Seafire F.46

CMR, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

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Recently, CMR has raised the bar for the quality of 1/72 scale resin kits. Their new Seafire 46 kit maintains this remarkable standard.

The kit is all-resin except for the vacformed canopy. Two of these are supplied in case of slip-ups with the hobby knife.

The parts are superbly cast with crisp, finely recessed surface detail. Interior detail is equally good.

The wing is particularly noteworthy, being a single-piece casting with cannon bulges, ejector ports and deep wheel wells all cast in place. Trailing edges are admirably thin, and the large casting is not warped.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The fuselage halves are already separated from their casting blocks, but some cleanup of surrounding resin flash and thinning of the top of the fin will be required. This should be a fairly straightforward task. The wings should be equally fast to remove from the two strips of resin. A few more minutes cleaning the flash from the leading edge, and these major components will be ready for assembly.

Smaller parts are packed securely in separate compartments of a plastic  bag. These are as impressively cast and as well detailed as the wings and fuselage.

All control surfaces are cast in neutral positions, but the bottom of the rudder (incorporating the tail hook) is a separate part.

Markings are supplied for three late Seafires finished in a choice of either Extra Dark Sea Grey Over Sky or Extra Dark Sea Grey and Slate Grey over Sky. The decals are perfectly in register and appear to be very thin.

Resin tends to be a less forgiving medium to work with than polystyrene, but the relatively simple parts breakdown and superb quality will make this kit ideal for the modeller who wants to try their first all-resin kit.

This is a gorgeous kit of an attractive and interesting subject.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to CMR for the review sample

CMR Models are available online from Hannants in the UK,
NKR Models in Australia and quality specialist model retailers worldwide.