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Kinetic is to announce a brand new tool 1/48th modern jet a/c kit in ten days at the Shizuoka hobby Show 2015. Bets are off. To be followed V.P.

Hello everybody , after roughly 20 years away from the hobby , I'm back in the business ! Considerring that I have everything to (re)learn and new technics to discover and apply, I' ve decided to start with a rather basic kit. It will be a french carrier born classic : The Etendard IV M. The model is the very single one available in this scale : the Heller one that I bought 30 years ago ! The general shape is very accurate, but most details are inexistent , to sum up what I'm expecting from this model : it will be no picnic ! Let's start with the "bang seat" a Martin Baker Mk4. Détails in scratch ( copper wire , an old toothpaste tube , platic card ). See you !

Super Étendard/Super Étendard Modernisé (48010 & 72010) 1:48 & 1:72 TG Decals There isn’t a huge raft of available kits of the Super Étendard in 1:48, but 1:72 is a little better served, although not very recently, so it’s a bit of a toss-up which scale comes off best - or worst. If you’re reading this and thinking 1:48, you’d better get your hands on a Kitty Hawk kit now if you haven’t already, as they’re not going to be around forever since their recent closure. The SuE was a development of the Étendard, and replaced it as France’s primary carrier-borne fighter from the late 70s to 2016 during which time it saw action in some interesting places, after which it was replaced by the Rafale M in French service, another Dassault design. There is a set in each scale, and both arrive in the same style packaging in the form of a resealable clear foil bag with a translucent white header, and the instructions and decal sheet(s) safely in the middle of the folded instructions. The number of sheets varies between scales from 2 for 1:48 to 1 for 1:72, whilst providing the same markings for both scales. Colours for the five aircraft are called out in Model Master, Humbrol, Tamiya, Gunze Sangyo, Vallejo, AMMO and Hataka codes, as well as swatches for colour matching. The quality of the instructions is excellent, printed on both sides of thick A4 glossy paper to a high standard, with additional notes near areas of interest. From either sheet you can decal the following: Super Étendard Modernisé 44, 2˚ Escuadrilla Aeronaval De Caza Y Ataque, Base Aeronaval Comandante Espora, Argentina 2020 Super Étendard 0752/3-A-202 Armada Argentina, 2˚ Escuadrilla Aeronaval De Caza Y Ataque, Base Aeronaval Comandante Espora, Argentina 2010* Super Étendard 41, Aviation Navale Flottille 14F Ban Landivisiau, June 1983 Super Étendard Modernisé 1, Flottille 17F Aircraft Carrier Charles De Gaulle, March 16, 2016* Super Étendard Modernisé 8, Flottille 11F Kandahar, Afghanistan, 2008 * There are alternate nose and tail markings for various periods of these airframes’ career, with scrap drawings showing the details, with alternate markings and information both about the changes and the reason for them. 1:48 (48010) 1:72 (72010) The decals are developed by TG in Guatemala and printed for them in the USA with good registration, sharpness and colour density, plus a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. In addition to the usual solid colours, there are also small areas of gold and silver on the sheets, the largest decal being the Super Étendard logo above the French and Argentinian flags, which are provided as optional extras for a name plaque or similar. Incidentally, the two sheets don't share the same numbering schema, so don't confuse yourself like I did when looking at both sheets with only one set of instructions Conclusion The detail visible on the sheets and the instructions for both sets are exemplary, and include a set of stencils and maintenance data blocks if your kit doesn’t have them, or the originals are a bit lacklustre. Highly recommended. Currently available from their Facebook Page Review sample courtesy of [img= https://www.britmodeller.com/reviews/tgdecals/logo.gif]

After the Super Etendard (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234993552-148-amd-ba-super-etendard-by-kitty-hawk-box-artcads-release-1q2016/) it seems that Kitty Hawk is also working on a 1/48th AMD-BA Etendard IVM/P kit. To be followed. Thanks Laurent (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234993552-148-amd-ba-super-etendard-by-kitty-hawk-box-artcads-release-1q2016/?p=2230674)! V.P.

