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1/72 Tornado


Lord Riot

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At some point in the future I'd like to make a 1/72 Tornado GR.1, representing the type's heyday of the late 80s. As I'm looking for bargains (but still a decent representation, so not Esci, or Frog if they ever did one) can anyone recommend a suitable kit please?

 

Is the old Airfix Tornado worth about a tenner?

 

Any others out there worth snapping up if available?

 

I'm not a rivet counter and won't be getting a loan for Eduard parts, just oob if possible though filling and aftermarket decals are ok. I want it to look nice sitting next to my new tool Airfix Harrier and not just like a chunky undetailed toy! 😂

Edited by Lord Riot
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I'm with Jabba on this one, better spend £15 for the Revell kit (and they can be found for this money) rather than spend a tenner on the Airfix one. Those £5 more will be money very well spent and will give you the best Tornado in this scale

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#6 for Revell. UNtil a couple of years ago, you could get the Revell kit for around 10 € at each year's end when Revell cleared their warehouse of discontinued boxings, though those were the Luftwaffe versions.

Actually, if you're on to your 10 quid limit and can find one at the price, I'd suggest the Esci actually is a better basis than the Airfix - though I'm not sure when Esci finished updating the mould. It's miles better than their Hornet prototype released concurrently way back when, and even more so compared to that large chunk of plastic they sold as their 48th kit. The one I have already has the production style tailplane and rear fin fairing IIRC, so should be quite representative of an early batch. The AIrfix is not bad but it's a really old mould with some updating over the years. The photobox version would probably be better for fit than later incarnations, and it has a lot of stuff to hang under the belly, though I think exclusively BL.755s, plus tanks and two (incomplete) Sky Shadows; it also lacks the LRMTS fairing. The later weaponry additions from the Humbrol era leave me very cool, they are quite toylike Chinese-tooled stuff with great big trenches (as I remember them). You'd likely need a/m transfers with any Airfix boxing.

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28 minutes ago, tempestfan said:

#6 for Revell. UNtil a couple of years ago, you could get the Revell kit for around 10 € at each year's end when Revell cleared their warehouse of discontinued boxings, though those were the Luftwaffe versions.

Actually, if you're on to your 10 quid limit and can find one at the price, I'd suggest the Esci actually is a better basis than the Airfix - though I'm not sure when Esci finished updating the mould. It's miles better than their Hornet prototype released concurrently way back when, and even more so compared to that large chunk of plastic they sold as their 48th kit. The one I have already has the production style tailplane and rear fin fairing IIRC, so should be quite representative of an early batch. The AIrfix is not bad but it's a really old mould with some updating over the years. The photobox version would probably be better for fit than later incarnations, and it has a lot of stuff to hang under the belly, though I think exclusively BL.755s, plus tanks and two (incomplete) Sky Shadows; it also lacks the LRMTS fairing. The later weaponry additions from the Humbrol era leave me very cool, they are quite toylike Chinese-tooled stuff with great big trenches (as I remember them). You'd likely need a/m transfers with any Airfix boxing.

 

Esci did some updating to their Tornado but it remained an inaccurate kit.

The Italeri kit on the other hand was updated more often and would be the option I'd suggest in the unlikely event of not finding a Revell kit for an acceptable price. The Italeri kit is miles behind Revell's in terms of detail, mould quality and accuracy, but at least is an Ok kit

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Although I haven't yet built either the Airfix or the Revell, I'm looking at them both on my desk as I write this and I can safely say don't go for the Airfix! To put it kindly, it's basic; very, very basic. My kit is dated 1992 and comes moulded in the old style light grey styrene (the brittle type) with raised panel lines and no real cockpit to speak of. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure somebody will...) but I think it's an adaptation of the original Panavia MRCA kit from 1976 and first coming on sale in 1983. The same kit was rehashed with extra sprues as the GR4/4A in 2004 so it's definitely been around the block a few times.

 

The Revell, on the other hand, came out as a new tooling in around 2000 and it shows. While Airfix has their pilots perched on boxes, the Revell has a very nicely detailed cockpit with multi part seats and proper control columns. It comes moulded in their usual silver-grey styrene and the panel details are so finely engraved that too thick a coat of paint will obliterate them completely.

 

Cockpit and panel details apart, the Revell model is much better engineered with the fuselage split into front and rear sub assemblies and separate parts for lights, undercarriage struts etc.

