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Hawker P.1127 (A01033V) 1:72 Airfix Vintage Classics Following experiences of WWII and the Korea war, it occurred to British and American military procurement that a fighter and ground-attack aircraft capable of operating from unmade short fields would be a useful tool to avoid the inconvenience that a heavily cratered runway could cause. Hawker took this onboard, and it was decided to use the Bristol Pegasus vectored thrust engine that was in development at the time to create an airframe that could take-off and land vertically, rendering long airfields optional. Well-known engineers Stanley Hooker and Sidney Camm were key to the creation and integration of the new type of engine into an airframe, using ‘cold’ nozzles at the front, and hot nozzles at the rear, although from a human perspective they were both extremely hot, but the rear nozzles were significantly hotter. The key take-away is not to stand in front of either nozzle when the engine is running. The nozzles didn’t provide enough fine-control to the pilot, so puffer-jets were added, routing air from the engine to the wingtips and nozzles under the nose and tail, giving the new aircraft the stability it required to hover without killing all involved in a ball of flame and tangled debris. There is conjecture about who pushed the project along, but with the parlous state of British aviation thanks to devastating post-war cut-backs, and the infamous Sandys report, funding was harder to acquire than it might otherwise have been. The NATO requirement that had originally been one of the Hawker goals was also revised, and it looked unlikely that the P.1127 would fulfil its needs, even in its finished production state. America expressed interest during development, and several airframes were transferred to them for evaluation, which were positively received, although concerns were expressed about the longevity of the inflatable intake lips, which resulted in their replacement with more traditional blow-in doors. More powerful variants of the Pegasus engine were also fitted, although NATO was also interested in a supersonic option, which was ultimately cancelled as part of the range of cut-backs in the early 60s. Aircraft Carrier trials were also undertaken, proving that the short/vertical take-off and landing STOVL capability was a great benefit to carrier operations, eventually leading to ruggedised Sea Harriers some years later. In the UK, the aircraft was initially called the Kestrel as it neared the end of initial development, whilst in US circles it became the AV-8A, and by 1967 initial production airframes were delivered to the RAF, where it was given the name Harrier due to its differences from the earlier prototypes, going into service as the Harrier GR.1 at the start of a glittering career. The Kit This kit was tooled in 1963 when the Harrier was just a bird, and not the coolest air show performer ever, or a useful aircraft in the RAF, FAA, USMC and other nations’ Air Forces, some of whom are still flying their later variants. It represents the development airframe, and is a product of its time that is wearing pretty well given its age, certainly better than this reviewer, who is somewhat younger. It has been re-released in Airfix’s Vintage Classic range, and is deserving of the moniker because it’s a vintage kit of a classic airframe in its early days whilst still under development. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with the original artwork on the front, and profiles for the decal option on the rear. Inside the box are five sprues without exterior runners in grey styrene, plus a clear sprue, decal sheet and short instruction booklet. The model is covered in fine raised rivets and panel lines, and was tooled when moulds were cut from master pattern s. The moulds have worn very well, given that they’re 60+ years old, and interior detail is minimal, consisting of a pilot on an ejection seat that fills the narrow cockpit, and would have been well-received at the time when a full pilot was rare. There are nozzles with louvred exhausts, a depiction of the front face of the engine, and although the gear bays are blank, the rear bay is covered entirely, while the nose bay has a pair of doors, and there is a choice of retracted or deployed gear, which also extends to the outriggers that were at the wingtips at this point in the aircraft’s development. Construction begins with the fuselage, which in vintage style includes the pilot, seat, two blank sidewalls in the cockpit, plus a bulkhead with a fan face moulded-in, and four separate pegs that hold the exhausts in place, gluing them carefully if you wish for them to remain mobile. Some detail painting for the cockpit and pilot are called out in Humbrol codes, and the nozzles are shown painted at this stage too. The wings are each built from top and bottom halves, with tabs on both ends, the larger tabs slotting into the wing roots, fitting the elevators in a similar manner, remembering that there is a noticeable anhedral (downward slope) to all the flying surfaces. A choice of two styles of tail fairing is provided, one with a flat tip, the other tapered, with a similar choice at the nose, fitting either a pointed cone with long