It doesn’t take much reading on this site to realize I am a Spitfire fan. Personally, I think it’s the most graceful and beautiful airplane ever built. And the number of Spitfires I have in my ‘stash” testifies how much I like them. And I’m also a fan of Airfix. There’s just something right about a Spitfire made by a British company.
So when Airfix relaunched their site a few months ago (now under Hornby’s ownership) and announced that all who joined the Official Airfix Club would receive a special edition Spitfire Mk. XVIe available only to Club members, I joined immediately. With a Spitfire kit as a reward- why not?
Today I received an email from the Airfix Club announcing that the kit will ship on November 26th- just in time for Christmas! The email also contained photos of the completed kit in the two markings options available, plus a photo of the decal sheet itself. Both are not your standard Spitfire finish, but rather a very striking natural metal finish in red trim, and a stunning all black aircraft with a gold nose. I like them both so much I realized I’m going to have to join twice- I want to build them both!
Though I have not seen the sprues yet, I would venture that the kit is based on Airfix’s Spitfire Mk. IXc/XVIe kit, with a new fuselage for the “cut-down” version. The IX was a nice kit- I’ve built two of them actually. (You can see the build reports here and here.) And as much as I enjoyed the first two, I know the XVIe will be great fun!
If you are interested in joining the Official Airfix Club, you can visit Airfix’s website and get all the details. Aside from the kit, you also receive other benefits, including a quarterly magazine, official badges and membership cards, magazine discounts and more. The cost varies depending on whether you are in the UK or not (I’m in the US, and membership was about US$43), but even at the highest rate, the price is certainly worth it in my opinion.
So whether you are a fan of the Spitfire, or of Airfix (or both, like me!) take a look at the Official Airfix Club. And look for kit previews and a build report soon.