I need to buy a spitfire model for a Christmas present for my boyfriend who loves history, the war and planes. He has not made a model before, so I wanted to get him a larger scale model so he can enjoy building it (I hope)
However looking online there are so many and I am confused. I have been looking at
Well, it depends on how much you want to spend. Tamiya makes the definitive Spitfire in 1/32 but it can cost well over $100.00. To some of us that is a bargian for what the kit offers!
A more cost-effective, albeit smaller option would be the fantastic Eduard 1/48 kits. These can be had for less than $50 and offer a simple Weekend edition with no bells and whistles to the Profi-Pack version with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. Eduard even offers a Royal Class version which contains 2 complete kits, all sorts of resin and photo etch goodies, and even includes a beer glass!
I’d recommend going to a site like Sprue Brothers, Hannants or Squadron and do a search for “Spitfire”
This is good advice. If he hasn’t made any models before, I’d recommend the Weekend edition or something along those lines. 1/48 is a good size - the 1/32 might be overwhelming. Right now, I’m building the Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk1a which is an easy kit, but small and inexpensive. For your purposes, more of a stocking stuffer that a bona-fide gift.
I have an older 1/32 Tamiya Mk.V that I probably won’t get to for a while and frankly taking up valuable stash space. It’s been opened but has all the parts. I would let it go for considerably less than that pound thing you were talking for the Tamiya. Problem is, I’m across the pond from you apparently.
Otherwise the Revell is a good bet. They are making some sweet stuff lately.
Like Cat Daddy mentioned, you might consider the Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk I. It’s small, so some of the cockpit pieces are little, but it builds up into a nice kit, and the parts count is fairly low.
There are a few problem areas regarding the fit, but someone here can guide your bf through the build process. There are already a few threads here already showing how to assemble the kit.