probe, or a rounded cone. The model is inverted to finish, fitting the nose gear with moulded-in wheel and two separate bay doors, the main strut with separate twin wheels and a single bay door, followed by the deployed outrigger wheels that are moulded into the wingtips that slide onto the smaller tabs. To depict the model with gear up, the bay doors are fitted flush, with a little bit of fettling more than likely to be required. Alternate wingtip parts are included that portray the outriggers configured for flight. Markings There are two very similar decal options on the sheet, as this was one of two development airframes. From the box you can build the following: Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A true classic kit that’s available again in Airfix’s new darker grey styrene, with Cartograf decals for about the cost of a pint of quality ale, plus the bonus that you can feel like a spring chicken, or an old giffer, depending on your comparative age. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Handley Page Hampden (A04011V) 1:72 Airfix Vintage Classics The Hampden began development in the early 1930s as a response to a requirement for a twin-engined bomber, that was required to improve performance substantially over previous generations, with Vickers and Handley Page both submitting candidates for the task, that went on to become the Wellington and Hampden, respectively. Handley Page’s design was encountering issues with its intended Rolls-Royce Goshawk power-plants, switching to a more powerful radial engine once the unladen weight restrictions were relaxed from the initial restrictions. The Bristol Pegasus engine was eventually chosen, and by 1936 the type flew for the first time, but when the press first saw it, a remark that its deep and narrow fuselage resembled a flying suitcase was made, and that nickname stuck for the duration of the Hampden’s service life. Some alterations to the design took place over the next few prototypes, including a change of engines that was reversed to the Bristol Pegasus XVIII by the time the first production examples left the factory, but the weight-saving manually operated Vickers-K guns in Perspex blisters proved to be ineffectual for self-defence once the aircraft entered active service. In-flight, the aircraft was said to be responsive by pilots, in part due to a well-designed control system and excellent visibility for the pilot, who was surrounded by wide expanses of Perspex in a position above the line of the engines. Its accommodation was less impressive however, as the crew had to be seated in-line due to the 3ft width of the interior, which prevented crew members from passing each other to obey the call of nature on long trips, so it was generally considered to be an uncomfortable aircraft to spend any considerable time in. The most recent bomber to reach service before the beginning of WWII, the Hampden entered service in 1938, increasing in number until the outbreak of war, with over two hundred and twenty in service at the time. Bomber Command had established early on that even modern bombers were vulnerable on daylight raids, so the Hampden and its colleagues were limited to night-time bombing during the opening days of the conflict, laying mines and generally harassing the enemy whenever they could, whilst suffering minimal casualties. A switch to daytime raids confirmed that the aircraft’s armament was ineffective, but other roles were forthcoming, including torpedo bombing and convoy protection across the freezing seas to Murmansk in Soviet Russia, flying its last operational bombing sortie in 1942 before it was withdrawn to conduct other tasks that involved a transfer of some airframes to Coastal Command, where it became a long-distance torpedo bomber, and conducted maritime reconnaissance until 1943 when it was retired, with almost half of the airframes and crews being lost on operations in British service. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand also flew Hampdens in variable numbers, with a small number also serving in the Soviet Naval Air Force as reconnaissance assets, and one solitary Hampden being assessed by Sweden. In line with many British aircraft that were retired during the early portion of the war, very few Hampdens survived, with only a few recovered and restored airframes in existence, a few partial airframes retrieved from crash sites, but sadly none in flight-worthy condition. The Kit The original tooling of this kit was released in 1968, and has been reboxed several times in the intervening years, although there has been a long gap of fourteen years since the last time it appeared. It has been reboxed with new decals as part of Airfix’s Vintage Classics range, and arrives in a medium red-themed top-opening box, and the original Roy Cross box art on the front, depicting a trio of Hampdens unleashing their bomb load in a daylight raid, led by an airframe that has Popeye painted on its nose, and the squadron code P*EA. Inside the box are four sprues and seven loose parts in grey styrene, a separately bagged sprue of clear parts, decal sheet and instruction booklet. Because of the age of the tooling, the sprues don’t have runners around their edges, the panel lines are raised, as are the rivets, and there has been a modicum of mould wear in the 50+ years that this model was initially tooled. The clear parts appear to be in good shape, but there is a little flash here and there on the other sprues and parts, so take the time to test fit the parts before applying glue, and adjust them where necessary. The fuselage parts have been torn from the manufacturing sprues in quite a rough manner, resulting in a small pit and a hole in the joint behind the mid-upper turret, as pictured further into this review. It’s not something that will take too much time to correct, but it’s worth knowing it’s possible in advance. