In Box Review of Hobby Craft of Canada 1/48th Scale
British Vickers Supermarine Seafire XV
Kit no. HC 1584
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1991
Available from one guy on line for $14.00. I paid a paltry $4.99 for my kit at the Kit Liquidators store back in the 90's.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1991
Available from one guy on line for $14.00. I paid a paltry $4.99 for my kit at the Kit Liquidators store back in the 90's.
HISTORY:
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. In concept, it is relatively comparable to the Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalised version of the Spitfire's stablemate, the Hawker Hurricane.
The name Seafire had been derived from the abbreviation of the longer name Sea Spitfire.
The idea of adopting a navalised carrier-capable version of the Supermarine Spitfire had been mooted by the Admiralty as early as May 1938.
Despite a pressing need to replace various types of obsolete aircraft that were still in operation with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), some opposed the notion, such as Winston Churchill, although these disputes were often a result of an overriding priority being placed on maximizing production of land-based Spitfires instead.
During 1941 and early 1942, the concept was again pushed for by the Admiralty, culminating in an initial batch of Seafire Mk Ib fighters being provided in late 1941, which were mainly used for pilots to gain experience operating the type at sea.
While there were concerns over the low strength of its undercarriage, which had not been strengthened like many naval aircraft would have been, its performance was found to be acceptable.
From 1942 onward, further Seafire models were quickly ordered, including the first operationally-viable Seafire F Mk III variant.
This led to the type rapidly spreading throughout the FAA. In November 1942, the first combat use of the Seafire occurred during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa.
In July 1943, the Seafire was used to provide air cover for the Allied invasion of Sicily; and reprised this role in September 1943 during the subsequent Allied invasion of Italy.
During 1944, the type was again used in quantity to provide aerial support to Allied ground forces during the Normandy landings and Operation Dragoon in Southern France.
During the latter half of 1944, the Seafire became a part of the aerial component of the British Pacific Fleet, where it quickly proved to be a capable interceptor against the feared kamikaze attacks by Japanese pilots which had become increasingly common during the final years of the Pacific War.
The Seafire continued to be used for some time after the end of the war. The FAA opted to promptly withdraw all of its Merlin-powered Seafires and replace them with Griffon-powered counterparts.
The type saw further active combat use during the Korean War, in which FAA Seafires performed hundreds of missions in the ground attack and combat air patrol roles against North Korean forces during 1950.
The Seafire was withdrawn from service during the 1950s. In FAA service, the type had been replaced by the newer Hawker Sea Fury, the last piston engine fighter to be used by the service, along with the first generation of jet-propelled naval fighters, such as the de Havilland Vampire, Supermarine Attacker, and Hawker Sea Hawk.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Carrier-based fighter
Manufacturer: Supermarine
First flight: 7 January 1942
Status: Retired
Primary users: Royal Navy, French Navy, Irish Air Corps, Royal Canadian Navy
Number built: 2,646
Developed from: Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. In concept, it is relatively comparable to the Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalised version of the Spitfire's stablemate, the Hawker Hurricane.
The name Seafire had been derived from the abbreviation of the longer name Sea Spitfire.
The idea of adopting a navalised carrier-capable version of the Supermarine Spitfire had been mooted by the Admiralty as early as May 1938.
Despite a pressing need to replace various types of obsolete aircraft that were still in operation with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), some opposed the notion, such as Winston Churchill, although these disputes were often a result of an overriding priority being placed on maximizing production of land-based Spitfires instead.
During 1941 and early 1942, the concept was again pushed for by the Admiralty, culminating in an initial batch of Seafire Mk Ib fighters being provided in late 1941, which were mainly used for pilots to gain experience operating the type at sea.
While there were concerns over the low strength of its undercarriage, which had not been strengthened like many naval aircraft would have been, its performance was found to be acceptable.
From 1942 onward, further Seafire models were quickly ordered, including the first operationally-viable Seafire F Mk III variant.
This led to the type rapidly spreading throughout the FAA. In November 1942, the first combat use of the Seafire occurred during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa.
In July 1943, the Seafire was used to provide air cover for the Allied invasion of Sicily; and reprised this role in September 1943 during the subsequent Allied invasion of Italy.
During 1944, the type was again used in quantity to provide aerial support to Allied ground forces during the Normandy landings and Operation Dragoon in Southern France.
