21st C Spitfire review, please?

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 3:46 pm

Did anyone else have a problem where the prop blades are bent slightly back? Kinda reminds me of the older 1:18 mustangs but not as severe. As for the canopy I got sick of it falling off even with white glue so I super glued the little bugger.

Other than that it is a great plane, nice gear, nice scheme. I have it hanging over my desk in a sharp bank so I can see those beautiful wings! I hope we get to see some later marks.

[CAT]CplSlade · Post by **[CAT]CplSlade** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 3:57 pm

Just picked up a lone S1 Spit at the local WM.

Nothing else new.

Jagdpanther · Post by **Jagdpanther** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:21 am

Rowsdower wrote:Did anyone else have a problem where the prop blades are bent slightly back? Kinda reminds me of the older 1:18 mustangs but not as severe. As for the canopy I got sick of it falling off even with white glue so I super glued the little bugger.

Other than that it is a great plane, nice gear, nice scheme. I have it hanging over my desk in a sharp bank so I can see those beautiful wings! I hope we get to see some later marks.

Noticed on mine the prop blades do look slightly bent also. But overall its a great model and nice paint scheme.

hworth18 · Post by **hworth18** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:39 pm

Found the S1 Spitfire today. The box was beat to hell and looks like it was used as a stepstool, but the plane was fine. Got it home and after fiddling with correcting a few errors, I am pleased with the outcome. Not bad for a $14.99 plane..

Yes, the pilot is "poseable"...

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:54 pm

Dang thats a great looking plane! I hope to find one eventually, but will not keep my fingers crossed... Badcat usually gets these planes in faster than my local Wal Marts

MG40K · Post by **MG40K** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:48 pm

How poseable is that pilot?

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:54 pm

If the pilot is like those that come with the 32x Zeros, Macchis, Stukas, Corsairs, Bf-109s, P-51B/Cs, FW-190A/Fs, and P-51Ds, then the poseability of the figure is limited when compared to 1:18 and larger figures. The head turns and the arms move up or down. Though that may be limited, it is a lot for a 1:32 figure and adds some diversity to the poses one can put the pilot in

MG40K · Post by **MG40K** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:55 pm

Alright, Thanks for the quick response.

hworth18 · Post by **hworth18** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:17 pm

tmanthegreat wrote:If the pilot is like those that come with the 32x Zeros, Macchis, Stukas, Corsairs, Bf-109s, P-51B/Cs, FW-190A/Fs, and P-51Ds, then the poseability of the figure is limited when compared to 1:18 and larger figures. The head turns and the arms move up or down. Though that may be limited, it is a lot for a 1:32 figure and adds some diversity to the poses one can put the pilot in

Tman is correct.. But it is so much better than the early figures and who knows, in the future, we may actually "fully" poseable figures!

Wieslaw · Post by **Wieslaw** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:12 am

Rowsdower wrote:Did anyone else have a problem where the prop blades are bent slightly back?

When I look at the last picture of the Hworth's series I wonder if the prop blades were bent back or rather the entire propeller (if it's in one piece) was placed backwards just like in the 21CT pre-production 1/32 Stuka two years ago. If so, is it possible to put it correct without destroying the model?

The second thing is the prop version: the blades in the Mk IIa model are wider, like in Mk Vs props. If you look at the announcement of the Mk IIa http://www.21stcenturytoys.com/area21/a ... newsID=324 you see another, earlier prop type.

However, it's a great model.

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:49 pm

Damn Harry, that thing is a beaut! Hopefully I will see one soon although I am not going to count on it.

Coreyeagle48 · Post by **Coreyeagle48** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:23 am

Greetings:

I picked up my Spitfire a few days ago at a local Walmart.

Overall the airplane is pretty good. Like everyone here as posted, there were some glaring quality control problems on the second Spitfire this store had and there are some on mine as well. But overall mine is acceptable and will stay in my collection unless I find another one in better shape. If there are some stray color marks on yours, try using an eraser from a penicl on them, I have found this works to get some of them off, although I am not sure why this works.

The look of this model is overall much better than the FOV version. I like the fact that this is an early Spitfire and like even more it's the Eagle Squadron color scheme. The colors and markings appear to be correct and it appears to be in scale with the other 1/32 planes in my collection. I like the idea of the optional opening cockpit door and I like this model had less snap in parts than the FW-190A's. The fit of this model is excellent and the landing gear works firm and perfectly. The gear design is much better than the P-51B's

There are a few things that could use improvement though, and that is always the case of course. I think the biggest drawback of this model is the canopy either is open or closed and doesn't lock. I like the locking canopies or at least some way they stay on the model. I also feel the exhaust stacks appear to be a little bit too small for the airplane and the propellor blades just a little bent as many people have already mentioned. Finally, the Spitfire would allow for a very easy opening engine compartment at the top, this would be a neat addition to this model the FOV models do in fact have. I also feel that the quality control on these models need to be better. After all 21st has had lots of experience by now in the field, they should be able to do good models. I'm not saying all models will ever be perfect, but some of the glaring problems seen are just unacceptable.

I also have to question one thing. The Spitfire is probably best well known for the Battle of Britain. Although the Eagle Squadron scheme is excellent, a Battle of Britain scheme may have been a more popular mainstream model in the first series.

I give the Spitfire a 9/10. It's a much better representation than the FOV model and at a price much more affordable than building one or buying the expensive higher end Corgi piece. It is a welcome addition to my growing collection of pre assembled 1/32 warbirds. Pretty soon no one will have to build anymore.

And one request, 21st, please make a Hurricane!

Corey

nooker21 · Post by **nooker21** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:41 am

I hope they didn't repeat the mistake of the 1/18 version and glue in the propeller blades facing the wrong direction. That was a painful fix that I never even attempted, as it would have involved snapping off the blades and regluing them in the right position.

I am holding out for a Battle of Britain scheme, and it seems inevitable as they chose the Mk II as the model of choice. They've really been slacking on announcing even something as simple as repaints; we used to get 4-6 announcements right off the bat, now we're lucky to get two. I don't understand why they'd repaint old FW190 and P47 molds over and over, and not give us new planes instead. The 1/18 spitfires all had similar schemes, and they didn't mind that most were the green/brown BoB versions. Now days, everything has to really stand out from each other.

I only hope that they choose a nice, simple Spitfire scheme with a black nose and an all white underside (I don't mind if they do the black/white underside as well, but only as an additional repaint and not as the sole representative of the BoB). I also prefer regular size lettering on the sides of the fuselage, as the DWK spitfire, while accurate, just doesn't look as graceful with its huge "DWK" plastered on the side. I recommend the Al Deere spitfire, as I do like the kiwi on the side...

Jagdpanther · Post by **Jagdpanther** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:43 am

Great review corey!

Mine also has some of the problems you mentioned.