Scale Plastic & Rail

1/32 Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop from HobbyBoss

HobbyBoss
Catalogue # HBB83206
Available from Creative Models for £39.99
TWO PAGE REVIEW 

 

Introduction
This is the second of HobbyBoss' Spitfire MkV releases, following on from kit #83205, and represents the changes made to make the aircraft more serviceable in tropical / dusty theatres. The MkV 'Trop', as it is known, saw service in the Far East and Australia, but is probably most famous for its role in the North African campaign. A mixture of Vb and Vc ('universal' wing) variants saw action in Middle East and North Africa- this kit is of the MkVb.

The MkV was essentially a MkI airframe powered by the Merlin 45 engine, which in turn was basically the Merlin XX engine without its low altitude supercharger (the XX was intended for the still-born Spitfire MkIII). The MkV was first delivered to squadrons in February 1941, with initial aircraft being converted MkI and IIs, and retained the "a" armament of four 0.303in machine guns in each wing. The MkVa can be distinguished from the Ia and IIa by its larger oil cooler with circular intake, as well as metal covered ailerons. Production was soon after switched to the MkVb, armed 2 Hispano Suiza 20mm cannon, and four machine guns.

The MkV  was the first Spitfire to have its wingtips "clipped", and replaced by squared off fairings to improve low-altitude performance and enhance the roll rate. The clipped wings reduced the wingspan to 32ft 2in from 36ft 10in. Although these are sometimes referred to as "LF" versions, for example LF Mk Vb,  the LF designation actually stems from which version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine the aircraft had, rather than its wing tips; not all LF Spitfires had clipped wings. For reference, LFs were fitted with the Merlin 45M, 50M or 55MA, as opposed to the Merlin 45, 46, 50 or 50A for "regular" MkVs.

 

The Vb Trop
The MkVb Trop - or Supermarine Type 352 - was an attempt to adapt the Spitfire to conditions in the Middle East and North Africa. The most eye-catching difference is the large "chin" these aircraft have, which is the Vokes Multi Vee air filter fitted under the nose. A bigger oil tank was also fitted, and the pilot had a desert survival pack stowed behind his seat.

A large number of  MkVb Trops were modified by RAF field maintenance unit at Aboukir in Egypt (103 MU) - factory fresh aircraft were modified to desert conditions prior to being delivered to their squadrons. Here the bulky Vokes filter was superseded by locally manufactured air filters, which were smaller and more aerodynamic; these are known as 'Aboukir filters'.

The Aboukir station also fitted aircraft with their own version of clipped wings. These were made of wood, rather than metal, and were slightly more curved than the factory standard version. The difference in shape is subtle, and can be difficult to spot in many war time pictures, but the give away is that Aboukir wing tips do not have navigation lights. More often than not, MkVb Trops were fitted with the Rotol three blade, variable pitch, constant speed propeller, easily identified by its longer spinner.

Overview
First things first: the HobbyBoss Spitfire MkV is pretty accurate in overall outline. There are to my knowledge no drawings from likes of Arthur Bentley for the MkV, although they are on Mr Bentley's 'to do' list according to his website. The only truly reliable drawings around that I could access therefore are those by Cox, which are for a MkI. But since the MkV was essentially a MkI with a larger engine squeezed into the same airframe, I bought the Cox drawings and compared the two.

The fuselage matches the drawings exactly: the length, height and width are all spot on. The wings are correct in span on my measurements, but their chord is off by a small amount (maximum 2mm too wide on my measurements). The elegant curve of the Spitfire tail is captured perfectly. The tail-planes are smaller than the plans (only 1mm or so); I think this will be hard to spot on the kit without having the drawings laid underneath. At the firewall, the kit is rather too 'square' and box-like compared to the real aircraft; if you know what you are looking for this is noticeable.

