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Showing results for tags 'Heller/Humbrol'.
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A comparison build in more ways than one. Both kits first appeared in the 1970s, and whilst not necessarily the first choice for a Gladiator nowadays, both are still pretty decent, The Heller version as repackaged by Humbrol, with rather uninspiring box art has some lovely surface detail, but is marred by the huge holes for the rigging and a cockpit that is very narrow to allow for the open canopy option. Matchbox biplanes were always some of their better efforts, and the Gladiator is still a worthy inclusion in Revell's range. It doesn't quite have the same surface finesse, but apart from the cowling the overall shape is probably better. Both built mostly OOB, the Heller has the somewhat pointless addition of the the Airwaves cockpit etch, and some of the displaced plastic has ended up in the Matchbox 'pit. The Heller uncovered wheels are a poor effort, so were replaced with ones from Pavla, whilst the underwing gun barrels were Quickboost. I've tried to show two aircraft from the same small batch at very different points in their careers. The Heller version represents an aircraft (N2313) of 605 Squadron just before the outbreak of the war, when 'nearly new', and was inspired by the superb aerial photo of the vic of three in the Wing Leader book. Decals from Kits-World, Alclad white aluminium undersurfaces with Mr Hobby aqueous dark earth (which is very light) and Tamiya dark green on the topside. In contrast, N2308 is represented as on the books of 247 Squadron in the Autumn of 1940 - from 605 Squadron, then to France with 615 Squadron, where it acquired the shadow compensating camouflage scheme, before being one of the few 615 Squadron Gladiators to return to England after the fall of France. At some point in time it was fitted with a Watts 2 bladed propeller. Xtradecal markings, Humbrol duck egg blue (23) for the undersurfaces, and the top surfaces in dark green, light earth (both Humbrol), light green (Colourcoats) and dark earth (Xtracolour). Jon
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