Brit Bits 1/32 Seafire Mk 47 Resin Conversion Set By James Mustarde

If I was asked what were my three favorite airplanes of all time I’d have to answer the Fw 190D, the Hawker Tempest V and the Seafire Mk 47. There are others that certainly rank up there (who said Blackburn Firebrand, TA-152H and Mosquito?), but these three combine purpose and elegance that sets them apart as truly beautiful works of engineering. Of course that it just my opinion, but the popularity of Hasegawa’s 1/32 ‘Dora’ and the deserved praise heaped on Paul Budzig’s beautiful scratch built 1/32 Tempest tend to suggest I’m not alone with at least two of my choices.

Building my favorite three in 1/32 scale is another issue, however. The Dora is no problem, thanks to Hasegawa’s aforementioned kit and the older Revell version. And if you have Paul Budzik’s scratch building skills, you can knock-up a Tempest in no time at all. People like me will probably need to wait for a resin kit, like the one being prepared by Eclipse Models out of the UK. So what about the Seafire?

To build a big Griffon-powered Seafire out of the box, your only choice is the Revell Spitfire Mk 22/24, a rebox and re-release of the old multicolor Matchbox kit. I remember when Matchbox first issued its Spitfire back in, I think, the mid-70s (I was young then, honest) and although the shape is generally considered accurate, the level of detail is extremely crude by today’s standards and the component fit is pretty dreadful. For those determined to build a Seafire Mk 47 you’ll have to be ready and able to scratch build a new oil cooler scoop under the nose, a contra rotating prop assembly and a stinger type arrester hook, as well as filling and rescribing the wing panel lines to represent the folding wing. A lot of additional detailing will be required, but those are the major changes required. If you want to splash out you can start by getting the Wardbirds correction set that includes a new and beautifully cast resin nose, five-blade prop assembly and corrected gun barrel covers.

So it should come as no surprise to hear that I don’t have a Seafire Mk 47 in my display cabinet. I have a completed OOB Mk 24 on the shelf and a few more of the kits in the stash, but I’ve yet to take the plunge with the Mk 47 conversion. It was just too daunting. But that’s all about to change, thanks to a new 1/32 Seafire Mk 47 conversion set from Jennifer Wright of Brit Bits.

The Brit Bits Seafire Mk 47 conversion set addresses the major component changes mentioned earlier. A new chin oil cooler scoop, contra-rotating prop blades and spinner, and a stinger type hook are provided, as well as a new wing/fuselage cooler fairing and a Mk II gunsight body. The latter is a nice addition as no gunsight is provided in the Matchbox (Revell) kit. Each component is crisply cast in a cream resin and I could see no voids present in any of them. A little flash on the tailhook will be easy to deal with. Also provided are separate vacformed windshield and canopy. The kit items are pretty gruesome and I was forced to produce my own canopy using the two piece original as a former. The Brit Bits example is nicely done with delicate framing detail.

Brit Bits is owned and run by Jennifer Wright, a Royal Air Force aircraft technician based in the west of England, who got into the resin accessory business when trying to build a more accurate Italeri Lockheed C-130J. Jennifer has worked closely with Neil Burkill of Paragon Designs fame to ensure a high quality resin product for the growing number of modelers and traders who want them. Other conversion sets available from Jennifer include C-130J engines and propellers, an Avro Lancastrian conversion for the new Revell kit, a Handley Page Halton pannier and tail cone set, and a CBLS practice bomb carrier. These are all 1/72 scale. Jennifer says that more Hercules parts are in the pipeline and, who knows, maybe a wing fold set for the Seafire.

I nearly sold my two unbuilt Matchbox Spitfires a few months ago, convinced that I’d never get around to building them as Mk22/24s, let alone a Mk 47. How things change. One now sits at the top of the build pile. Sorry MDC Typhoon!

I paid £12 for my 1/32 Seafire Mk 47 conversion set, which included airmail postage to the US. Orders can be placed directly with Jennifer.