This kit is essentially the same as HobbyBoss' 'regular' MkVb, but for a few different parts. Sprue H provides parts for the both the Aboukir and Vokes filters, as well as a 90 gallon 'slipper' auxiliary fuel tank. The de Havilland prop is replaced by one from Rotol, along with its characteristically more pointed spinner. The fabric covered tail planes (lower portion only) and windshield with external armoured glass are all carried over from the earlier kit. These will be addressed in more detail below, but disappointingly the MkVb (and Vc) Trop aircraft all had the later windshield, which is not provided in this (or the earlier) kit. Markings are provided for two aircraft, including IR Gleed's well-known mount. There is a small fret of photo-etch for the seatbelts, and the tyres are 'rubber'.

The kit also shares the same surface detail as the earlier HobbyBoss Spitfire, namely subtle but sharp engraved panel lines and recessed rivets. The panel lines are nice, but the rivets will not please everyone. Personally, I quite like the effect, but if you don't, a heavy coat of primer and some light sanding and they will be all but invisible. If you are looking for a comparison, they are very similar to those seen on the Tamiya Spitfire. And in order to make a judgment on the rivets, perhaps it is worth bearing in mind that only the rear fuselage, aft of the cockpit, had domed rivets; the front fuselage, wings, tailplane and fin were all flush-riveted. Flush riveting, throughout the entire airframe, was introduced from June 1943, from the Vc onwards, but did not include the Vb.

The kit comes in a sturdy box (Revell, please take note), and HobbyBoss have clearly looked at how Tamiya package their Spitfire kits and attempted to follow suit: clear parts are not only bagged separately, but also have their own compartment within the main box; some of the delicate engine parts are also wrapped in foam whilst on the sprue. However, the framework on which the chin cowling is to be fitted was bent, despite getting the extra wrapping treatment - the sprue has been moulded so as to aggressively push the frame almost to the point of breaking (the plastic has 'crazed'). Maybe I was unlucky, but this would be the first thing I check when next inspecting one of these kits. The rest is all pretty standard - sprues bagged separately, clear line drawings for instructions, and a glossy pull-out showing the markings and camouflage for the two schemes.

I will go through the kit's main components in turn, and where there are shortcomings, will attempt to suggest solutions or aftermarket options...
 

Fuselage
The fuselage comprises two main pieces, but is moulded forward of the firewall as framework only. There is a mixture of decent-sized locating pins and interlocking tabs, but I much prefer the locating pins. A quick test fit revealed no major concerns, with the fuselage proper lining up nicely; the framework is probably best glued together after the rest of the fuselage.

The rivet detail and panel lines are, as mentioned above, pleasing to my eye – restrained but sharp – but if they are not, a coat of primer etc should do the trick. You have the option of displaying the radio equipment access hatch open; the radio itself is provided, but will need additional details I think to look the part.

Separate cowling panels are provided for the engine: top, one each side and bottom. The latter is a different part from the first kit, and presumably represents the slightly bulged cover for the larger oil tank incorporated on Trop models. The original part is not included so I cannot make a direct comparison. The top panel shown below illustrates the lack of curvature at the firewall – compare with plans of bulkhead 5 below:

Plan of firewall / bulkhead 5, looking forward. Image Crown Copyright

You have a choice of large Vokes Multi Vee or smaller Aboukir air filters. The Vokes is especially difficult to compare directly with plans / pictures, but I think the correct shape has been captured.

Close-up of Vokes filter © IWM (TR 1069)

Regarding the Aboukir filter, some aircraft display a slightly enlarged, and more angular panel underneath the engine, in front of the intake; the filter housing on these aircraft does not have the characteristic step of other Aboukir aircraft, and is rather smoother at the rear. This combination is not provided in the kit – we get the more typical bulged lower cowl, and the stepped filter housing. These two images below show the subtle differences between Aboukir filters.

Both images from Aero Detail 8: Vickers Supermarine Spitfire I - V

Engine
The Merlin 45M (or similar 'M' version) engine is provided, but it is not particularly accurate if you know your Merlins or, if you don't, once you start to carefully compare to pictures. Although it is a more complicated engine to model than the DB601, I would say it is on a par with Eduard's Bf109 engine (I have built two of their 109s, one with the kit engine, one with their Brassin engine). However, because the basic engine blocks are just too chunky to my eye, even if you start adding wiring and piping etc, it will still be the wrong shape.

