A17002 Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII Kit

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 capable that the ones which first arrived at RAF Duxford during the summer of 1938. 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 some way off, as manufacturing jigs had not been installed in factories at that time. A stop-gap solution proved to be the introduction 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. 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 broadchord 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 South West Pacific. Many pilots who flew several marks of this famous fighter regarded the Mk.VIII as the best flying Spitfire of them all.

Model

1:24 Scale model produced as a detailed plastic kit. This model features lots of finely crafted parts as seen on the prototype and includes a decal sheet and easy to follow instructions.

Plastic kit building is a great hobby for both kids and adults alike and care must be taken when removing any parts from the sprues during construction. This kit will give you hours of entertainment and building it is only half the fun, it will need painting too.

This model requires painting and gluing to complete, 

Features

• 1:24 Scale Model
• This kit includes 452 separate parts
• 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

• 1 x Plastic Kit
• Detailed Building Instructions