Guillows Supermarine Spitfire

The kit arrived very soon after ordering. I have started the construction and so far it is very good and the instructions are clear, simple and easy to follow. If it completes this way I shall be ordering more. I have had no cause to contact the supplier which is a good sign.

Bought this & also a Guillows Hurricane kit at the same time. Previously built the same from Vintage Models - 4 grandsons.. Although 1 and a half inches smaller wingspan than the Vintage, the Guillows quality is far superior. Decent balsa, beautifully moulded plastic components (cockpit, wheels, nose, exhausts radiator etc.) which I preferred to building these up from pre-cut balsa segments. Laser cutting was excellent. Roundels and lettering etc only required to be soaked away from backing sheet - no cutting necessary. Assembly was non-complicated requiring - simplistic instruction booklet supplied & detailed scale plans were more than adequate. Only downside (hence 4 stars not 5) was the absence of undercarriage wire, adhesive and rear cockpit window, although instructions supplied on how to make these up. I use gorilla glue & epoxy anyway, so the absence of glue was not an issue. Kits were supplied promptly and well-packaged - no damage. The missing bits were courtesy of Guillows - not a failing on the part of the supplier. Despite losing 1 star, I would choose to buy a Guillows kit another time - already looking forward to building their Typhoon fighter.

Big brother's little brother. Will accompany a1/7scale Mark 12,with appropriate conversion and super detailing as a flying model.will send photos of both on completion .

The quality of this model is in my limited experience is particularly poor. Just a brief history of my balsa model making experience. It's short, very short. In fact I have only built one model from balsa before and it is based on a direct comparison between the first model SE5A made by the Vintage Model Co. and this Guillows Spitfire that I am basing my review on. Firstly I have to say that the quality of the balsa differs greatly between these two companies. I would not want to call one better over the other, just very different. The Guillows, seems to be more structurally solid, but has a more thready grain that means it splits more than cuts when put to blade. The balsa in the Vintage Model Co seems much spongier, but with no thready grain to tear up the wood. Where this Guillows model fails miserably is in the forming of the individual parts. Where as the Vintage Model Co laser cut their balsa I think Guillows must use a die cutting approach.Removing the forms from the balsa was tricky, even tracing the edge with the scalpel, but when it came to cutting in the rib notches the fact that the balsa seems to be die cut means that when you try to cut the notches you find far more of the balsa coming away than just the notch you are carefully trying to take out. I think that the pressure applied to the balsa during the cutting of the wood has weakened the edge where you are being left to cut the notches yourself, therefore, when you try to cut the notch you get more being removed than just the notch area.I was looking forward to making this model but after every one of the fuselage formers failed to notch correctly the whole thing went to the bin. I cannot in good faith suggest this product to anyone based on my experience of it.

Well designed.Poor quality balsa wood

This an excellent balsa wood model to make and construct. The plans and the booklet explaining how to go about construction are very good and would lead the beginner to a really nice flying model.

Great model

Good kit but very poor decal transfers. Broke up before being put in place