire Mk.VIII in 1/24th scale injection plastic, and to celebrate, Airfix has released a special edition in a limited run of 500 kits with a coin to commemorate this release (there will be another release with just the kit if you are not interested in the collector's coin).

The coin in this initial limited edition boxing of 500 - after that, it is sold without the coin.

The subject: The Spitfire Mk.VIII 

One of the most impressive features associated with the enduring legacy of the Spitfire is how its basic design was able to be adapted and upgraded so effectively throughout the Second World War and how the final variants of this magnificent aircraft were far more than capable that the ones which first arrived at RAF Duxford during the summer of 1938.

The RAAF's "Grey Nurse" one of the more notable Spitfires flew by the Aussies, is included as a marking choice in this boxing.

With the Spitfire undergoing almost constant development to enable it to stay at the forefront of fighter technology during WWII, this vital work was interrupted by the introduction of the Luftwaffe’s fearsome new Focke Wulf Fw190 in 1941, an aircraft which was superior to the Spitfire Mk.V which was in widespread service at the time. A new Spitfire variant, the Mk.VIII, was at an advanced stage of development at the time, however, actual production was still one of the hybrid Mk.IX, an aircraft which fortunately proved to be something of a revelation and more than a match for the Focke Wulf.

Another of the subject used in this kit - Spitfire MkVIII RAF 152Sqn UMC at Sinthe, Burma.

The planned Spitfire Mk.VIII would continue into production and was essentially a fighter intentionally designed and engineered from the outset to be the next version of the fighter and a major production variant. Powered by the latest variants of Merlin engine, the Mk.VIII featured a strengthened fuselage, retractable tail wheel and the adoption of a new broad-chord rudder, with versions optimised for high, medium and low altitude operations.

This variant of Spitfire served primarily with units based overseas, with the RAF in the Mediterranean, Middle and Far East and the RAAF in the Southwest Pacific. Many pilots who flew several marks of this famous fighter regarded the Mk.VIII as the best flying Spitfire of them all.

This kit:

Featuring the original tooling from the Mk.IXc variant that was released in 2022, we now bring you the A17002 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII in 1:24 scale, with new parts to create the Mk.VIII differences. New parts include a retractable tail wheel section, short span ailerons, revised instrument panel and revised upper and lower wings including the downward recognition light. Containing a total of 452 parts, once built, the kit measures an overall length of 402mm and a wingspan of 469mm.

The new parts include;

-Upper and lower wing surface, including leading edge fuel tanks and gun camera position.

-Short span ailerons

-Retractable tailwheel section

-Revised instrument panel

-Repositioned fuselage light

Marking schemes in this boxing:

Showcasing three vastly different schemes to choose from, including the ‘Grey Nurse’ scheme, from the Royal Australian Air Force. 

Scheme A: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII, Sqn Ldr Bruce Watson, No. 457 ‘Grey Nurse’ Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Morotai, 1945.

Scheme B: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII, No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron, Sinthe, Burma, 1945.

Scheme C: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII, 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, USAAF, Italy 1944.

 

You can see more about this kit or pre-order directly from the Airfix Website