Small Scale Military Headquarters

My jaw hit the floor today when I found three Spitfires between two WMs today. I had not expected to ever see these in the GNW and was pleased to see we were only three months behind the curve.

I bought the only one at the first WM I hit despite the fact that there is about a 1/4" gap between the propeller and the fuselauge. At the second WM I picked up the best of two; mine had some small paint smudges on the tail but the other was completely mucked up; half the letters marking the fuselauge were smudged by finger prints. This isn't something that a picky collector would complain about but something no parent would buy for their child.

I have never been overly concerned about finding only flawless models but even I am disappointed.

When I got this home and put it together I am feeling rather underwhelmed by this new plane. I don't think it meets the standard 21C set with the P-51Bs or the new FWs. I know it is tough to get these slider canopies to stay on without making them huge but I feel 21C didn't even try this time. At least the B Mustangs and the Corsairs had rails that didn't work.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad to have this plane in my hands but what should have been an opportunity to really hit one out of the park with our first British made fighter was lost.

Really can't say I had any of these problems other than the expected canopy which I fixed with some Elmers glue. My Spit is flawless paint-wise and seam-wise. I have seen plenty of stinkburgers since but I got lucky for once and found a gem. I would really like to see a late war Griffin engined Spit with the longer nose and 5 bladed prop but I guess that's just a pipe dream with 21st's problems. I guess the craptastic FOV IX model is about as close as we are likely to get.

Maybe the Chinese are so pissed off at 21st that they fired their blind QA guy?

I would agree with olifant.
I wasn't too impressed with the Mk I/II Spit either.
Following the release of the P-51's and FW 190's it was a let down detail-wise.
No working flaps, no working canopy...
If I didn't know, I would have guessed it was released sometime between the Bf-109Es and the A6M2 Zero.

I just wish that the P-51s had those fat tires...

RAD 2112 wrote:I just wish that the P-51s had those fat tires...

I agree! I don't know why we got those pizza cutters. Maybe it has something to do with the shape of the wing and size restrictions for movable gear. I'd rather have interchangeable gear but I guess I'm in the minority.

olifant wrote:I had not expected to ever see these in the GNW and was pleased to see we were only three months behind the curve.

I was thinking the same thing about two weeks ago when I also found three Spits in my area. All three of the Spits I found had flaws including the said paint smudges, glue frosting, glue streaks and misaligned markings. Hworth18 had sent me a Spitfire weeks earlier and it was nearly perfect, better than the three I found.

Funny thing was that five days later, all three Spits had sold and the same old Bf-109Fs were still there. People will buy this stuff, just not when there's tons of previously-released products put out time and again and not when the new releases only go to one section of the country

I think the 32x Spitfire is a well-done aircraft, on par with the P-51Bs, and certainly better-looking than the FOV Spitfire! My only real gripe with the over all design is the canopy. While I fixed it on my plane, just the simple addition of tabs or a rail on the inside of the canopy piece would have fixed the "falling off" problem. With 21c going through their troubles, however, QC efforts on the Spitfire have dipped far below their usual level (which was never as high as it should have been) and the results are a really sub-par release.

I really like my Spitfire model. Nice to see nice fat tires that still retract.

funny, almost every example i've come across has been decent. except for the occasional glue on the canopy, it seems like the ones hitting southern CA have been relatively error-free. i almost picked one up myself. but then i've been waiting for an announcement of a battle of britain paint scheme and am still holding out hope for one. i really really hope that one was already in the pipeline before 21C started running into these troubles, because it seems silly to make a mkI/II mold without releasing at least one or two from the summer of 1940....

tmanthegreat wrote:
Funny thing was that five days later, all three Spits had sold and the same old Bf-109Fs were still there. People will buy this stuff, just not when there's tons of previously-released products put out time and again and not when the new releases only go to one section of the country

Agreed Tman. I know there is one other collector in my South AO (KWR190) who picks things up and although they aren't members on the forum I am sure there is at least one other collector in my North AO where I work and where my family lives. I can tell when I leave a few gems on the shelf and they are gone a few days later.

What leaves us helpless is when the continue to restock with the same damn items. The 1/32 has been terrible with 109s for the last three months but the 1/18 figures is completely out of hand: nothing but Lt. Osternoh and the parade dress guy. It appears 21C is boxing just these two together and WM has deigned that pallets full come to the NW. I must have 20 each of these guys as I always convince myself that a few more will help move product along. Maybe this desperation is hurting the situation and eggs them on to ship more.

I found 6 or 8 Spitfires at one WalMart but they all had flaws and alot of issues. But at least I have one thats not to bad.

21st's master painter relaxes during his lunch break.

Rowsdower wrote:21st's master painter relaxes during his lunch break.

Well I would have to agree with that for there latest aircraft.

I am really not too picky on my models and expect that for $15 it won't be flawless, but c'mon. When the FBI gets prints good enough to send someone to the chair off one of the Spitfires we've got some serious QC issues. Heck, it wasn't even hidden on the back side which is harder to see!

Rowsdower wrote:21st's master painter relaxes during his lunch break.

That looks like the kid that did AT first batch of F-86E's.






































j/k

The only thing I want to know is, where's the antenna? On the top of mine in the hole where the antenna should be? Is a piece of clear plastic.

Shouldn't there be an antenna?

Otherwise the two I have have no flaws. At least none I've found.

tyconut wrote:The only thing I want to know is, where's the antenna? On the top of mine in the hole where the antenna should be? Is a piece of clear plastic.

Shouldn't there be an antenna?

Otherwise the two I have have no flaws. At least none I've found.

There should have been a little bag tucked into the black tray with an alternate, opened door, antennae and an underwing antennae also. Look again...

VMF115 wrote:That looks like the kid that did AT first batch of F-86E's.

Looks like Mitch's Squitch!

tyconut wrote:The only thing I want to know is, where's the antenna? On the top of mine in the hole where the antenna should be? Is a piece of clear plastic.

Shouldn't there be an antenna?

The antenna should be in the little baggie like Oli said. It fits between the canopy and the clear navigation light or whatever that is. Might have to drill hole with the tip of an x-acto which is what I had to do because mine wasn't punched out all the way.

The antenna should be in the little baggie like Oli said. It fits between the canopy and the clear navigation light or whatever that is. Might have to drill hole with the tip of an x-acto which is what I had to do because mine wasn't punched out all the way.

Yup, it's there. I would have throw it away. I did that with a machine gun once.

The antenna should be in the little baggie like Oli said. It fits between the canopy and the clear navigation light or whatever that is. Might have to drill hole with the tip of an x-acto which is what I had to do because mine wasn't punched out all the way.

Looks like I'll have to make a hole also.

Thanks to both of you.

So neither 21stc or Unimax managed to make a good spitfire model , guess you guys have to get a Corgi 1:32 spitfire

demonclaw wrote:So neither 21stc or Unimax managed to make a good spitfire model , guess you guys have to get a Corgi 1:32 spitfire

My Spitfire is just fine.. It just doesn't have all the working bits of the Corgi bird, but that is ok for the price paid...

hworth18 wrote:My Spitfire is just fine.. It just doesn't have all the working bits of the Corgi bird, but that is ok for the price paid...

I agree!

I am not unhappy with it, just underwhelmed. I figured it out tonight though: it will look much better next to a 1/32 Typhoon...