EXCLUSIVE BUILD
Airfix has taken many by surprise with its 1/24 Spitfire Mk.VIII ‘superkit’. Here, Airfix Model World Editor Stu Fone completes the kit.
Following the success of its ‘no-notice’ 1/48 Sea King announcement last year, Airfix has done it again, this time re-working its magnificent 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IXc (full build here) to create the Mk.VIII. As this was a test-shot example, there was a mix of styrene tones, with the new parts in the firm’s more recent, darker plastic – which helps to highlight the component changes – but production kits will use the later type of material throughout.
Unlike the Mk.IX, which was derived from the Mk.V airframe, the Mk.VIII owes its lineage to the high-altitude Mk.VII; among the changes carried over from the latter are the wing leading-edge fuel tanks, retractable tailwheel and repositioned landing lights. Airfix has captured all these nuances in its new boxing, providing modellers with three new runners. The first two provide a complete wing, with the third then supplying items such as a new instrument panel, identification light housing and cutting jigs, a new aft fuselage section for the retractable tailwheel and the rear undercarriage leg. It also makes use of several parts alrea…
