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Quick question for the experten here. Im looking at possibly doing a plane for the RAF 100 Anniversary group build coming up in April. Im debating one of three options ? Im normally a WW2/Coldwar builder but im thinking of expanding into 1930’s types. 

     For the build i was thinking either Bristol bulldog ? Hawker Fury ? Or if i stay WW2 an eagle squadron from the early years. I know there are airfix furies and bulldogs would these be good options to start with a 1930’s bi-plane ? 

 

Dennis

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Definitely the Fury if you are not too comfortable with biplanes. Matchbox / Revell Gladiator or Siskin  (not Revell) even the larger Heyford and Stranraer are well engineered to make life easier. Good luck. 

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Another vote for the Hawker Fury

The old Airfix Hawker Demon isn't too bad. Bristol Bulldog is fine, or the new-ish tool Airfix Tiger Moth or Gloster Gladiator - both excellent kits, easy to put together and rig if you want to

Plenty of monoplanes for the 1930s; Blenheim, Spitfire, Hurricane, Fairey Battle, Hampden, Sunderland, Wellington, Wellsely.........

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Definitely the Fury but then I'm biased as I happen to think it not only the prettiest biplane of all time but it's without doubt in the top 5 for prettiest aeroplane full stop ;)

 

If we're talking 1/48 don't discount the Lindberg offering either as it's a lovely kit and the rib effect is fair better than that on the Airfix. Some say the shape is more accurate on the Airfix and that perhaps might be so but the Lindberg looks more than passable when compared to the Caruana drawings. I have both and have the Lindberg on the go (another Hall of Shamer that I must pull my finger out and finish!).

 

Here's my Lindberg thus far, the decals weren't made for the kit so they require so touching up - on of the reasons I've been procrastinating. I scratched the rear bulkhead for behind the seat and stuck some plastic tubing and card on the cockpit insides to improve it.

 

cCgA1h5.jpg

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Dennis,

 

Definitely the Matchbox/Revell Fury or Siskin- both go together very well and are easy to detail; not many aftermarket parts for either, but there is a resin engine for the Siskin, which I would recommend, as well as etched oil coolers. Modeldedcals and Model Alliance both make decal sheets for the two, and they are both easy to rig. I wish MB had done more in that series!(In regards to your handle, don't be putting either in tri-scheme!) Ha!

Mike

 

Smithy- Your Fury is looking good- finish that puppy!

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For a more adventurous approach, there are the AZ/Avis/AModel series of Hart variants, including Hart Fighter, Hind, Osprey (wheels or floats), Audax and Hector.  Nothing says 1930s RAF more than a Hart variant.  Also available are the Tutor, Prefect and Gauntlet.  The DH60 Gypsy Moth was also used, and available.

 

The Bulldog was Airfix but the Fury Matchbox.

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2 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Dennis,

 

Definitely the Matchbox/Revell Fury or Siskin- both go together very well and are easy to detail; not many aftermarket parts for either, but there is a resin engine for the Siskin, which I would recommend, as well as etched oil coolers. Modeldedcals and Model Alliance both make decal sheets for the two, and they are both easy to rig. I wish MB had done more in that series!(In regards to your handle, don't be putting either in tri-scheme!) Ha!

Mike

 

Smithy- Your Fury is looking good- finish that puppy!

 

Thanks 72. I'm 99% finished with my current build and I have been wondering what to do next ;)

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

For a more adventurous approach, there are the AZ/Avis/AModel series of Hart variants, including Hart Fighter, Hind, Osprey (wheels or floats), Audax and Hector.  Nothing says 1930s RAF more than a Hart variant.  Also available are the Tutor, Prefect and Gauntlet.  The DH60 Gypsy Moth was also used, and available.

 

The Bulldog was Airfix but the Fury Matchbox.

I have the Hector and Gauntlet- which will save me from trying to make one from a Heller or Matchbox Gladiator; that was before the Airfix Gladiator was released. Are the Hart, Osprey, and Audax good kits? Sometimes AZ is hit and miss. Did they do a Demon? That was a pretty prolific familyof biplanes from Hawker, to be sure!