Etendard IVP/IVM 1:48 Kittyhawk The Étendard was the final iteration of a number of similar designs that were initially intended as a light fighter for France, with possible customers in other NATO countries, which when beefed-up was considered for naval aviation, with ruggedised prototypes constructed soon after. Named the Étendard IV, the French navy ordered IVM fighters, and a smaller number of IVP reconnaissance variantsf or operation from their carrier fleet beginning in the early 60s. They were well-liked by their pilots, as they excelled in manoeuvrability and were a joy to fly. A quick look on YouTube will find you plenty of footage of pilots enjoying themselves at the controls. Originally scheduled to be replaced by the Jaguar M, this plan was sabotaged by Dassault lobbying, who just happened to have the Super Étendard waiting in the wings. The SuE replaced the Étendard on the carriers at the beginning of the 80s, with the last airframe withdrawn from service toward the end of the decade. As France was the sole operator, there were no Étendards left flying at that point, with a few finding their way to museums around the world. The SuE has now been replaced by the Rafale M in turn after a long career, with the last flight in 2016. The Kit Having already kitted the Super Étendard, so it was only natural for Kittyhawk (KH) to kit her older sibling due to parts commonality, and here she is, fairly soon after the SuE, which you can read about here. This new kit shares many of the sprues with the SuE due to their common heritage, but this kit has been moulded in a slightly different grey. The box is standard Kittyhawk fare, and inside are five sprues, two of which are still joined together after being folded over - a bit of a pet-hate of mine, even though it is easily resolved with a pair of sprue cutters. The clear sprue is separately bagged, and the two sheets of decals are supplied in a ziplok bag that also contains the Photo-Etch (PE) sheet. The instruction booklet has a glossy cover, and in the centrefold is a 4xA4 fold-out painting and decaling guide that can be pulled off the staples for easier reference if you like. Construction begins with the seat and cockpit tub, which builds up from individual surfaces for improved detail, and a set of crew belts are added to the well-detailed seat from PE. Decals are supplied for the main instrument panel and side consoles, which have a black background for your ease. The nose gear bay is also built from individual walls, and the nose leg is added now, although it can be left off if you wish. The nose wheel is fixed between the two-part yoke, which attaches to the end of the main leg, and is braced in the bay by two more struts. The nose section of the fuselage can then be closed up, and here you have a choice of either the recce nose for the IVP with the fixed fuel probe and camera ports, or the pointed nose of the IVM with the retractable fuel probe and the blade-like ECM antenna. The main gear bay boxes and the shallower air-brake bays are then installed in the man fuselage lower surface from the inside, with the former made up from individual panels for added detail. The removable aft fuselage halves are then joined around a diagonally placed rib and the arrestor hook and fairing are glued to the underside in preparation for final fuselage assembly. Before that however, the complete basic engine is built up from two halves, front and rear faces, plus stator blades at the rear in PE, which is mated to the exhaust trunk and tail-pipe. This assembly is held inside the fuselage by a bulkhead at the front and a pair of large pins at the front of the exhaust section, allowing the exhaust to project from the fuselage. While joining the fuselage halves, a spine insert is included, as well as a lower tray at the front of the underside, which meshes with the nose section, blending the two together. With the glue dry, the remainder of the spine and both intakes are fitted along with their splitter plates, and the aft fuselage section that was built up earlier, which although it isn't mentioned in the instructions could be left off to expose the engine in a maintenance diorama, or just for the hell of it. The large tail has an insert with a large probe added to the leading edge, and has a separate rudder that is added after the two halves are mated. The elevators are both single parts, and have a PE swash-plate between them and the tail, as well as a pair of large blade antennae and their base-plates in PE too. The tail