Quick technical query. Are the 'long' slipper tanks only for the SAAF Bucc? I read recently somewhere about the RAF/RN Buccs having both 'long' and 'short' slippers so now I'm confused!!
Cheers

Simon

As far as I am aware they were only used by the South Africans. By the way I got two today from my local Modelzone.

The larger tanks were trialled for RAF use, but abandoned - IIRC (from Tim Laming's book, I think) the problem was that the aircraft took an age to unstick, and it was realised that the presence of the rocket assisted take off gear in the SAAF Buccs offset the presence of the bigger tanks, so there was no adverse CoG issue for the SAAF aircraft whereas there was a bit of an issue (of the 'Mmmm, that hedge at the end of the runway is getting awfully close...' variety) for the British aircraft.

The bomb bay door tank (which, again IIRC, was being developed at the same time) was thought to do a good enough job to make it unecessary to worry about the bigger tanks, and plans to use these in RAF service were dropped.

Thank you very much for 'shedding some light' all is now clear! I am very pleased to say that I acquired 3 Buccs from E-Models today and I agree everyones comments. Mine cost me £9.89 apiece (10% off RRP) and I might be persuaded to acquire 1 or 2 more! I already have 3 sets of Aeroclub seats, 2 Aeroclub canopies, 1 set of Heritage S1 intakes and an Odds and Ordnance nose/tailplane/brake set! Not sure whether I really need the Aeroclub canopies but I definately need some extra OAO sets - and his production problems right now are a real pity..... Ihope Cameron gets sorted out very rapidly! E-Models received 5 kits this week and sold all of them straight away so my 3 are part of their second order. I rather think this kit will sell very well!
Cheers

Simon

I get the impression you are looking to build the odd Buccy or two Simon

I need one for this Buccy

was referring to the aircraft white 020 not Our Kid who is gonna kill me

Taken in the summer of 1976 NAS Cecil Fields
if anyone could provide a serial number would be extremely grateful

XV869 S.2D Embarked HMS Ark Royal - coded '020/R' on 6/10/1975, passed to RAF 27/11/1978
(Cruises: 1xHome & Mediterranean Sea + 1xAtlantic + 3xHome & Mediterranean Sea + 1xAtlantic)

Airfix should have used this a/c for the RN decals and not the incorrect S.2C XV344 ones!

Hi Blackjet

brilliant!
I may be able to sort the codes from generic decals sets
many thanks- much appreciated

So just to clarify apart from the South African big fuel tanks and the LGB's this kit is the same as the old Airfix Buccaneer S2 kit. Which my opinion was OK, I have built them before and still have some in the box to build. So its a nice to see in the shops again, but a shame that parts for an S1 could not have been produced ?

You also get the early style pylons which are needed for early versions and for the XV344 RN decals which is an S.2C

The new release has 2 smallish new sprues. Engraved detail is finer than most recent Airfix releases (ie more Sabre than MiG-15).

Sprue 1

2 x SAAF slipper tanks
2 x Paveway II
1 x AIM-9J Sidewinder
1 x Pave Spike
1 x AN/ALQ 101

Sprue 2

4 x SNEB pods (NB RAF issue, not the 2" rocket pods required for FAA Buccaneers)
2 x ECM bullets
1 x Sidewinder launch rail
2 x smaller wingtip fairings for Gulf War option
4 x small pylons for use with rocket pods
6 pylons, 4 for Paveways, Sidewinders, etc and 2 not mentioned in instructions.

Quite nice quality and they rather show up the original kit, with its raised detail, and the parts from the last upgrade (eg Sea Eagles). No sign that any parts from the last boxing have been revised. Comprehensive transfer sheet eg 14 subjects for the ALQ 101 and pylon alone!

Nick

Yeaahhh! Finally got my hands on 2 this morning.

Eng

Lucky devil. I wish i could get my hands on a pair at any time of the day

Oh I did get the Bucc's as well

Eng

Is the Heritage S1 set still available? I looked at their website the other day and they didn't appear to be listed.

I think that if you look back a bit in this thread you will see that Heritage are going to be re-releasing it! I have also found myself making comments that someone else has already aired on the previous page or so but I put it down to youthful impetuosity (I wish!). One thing I will say though, I have a heritage set and, at £3.50, I was very pleased to have them (and still am) but I have recently discovered that the compressor faces can't be any more than a couple of feet behind the intakes, ie very visible, but my 'old' heritage ones are just 'holes' so I will have to scratchbuild something to make them a bit more realistic!

point taken with the 809 squadron one, but be careful with the Gulf War markings too..on mine the serial on the decal sheet reads XW895...which is actually a Gazelle, NOT a Bucc...the aircraft serial should be XX895

just noticed this and wondered if anyone else has

steve

Noticed that one also

Hugh.

Thanks for the replies.

I have the Model Alliance Buccaneer sheet and their Ark Royal sheet (which features an all white S1).

I had thought about modifying the old Airfix NA39 into an S1 but that looks like too formidable task.

RAF and RN Buccs had two styles of slipper tanks-is that what you read about?

got hold of the airfix s1 it was a wreck when i got it looking ok now put the fin off the s2 on looks like an s1 now

got 4 more buccs to make

Not sure now. Are the long tanks in the new kit for the SAAF Bucc only? I read somewhere in this thread that they only worked with the SAAF jets because they had the RATO kit? Can you explain the differences with regard to these 2 styles for RAF and FAA jets?

Wish I knew of a sheet featuring S1's ! They seem to be thin on the ground! Maybe MA will release one if they start doing the old SAM 'correction' set? But won't they need to include stencils (MA don't seem to do much ofthat!) as I pressume a white jet will have pink and pale blue stencils like TSR 2?