Is this a big deal? Not really. Although you are required to build the engine even if it is enclosed (the spinner needs the engine prop shaft to locate properly), you can keep it hidden away, and no-one need see it. This is what I will do when I build this kit. Of course an accurate Tamiya-style Merlin would have been nice, but then again that kit is two to three times as expensive...

Although you may wish to go with an aftermarket upgrade for the exhaust stacks, the fishtail ones in the kit are nicely moulded, and correct for the Trops that I have looked at in wartime photos. The ends are not really hollowed out but in this style the opening is extremely thin, and thus rather difficult to see unless under close scrutiny.
 

Wings
The wings are moulded in a total of three pieces – two upper parts and single span for the underside, which incorporates the classic gull-wing contours, so you don't have to worry about lining each wing up. The shape is good, and the surface detail for the most part very nice, but there are some issues, most of which are fairly simple to correct.

The middle of the lower wing contains rudimentary ribbing detail and may just be visible past the joystick, controls etc in the cockpit – do not fret, this is as it should be. Although technically speaking, the fuselage was a self-contained unit, and the wings were bolted on each side, it was indeed the case that if a pilot dropped anything it was pretty much condemned to rattle around on the fuselage 'floor', until he flew inverted and managed to catch it on the way 'down' (probably had more pressing things on his mind I imagine). Joking aside, even with the cockpit opened up, I think seeing all the way down there will be difficult, so any lack of detail or incorrect rib detail is fairly inconsequential.

The MkV Trop was often seen with clipped wings, and this option is provided in the kit. These are the 'factory fit' versions with navigation / recognition lights on each tip. You will need to do some basic cutting if you wish to use them. Note although the Aboukir wooden tips (without lights) were supposedly slightly different in shape, the plans look very similar. Personally, I cannot definitively see a difference in photos.

Wooden wing tips – whether these are Aboukir style I am unsure at present. Image Crown Copyright.

The radiators on Trop Spitfires were supposedly 10% larger than on regular models, but we appear to have the same parts here as in the earlier kit. Having looked at photos, I really can't spot this 10% I must say, so this is not an issue in my view. The radiator grills themselves would look a lot better if replaced with a photo-etched metal alternative, as they are quite visible.

A full armament is provided, and you can display each of the cannon and gun bays open. The bay covers are moulded in clear plastic which is too gimmicky for my liking, but if you are willing to super detail even one bay, there are some great diorama possibilities.

The machine guns themselves are ok, but moulding any weapon / gun tube in plastic will always be inferior to a nice turned brass barrel. I would go for Master Model's beautiful 0.303in barrels instead.

The Hispano cannons are probably a bit better, and don't need to be replaced, but once again I would use Master Model's 20mm barrels designed to work with this kit. The kit parts do not have hollowed out ends, and also lack the detail of the early cannons whose faring did not extend all the way to tip.

There are two things which are not altogether accurate on the wings. The first is the bulge over the cannons on the underside (the upper one looks fine). HobbyBoss just have not got the shape right here, and beyond major corrective surgery, you will just have to leave them be. They are a little too large, and the curves are incorrect, as you can see here:

Plans of underwing bulge – note asymmetric shape compared to kit bulge. Image Crown Copyright

The second issue is also a bulge, but this one is eminently fixable. HobbyBoss have moulded a bulge on the top of the wing, over the wheel well, which is much too prominent. The kit bulge is also the wrong shape, but thankfully on the real thing the bulge is hardly noticeable, so sanding it down to almost nothing should solve the problem. In case you are wondering about wing stiffeners, these were retro-fitted to some MkVs, so if modelling a particular subject, check this area carefully.

Note bulge barely noticeably to the right of the wing stiffeners.

I also noticed about the wings is that the gun-heating hot gas outlets on either wing are maybe a little too large, but this is only a minor point.

