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Brengun 1/144 Eduard Spitfire Mk.IX Detail Set

By Matt Bittner

Believe it or not, a 1/144 Spitfire is one that was sorely missed in the 1/144 world. There is the excellent Peter's Planes Mk.XIV, but there wasn't much in terms of the earlier Spitfire marks. When Eduard released their Mk.IX, the 1/144 world was happy. About the same time Eduard released the kit, they also put out their own photoetch set for it. While Eduard's is a relatively "easy" set to deal with (although you are still dealing with photoetch, and in 1/144 to top it off), there still is room for additions. That is where this set from Brengun comes in.

Naturally you receive the sidewalls to fill in the "indentations" in the cockpit, but you don't just stop there. There are additional items to add to the sidewalls as well, such as a new throttle quadrant. Plus, there are two separate side walls for the port fuselage half. One is if you don't want to cut the door from the model; the other is if you do, which is actually a great idea, supplying two different side walls depending on what you do with the door. The seat is a fold-up affair, to which you add seat belts. The rear bulkhead is also a multi-piece affair, consisting of the bulkhead; a support frame for the armor plate, and the armor plate. The instrument panel is a two-piece item, with a fold-up compass and gun sight. The floor piece consists of not only the floor, but also the previously mentioned rear bulkhead as well as rudder pedals that are folded into position. There is also a separate control column. There is one resin piece that comes with the set, which consists of the oxygen bottles behind the seat.

For the exterior, you receive the "grill" for the wing radiator; a photoetch "oval" to use for the front of the chin intake; two different types of rear-view mirrors for the top of the canopies; new wheel hubs (two different types); replacement, main landing gear doors; and oleo scissors for the main landing gear. There is also a pitot tube to add to the underside of the port wing. Plus, if you decide, you can open up the radio compartment behind the cockpit and add the fold-up radio, with shelf, along with its door. If you decided to go with the "open door" sidewall, then you'll add the "crowbar" to the door, and position that open. There is also a replacement antenna for the spine, behind the cockpit.

Since the Eduard photoetch is a fold-up affair, it is a little easier to deal with than this Brengun set. However, I feel Brengun has better detail, since some of the sidewall items are separate. Sure, you'll have to paint the Brengun cockpit pieces yourself, but some question the color (almost blue-ish) that Eduard has decided on for their pre-painted cockpit. The one item Eduard provides for Brengun doesn't is separate, replacement wing flaps. The few things Brengun supply that Eduard doesn't is the grill for the wing radiator; provision for opening the cockpit door; and opening the radio compartment behind the cockpit. Plus Brengun supplies the oxygen bottles as resin pieces.

When it comes down to it, it's a personal choice between the Eduard and Brengun set. If you're looking for ease, than Eduard is the set of choice. If you're looking for better detail and more options (opening the cockpit, etc.) then Brengun is the set of choice. I'm hoping to build one of each side-by-side to show how they compare.

I definitely want to thank Brengun for allowing me to review this set.