Warbird Productions 1/32 Seafire Conversion Sets By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

The Supermarine Seafire started out as a modified Spitfire Mk. V, but as the regular Spitfire progressed, so did the Seafire. Long after the Spitfire ceased production, the Seafire continued on, resulting in the final Seafire 47, a plane that vaguely resembled the Spitfire it descended from.

The Conversion Sets

Since the real plane was converted from a Mk. V Spitfire, these conversion sets are for the Hasegawa 1/32 Spitfire Mk. V kit. The first area concerned deals with the wings. In set 3210, Seafire Mk. III/XV/XVIII Wings, you get one-piece wing sections running from basically the start of the gull section out to the wingtip separation point. You'll have to do some surgery to the Hasegawa kit to provide the center section, and the wingtips also come from the Hasegawa kit. All the various bulges and bumps are present on the wing and are molded crisply. This set includes only the basic wings, though, so you'll need one of the other conversions to finish your wing correctly for a Seafire.

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Set 3206 provides the conversion pieces to do a Seafire XV early. In this set you get quite a bit of interesting goodies, including a replacement Griffon engine nose. This piece is molded solid and is very well done. Mating to the front of this is the new spinner, with four separate propeller blades. The exhaust stacks are particularly well done, with thin edges and suitable depth. Other details include a new chin scoop, a new tailwheel, elevators and rudder. For the armament, you get separate cannon barrels as well as the upper wing bulges. This allows you to position the cannons in the correct spot depending on the plane you're building. New radiator housings are also included.

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Conclusion

The Hasegawa 1/32 Spitfire provides an excellent starting point for many conversions, and these two sets help you on your way to finishing a very nice Seafire. All that's left is tracking down some decals, as there are definitely some interesteing and colorful Seafire XVs out there!

My thanks to The Dinosaur Studio, Inc for the review samples. Check out their website for more interesting Spitfire and other 1/32 conversion sets.