Model Art sheet 72033 had three S1s: XK533/LM/682 700Z NAS, XN953/E/109 800 NAS, XN965/LM/636 809 NAS White anti-flash scheme. This is the only one I can think of other than the Model Alliance one.

Look at photographs of Buccs and you will notice the difference. Some have a wide, more blunt fairing and others have a longer rounded fairing sloping more towards the tip of the tank
http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Ha...aneer/1653617/L
http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Navy/H...neer/1323469/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Ha...neer/1050799/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Navy/H...neer/0517366/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Navy/H...neer/0517366/L/

I thought I could see those differences as well but there was no mention in the captions so I thought it was the viewing angles. I know that a modifcation had to be made at the wing junction with the front of the tank when a couple of RN Buccaneers stalled on catapult launch - it could be that the RN tanks had the more faired in versions of the tanks and the later RAF tanks didn't?

The RAF used both types, the mod tanks mainly on RAFG a/c (possibly hand-over items from RN)
Look here for info on tank mods
http://www.blackburn-buccaneer.co.uk/Pages...pult_Index.html

Getting into to this late, but I think there is some confusion in this discussion about what tanks are being discussed. The mods to the British tanks are not relavant to the longer, higher capacity tanks used on SAAF Buccs. I am fairly certain that SAAF Buccs used a higher capacity (450 gal. if memory serves) tank that were never used on any British Buccs. The mods discussed in the last few posts had much more subtle differences in shape than the difference b/w British Bucc tanks and the high capacity tanks used by SAAF Buccs. All this by memory so please let me know if I am way off base here. - Jack

No confusion, see post 69

Should have made it clear that my posts are about the standard tanks not the SAAf ones (I don't think the RAF or RN used these either - always thought they were made for the ferry trip to SA!)

Picked up one today and have noticed another error on the decal sheet. The RN version is supplied as XV344 (which I see has already been pointed out to be wrong anyway for that version) but the small white serials for the rear fuselage section don't even match (on mine at least). One is the 'correct' XV344 and the other is XV869! Given, its only a small decal and will probably not be noticed when on the finished model but it's a bit of a silly error no? Have I just got a duff sheet?

Other than that the kit looks alright, the new sprues look good quality, shame they couldn't re-vamp the older sprues as well but I guess that would require an expensive full re-tool. The canopy is quite poor as well IMO so I will need to change that if one is available.

My decal sheet has the same fault regarding the fuselage serials. Not too bad a problem if you intend to build/buy 2 buccs.

Had not noticed that, mainly cos I shelved the kit untill I can get some new RN decals! At least XV869 was an S.2D! Well that's one decal less for Walrus to find, to do 020!

Thank you for that. I had a look at the Model Art sheet yesterday and, guess what, the only all white one is also the only all white one on the MA sheet! Taht is despite the fact that the Model Art info says that these are transition markings whilst the jet was going from one squadron to another and mentions the side number and LM tail codes in pale blue. You'd have thought Model Alliance could have been a bit more original!! I'm going loopy trying to sort out some anti flash white S1 markings!!! I know Richard Caruana did some for SAMI or MAMI or whatever but printing decals off the internet is too much of a black art for me!! Maybe Fantasy or Xtradecal can do one - with a full anti flash stencil set?

Have looked for a thread without success that discussed the tailplane/ RWR corrections.
So rather than open a new thread thought would ask here.

The 1/72 kit apparently has some issues with The tailplanes and RWR fairings, though I am struggling to see a great deal wrong.
However as the kit is intended as a presentation I want to get it as correct as possible.

Would the Odds and ordnance's resin set be accurate for XV869 S.2D Embarked HMS Ark Royal - coded '020/R' on 6/10/1975, passed to RAF 27/11/1978 please?

I don't really know Paul but when I compared the O & O tailplane with the Airfix one, I really couldn't see any significant difference, apart from the deflected 'elevators'!!

Thanks Simon
Like I said, I keep seeing it said there is something wrong, but not seeing anything.
It could be me.
The S2D has a different shape on the rear RWR fairing. Guess it would be more of a dum dum bullet rather than the pointed fairing on the kit
Is the O&O one similarly pointed please?

Just checked Freightdogs resin update set and something looks different!

The rear fin bullet is shorter than the Airfix kit part - whether its suitable for your S2D I don't know though.

http://www.freightdogmodels.co.uk/product_...69ac616601f8c5c

As I said lastnight at the club meet I'me going to the Nationals on Sunday... so do you want the set from Freightdog?
regards
paul

I've got both the Airfix and O & O tailplanes in front of me. If we assume that the O & O one is correct then I would say that the front part of the fin extension above the t/plane is extends maybe 2mm forward of the leading edge whereas the Airfix one stops at the le. The O & O has a smooth curve forwards and down whereas the Airfix one curves downward and then drops abruptly to the bullet. The O & O rear bullet is probably a bit more pointed and the upper part of the fin (above the t/plane) is a better aerodynamic shape in plan view. Also the Ant-coll beacon is further back on the Airfix unit. Not massive differences but you may think that £5.50 is a good investment - it depends on how many Buccs you're building. I have 4 so I went to Plan B!

To answer your question - not a dum-dum tail bullet so the Freight Dog unit could be a good move. I must say that I prefer the look of the O & O nose and airbrake. Maybe the best bet is to buy an O & O one and file the tail bullet flat? No wing mounted RWR fairings in the O & O kit but I presume not required for a 'D' model ? The O & O one now includes the IFR probe I believe and Cameron is very fair with his postage!
Cheers

Simon

Thanks very much chaps!
need to have a look again and weigh up options.

Oh what have you done? Lots of goodies there including (coming soon) a Lightning T bird conversion for the gastly Trumpeter (finally I might be able to do something with all those horrors in the stash). Thanks for pointing this out.