Czech Master Resin
Latest 1/72 Spitfires
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Introduction
It appears that CMR partner owners Petr Buchar and Radoslav Kazda are
well on the way to kitting every mark of Spitfire and some of them in
multiple guises. The latest arrivals in the series are:
CMR 179 Mk. VIII in RAAF
CMR 180 Mk. VIII in RAAF, Part 2
CMR 184 Mk. IXc in RCAF
CMR 190 Mk.IXe & XVIe in RCAF
CMR 5096 F Mk. 21
The histories of these marks have been set out in previous reviews in
Internet Modeler. Here’s a list linked to all the CMR Spitfire reviews
in this magazine, of which I am aware:
The Kits
All CMR kits are similar; the biggest difference is that they just keep
getting better. Many of the newer issues, as do these, include painting
masks and pre-painted, photo-etched details by Eduard. Most kit parts
are cast in CMR’s standard pale cream polyurethane resin and are
consistently free of bubbles and voids. Most parts, though, have a feed-bar
attached and some parts have thin webs of “flash” to permit
the resin to fill the mold. This is normal for resin parts cast in Room
Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) rubber molds. Landing gear, wing struts,
and other strength sensitive parts, are cast in extra strength black resin.
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| CMR 179 Mk. VIII in RAAF |
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| CMR 180 Mk. VIII in RAAF, Part 2 |
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| CMR 184 Mk. IXc in RCAF |
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| CMR 190 Mk.IXe & XVIe in RCAF |
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| CMR 5096 F Mk. 21 |
The two RAAF kits, in this group, have something new for CMR; the colors
and markings instructions are printed in full color. All have four to
six pages of black and white photos illustrating the subjects. They all
also have Eduard painting masks and pre-painted, photo-etched details.
They are expensive but there’s a lot of kit in each box and you’ll
never find the same wide range of subjects in injection-molded polystyrene.
Both RAAF kits have markings for five different planes.
The RCAF Mk. IXc kit has markings for seven planes. The kit includes
two beer barrels as seen in a famous photo taken shortly after D-Day but
the instructions don’t tell us to which airplane they are appropriate.
The RCAF Mk. IXe/Mk. XVIe kit has markings for five airplanes and to
cater for these markings three complete wings are included in the kit.
The F Mk. 21 kit has markings for five planes, one of which has contra-props.
Conclusion
These latest kits in CMR’s Spitfire series are simply the best
yet.
The only improvement I’d suggest is that CMR cast the stabilizers
and elevators as separate parts in future kits as almost all photos of
Spitfires show the elevators hanging down against the stops.
Although there are a lot of Spitfires not yet kitted – fear not;
I’m sure Petr and Radoslav will get to them all by-and-by. I’m
waiting for them to do my favorite, the first prototype of the Mk. III;
it was a wild one-off airplane with a wild one-off color scheme.
Hannants have the Spitfires for between 24 and 27 pounds each; Squadron
Mail Order has them for a few dollars less.
Thank you to Petr and Radoslav for providing the kits for this review.
References
You really need only one key reference to build any Spitfire:
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Spitfire – the history: Eric B. Morgan & Edward Shacklady,
Key Books Ltd, UK, 1987/2000, ISBN 0-946219-48-6.
PS: There is a very good, well-illustrated article about CMR in the
January 2008, Vol. 14, No. 1 issue of Scale Aviation Modeller International
magazine.
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