fits via a standard tongue-and-slot fixture, and a couple of little clear lights are added to the sides of the rear fairing and to the spine in front. At this point the canopy is scheduled for installation, with small pegs on the windscreen part to help with registration on the lip, and a separate canopy that can be set in the open or closed position. Now for the wings. The wings are built from the upper and lower halves, with leading-edge slats as separate parts, the folding tips, flaps and ailerons too, with a PE spoiler on the upper surface. Clear parts are added to the wingtips, and they are fitted to the root slots in the fuselage along with an additional section of the root that isn't moulded in. The main gear legs are simple struts with separate oleo-links, and a separate brake detail that fits outboard of the two part wheels. These wheels are a bit "wooden" looking, with sparse detail that might benefit from some aftermarket when it becomes available, but once on and hidden under the wings you may decide not to bother. These are fitted into the newly installed wings and then surrounded by the bay doors, which each have hinge and operating struts included, as do those for the nose. The underside is festooned with little antennae, ports and intakes/outlets, as well as a pair of optional camera bulges that run along the centreline. The airbrakes are incorrectly identified by the instructions as left and right canopies, but as it's obvious what they are, it's not a hindrance. They are made up from a styrene outer, with PE inners that have detail etched in to them for better scale effect. As a useful addition, a nifty little crew-ladder is included in the box to help you out. The weapons sprues are no strangers, and have been seen on the SuE, Jaguar and probably other kits that I can't remember too. From the box you get the following: 2 x 68mm Rocket pods 1 x PHIMAT pod 2 x Magic.2 missiles 1 x Barracuda pod 2 x twin 250kg bomb carrier (4 bombs in total) 2 x BL755 bombs 2 x Fuel tanks 2 x AS.30 missiles A full set of pylons are supplied for the weapons, with a different style for the fuel tanks, and separate adaptor rails for the Magics, plus moulded-in rails for the two types of pod. A diagram shows which pylons could take each type, but do check your references to establish a likely load if you are going for accuracy. Markings Another kit from Kittyhawk with a generous decal option count, with five available from the box. Four are in the centre pages of the instruction booklet, with the final option on the back cover, which folds out to accommodate the double-page profiles. From these options you can build one of the following: IVM White 117 of Retirement Flotille 16F – gray/grey blue over light grey blue. IVM White 118 of Retirement Flotille 16F - gray/grey blue over light grey blue. IVM White 118 of Retirement Flotille 16F, 2000 - gray/grey blue over light grey blue, with a white streamer painted down the fuselage sides and a red arrow head on the nose. IVM White 9 of Retirement Escadrille 59S, 1981 – Blue over white. IVM Retirement Escadrille 59S – NAS Hyeres – Blue over white with a red/white/blue stripe down the tail and fuselage 1961-1991. Two special schemes and three in-service airframes is a good mix, and as mentioned in the Su-17 thread, the decals are improving. The decals are sharp, in register with good colour density, but the black section of the ribbon that starts in the tail has some fine crazing if you look under magnification, which will in all probability cause no problems with application, but is worth noting. The smaller sheet contains the instrument decals and some decorative shield, and here the printing of the carrier film has drifted out of register so that the top of the instrument panels have been exposed, and great care will be needed to ensure that the delicate printing doesn't break up on application. Hopefully this is a one-off, and doesn't affect the whole batch. Conclusion Another welcome modern tooling of an important French Naval marque that will please many modellers French or otherwise. Detail is good, construction is sensibly arranged, and with five decal options and a sheet of PE completes the package. If you're PE phobic, the only folding needed is in the air-brakes, so you could always leave those closed and avoid any folding. Who will know? Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops

Hello folks, This was the first "French Navy" aircraft model that I built. The decals are from Berna. I was a little puzzle about the paint scheme colours, it looks different according to period. cheers