Mike

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AZ did not do a Demon, despite my direct pleading for a 607 Sq one.  Jan did say he would include a 607 Sq option in the kit, but it never came out.  The Hart Fighter is pretty good, but that's without trying to get the parts to fit.  Not that I'm expecting problems, other than the lack of proper locating parts for the struttery.  Mine is now a Demon, or will be when I file down the rear fuselage to the right shape for a Demon as opposed to a Hart. The Audax is an Avis kit, and announced for re-release this year.  Again, it looks good in the box and being fiddled with.  There were quite a lot of spare parts - tyres, weapons etc.  The Osprey and Hector are modified from Audax tooling - quite dramatically in the latter case.  I wanted a Hart Trainer too, but no luck..

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If you want to build an early 40´s, representative british subject, want to stay Gloster themed, and want to keep from rigging, what about a Whittle...???? it directly lead to the development of the Gloster Meteor.

Oh, and no weathering at all....!!!!

Best regards...

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10 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

AZ did not do a Demon, despite my direct pleading for a 607 Sq one.  Jan did say he would include a 607 Sq option in the kit, but it never came out.  The Hart Fighter is pretty good, but that's without trying to get the parts to fit.  Not that I'm expecting problems, other than the lack of proper locating parts for the struttery.  Mine is now a Demon, or will be when I file down the rear fuselage to the right shape for a Demon as opposed to a Hart. The Audax is an Avis kit, and announced for re-release this year.  Again, it looks good in the box and being fiddled with.  There were quite a lot of spare parts - tyres, weapons etc.  The Osprey and Hector are modified from Audax tooling - quite dramatically in the latter case.  I wanted a Hart Trainer too, but no luck..

I did the A Model Hector, and it turned out to be a disaster.  Part of it was me, but also it seems that A Model does not really like to do test shots before putting their kits out there, and instructions on A Model kits can be exceptionally lacking in detail and what and where some of the parts are supposed to go.  On the Hector, and other Hart family kits I'm sure since they all originate from the same set of molds (I also have the Osprey and the Hart {Avis boxing}, they have you put in the breaches of the fuselage machine guns.  However there is no way that the cockpit floorboard can fit properly because the breaches are in the way.  The plastic will break easily on thin pieces, like struts, no matter how much care you take to get them off the sprues.  Even using a razor saw did not keep the struts from breaking.

Later,

Dave

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That's bad news, as I was planning on starting the Hector later this year.  However the two families of kits are separate - there's no fitting of machine guns with the AZ kits, and the Avis-based kits provide more detail.  This is perhaps symptomatic of a more "engineering" approach to these things taken by some East European producers.  A modeller is expected to have to work on them, with no expectation of them just falling together.  Like the early ICM kits such as the Tu2 and TB 3.  AZ kits are more Western in this respect, more basic but generally better fitting.

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7 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

That's bad news, as I was planning on starting the Hector later this year.  However the two families of kits are separate - there's no fitting of machine guns with the AZ kits, and the Avis-based kits provide more detail.  This is perhaps symptomatic of a more "engineering" approach to these things taken by some East European producers.  A modeller is expected to have to work on them, with no expectation of them just falling together.  Like the early ICM kits such as the Tu2 and TB 3.  AZ kits are more Western in this respect, more basic but generally better fitting.

G,

 

I dumped my AZ Hector after reading reviews- all of them bad! One problem mentioned frequently was that the mounting locations for the struts were either not very well delineated or were incorrect, and that frequently the struts were incorrect in length on some of their biplane kits. I hope my AZ Fokker CX and Gauntlet are better! I do have an all injected Aeroclub Hector, Flycatcher, and Demon; they have white metal parts; they look to be very nice, and knowing John Adams' reputation, I bet they are very accurate! They are in a series called Aero 72. Of course, like an idiot, by the time I found out about them, almost all were OOP! I do regret selling my Aeroclub Gauntlet, but another modeling buddy wanted one in the worst way, and I figured I could always do a conversion of the MB or Heller kits. (We need you back, John- if they ever create a Modellers' Hall of Fame, I think you and the late Gordon Stevens and Alan Hall would be in the inaugural group...just my personal opinion!) But, I digress! Happy New Year, Graham!

Mike

Edited by 72modeler
corrected spelling
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On ‎09‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 4:21 PM, 72modeler said:

but there is a resin engine for the Siskin, which I would recommend, as well as etched oil coolers.

