Frog's 1/72 Buccaneer

[Pat C]

Thought you might like to see a few pics of the Frog 1/72 Buccaneer made up. Not sure if this kit was ever reissued by Novo and if not, why not.

To say this was a challenging build would be a massive understatment. First problem was that the upper fuselage hung over the bottom fuselage requiring a lot of work to smooth out and a not terribly successful attempt to avoid the sides of the intakes looking flat.

The kit is also completely see-through. I inserted drinking straws into the exhausts and after blocking off the intakes crudely with bits of plastikard, I glued in a roll of paper into each one. It sounds odd but it worked. The kit comes with a load of four Martel missiles but I wanted to do mine clean so I fashioned my own pylons.

The pilots are Matchbox and were essential to fill the sparse cockpit, and the tail bumper and arrestor hook are from the Aeroclub white metal set. For some reason the Matchbox and Airfix Buccaneers in this scale do not have the wing vortex generators and the wing mounted radar warning receivers that this kit does have. Frog even remembered that one of the vortex generators was removed on the wings of the Martel aircraft.

Kit was finished with decals from the Xtradecal S2 sheet. Was quite pleased with how it turned out in the end, but suspect most people would turn to the Airfix kit for an FAA aircraft or an early RAF one with the flat bomb-bay. The Matchbox kit has the bulged bomb-bay so is no good for an FAA aircraft unless you want to try major surgery.

[Takamota]

Not bad at all. Like the satin finish you got on it

[David Womby]

Thought you might like to see a few pics of the Frog 1/72 Buccaneer made up. Not sure if this kit was ever reissued by Novo and if not, why not...........................

For some reason the Matchbox and Airfix Buccaneers in this scale do not have the wing vortex generators and the wing mounted radar warning receivers that this kit does have.

Lovely work and one of my favourite aircraft. I always wondered what the Frog one would build up like.

There are various Russian boxings of the kit. They are post-Novo era but are available.

IIRC, the Airfix one does have vortex generators in both NA39 and S2 issues (you can just make them out on the starboard wing in pic below) but you are right - neither it nor MBox has the commonly carried wing RWRs. Strange omission!

Once again - well done!

David W.

[AnonymousA667]

Not sure if this kit was ever reissued by Novo and if not, why not.

It was to have been released under the deal with Novoexport, but it appears that Novoexport folded before this happened. At least one of the Russian collectives manufactured kits from the tooling - I have one - but I couldn't tell you the source as it was simply polybagged with no header. In any case the tooling was mis-used and the parts are poorly moulded. You're better off looking for original Frog boxings for one to build.

peebeep

[Pat C]

IIRC, the Airfix one does have vortex generators in both NA39 and S2 issues

My mistake! I've got a Matchbox one on the go at the moment and as I've got some spare Frog wings I was thinking of trying to graft these on. Would also love to do an S1 in 1/72 but I can't bring myself to take a razor saw to a kit to fit the resin intakes!!

Pat

[David Womby]

Would also love to do an S1 in 1/72 but I can't bring myself to take a razor saw to a kit to fit the resin intakes!!

Pat

Do it! Come on Pat - you know you want an all over white S1 to go next to this Frog S2!

David