Hello folks, Another of my 2016 builds. This is an Etendard IVM in "Tanker" configuration. To be honest I cannot recommend the Heller model, so much work to get a decent Etendard. The Kitty Hawk one is incoming. http://www.kittyhawkmodel.com/copy-of-kh80141-1 Cheers

Dassault-Bréguet Super Étendard 1:48 Kittyhawk Model Developed from the Étendard IVM, the Super Étendard (SuE) was engineered to replace the nascent navalised Jaguar M that was cancelled due to political pressures as much as anything. It benefitted from the political clout of Marcel Dassault, as well as a more powerful engines, redesigned wing and of course updated avionics, and eventually gained an order from the French Navy that started at 100 airframes and was whittled down so that only 71 were built in the end. With the first squadron taking delivery at the end of the 70s, and the Argentinians ordered a squadron-worth that would be used infamously during the Falklands War. Iraq also loaned five airframes in the 80s, and used them in the Iran-Iraq war along with their stash of Exocet missiles, returning all but one to Dassault a few years later, which placed serious doubt on Iran's claim to have shot down the majority of them. During the 90s new avionics were installed in a proportion of the fleet, which also received a new radar and a more modern HOTAS cockpit to reduce the pilot workload. More upgrades were done over time, but like all airframes (except the B-52) it reached its limit and was officially retired in the summer of 2016 after 42 years of service, which is quite a feat in the rapidly evolving world of aviation. The Kit This is a new tooling from Kittyhawk, hot (more like warm, actually) on the heels of another new tooling from a competitor. From the box you can build either the original SuE, or the Super Étendard Modernisé as the upgraded version was known, and decal options are included for both. The box as always with KittyHawk is a top opener, and inside are eight sprues in a blue/grey styrene, four of which are for the airframe, the balance for the weapons, which will be somewhat familiar if you have a stash of KH models. Additionally, there is a clear sprue, a sheet of brass Photo-Etch (PE) parts, and three decal sheets of varying sized, rounded out by a combined instruction booklet with painting guide distributed amongst the pages. First impressions are good with reference to the airframe, although there were six parts loose in the bags, some of which were truly tiny. This has to be a record for any kit I have debagged before, so perhaps take care when removing your sprues from the bag. In fairness, there are a number of small parts that are slide-moulded on the edge of one box-sized sprue, plus a couple of parts that stand clear of the main plane of the other large sprue, but a little foam around those parts would have prevented this. There are also some aspects of the build that are considered by some as gimmicky, such as the opening of the fuselage to expose the engine, and the positioning of the flaps in the down-only position, with the refuelling probe only able to modelled deployed without alteration. Others will have no problem with this however, or will put in the effort to ameliorate these things, but it is better to be aware of them from the outset to make an informed decision. Construction begins with the ejection seat, which is well-detailed and has a set of slightly simplified crew belts in PE. The cockpit tub is build up from individual panels on the floor plate, with separate rudder pedals and control column, detailed side consoles and instrument panel, which benefit from some undocumented decals to detail them further, and these are to be found on the mid-sized decal sheet in between a pair of scary tigers (seriously). The coaming and HUD are added at this early stage too, with two clear parts finishing off the glazing of the latter. Which will look good with some transparent green to the edges of the clear parts to give them a little extra realism. Although the nose gear bay is near to the cockpit, it isn't connected, so is built up separately from panels for extra detail, and although the nose gear leg is shown built up and installed at this point, it can just as easily be left off until later. As with many KH kits, the nose is then closed up around the cockpit, nose gear bay and the shallow refuelling probe bay on the nose. The ATAR engine is built up next, with front bullet, stator vanes