1:48 Spitfire Armament Type A Set Tamiya

Spitfire - type A wing armament in 1:48 scale

A CMK resin detail set for a model of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. It deals with the wing armament in the standard designated as type A. It is an accessory for a plastic kit, not a model of the aircraft, and it is among the smallest items of this group.

What type A means

The Spitfire was produced with several types of wing that differ in armament. Type A carried eight 7.7 mm machine guns distributed in the wing, while the later types combined cannons with machine guns or cannons with heavy machine guns. On a model the difference is told by the number and placement of the ports in the leading edge, by the shape of the covers over the weapons and by the ejection chutes on the underside of the wing. Reaching for the wrong type is one of the most frequent mistakes on models of early Spitfires, and it is a mistake that nobody forgives in a photograph of a model.

Fitting and finishing

The parts are small, so have tweezers ready and work over a mat, not over a carpet. Drill the holes in the leading edge gradually from a smaller drill to a larger one and keep comparing with the casting, so that the ports do not run out of line, because asymmetry is immediately visible from the front. Glue them in with thin cyanoacrylate glue run into the joint rather than with a drop on the part; excess glue would drown the surrounding structure. Once glued in, level the covers over the weapons with the surface and restore the interrupted panel lines with a scriber.

When the set makes sense

• It pays off when you are building an early Spitfire with machine gun armament and want the right wing standard.
• It pays off in the ratio of work to effect: it is a small intervention in a markedly visible place.
• It does not pay off if your subject had a different type of wing; the types are sold as separate sets.
• It does not pay off without verifying that the set fits the particular kit you are building.

A detail set is an accessory for a kit, not a stand-alone model. It is supplied unassembled and unpainted; the kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.