{"product_id":"special-hobby-plastic-model-kit-supermarine-seafire-fr-mk-47-korean-war-1-72","title":"Special Hobby Plastic Model Kit Supermarine Seafire FR Mk.47 Korean War — 1:72","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSpecial Hobby is a Czech model-kit manufacturer whose catalogue has a strong emphasis on unusual, historically significant and technically interesting aircraft. The company produces kits in several scales and its Hi-Tech range typically supplements conventional injection-moulded components with finer-detail materials such as photo-etched metal and resin parts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis particular kit, 72259, is the Hi-Tech boxing depicting the Seafire FR Mk.47 in Korean War fighter-bomber service. Retail catalogue records independently confirm the manufacturer, 1:72 scale, kit number and exact EAN 8594071083649.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is designed to represent the final major production version of the navalised Spitfire and includes:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Injection-moulded plastic parts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Clear parts for the cockpit\/canopy\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Photo-etched detail parts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Resin detail components associated with the Hi-Tech release\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Detailed cockpit and undercarriage components\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Contra-rotating propeller assembly\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Korean War-era external stores\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Alternative bomb and rocket armament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Decals for four marking options, including Royal Navy aircraft associated with HMS Triumph and 800 Naval Air Squadron\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Assembly instructions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe retailer documentation specifically describes the kit as a Hi-Tech edition with photo-etched parts and a new sprue containing alternative bomb and rocket armament.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is supplied unassembled and unpainted; modelling cement and paints are not included. Its recorded packaged weight is approximately 170–350 g, depending on the retailer's packaging\/product-weight calculation.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe manufacturer and the Seafire\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe full-size aircraft was produced by Supermarine, the company responsible for the original Spitfire. The Seafire was essentially a navalised development of the Spitfire, adapted for operation from aircraft carriers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe conversion required considerably more than simply adding naval markings. Carrier operation demanded structural strengthening, an arrestor hook, folding wings and other modifications needed to cope with the stresses of deck landings and catapult-assisted operations. The result retained the basic character of the Spitfire while becoming a specialised Fleet Air Arm aircraft.\n\u003cbr\u003eHistory of the full-size Seafire FR Mk.47\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Seafire FR Mk.47 was the final production variant of the Seafire family and represented the culmination of the development of the Spitfire\/Seafire piston-engine fighter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mk.47 differed substantially from the earliest Seafires. It used a powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon engine and a distinctive six-bladed contra-rotating propeller system. The contra-rotating arrangement helped absorb the very high power available from the Griffon engine while reducing the handling effects that would otherwise result from torque.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mk.47 also incorporated hydraulically operated folding wings, allowing the aircraft to be stored more efficiently aboard an aircraft carrier. Its folding arrangement differed from that of earlier Seafires, with the outer wing sections folding upward as complete units. The aircraft also featured a modified windscreen and a distinctive enlarged tail arrangement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first fourteen Mk.47s were fitted with the Griffon 87, while subsequent aircraft used the Griffon 88, which incorporated fuel injection. Sources record approximately 90 F Mk.47 and FR Mk.47 aircraft being built by Supermarine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe FR designation reflected the fighter\/reconnaissance role. Cameras could be carried for reconnaissance work, while the aircraft could also undertake conventional fighter and ground-attack duties.\n\u003cbr\u003eKorean War service\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe subject of this particular Special Hobby boxing is especially interesting because the Seafire FR Mk.47 saw operational service during the opening stages of the Korean War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e800 Naval Air Squadron operated Seafire Mk.47s from the aircraft carrier HMS Triumph. The carrier was deployed to the Far East when war broke out in June 1950 and subsequently joined operations supporting United Nations forces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe squadron's first Korean operation took place on 3 July 1950, when Seafires participated in a strike against Haeju airfield, operating alongside Fairey Fireflies. The Seafires subsequently performed combat air patrol, armed reconnaissance and ground-attack missions. During the Inchon landings in September, Seafires were also used for armed reconnaissance and naval gunfire spotting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft's Korean service was relatively short. The demanding carrier environment, operational attrition and limited availability of replacement aircraft reduced the squadron's effective strength. By the end of September 1950, only a small number of the original aircraft remained serviceable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis makes the Korean War boxing historically distinctive: rather than representing the Seafire solely as a Second World War naval fighter, it depicts the aircraft during one of its final operational periods, using bombs and rockets in the fighter-bomber role.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Special Hobby","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57504169623932,"sku":"SH72259","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/3305720B-8F9E-4E7C-B953-DBC334F79105.jpg?v=1790404200","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/special-hobby-plastic-model-kit-supermarine-seafire-fr-mk-47-korean-war-1-72","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}