and initial compressor face moulded as a single part at the front of the two part engine housing, and the final turbine blades with PE afterburner ring bringing up the rear. A two part exhaust trunk is then added, after which the fuselage front is begun, having a main gear bay and air-brake bay on each half. The two halves are split vertically, and brought together round a bulkhead, through which the front of the Atar engine is slotted, the rear being held in place by pegs that interface with the fuselage sides. A spine insert is added to the top, and the rear fuselage is assembled separately with an angled bulkhead at the leading edge, and the arrestor hook bay at the rear on the underside. These parts can be left loose to display the engine, or glued together for a more operational look to the finished model. The nose is then added to the blunt front of the fuselage along with two U-shaped fairings that form the basis of the intake trunking, which the splitter plates and outer trunking sections are added to. There are a number of ejector pins on the interior of many of these parts, from the engine to the intake/exhaust, so set aside some time to establish which will be seen so that you don't waste time filling/sanding back any unnecessarily. The nose cone is also added as a single part, which gives its nose that distinctive look and hides the Agave radar on the real thing. Don't forget the nose weight, as some is bound to be needed, although it isn't mentioned in the instructions. Another spine insert is dropped in behind the cockpit with a selection of blade antennae that will be better left of until later if they're to survive handling. A choice of parts for the later version is included here, so choose wisely pilgrim. The two-part canopy is added later, and can be posed open or closed at your whim with no extra effort, but check the correct angle before you do. The fuselage is tail-less at this point, which is remedied by building up the main fin with its separate rudder, choice of rear fairing for early or late version, and the low-T elevators and their swash plates from PE, as well as the large horizontal blade antenna on the sides of the fin. It fits into a slot in the rear of the fuselage, and you'll have to be careful of the long probe that sits on the leading edge. The main landing gear are built up with separate oleo-scissor links, brake details and two-part wheels, and are fitted after the wings are added, along with their bay doors and the air-brakes, which have PE inserts for the perforated sections. The wings have separate leading edges, wing-tips, two-part ailerons and flaps, plus a set of PE spoilers that can be set flush with the wing, or up if you wish. If you are fitting pylons and weapons, you'll also need to drill a number of holes on the underside to save you looking silly later. Clear tip lights and a separate leading edge strake give the wings good detail, but as the flap actuator fairings are set to pose them deployed, you will need to cut and reposition them if flaps down don't suit your plans. The wings slot into the fuselage via the usual slot and tab mechanism, with an additional section of fairing added as an insert before they are mated. The usual profusion of antennae, aerials, lumps and bumps are added hither and thither, and an optional recce pack gondola can be attached limpet-like behind the nose gear, after which only a handy crew-ladder and a profusion of weapons are still to be added. The weapons sprues have been seen on a number of kits so far, with varying appropriateness, depending on which kit we're talking about. They are well detailed for styrene parts, and there certainly is a wide choice for the SuE, but as always check your references for plausible loads and their locations, or go crazy and add a whole bunch of munitions if the mood takes you. From the box you get the following: 2 x 68mm rocket pods 1 x PHIMAT pod 2 x Magic 2 missiles and adapter rails 2 x GBU12 on a dual adapter rail 1 x AM-39 Exocet Missile 2 x AS-30 Bunker Busting Missile 1 x Buddy refuelling pod with choice of baskets 1 x ATLIS targeting pod 1 x Barracuda ECM pod 2 x Fuel tanks 2 x chaff & flare pods Two of the sprues are marked as from the Mirage F.1, while the other two are Jaguar sprues. The more Étendard specific gear will be found on one of the main sprues Markings This is where it gets confusing due to the distribution of the schemes throughout the booklet. One scheme is at the front, two to the rear, and another five in the centre, which