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Work started at 8.30 pm on Thursday 28th March, 2013 Mrs at work.....Check,Kids in bed..check....Right lets go!!! I down loaded the PDF file from the Eduard website of the Brass etched kit that I had ordered(49437) and took it on a data stick into my local printers to have it printed and blown up to A3 size.......Cracking Idea because the kit comes with the same sheets but in A4.....and when your dealing with tiny peices,its worth paying the Tenner so you can see what you trying to acheive!!!. The printed sheet is also in colour as aposed to the black and white A4 kit instructions. I started following the Eduard instructions as well as the Airfix kit ones, and was instructed to cut off a large peice of the cockpit interiour which was exess to the kit/model,shortening the Navigators station. It seems the interior of the kit is the same for both the PR9 and B1(8) models. I built the Ejector seats and Cockpit interior at the same time so as to keep me busy and I coated the items when dry with Humbrol 85 Satin Coal black.

Here's my take on on the short-lived scheme worn by the SAAF Canberra B(I) 12 in the early 70s (?) - Reference material and photos were hard to come by. Used the Airfix B(I)8 kit with bits from an Eduard etch set, Quickboost gun pack, Freightdog intakes and a mix of Model Alliance decals and those supplied in the kit. Wife is celebrating the extra space in the front room now I've thrown the box out - her glee will be short-lived.... Apologies for the number of photos.

Good evening. My first model finished this year and only my 4th model in the past 25 years. Always wanted to build a Canberra PR7 but didnt know where to start. I wanted to build the following aircraft as I had an old photo of my fathers which showed the aircraft in flight and allegedly the head behind the pilots was his, he was a photographer with 31 Sqdn at Laarbruch about 1965. Heres the photo:- Its not the best quality unfortunately. I started with the Airfix Canberra B2 and then purchased the ALLEYCAT PR3/7 conversion, a bit daunting for me as I'd never had to do so much surgery to a model before, the fuselage was cut in two between the wing and cockpit and a spacer was inserted, this gave me the extra 14" of fusalage length, the underside also had to be cut apart to fit the forward and aft camera bays. I made various internal bulkheads and cameras but unfortunately because of all the sanding that was required, the aircraft internals are now full of very fine dust which i can't get out. The model went together reasonably painlessly without any major dramas. I had decided to spraypaint the aircraft, again this is something I had never done before but I could never get close to a good finish using brushes. The paints are Halfords grey primer for the dark sea grey, Halfords racking grey for the light aircraft grey and the Tamiya dark green AS-9 (thanks to various forum members for the suggestions). I am very pleased with the outcome, also attempted some slight weathering for the first time. I generally used the AIRFIX in box decals but the register is out and the stencils look dull orrange instead of the proper yellow. Anyway heres the finished model, I'm happy with the result, I'm tempted to make another one and correct bits that I'm not 100% happy with.:- Again, thanks to forum members for their help with the various questions I had (especially John).. All comments welcome.. Mark.

I have started on my 1/48 Airfix Canberra B2 and am converting it to a PR7, I have fitted the Alley Cat conversion which lengthens the fuselage etc... There appears to be quite a few options for camera ports both fore and aft of the bomb bay. Does anyone know the typical layout of the camera bays of a mid 60's Canberra? I have googled numerous photographs but there arent many showing a clear view of the underside. Did the camera ports have retractable covers? as some of the photos show camera ports in slightly different positions. Finally if anyone knows where I can lay my hands on Model Alliance Decal sheet MA48127 or just the decals for 31 Squadron (Tail flash and squadron badge only) I'd be very grateful. Thanks Mark.

Hello, does anyone have any experience with the CMK cockpit for this kit? http://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/shop/canberra-interior-4239-p-34237.html This link seems to suggest that it includes the navigator's cockpit, although other photos of the resin parts seem to contradict this (perhaps some confusion between the 1/72 and 1/48 scale sets?). What about fit - How does it compare to the Pavla sets? I saw a build on here a while ago that indicated the Pavla set took some work to get right... Any words of wisdom? Thanks, Andrew

