As I have mentioned last week, Tamiya of Japan is about to release a new-tool, large-scale 1/32 kit of the Spitfire Mk. IX before Christmas. With Tamiya’s flawless reputation as a leading player in the plastic modelling industry, exepectations run sky-high with regard to the new kit’s quality and buildability.

UPDATE: Full review of this kit is now available, see Review of Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire IXC by Martin Waligorski and Dave Johnson

I have just tracked down the first three official images of the kit, provided at the Hyperscale forum by folks from Tamiya Model Magazine. The kit surely is most impressive, particularly the engine assembly!

Interestingly, the depicted model shows a late-production Mk. IX configuration with bulged cowling, long air intake, gyro gunsight and clipped wings with wing root blisters and narrow cannon bulges. All these features are not applicable for the Johnnie Johnson’s EN398 JE-J which is supposed to be one of the marking options. Additionally, the latter also had solid wheel hubs and earlier-style undercarroiage legs with no torsion links. Let’s hope that that Tamiya will provide optional parts for all these items!