Quickboost

1/48 Spitfire Mk. XIV Cowling and Exhaust (Round) 1/48 Spitfire Mk. IXc Cannon Barrels For the Academy Spitfire

Stock Number: QB 48246, QB 48250

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: 6.00 € (approx $8.50 - QB 48 246) MSRP: 3.30 € (approx $4.75 - QB 48 250) Website: www.quickboost.net The Academy Spitfire Mk XIV kits are overall very nice kits in terms of fit and detail. They are not perfect and have been (rightly) criticized for the rocker arm cover shape on the cowlings. The shape issues include the curve of the leading edge, and the distance that the covers protrude from the top of the cowling. These kit parts are molded separately from the cowling and I naively thought that I could do the modification myself. Unfortunately for me Academy molded the covers very thinly, so there is no mass of plastic to sand to shape and you can’t get there from here with the kit alone. Quickboost offers an elegant solution at an affordable price, providing a replacement for the entire upper cowling. It has engineered the replacement part so all one has to do is cut along the panel lines at the fire wall and at the bottom of the exhaust port and drop in the replacement part. The pour block provides the mating surfaces to the lower cowling. The only trick is a straight cut across the nose. As a bonus Quickboost provides replacement round exhaust stacks. These are pre-drilled and much more accurate in shape in detail – a very nice enhancement. Just pre-paint, cut them from the pour block and mount in place from the outside. Overall, this set is a simple solution which results in a much better looking cowling than that provided in the kit. I also received the Quickboost replacement cannon/gun shrouds for the Hasegawa Mk IXc. Actually these appear to work on a variety of Spitfire models. Since I do not have the Hasegawa kit, I compared them to the shrouds provided in the Academy kit. I must say they are worlds apart, with the Quickboost offering being much more accurate in shape from. These details are a welcome addition that correct perhaps a minor but perceptible flaw of the kit. Quickboost has scored again with two reasonably priced details that will greatly enhance your later model Spitfires. I would like to thank Quickboost for these review samples.