Finally, and in case you thought I wasn't going to mention them, we have those tailplanes! For some reason, HobbyBoss have moulded the bottom of the horizontal stabilizers with correct rivet detail, but have given us a ribbed / fabric effect for the upper side (parts C24 and C25). Clearly the rivet / metal surface should extend to both top and bottom.

Underside: correct

Topside: incorrect fabric effect

I won't get into the 'how could they?' etc, but I will suggest two simple fixes: one is to sand the detail off, and add your own rivets – you won't even have to re-scribe any panel lines if you are careful. The other is to buy this aftermarket solution from Quickboost. There is another one out there, available as part of a package – and I will come to that when I cover the spinner and prop.I must say that HobbyBoss have copped a lot of unfavourable press for this error, but in the end it is a very simple fix indeed, and should not materially affect whether you decide to buy the kit or not.
 

Cockpit
The cockpit is correct in that it is 'bottomless', but lacks both accuracy and sharpness of detail. The sides of the cockpit are moulded as a combination of the fuselage insides, and additional panels.

If you do want to go down the detailing route, one of the easier things you could do to make quite a difference is drill the holes out in the bulkheads / frames (parts F37 and F44).

If you are looking for inspiration on how to superdetail your cockpit, then check out Radu Brinzan's Seafire build here.

The seat is made up of two parts and has padding moulded on which looks way to flat. As regards its basic shape, compare the two below:

Seat bottom

Seat back

Note the more subtle curves and thinness of the real thing

Luckily, there are a number of aftermarket solutions for this if you wish, including one by Quickboost which has seatbelts moulded on for you (note seatbelts look nice but are inaccurately lapped over back of seat, when they should be threaded through the bulkhead). My choice would be this one from Roy Sutherland of Barracuda. With this seat alone, the 'look' of the cockpit will improve dramatically.

Photo-etch seatbelts are provided, which are quite nice, but there are a number of aftermarket ones out there which are pre-painted if you want, including those by Eduard. These are part of a larger set which contains amongst other things a replacement instrument panel. The kit part requires a decal overlay for the dials themselves, and I never have much luck with these (but maybe that's me?).

A cockpit door is provided that can be posed open or closed – the crowbar detail is moulded on, but probably better than Tamiya's effort; if leaving it open, I would opt for Roy Sutherland's resin replacement. The crowbar fittings were reinstated from January 23rd 1942, and the prototype Trop AB502's first flight was 28th January 1942, so chances are that your Trop aircraft would have this type of door.

I suppose my conclusion here is that, as with most kit cockpits, if you have everything buttoned-up then, beyond the seat and the seatbelts, how much more can you clearly see? But if you want to have the canopy back and the door opened then quite a lot of extra work will be needed to accurately detail it.
 

Canopy
As I mentioned earlier, this kit comes with the same 'early' style front canopy section as their first kit, complete with external armoured glass. The front section is correct in style for MkI, MkII and some early MkV Spitfires, but NOT for the MkV Trop. The order to change to a windshield with internal armoured glass came before the production of the MkVb Trop.

The parts themselves are crystal clear, and sharply moulded, but that does not get away from the fact that they are incorrect, and also from the fact that the difference is quite noticeable, even to a casual observer (I think).

Image from Aero Detail 8: Vickers Supermarine Spitfire I – V

Nice side-on view of early style with external armoured glass. © IWM (CH 3757)

Later style with internal armoured glass. © IWM (CM 5096)

This is the most disappointing part of the whole kit for me, and salt seems to be rubbed in the wounds because they got the box art spot on! The kit parts still look a trifle odd on close examination, even for the early style (rear most piece to wide and squashed, main 'bubble' shape not quite right to my eye), but I do think they are good enough to use on an earlier Spit. Most frustrating.

There are currently no aftermarket solutions out there that I know of, and I have not yet tried to fit a Hasegawa canopy to this kit for instance. So, you are left with the choice of building a Trop with an incorrect canopy, sourcing an alternative canopy from another kit, or building an earlier MkV; if you chose the latter, you will need to get Sprue G from the first kit, as the regular carburetor intake is not provided in this kit.

 

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