Spitfire – 32nd or 48th?

Sptifire is a whole universe by itself in terms of scale modeling, history and aviation. That is the best airplane that Britain ever created and one of the top fighters of WWII. It is sleek, fast, agile and well armed. It won a lot of air battles and saved many lives. Spitfire built a reputation of a state-of-the-art aerodynamics, innovation and capabilities. And it was produced in numerous versions, featuring very different engineering decisions, and putting them into real action all over the World. Spitfire served from late 30s till the early 60s. For a single engine propeller fighter, and living through the emerging of the jet plane era, this is a unique and respectable fact.

Let’s talk Spitfire scale models now: Many companies have produced various of different Spitfires during the years, and many of them were great looking plastic kits. However, nothing comes close to the latest editions of Tamiya. The Japanese company did 3 versions of it, all Merlin Powered options, and they did them with insane precision. These are the best airplane kits ever produced, and nothing comes close to them. Except for maybe Eduard. And that’s what we should discuss here.

Eduard made a new tooling of the Spitfire in 2013, replacing their repack of Airfix, also a great model of its time. With the knowledge that they had repacking it, and the new technologies, they put out a beautiful 48th scale bird, second only to Tamiya’s 32nd scale beast. But since 2013, they put out almost twenty /yes, 20!/ options, boxed in a fashionable manner, with various options from nothing, through PE and up to Resin add ons. Something for everybody.

So the question for most of us here was, which one to get, if the scale is not the most important factor. Well, the answer is both, because two Spitfires are better than one. Always. But that aside, I want to share my opinion about the kits.

Tamiya stands second to none. And that includes Eduard Spit as well. Not only in terms of scale, but quality, accuracy, engineering and even branding. Tamiya is the greatest modeling company ever, and there is no doubt about it. However, Eduard are not that far behind. Which is great! That means that the Czech company is evolving, and getting out there competing with the best. One thing is sure – in 48th scale their Spit is the most beautiful one. And probably with the most options. But not only that.

They have delivered a kit from modelers to modelers, allowing us to make whatever possible with that airplane and steal attention even from bigger scaled Spitfires. There are Dual Combo sets, Limited Editions, Weekends, unusual camos and so on. And while Tamiya Spitfire does not have many options from the aftermarket sellers to be elevated /not that it needs to/, the Eduard Spit in that matter is unsurpassed.

In terms of price, well, Eduard are not cheap, but are cheaper than Tamiya, giving us pretty much similar satisfaction in the end. And that is because their quality is at a very high level the last years. Also, in terms of options, they offer 3 or 4 times more than the Japanese.  And they alone as a company, offer a great line of add-ons for it. Wheels, cockpits, engines, you name it.

So which one is better? Neither. They are kings in their own realms. In terms of comparing them, well, Tamiya have the upper hand, just because they are better in scale, and with amazing quality. Engineering is better, and the kit is suitable for almost any modeler. And while Eduard give us pretty much the same stunning Spitfire once built, the road to that is not for everybody. However, it is mandatory to be said that there are people who are devoted 48th scalers, and that is the Spitfire for them. Honestly, built one next to another, if the pictures does not show them measured, you will hardly tell the difference.
 you can hardly tell that this above is 48th scale engine…

Masks from DN Models are available for Tamiya 32nd scale birds, but not yet for Eduard’s. Honestly, that is one thing Eduard are better than Tamiya – decals. Whatever the case with those is though, on large scale planes it is always wiser to paint the markings instead of using decals. But if you enjoyed the article, and/or DN Models’ masks, feel free to contact me in terms of 48th scale Spitfire. A set quickly can come to life!

My conclusion: Both. No matter if you are devoted 48th-er or LSP fan, they both worth the money. And the set they will become built together – priceless….

Spits you can get here:

Tamiya – Ver.1 , Ver.2 , Ver.3

Eduard – Weekend , Profipack , Royal Class – and many more options. These are just the three main boxings.

Masks for 32nd scale Tamiya