Black Robin Resinz 1/48 Spitfire Mk. XII Conversion
| Product | 1/48 Spitfire Mk. XII Conversion |
| Product type | Resin conversion set |
| Manufacturer |
Black Robin Resinz 24 Horton St. Pleasant Point New Zealand avert@xtra.co.nz |
| Availability and pricing | NZ$35 |
Black Robin Resinz is a small-scale enterprise producing handcrafted 1/48 scale kits and conversions for plastic scale aircraft modellers. The brand has been established through the purchase of part of the Kiwiresins range created by Dave Lochead of Blenheim, New Zealand.
The Black Robin range consists of boxed conversions and full kits made with the resin casting process of a 2-part urethane resin mix cast in RTV rubber moulds. Where required, they include vac form canopies from Falcon, New Zealand and decal sheets.
These product are aimed at the experienced modeller. Use of either a high quality superglue or epoxy resin is required to join resin to plastic. Also, be aware that resin dust is dangerous - wearing a dust mask is strongly advised.
1/48 Spitfire Mk. XII Conversion
This conversion set consists of resin components to convert the ICM Spitfire Mk. XI to the Griffon-powered Mk. XII.
The resin components are:
- Spinner Griffon nose
- Coffman starter
- Four propeller blades (Merlin Spitfire propeller rotated the opposite way, so the ICM propeller cannot be used)
- “Fishtail “ exhausts.
- Radiator wing panel
- Narrow radiator
- Radiator intake
- Seat
- Control stick
- A pair of wheels
Also included is the vacuum-formed canopy (produced by Falcon), thoughtfully with a spare. The accompanying decal sheet provides lettering for two Spitfires, EN625 DL-K and MB882 EB-B.
Remember that the Spitfires Mk. XII were rebuilt from other airframes, so they may or may not have had a retractable tail wheel. No retractable wheel assembly is provided in this set.
Construction
According to BRR, the ICM kit was chosen over other 1/48 Spitfire kits because it has a C upper wing, and despite its imprefections, as of 2009 it is believed to be the most accurate in outline.
The conversion should be quite straightforward; the ICM fuselage halves should be cut slightly long & then sanded back to achieve a good fit with the Griffon nose.
The only other items which may require some fiddling are the replacement under wing radiators. The recommended way is to remove the kit radiator flush with the lower surface of the wing, fill, then sand the replacement radiator until a good fit is achieved.
Recommended.