 

All-in-all I'd go for the Revell as well.

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41 minutes ago, Oldynewby said:

1. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure somebody will...) but I think it's an adaptation of the original Panavia MRCA kit from 1976 and first coming on sale in 1983. The same kit was rehashed with extra sprues as the GR4/4A in 2004 so it's definitely been around the block a few times.

 

2....While Airfix has their pilots perched on boxes, ...

 

3. Cockpit and panel details apart, the Revell model is much better engineered with the fuselage split into front and rear sub assemblies and separate parts for lights, undercarriage struts etc.

1. Bang on target, that's what I tried to convey in my post - ancient kit, basically sound, but much better stuff around.

2. That's a bit unkind, the Airfix has decent (for one-parters) MB Mk 10s, but with the original "cross" headbox IIRC, the same as on their venerable Hawk.

3. Not sure about the Hase kit (not mentioned yet...), but the Revell has IMHO the best representation of the shapes in the area where the radome transitions into the fuselage box, which probably was hard to obtain with the traditional upper/lower split kits.

 

@ Lord Riot, You can't do wrong with the Revell at 12.76, especially if it's the GR.1 boxing.

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7 minutes ago, tempestfan said:

2. That's a bit unkind, the Airfix has decent (for one-parters) MB Mk 10s, but with the original "cross" headbox IIRC, the same as on their venerable Hawk.

It's not unkind, The seats are rudimentary at best, certainly not the multi part luxury of the Revell. I fancy they're a bit undersized as well; not a problem if your pilots are midgets! Seriously though, compared to the Revell the whole kit is undernourished, although, in the interests of fairness I will say that the Revell undercarriage is so finely moulded as to look a bit flimsy. That's just my opinion though, having not built it yet I can't comment.

 

Given that the original incarnation of the Airfix Tornado was based on the MRCA prototype and preceded the type going into service by three years it's only to be expected that iit cann't compete against a product that has the benefit of hindsight and twenty five years of industry development.

 

The Airfix Tornado is "of its time" and shouldn't be expected to compete with more modern offerings as so many Airfix products are. I personally think that they should drop anything that's been superceded by anything better and concentrate on filling the gaps that still exist, like a  new tool 1/72nd Buccaneer. They've proved that they can still turn out quality products at pocket money prices but stepping up to fill more vacant areas of the market would be hugely appreciated.

 

Sorry Tempestfan for spouting on and please don't take this as a criticism of your comments or your opinion. It's just a reply or the rantings of a crazy person. I don't get out much you know!

 

Regards,

 

Paul.

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Revell Tornado kit 04619 is the one you want for the best 1/72 Gr.1 straight from the box.

 

Be careful you don't buy their Tornado kit 04363. It represents a Saudi IDS and has some of the bits for a Gr.1, but it's the old Monogram plastic in that box and that was a truly dire rendition of the Tornado. 

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OK ,  all of you have talked me into it. Just bought a Revell one ( to go with the Airfix MRCA, Tornado I, Esci and Monogram,) Got mine from Honkers. Postage is only a bit over local rate. Reading reviews  about  their failings has put me off until now.

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Yet another one agreeing that the (modern) Revell GR1 is the best out of box option. My personal favourite however is the Hasegawa with a replacement nose.

The Airfix one is a nice nostalgic piece in red, white and black but it is very 'gangly' and things don't fit brilliantly in all honesty.   As has been said, it should be allowed to be seen in the context of its age.  The Italeri I have found is good and workmanlike but lacks the finesse of the Revell and Hasegawa (modified) versions. Esci,  I did build one a long time ago and thought it just about on par with the Airfix. Nice decals though.

 

I do like the Tornado. 

 

Academic now you've made your purchase though! 🙂

 

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11 hours ago, Oldynewby said:

 

Sorry Tempestfan for spouting on and please don't take this as a criticism of your comments or your opinion. It's just a reply or the rantings of a crazy person. I don't get out much you know!

 

Regards,

 

Paul.

No need to apologize for anything, no disagreement anywhere! My point re the seats was merely that there have been „blockier“ seats in newer kits, and that they are not the worst aspect of the cockpit.... OTOH, compared with Revell‘s original Jäger 90/EFA kit, the Airfix MRCA is a masterpiece of finesse... 

If anything, the Airfix demonstrates that the MRCA was a very sound airframe design in the first place, allowing Airfix to keep theirs in production for decades with minimal changes.

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