During the latter half of 1944, the Seafire became a part of the aerial component of the British Pacific Fleet, where it quickly proved to be a capable interceptor against the feared kamikaze attacks by Japanese pilots which had become increasingly common during the final years of the Pacific War.
The Seafire continued to be used for some time after the end of the war. The FAA opted to promptly withdraw all of its Merlin-powered Seafires and replace them with Griffon-powered counterparts.
The type saw further active combat use during the Korean War, in which FAA Seafires performed hundreds of missions in the ground attack and combat air patrol roles against North Korean forces during 1950.
The Seafire was withdrawn from service during the 1950s. In FAA service, the type had been replaced by the newer Hawker Sea Fury, the last piston engine fighter to be used by the service, along with the first generation of jet-propelled naval fighters, such as the de Havilland Vampire, Supermarine Attacker, and Hawker Sea Hawk.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Carrier-based fighter
Manufacturer: Supermarine
First flight: 7 January 1942
Status: Retired
Primary users: Royal Navy, French Navy, Irish Air Corps, Royal Canadian Navy
Number built: 2,646
Developed from: Supermarine Spitfire
THE KIT:
Hobby Craft of Canada was based in Ontario, Canada. I don't know if it exists anymore?
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Seafire XV flying over clouds. It has a dark sea-grey (FS 36118) spine over a medium-sea-grey undercarriage (FS 36270), with Royal Canadian Navy PR503 in black on the fuselage sides and Canadian maple-leaf roundels in the normal 6 positions.
Both side panels say that glue and paint are not provided, over Hobby Craft's address in Ontario, Canada and markings on box may differ from contents, followed by a one-paragraph history of the Seafire XV in English and French and a small color repeat of the box art.
Hobby Craft of Canada was based in Ontario, Canada. I don't know if it exists anymore?
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Seafire XV flying over clouds. It has a dark sea-grey (FS 36118) spine over a medium-sea-grey undercarriage (FS 36270), with Royal Canadian Navy PR503 in black on the fuselage sides and Canadian maple-leaf roundels in the normal 6 positions.
Both side panels say that glue and paint are not provided, over Hobby Craft's address in Ontario, Canada and markings on box may differ from contents, followed by a one-paragraph history of the Seafire XV in English and French and a small color repeat of the box art.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 3 medium-grey trees and a clear tree in a sealed clear cello bag. The decal, instructions, a slip of CAUTIONS and post cards to use to order a catalog or suggest future kits to Hobby Craft.
This kit contains 3 medium-grey trees and a clear tree in a sealed clear cello bag. The decal, instructions, a slip of CAUTIONS and post cards to use to order a catalog or suggest future kits to Hobby Craft.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 7 1/4" x 10 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the cover art, over one-paragraph histories of the Seafire XV in English, French, Spanish and German.
Spread across pages 2, 3 & 4 is marking and painting guides, showing a 3-view of the box art scheme (already described above). It says this aircraft still exists and is being restored.
A second 3-view is of a Seafire XV in a dark sea-grey (FS 36118) over a sky undercarriage (FS 34504). It has a white 5 shaded in black on the fuselage sides after the roundel and black serial no. ROYAL NAVY PR478 behind the white 5.
Pages 5 through 8 give a grand total of 9 assembly steps.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions. They do have part number tabs next to the parts on the trees.
Medium-grey letter A tree holds the fuselage (2 parts)
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the cover art, over one-paragraph histories of the Seafire XV in English, French, Spanish and German.
Spread across pages 2, 3 & 4 is marking and painting guides, showing a 3-view of the box art scheme (already described above). It says this aircraft still exists and is being restored.
A second 3-view is of a Seafire XV in a dark sea-grey (FS 36118) over a sky undercarriage (FS 34504). It has a white 5 shaded in black on the fuselage sides after the roundel and black serial no. ROYAL NAVY PR478 behind the white 5.
Pages 5 through 8 give a grand total of 9 assembly steps.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions. They do have part number tabs next to the parts on the trees.
Medium-grey letter A tree holds the fuselage (2 parts)
Medium-grey letter B tree holds the wings (3 parts)
Medium-grey letter C tree holds: elevators, air intakes, tail hook, joy stick, foot pedals, bulkheads, exhaust pipes, individual propeller blades, spinner, seat, guns, landing-gear legs, main wheels, tail wheel etc. (40 parts)
The clear tree holds the canopy and gun sight (2 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit.
There is no pilot figure included. Detail is engraved. Flaps all molded solid.
Highly recommended.