Updating the Fujimi 1/72 Spitfire Mk. XIV

By  Chris Durden, IPMS# 29474

Available from www.quickboost.net · QB 72155: Stabilizer, MSRP: $6.95 · QB 72157: Engine Cover, MSRP: $6.95 · QB 72154: Fuselage Spine, MSRP: $6.95 · QB 72164: Spitfire Mk XIV Propeller w/Jig Tool, MSRP: $8.95 You know those kits that we all have in our closet that you always pull out to work on, but then you look it over and then put it back? Well, the Fujimi Mk. XIV was one of those kits in my closet. This series of kits have been praised for their accurate outlines and petite details. However, they are also burdened by poor cockpit detail and a fiddly breakdown of parts - specifically the spine and engine cover inserts which are too narrow. After dry fitting the spine and engine covers that come with the kit I would lose interest, visions of putty and re-scribing in my head. I am happy to say that the Quickboost sets made quick work of what were problem areas. They have just released a quartet of detail sets that will probably inspire modelers to take these kits out of the closet and actually build them. All of these sets are well molded, finely detailed, easy to remove from their pour lugs; and they are also a drop fit to replace the kit parts. As you can see, both the engine cover and fuselage inserts address the width issue completely which will ease construction of the model considerably. The stabilizers are also a drop fit replacement and address the weird 'notch' on the kit part. The spinner and prop blades are sharp and defined - an assembly jig is an added bonus. I started with the cockpit and built it basically stock since not much is visible and I was planning to keep the canopy closed. A good thing too because I have no idea what they were thinking when they designed the kit's cockpit - if the short 1/48 Hasegawa fuselage is an affront to Spitfire boffins then the Fujimi cockpit is absolute blasphemy. After buttoning up the fuselage, including the cameras that a) will not be seen and b) came loose anyway, merrily rattling away during the rest of the build; I carefully fitted the spine to the fuselage. It was pretty much a drop fit although I did add a small shim to the back edge. Be careful with blending it in so as not to flatten the contours due to over zealous sanding. I also added the canopy and small side rails (present on the pressurized Mk. XIX) at this time. The engine cover was next and it took careful effort to cut away the pour blocks so as not to damage the edges. Again the part was just a smidge short so I decided to add the shim at the front edge rather than mess with the sharp angle at the back of the engine cover. Because the kit panel line at the back edge is soft and beveled I decided to beef up the edge with a small bead of zap-a-gap; otherwise I would be poking through the thinner plastic when scribing the area. I was very pleased with the fit and ended up using a minimum amount of filler. Finally, I modified the tail wheel well by cutting out the doors from the fuselage and adding some basic internal detail. This isn't indicated by the instructions by a quick trip to the SAM Datafile revealed that the PR XIX did indeed have a retractable tail wheel. The wings were attached next with all prerequisite panel lines pre-filled per the instructions - mainly all of the panels associated with the missing armament. The Quickboost tail pieces were then attached, a drop fit requiring no filler at all. After everything was sanded and neatened up, all canopies and camera ports were polished and masked off in preparation for painting. I decided to go a different route with the wing walk markings and instead painted the wings black followed by thin strips of Tamiya tape to mask off the lines. The painting process was quite straightforward. I chose one of the options on Freightdog Models "Brits Abroad Pt.2" - the last operational Spitfire based in Singapore, 1954. Although not a part of the review, I can heartily recommend this sheet as there are marking for 9 attractive postwar aircraft. Going from light to dark, I masked and painted the model; ending up with good sharp edges on the wing walks (I love it when a plan comes together). I also painted the Quickboost spinner white and then painted the blades while they were still attached to the pour stubs. The decals went on easily although the crests were a bit fiddly as they are three parts (makes more sense in 1/48 scale, in 1/72 scale it seems plain mean to middle aged modelers!). I decided to tackle the spinner and prop at this point thinking that, as with all new things, it would be tricky. Yeah, right…. If I were king of the modeling world I would be dating Adriana Lima….whoops, wrong modeling world, let's try that again. If I were king of the modeling world I would require that all spinner assemblies include a Quickboost tool. It took me literally only 3 minutes to assemble a perfectly aligned spinner.

After that was done all that remained were attaching all of the parts to the finished airframe followed by a subtle wash using the ProModeler wash system. This was the second time that I have used ProModeler washes and I have nothing but good thing to say about their ease of use - a great product! A final flat coat and the model was complete.

All in all definitely good values for your money - as most of us are limited in our allotted time in the man cave, such time savers as welcome. Thanks to Quickboost for the review samples.

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