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is a simple affair, consisting of a main rectangular floor with a sloped front, and a raised platform on which the pilot’s seat and control column are placed, along with the legless pilot figure if you feel the urge to use him. At the rear of the floor is a simple stool on a single support, which accepts the mid-upper gunner figure, who is hunched over his twin Vickers machine guns that are joined by a simple pivot. Another stool is supplied for the bombardier/nose gunner, and a short bulkhead with circular seat is fitted into the rear of the fuselage for the lower gunner to sit with his pair of K-guns projecting from the clear canopy. An instrument panel with decal dials applied is fitted in front of the pilot, allowing the fuselage to be closed around the cockpit and gunners after detail painting. While the glue sets up, the four sections (made from eight parts) of the two rudder panels are joined together and mated with the elevator panel, which is made from two halves, plus a separate flying surface. The nose glazing has a machine gun inserted through a hole in the lower portion, and four three-part bombs are made if you intend to display them in the bomb bay. Once the fuselage seam has been dealt with in your preferred manner, and you have made a decision regarding the rivets and raised panel lines, the tail is joined to the tail boom, the nose, cockpit, observer and mid-upper gunner’s glazing are installed, with the choice of an alternative mid-upper canopy depicting it in the open position. You have a choice of posing the bomb bay doors open to expose two bomb ‘ladders’ that each mount two of the four bombs made earlier side-by-side, or you can close the bay using an alternative single part instead. Each wing is a separate assembly made from upper and lower halves, but first, you need to trap the twin landing gear struts in position with a pair of inserts that fit over parallel guides to allow the gear legs to pivot if you wish. The twin retraction jacks are added later along with the two bay doors, but in the meantime, the ailerons are trapped between the two wing halves on their pivot-pins, although if you leave them unglued, they will both succumb to gravity, giving the impression of a broken control wire, so if you wish to make a more realistic model, either glue both flush with the wings, or offset them both in opposite directions to portray a more realistic state of the controls. Each gear leg has a four-part wheel flex-fitted between the struts, and a scrap diagram shows how the completed assemblies should look, omitting the upper wing half for clarity. The two wings can then be slotted into the fuselage, but test fit them before doing so, as they were tight on our review sample, and will need some thinning or widening of the slot to fit neatly in place. Each wing has most of the engine nacelle moulded into it, leaving the engines and their cowlings as separate assemblies. The cowlings are each a single part, into which a basic depiction of the Pegasus engine slots in from behind, adding a three-bladed propeller to the centre on a long spindle that is held in position with a thick styrene washer that is glued behind the engine. A small spinner is fixed to the centre of the prop, accompanied by an intake under the cowling, and the exhaust on the side, both of which are oriented identically, rather than being handed. The completed engines are glued in place on the wings, adding intakes and sensors on the top of the nacelles, horn-balances under the ailerons, a landing light in the port wing leading edge, tail-wheel, and other sensors around the nose glazing. Another pair of bombs are included, again made from three parts each, and fitted under the wings on the inner/outer wing joint on a small carrier. A radio mast and D/F loop are inserted into holes in the spine of the aircraft between the navigator’s window and the mid-upper turret to complete the model. Markings There is just one decal option on the sheet, ‘Popeye’ from the box art. From the box you can build the following: ‘Popeye’ No.49 Sqn., Bomber Command, RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, England,1941 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion You’ll need to keep your wits about you to make a good job of this old kit, but it’s worth the effort, and with a little care and skill you should be able to come up with a creditable replica of this early WWII medium bomber. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

