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Xtrakit Supermarine Swift FR.Mk.5

1:72 scale
Reviewed by Geoff Coughlin

Our thanks to Hannants for supplying the review sample. Get this kit at www.hannants.co.uk

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Background…

You can do worse than check out this link to Wikipedia…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Swift

The Xtrakit…

I’ve been yearning to get into this kit as soon as I saw it when visiting David H down at Lowestoft. What a great range of kits this is – range in that it is expanding nicely with the Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 on the way too, so watch this space. Do check out the full Here Now review that I completed a little while back but you can get started straight away into that little cockpit – my it is small in 1:72nd scale. The inclusion of a superb little resin seat will make the cockpit.

I plan to finish this one with the canopy closed to preserve the sleek lines of my Swift and so I didn’t plan to add anything to the cockpit apart from some simple seat harness straps from metal foil. I will add these to the seat and add the latter at the end of construction. The cockpit is sprayed dark Grey and Tamiya German Grey is a good option. Black is too harsh for this small scale, not looking very realistic. The dials were picked out in silver, mainly to enable them to be at least just visible when the canopy is on!

The tub side walls have raised detail that is very presentable in this small scale and include a throttle quadrant and other dials but to be sure this will be hardly visible later. Some subtle dry-brushing brings out the raised detail (check out your Techniques Bank).

Read the Finished Now review