Pavla 1/72 Supermarine S.6 Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | August 2010 | Manufacturer | Pavla |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Supermarine S.6 | Scale | 1/72 |
| Kit Number | 72066 | Primary Media | Resin |
| Pros | Nicely detailed kit | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Experienced | MSRP (USD) | TBA |
First Look
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The Supermarine S.6 series was the latest design to keep British dominance of the Schneider Trophy. Designed by Reginald Mitchell, Chief Designer of the Supermarine Aviation Works at Southampton, the S.6 was developed for the 1928 racing season and would continue to evolve through the early 1930s.
Despite the fact that the aircraft was carrying two large floats, Mitchell had evolved the aerodynamics of the S.6 to near perfection and its pairing with the 2300 horsepower Rolls Royce R-Type engine gave the aircraft incredible performance. In 1931, in an age where biplanes were still widely used, this float-equipped monoplane set a world speed record of over 407 mph!
If you look closely at the lines of the aircraft, you can see that Mitchell didn't have far to go to transition this design into the famous Supermarine Spitfire series, and Rolls Royce was likewise able to evolve their racing engine into the equally famous Merlin.
The kit is molded in gray resin and the detailing is up to Pavla's usual high standards. The layout of the kit is quite simple, with cockpit going into the fuselage halves, wings attaching to the wing roots at zero dihedral, two float of your choice going onto struts under the wings, add tail feathers, propeller, vac canopy, and a blue/white paint job.
The kit comes with your choice of land wheels, symmetric or asymmetric floats, optional dolly stands or integral display stand, and a nice set of decals. I'm sure a racing historian could explain why the Schneider racer had a smaller portside float, but this kit gives you both the smaller and full-sized float for the portside racer.
Markings are included for three options:
- N.247, Race 2, winner of the 1929 Schneider
- N.248, Race 8, disqualified from the 1929 race
- N.247 in its flight test colors
Pavla continues to turn out some interesting kits of unique aircraft and the S.6 is definitely a welcome example! You can find this kit at your local hobby retailer or directly from your favorite online retailer.
My sincere thanks to Pavla for this review sample!