Who does these?  I have plans to do a Veeday Flycatcher and a Nimrod conversion for which they would be very useful

 

Paul

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7 hours ago, vildebeest said:

Who does these?  I have plans to do a Veeday Flycatcher and a Nimrod conversion for which they would be very useful

 

Paul

Paul,

 

IIRC Aeroclub did the Jaguar engine and prop in white metal- the set was EP007, but probably hard to find, I would imagine. Engines & Things did one in resin- the set was ENG72026; I have one, and it is very nice! You can go to the Roll Models website to see if they are still in stock. Hope this helps!

Mike

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14 hours ago, 72modeler said:

G,

 

I dumped my AZ Hector after reading reviews- all of them bad! One problem mentioned frequently was that the mounting locations for the struts were either not very well delineated or were incorrect, and that frequently the struts were incorrect in length on some of their biplane kits. I hope my AZ Fokker CX and Gauntlet are better! I do have an all injected Aeroclub Hector, Flycatcher, and Demon; they have white metal parts; they look to be very nice, and knowing John Adams' reputation, I bet they are very accurate! They are in a series called Aero 72. Of course, like an idiot, by the time I found out about them, almost all were OOP! I do regret selling my Aeroclub Gauntlet, but another modeling buddy wanted one in the worst way, and I figured I could always do a conversion of the MB or Heller kits. (We need you back, John- if they ever create a Modellers' Hall of Fame, I think you and the late Gordon Stevens and Alan Hall would be in the inaugural group...just my personal opinion!) But, I digress! Happy New Year, Graham!

Mike

I have the AZ Swedish Hart and a couple of the Gauntlets.  The Swedish Hart in the box looks much better than the A Model kits, especially now that I have built a few.  I have also heard that some of the struts, like the interplane struts on the Gauntlet are a bit short.  I'll find out for sure when I get to building one.  The Avis Hart and A Model Hector, except for the differently shaped nose on the Hector, are from the same original set of molds.  Again, except for the nose on the Hector, the sprues are laid out exactly the same. 

Later,

Dave

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17 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Paul,

 

IIRC Aeroclub did the Jaguar engine and prop in white metal- the set was EP007, but probably hard to find, I would imagine. Engines & Things did one in resin- the set was ENG72026; I have one, and it is very nice! You can go to the Roll Models website to see if they are still in stock. Hope this helps!

Mike

Mike

 

Thanks, I'll take a look

 

Paul

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To correct some earlier information, Avis did the Audax, not the Hart.  A Model does the Hart. 

 

Here is the parts tree lay out and first few assembly steps for the Audax:

 

Avis Hawker Audax Instructions

 

and here is the same for the A Model Osprey:

 

A Model Hawker Osprey Instructions

 

 The fuselage and wing set ups are the only differences.  I couldn't find the A Model Hart kit this morning, but it is out in the garage somewhere and I would expect the parts layout to include the fuselage and wings are the same as the Audax, you just use some of the other ones that the Audax has greyed out.

Later,

Dave

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Avis and Amodel kits use the same basic moulds, I have built the Hector and Audax and found them very good indeed although need some careful construction. Have the Osprey landplane and floatplane in the stash. Less happy with the AZ series, I thought the wings were too thick and just did'nt look right.

Cheers, Pauk

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you want it a bit larger, you can't do much wrong with the Inpact/Pyro/LifeLike /Lindberg Fury, Bulldog and Gladiator. The Airfix Fury is said to have a better shape all round, but allegedly the kit started out as a Merit, and it shows. Inpact has the still excellent rib tape depiction. Don't even think about the Smer ex Merit Bulldog. Except PERHAPS for the decals if you can find one really cheap. No guarantees. ..

 

For 72nd, I join the Airfix Bulldog and Matchbox Fury and Siskin voters. All three lovely little kits, and Airfix 's engine is really good considering it's older than me. I also always liked the MB Walrus. And their Wellesley, even though it's not a biplane. The latter may offer some additional potential as it IIRC contains a carb intake with a Vokes  (?) filter not used on the original markings options. 

 

I really hope Revell did not send any of these moulds to Alanger. ...

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My only problem with the Airfix Bulldog is that the prop has been moulded the wrong way round - the backs of the blades face forward - and I haven't been able to come up with a satisfactory substitute.

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