HMS Ajax (A03204V) 1:600 Airfix Vintage Classics Part of the Leander Class of Light Cruisers, HMS Ajax was laid down in 1933 at Vicker’s shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, launched a year later, and completed in 1935. She was initially assigned to the 8th Cruiser Squadron, undergoing a refit to improve her weapons before returning to duty until the outbreak of WWII in 1939, at which time she found herself patrolling the South American eastern seaboard, where she had some successes against enemy shipping, spending some time around the Falklands. She was part of force G that hunted the Graf Spee, and was badly damaged in contact with the more heavily armed German ship, losing function of two of her turrets. After the Graf Spee was scuttled, Ajax returned to Blighty for a much-needed repair and refit, returning to service in August 1940 with newly installed radar in the Mediterranean, where she carried out escort duties and other operations as part of Force X, including evacuation of Allied troops from Crete, where she was bombed by Stukas, moving to Malta before another refit was needed in early 1942. Improved anti-aircraft guns and radar units were installed during the refit, and her ability to launch a float-plane from a catapult on her mid-deck was removed to make way for other equipment. After work-up she was tasked with convoy duty, and was severely damaged by a 1,000lb bomb, necessitating towing her back to dock for temporary and then permanent repairs in the US, where her anti-aircraft capabilities were further augmented, raised from 20mm to 40mm in quad mounts with yet more improvements to her radar. In total she had been out of action for almost two years when she returned to duty in 1944, taking part in the bombardment of the landing beaches on D-Day, and later in the landing in Southern France. Post war she was engaged in several operations before she was struck off charge in early 1948, ending her days at a breakers yard in South Wales during 1949. A town in Canada is named in her honour, and many roads are named after her crew, having a silhouette of the ship on the relevant road signs. The Kit Airfix first released this kit of the Ajax in 1965, with several boxings over the intervening years, and this boxing is now part of their Vintage Classics line, which benefits from being moulded in their new darker grey styrene. The kit arrives in a long, narrow top-opening box, with a refurbished version of the original painting on the front, giving the box a more modern look, which is a mirror image of the box photo on their website. Inside the box are eight sprues in grey styrene, many of a small size, and all without runners around the outer edges that would protect the parts from jostling against each other in transit and storage. The package is completed by a folded instruction booklet with spot colour and painting profiles on the rear inner cover. Detail is as you would expect for a kit of this age, with raised lines marking out the planking on the deck, a raised line marking out the colour change and boot-topping on the sides of the hull, plus a few tramlines and dozens of raised portholes above the waterline. There are some fine scratches visible on some of the larger flat parts, much of which will be invisible once the model is complete, and an element of flash has crept in here and there, probably due to mould wear, which is infinitely better than short-shot parts in this reviewer’s opinion. Construction begins with the two hull halves and the fore and aft deck halves, which rest on ledges moulded into the hull halves. The completed hull can be rested on the two stands that are provided on the sprues, unless you plan on building your own, or buying metal supports. Four prop-shafts are installed under the stern, with separate screws and a single rudder at the keel-line. The forward superstructure is based upon a raised deck section, building up to the next deck, with radar and other equipment on it, a selection of anti-aircraft armament and ranging gear, and one of the main turrets mounted on a pedestal with two separate 6” barrels. It is fixed to the main deck along with another 6” turret, anchors and jack staff at the bow, fitting a mast behind the upper deck, and two lifeboats on a pair of davits that mount on the sides of the hull, one on each side of the mast. Moving aft, a two-part funnel is fixed to the main deck with searchlights on small platforms slotted into its sides, surrounded by four twin 4” secondary turrets, and bow-tie supports for the searchlight platforms. Moving aft again, a base for the catapult is fitted with a lifeboat on a platform to one side, mounting the catapult on the circular base, and the aircraft that is built from four parts and resembles the original Fairey Seafox more closely than the Walrus that she carried later. A three-part crane is fixed to the deck behind it, and two four-tube torpedo launchers are added ahead, with a box-like structure between them. The aft superstructure is built on another raised deck, adding two more lifeboats, another small deck with a mast, searchlight and anti-aircraft installation, plus two more 6” turrets, one on the raised deck, the other on a pedestal on the aft deck, fitting a bollard on the aft deck, and an ensign staff at the stern. Markings This model depicts the Ajax as she appeared during the Battle of the River Plate, fighting the Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. From the box you can build the following: There are no decals included due to the small scale of the model, as the name plates would be too small to see. Conclusion This is an old kit, and it is advisable to check the equipment and armament fit with your references if you want to make an accurate participant in the Battle of the River Plate, but with care and attention it should build into a creditable replica of this stalwart of the Royal Navy during WWII. Recommended with caveats. Review sample courtesy of

