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When I was nine years old our Cub Scout group attended the USAF airshow at RAF Bentwaters. I found myself alone admiring a beautiful sleek twin engined aeroplane in RAF Transport Command colours. It was an RAF Beagle Basset from a Communications Squadron and I was later interested to see that AIRFIX had a kit of one in their Series 2 range. One day a friend showed me his poorly made Basset model. It was moulded in a dark silver plastic with heavy rivets and quite clunky and this really disappointed this ten year old who would have expected AIRFIX to have moulded it in white plastic without so many rivets, like they did with their Handley Page Jetsream. It would be many years later before I was able to add a Basset to my collection. The original 1968 issue RAF Transport version was expensive if you could find one. I managed to find a 1970s issue of the Reagle Beagle, a Basset which was assigned to the Royal Flight in 1969 and in which HRH Prince Charles took twin-engine pilot training. It was a fair price because it had no decals. This was the model that I built. I later acquired an original 1968 Transport Command Basset. I built this model about two years ago and took a small number of photos during the build. Most of the photos will be of the completed model so that is why I have posted it here. The 1970s issue of the Reagle Beagle which is the kit I built. The original 1968 kit which I can remember being on display in Woolworths in Woodbridge. Parts moulded in the typical dark silver plastic of the time. Plenty of rivets for the AIRFIX enthusiast. Hope I can make a worthy job of this, I have waited a long time. Those wonderful AIRFIX instruction sheets of the period that explained in words what every part was and where it went. I finally decided on a colour for the interior and now we are at the stage for closing up. Instrument panel had to be fettled to raise it higher. Required nose weight in place and glued so we don't get any annoying rattles later. Those lovely 1960s pilots will always have a place in my models. I adapt them to fit the cockpit by seperating legs and reposing the heads.

While looking for something (have forgotten what) in my way too large stash a few days ago, I "rediscovered" not only one, but two Airfix Beagle Basset kits. After having had a look at them, I thought it could be an easy "no nonsense" build, just to get a modell finished for once. Typical simple Airfix kit from the late 60's with lots of rivets all over and very little detailing. Although the interior is fairly decent with a rear bulkhead, floor, seats, good instrument panel with two rather nice control yokes. On the other hand the undercarriage is very simplified and the nose wheel well is non-existing. Decals had naturally yellowed after all these years, but most of the standard markings can be substituted with better ones from my Modeldecal stash. And with some "sun treatment" specific items like the blue cheat lines and a few other small items will probably be useable too. So I decided to have a go at one of them. Apart from a few improvements in the cabin and a nose weight not much more is needed there despite the many large and surprisingly clear windows. Just sanding down all those tea cup-sized rivets on the outside, scribe a few panel lines and scratchbuild a cooling flap under each engine. That should do it. However there are no colour information for the interior in the instructions. But I guess standard colours for that kind of aircraft in those days would probably be a pale blue or gray with slightly darker seats. I have been unable to find any pics of the interior on the net, so if anyone can shed some information on this it would be appreciated. Another colour question is regarding the exterior. I will use the KISS method and not deviate from the kit option - white fin and fuselage top, blue cheat line along the fuselage sides and the rest of the airframe painted silver. I think silver paint is correct, but in all the photos I have found light aircraft grey seems to be used instead. But I have a faint memory of a change over from silver to LAG some time around 1970. Can anyone confirm this?