are a lot easier to look at if you remove the centre pages by lifting the staples temporarily. So that's eight scheme. I think. From the box you can build one of the following: SuE Modernise Flotile 11F, 80 Years Anniversary, Sept 2002 – grey-on-grey camo, with a stylised French flag on the tail and spine SuE Iraqi Air Force – dark grey over light. SuE Flotile 11F RIAT Jul 1997 - grey-on-grey tiger-stripe camo with a tiger on the tail. SuE Modernise Flotile 11F Orland Tiger Meet, Sept 2007 – light grey all over with black tiger stripes and a tiger on the tail and rear fuselage. SuE Modernise Flotile 17F ISAF, 2007 – All over mid grey. SuE 0753, 3-A-203 of 2 Escuadrilla de Caza y Ataque – dark grey over light grey and Argentinian colours on the tail. SuE Flotile 11F, Cambrai Tiger Meet, 1986 – Dark grey over light, with tiger-striped Marine and 7 stencils. SuE Flotile 17F, No.49 - grey-on-grey camo. The rear page is devoted to the painting and decaling of the weapons and pods, although no stencils are supplied for the pylons, which is a shame. The decals are of good quality, although there are a few artefacts on the main sheet where the blue on the French flag appears a little pale and has bled in one or two places. The grey serials have also been fudged by using a dithered black ink, which although it fools the eye from the distance, it can be seen under magnification. The middle-sized sheet has subtle shading on the tiger motifs, and although the large tigers look odd flat on the sheet, this effect should disappear when wrapped around the SuE's fuselage. Conclusion Crisp moulding and the option to leave the rear fuselage off for maintenance diorama commends this kit, as does the choice of decal options. Plenty of weapons and gas tanks are also present, and as always with KittyHawk plastic, test fitting and fettling is the best way to get good results. Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops

So, after Kinetic (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981269-148-amd-ba-super-etendard-sue-super-etendard-modernise-sem-by-kinetic-released) and AMK (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234952903-amk-super-etendard-148), Kitty Hawk (aka Kitty Wok) has just announced another new tool 1/48th AMD-BA Super Etendard kit - ref. KH80138 Yes but... Why not an Etendard IVM or a Etendard IVP? Source: http://www.kittyhawkmodel.com/#!kh80138/o5uzg Box art For the producers, if you're going French, be aware there's no modern 1/48th kits from: - MD.450 Ouragan - MD.454 Mystère IV - AMD-BA Super Mystère B2 (SMB2) - SO.4050 Vautour IIA/B/N - Dassault Mirage IV - Br.1050 Alizé - Dassault Mystère/Falcon 20 - MS.760 Paris - Nord 2501 Noratlas - NH-90 TTH/NFH Caiman - SA.316 Alouette III - SA.330 (Super) Puma, AS.532 Cougar, EC.725 Caracal - SA.341/342 Gazelle - SA.321 Super Frelon etc. V.P.

Do you remember Observer's books? They were pocket sized books covering subjects such as wildlife, history and vehicles, first published in the 1930s. From 1942, there was a volume on aircraft which was intended to help people identify enemy aircraft in the sky. Each entry had a heading phot, some text describing the history of the aircraft, a set of specifications and a three-view silhouette. During the 1960s these books were very popular. The aircraft volume was updated on an annual basis and was just like a miniature Janes but it only covered aircraft currently in production. Every five years or so, there would be a special volume which would cover aircraft currently in service. As a small child I had one of these volumes and it was one of my most treasured possessions. I used to spend hours reading it and marvelling at the exotic aircraft which I was unlikely ever to see. The book featured such wonders as the OV-1 Mohawk, C-124 Globemaster II and Yak-28 Brewer. One of may favourite pages was that devoted to the Dassault Etendard. The photo showed the Etendard IVP recce version just about to take the wire on a carrier deck. I was very taken with it, especially the recce nose. I've always liked recce aircraft with modified noses. It was always my intention to build a model of this plane but at the time there was no kit of the Etendard available. So let's fast forward 45 years to the present day. Now I finally have a kit! And what's more, there is a resin conversion set for the IVP version. I'm just about to fulfil an ambition I have had for over four decades! This is the Heller 1/72 kit and the Freightdog resin conversion set. I can't wait to get started!

