Seafire Mk.47 was the final Seafire/Spitfire version and the last of this famous line of fighters rolled off the Supermarine plant in 1949. The aircraft was based on Seafire Mk.24 version but had a number of differences as well, mostly connected to its naval use. Mk.47 was equipped with hydraulic operated folding wings (not just the wingtips like on some previous marks). The bubble canopy provided good vision, but the new windscreen was unpopular, as it often misted and the thick framing worsened the view, especially during the carrier landings, but despite the pleas, Mk.24 windscreen was never fitted. Aircraft were powered by Rolls-Royce Griffon engines with fuel injection system instead of carburettor and powering the contra*rotating Rotol propellers.

The kit

Special Hobby makes several of these late Spitfire marks and the kit is designed in a modular fashion so expect to fill your spares box plenty from these releases. The build was pretty straightforward and not as complicated as some of the forum horror stories led me to believe. However, this still is a short run kit, so every part should be dry-fitted before applying glue, there is some thin flash apparent, needing to be cleaned. This particular release also came with a small photoetched fret, mainly for cockpit detailing and was a nice addition. Decals are great, nice colours and in register and I suspect they are printed by Eduard and are “peelable”.

The good:
– nice engraved surface details
– excellent decals
– rather good fit with some care during construction

The bad:
– no recon cameras included
– fit of the clear parts not the best – easier to build it with open canopy

Link to the in-progress article: https://vvsmodelling.com/2025/07/16/special-hobby-172-seafire-fr-47-build-article/

Model Data
Company: Special Hobby / SH72501
Scale: 1:72
Aftermarket: /

Decals: kit decals

Paints used: Mr.Paint
Camouflage: MRP-118 Sky, MRP-114 Extra Dark Sea Grey, MRP-005 Black, MRP-004 White
Metallics: MRP-009 White Aluminium, MRP-147 Burnt Iron