Instead of focusing on the builds in hand, and there's plenty of it, I find myself drawn inexorably to this little bundle of fun..... Turns out I just can't resist the draw - the challenge... of a plane on floats! 😎 And I'm working my way through quite a few of the Vintage Classic reissues as they appear on the shelves. They all have issues of course - the DH Heron dates from 1958 for goodness sake and this DHC Beaver was tooled and issued in 1971. But I had some fun with the Matchbox Norduyn Norseman kit, in the Mbox Group Build, up on floats. Nearly abandoned, put on skis, and then another successful run at the floats and rigging. So I'm under no illusions about the installation of floats on these little rascals, but the result, the appearance, is worth the effort.... Whereas the Norseman was flying before and during WW2, the Beaver first took to the air in 1948. I suppose it could be thought of as an updated or upgraded Norseman. All metal construction and maybe improved STOL capability, tough as old boots, the Beaver found its place in the Canadian Bush aviation scene. Like the Norseman, it converted easily between wheels, skis and floats. The model, it's no surprise, is supplied with military decor only, and dull drabs and browns as suggested 😝 No suggestion of the plane's true purpose, it's real work or function (at least matchbox supplied the civil scheme for the Norseman.....) Some fantastic civil schemes are out there, many of them still in the air and working. Well, I've been tinkering with the bits of plastic and weighing up the options. A lot of the civil airframes have a bigger rear window to the rear of the passenger doors instead of the little porthole windows featured on the kit fuselage pieces. I've punched styrene discs and reamed the holes to take them. A bigger, squarer opening will have to be made and glazed on each side. The other issue I've started on is releasing the flaps and possibly the ailerons. The plastic of the wing top panel has the two flying surfaces incorporated whole, with the under panels just reaching to the hinge line. So this involves an angled cut right through the wing panel. I've got there with one of them.... Tough going but little and often will get there. I'll get the other flap off before I decide whether to tackle the ailerons as well. Anyway, I'm looking forward to having a companion Canadian Bush plane little skytruck on floats to sit with my Norseman 😎🇨🇦

I'm having a right old bonanza with smaller multi-engined planes at the moment, and Airfix are on a roll supplying me with their Vintage Classics reissue programme! Throw in a Twin Otter from Revell and happiness ensues 😍 And all at no great expense. They've all been opened and rummaged through, amidst a little cloud of nostalgia that comes free with every box. Top of the pile, for no particular reason, is this one, First issued in 1969 and totally contemporary with the aircraft itself. I think Airfix were trying to stay ahead of the game by choosing the USAF version that was being made. Fitted with a pair of Garrett turboprops to please or to suit the US, it looks like it was destined to be used in a medical evacuation role, with an extra wide entrance. The Airfix plan fell on its face though, simultaneously with the USAF order being cancelled and Handley Page going bust. Production the plane was taken over by Scottish Aviation and ultimately by BAe, and the Jetstream succeeded for many years. But not with American Garrett engines! I'm not sure if ANY airframes were built in the style of the Airfix kit, but you'll never find a picture of one! I suppose the after market guys may come up with a viable option now that the kit is reissued....... Or maybe not. My challenge, in the meantime, is to have a go at scratch conversion and see if I can make a real Jetstream. The issue is this..... And I'm in the process of something quite different! The actual build is progressing with a few mods that I'll detail, but hassle-free and no big drama. It's just those engines. I'm sort of thinking that it was an opportunity for Airfix to make good on their error of judgement, and tool up a little sprue with the right turbine fit. Oh, and throw in a small selection of civil schemes on the decal sheet. How nice would that be?? 😎

Here's my first for this GB, as if I have nothing else to do...🤪 Airfix' Vintage Classic kit of the DH4 used by Cadbury and Leckie to down Zeppelin L70 in 1918. I read that they flew to over 16,000 feet? Incredible. In any case...the box art... The schematics... The sprue...and decals, which look just fine. And the price tag... I'll start in on this over the next few days. I have some wrapping up to do first. -John