Revell 1/48 Spitfire II

In the summer of 1939 an early Mk I K9788 was fitted with a new version of the Merlin, the XII. With the success of the trial it was decided to use this version of the Merlin in the Mk II which, it was decided, would be the first version to be produced exclusively by the huge new Lord Nuffield shadow factory at Castle Bromwich.

Chief among the changes was the upgraded 1,175 horsepower (876 kW) Merlin XII engine. This engine included a Coffman engine starter, instead of the electric system of earlier and some later versions of the Merlin, and it required a small "teardrop" blister on the forward starboard cowling. The Merlin XII was cooled by a 70% to 30% water glycol mix, rather than pure glycol used for earlier Merlin versions.

This is the 2016, and most recent, release of Revell's 1/48 Spitfire II, a kit that was originally from the late 1970s. It has all the trappings of a late 70s US produced kit with raised panel lines and somewhat simple construction. The latter is borne out by the kit having fewer than 50 parts, so it won't be a long build. The cockpit has some detail on the inner fuselage walls and a fairly detailed forward bulkhead that includes the instrument panel. No decal for this so painting is the ticket for this. Onto this part fits a small subfloor that accepts the rudder pedals piece and the control stick. The aft bulkhead takes the seat and decals are provided for the harness. There is no floor with these two bulkheads fitting into the fuselage half.

Once installed the halves are closed. The radio mast, prop shaft, and tail gear is molded into the halves. The wing is one lower and two upper sections. A radiator part fits into the lower section. As with pretty much all older Spitfire kits, there is no prominent 'gull' in the lower wing center section. This then fits onto the fuselage along with the exhaust. This is followed by the tailplanes, carb intake and finally by the landing gear. The kit provides five spoke wheels which is correct for early Spits.

The kit can be built gear up by simply not using the gear legs. The prop is held on by a plastic cap so it can spin. Clear bits are a windscreen, canopy, and rear section. No indication is given if the canopy can be posed open, but I'm betting the plastic is too thick for this.

Instructions are well done with generic color information. Two markings options are provided, both is dark green/dark earth over sky blue. One is Douglas Bader's plane as shown on the box art and the other is the aircraft of PSC Lumsden of 118 Squadron in 1941. The decals look to be very nicely done and I would expect no issues if you wished to use them. There are a bevy of aftermarket decals out there if you want something different. You could even do a late Mk.I if you sand off the Coffman starter bulge on the right side of the forward cowling.

Most modelers will poo-poo this oldie in favor of something much newer, more expensive, and more fiddly to build. However, if you are looking for a relaxing build or something to give a beginner, then this one should be right up your alley.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire_(early_Merlin-powered_variants)#Mk_II_(Type_329)

October 2025 

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