Super Etendard ‘Libya 2011’ 1:72 Academy The Super Etendard is a single-seat single-engined naval strike aircraft developed by renowned French aircraft manufacturer Dassault-Breguet. The Super Etendard is a direct development of the Etendard IV, an aircraft designed and flown for the first time in the 1950s. It was originally envisaged that the role undertaken by the Super Etendard would be fulfilled by the SEPECAT Jaguar M. Following political and technical issues with the Jaguar, however, the French government elected to purchase the home grown product over the navalised version of the Anglo-French Jaguar. Between 1978 and 1983, 85 Super Etendards were produced by Dassault. 14 were acquired by Argentina and 5 by Iraq (on loan). The rest equipped the Aviation Navale. Super Etendards saw combat for the first time in the Falklands War, when the Argentinians used Exocet equipped aircraft against the ships of the British task force. Iraqi Etendards were also used on combat operations during the early eighties, this time against Iranian merchant ships in the Persian Gulf. French Super Etendards have seen service in the skies over Lebanon, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya. Many are still in service, although all are due to be replaced by the multirole Dassault Rafale M. Academy’s Super Etendard has been around in one form or another for a good few years now. The plastic parts are identical to the Italeri kit which first appeared in the mid-to-late 1980s. The idea that Academy’s kit is a copy of the Italeri kit has been put forward from time to time, but it seems that the tooling actually originates from another company from the Far East called Sunny, although exact details seem to be uncertain. In any case, the kit is generally well regarded. Now Academy have released a new edition with decals for French aircraft deployed in last year’s operations over Libya. Inside the top opening box are 58 parts. 54 are moulded in glossy grey plastic, whilst the remaining four are accounted for by the clear sprue. The moulds appear to be in excellent condition for their age (they are at least 25 years old). There appear to be hints of flash here and there, but nothing that can’t be cleaned up in a few seconds with a sharp scalpel blade. Surface detail is comprised of extremely fine (almost too fine) recessed panel lines. All-in-all, this kit looks far newer than its 25 years suggest. The cockpit is comprised of a tub with sidewalls, an instrument panel, an ejector seat and a control column. Neither the instrument panel nor the side consoles feature any raised detail. I was expecting that the decal sheet would make up for this lack of detail, as that is the route taken by most manufacturers. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t. This is a shame, as I don’t think a couple of extra decals would have cost any more for Academy to produce, but I’m sure most of us can find something in the spares box to make up for this omission. The Martin Baker ejector seat is a slightly odd shape too, as the seat pan is very shallow. A resin replacement might therefore be a good idea. The fuselage is split vertically, with a separate part for the lower rear area. It’s easy to see why the manufacturer has opted to do this, as it means the tail hook recess has been realistically depicted. The main landing gear bays and the airbrake bays have also been nicely designed, and feature a reasonable amount of structural detail. The engine intakes are blanked off to prevent the dreaded see-through effect that an otherwise hollow fuselage would produce. The jet tailpipe is also nicely detailed, with a crisp, thin edge. The wings are moulded in upper and lower halves, and the trailing edges seem reasonably sharp. The horizontal stabilisers are solid parts. None of the control surfaces are moveable. The landing gear is nicely detailed, although the main gear tyres have ejector pins on their inner surfaces which will need to be carefully cleaned up. The landing gear doors feature some detail on the inner surfaces, which is a bonus. The canopy is moulded in two parts, so it can be posed in the open position if desired. You’ll probably want to add some more detail to the otherwise spartan cockpit if you choose this option though. Ordnance is comprised of one 1100 litre drop tank, two 600 litre drop tanks, a pair of R 550 Matra Magic air-to-air missiles and a single AIM-39 Exocet anti-ship missile. Two options are provided on the decal sheet: Super Etendard Modernise No. 55, French Navy Flottille 11F, 2008; and Super Etendard Modernise No. 10, Operation Harmattan, French Navy Flottille 17F, Charles de Gaulle, 2011. The decals are printed by Cartograf and look excellent. The level of fine detail that Cartograf have been able to reproduce is outstanding, and the colours are lovely and bold. The decals look nice and glossy too, which should help to minimise silvering. Conclusion Academy’s Super Etendard is generally well regarded by the modelling community. It has one or two shape issues (the distinctive ‘droop’ in the nose is too subtle), but nothing catastrophic, and it has to be said that it looks great for a 25 year old kit. The updated decals are welcome too, particularly as they are so well printed. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Pictures by Sven Harjaek taken at La Bourget museum Paris.