English Electric Canberra PR.9 1:72 Revell To put into perspective what the Canberra was, let's first look at the fact it was only retired 6 years ago in 2006 from RAF service. Yet it started out in life as a replacement for the De havilland Mosquito as an unarmed bomber and first flew in 1949. Not many aircraft have provided half a century of military service. In RAF service, it served 35 squadrons and around the world served 15 countries. It was a success right from the drawing board and went into service initially in B.2 form replacing the Mosquito, Lincoln and Washington and shortly after, the PR.3 in the reconnaissance role. The B.6 with more powerful engines and greater fuel capacity replaced the B.2 at UK bases freeing the B.2's to form overseas squadrons. From 1955, the Canberra was replaced in the high level bombing role by the Valiant, so its future lay in low level attack. This led to the B(I)8 with the fighter style cockpit as oppose the dome shaped canopy with numerous revisions to suit the low down role including nuclear strike capability and external hardpoints. By 1972, all bomber versions of the Canberra were retired from RAF service, but it continued to serve in the reconnaissance role in PR.7 & PR.9 form and it was the PR.9 that stayed in service until 2006. In its time, it broke the world altitude record three times, achieving over 70,000ft and won the 'Last Great Air Race' flying from London to Christchurch in 23hrs 51 min, a record that still stands today. Whilst there are many examples of British aircraft failing in their bid for international success, the Canberra really was one of our greatest aviation achievements in that respect, not only being exported to many countries, but being licence built in the USA and Australia. The kit Don't get too excited here, this is the old Matchbox kit revisited, so the kit you are about to look at has a history comparable to the real thing ! The three colour scheme has been replaced by Revell's normal light grey coloured sprues of which there's three and a clear one. First impressions are more of nostalgia than anything else, quite a change from the Eduard 1/72 Bf110 I've just reviewed. That said, it looks like a Canberra and is an ideal kit for beginners and young modellers due to its simplicity. The instructions are black and white A4 pages with good clear diagrams and decaling / painting instructions at the rear. Assembly starts with the cockpit area. The moulding of the pilots is actually quite detailed, but the seats are very basic as is the rest of the cockpit. As not much will be seen inside, this isn't a major concern. In not too much time at all, you will be closing the fuselage up and attaching the wings. I suspect there will be some filler use around these major sections. The bomb bay can be built either open or closed, however being a reconnaissance bird, it doesn't house weapons so there isn't any. There is some flash around the sprues, which you would expect as these moulds have been around since 1978. If you do want to get one of these, you may want to add some extra detail, perhaps give it a rescribe to add some interest to those vast open surfaces of plastic. The engine intakes and exhausts fit onto each end of the nacelles moulded into the wing sections. You can have the wheels up or down, so this could make a nice 'in flight' display piece. If you choose to have the wheels down, there is no wheel well detail, so you may want to do something about that. The undercarriage is fairly basic in detail, I would describe it as adequate. The canopy is one piece, so unless you get a vac replacement, you won't be able to have it open. That said, with such a basic interior, you won't want to unless you give it a make over. Whilst the canopy looks a little thick, I should imagine that after a dip in Kleer it won't look too bad if you decide to use it. Also on the sprue are the wing navigation lights and forward windows. The decals The decal sheet does look rather nice. There is some very fine stencils, in fact there's an incredible amount of stencils ! The instructions are well written and show clearly where each stencil goes as each is numbered for ease. The register on the decals is spot on and the printing is very crisp. Two options are provided: XH136 No.39 Sqn, No.1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit RAF based at Karup AB, Denmark during 'Best Focus' in 1982 wearing the camouflage green/grey over light grey scheme XH135 No.13 Sqn, No.1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit RAF based at RAF Wyton 1991 wearing the hemp over light grey scheme Conclusion This is an old kit that's been resurrected. Airfix released a new PR.9 quite recently with much more detail, so the competition is strong, however Revell must have their reasons to release this. Detail is very basic, being of typical Matchbox output of the 1970's. That said, it has a lovely decal sheet and would be a great kit to help to build your way out of modellers block and is well priced. It's also a great kit to get kids into modelling, in fact my 7 son is quite excited about being asked if he wants to build it. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

Hello gents, So, i've picked the revell canberra pr9 from Telford and want it in the hemp colour. Who makes the closest to this colour. I'm struggling to get something to look right. Cheers, Dave

Revell New Releases 25th October 2012 RV04652 Revell 1:32 - Westland Sea Lynx Mk.88/HAS.Mk.2 SRP - £19.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV04666 Revell 1:32 - Heinkel He219 A-7 "UHU" SRP - £49.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV04824 Revell 1:48 - TA 154 Mistel & Fw190 SRP - £36.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV04281 Revell 1:72 - BAC Canberra PR.9 SRP - £12.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV07406 Revell 1:24 - Kenworth Dump Truck SRP - £49.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV03235 Revell 1:35 - German Staff Car 'G4' SRP - £19.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV05115 Revell 1:144 - U-Boat Typ IIB SRP - £12.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV07080 Revell 1:24 - BMW Z8 SRP - £17.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV06677 Revell Easykit - Sith Infiltrator (Episode 1) SRP - £26.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV06734 Revell Easykit Pocket - TIE Fighter ""Pocket"" SRP - £8.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV06735 Revell Easykit Pocket - Imperial Star Destoryer""Pocket"" SRP - £8.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV06736 Revell Easykit Pocket - Boba Fett's Slave I ""Pocket"" SRP - £8.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV04863 Revell 1:144 - Space Shuttle and Boeing 747 SRP - £19.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV04865 Revell 1:48 - MQ-9 Reaper UAV SRP - £17.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV39694 Revell - Masking Tape - 6mm SRP - £2.25 Received - 25 of October 2012 RV39695 Revell - Masking Tape - 10mm SRP - £2.99 Received - 25 of October 2012 

EB-57 Pics by Darwin from the Combat Air Museum in Kansas