Tamiya, excellent quality. I have not started this kit as yet however opening the box it became clear that all parts and instructions are of the highest quality and minimal fettling/filling will be required. The price was the cheapest I could find at the time of purchase and it was delivered in a shorter time period than I had expected considering it was sent from Japan.

Je ne l'ai pas encore monté , mais rien quand ouvrant la boite ont vois la finesse de la gravure et le nombre de details.c'est du Tamiya a grande echelle, vraiment tres belle maquette.

Hats Off To Tamiya!The Purchase:As with the majority of my Amazon purchased, everything arrived in perfect condition and on time.Breakdown of the kit:I explored the contents of the box very carefully, this was the first time I have ever had a kit with so many parts. I was very impressed with the overall packaging. The photo etched parts, canopies and hardware come in a separate compartment. The decal sheet, instructions, detail booklet and the larger detail sheet are all outstanding! After inspection of the parts, I came to realize that this kit has a ton of details unlike other kits of the same scale!The build:This is my first attempt building a kit with this much detail. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of details in the instructions. I will also add, I made a few mistakes because I did not follow them to the letter! The engine parts on the sprue also include parts from the Spitfire so make sure you double check your part numbers! I messed up on an engine part and it was an easy fix because I happened to be reading another review of the kit at the same time! The etched parts were fairly large and easy to work with. There are a lot of area's that require special attention that include magnets and other hardware. Follow the directions and you'll be just fine! After getting the engine and cockpit together, I noticed how perfectly everything had fit together. Also, with the added hardware, everything seems very strong and durable. The tail wheel fit is the only area that had me in a jam. There was a slight gap that I cured by adding and sanding styrene to the fuselage. After that little detour, everything was great. The landing gear is all assembled with metal pins and should be plenty strong. It's been sitting in the display case for nearly 4 months and it has not dropped at all! I have read a few reviews that state the tail gear as being weak, so far, I disagree. Almost forgot, I had a bit of a fit issue with the upper cowling not wanting to sit flush. After I sanded the inside edges a little bit, it was snug as can be!The result:I painted my kit to reflect "Petie the 2nd". I am very happy with the results of this build. I was scared to death before I started. I am used to building mostly 1/48 scale kits right out of the box...this kit has opened my eyes to a variety of new area's. I am no longer afraid of etched metal or metallic finishes. This kit has opened my eyes to a new world of detail and now I look forward to doing a lot more of these!I FULLY recommend this kit to anyone intermediate/pro. If you are new to the hobby, start with a few 1/48 kits and work your way up.Awesome Kit Tamiya...Thank You!

Modello fantastico

High-End Scale model kit - one of the best kits you can buy/build. perfect details and top-notch fit.