Airfix 1/72 Buccaneer

[Jabba]

I went up into the loft this morning looking for this kit so that I could use some of it for  this GB along with the new  RN Airfix kit (as the RAF version is too late for the GB), the Air-Graphic bomb bay and finding a nose and tail substitute from somewhere. After about half an hour I eventually found it as it was not where I thought that it should have been. Anyhow on getting down from the loft I had a look inside the box and to my surprise wa a Freightdog update set that included the nose and tail. So I now do not have to buy the new Airfix kit, but I am on the look out for a better canopy, and a few other bits and bobs. I will be using the Aviation Workshop Op Granby decal sheet to make XW547/R, or more better known as Guinness Girl and it will be in her original uncensored nose art.

 

The Kit

 

 

Instructions and kit decal sheet.

 

Freightdog update set.

 

Aviation Workshop decal sheet.

 

[Col.]

Seems you're well equiped for the GB  

22 minutes ago, Jabba said:

I will...make XW547/R, or more better known as Guinness Girl and it will be in her original uncensored nose art.

Excellent choice!

[Paulaero]

Col , can I ask a huge favour if you are not using the Navy decals I have one built but the small white serials are different, my eyes are well past making them up these days, am sure I can find some thing useful for this build, may have a canopy some where ??

 

Paul

[Paulaero]

12 minutes ago, Paulaero said:

Col , can I ask a huge favour if you are not using the Navy decals I have one built but the small white serials are different, my eyes are well past making them up these days, am sure I can find some thing useful for this build, may have a canopy some where ??

 

Paul

Sorry, in my excitement I've posted this in the wrong place, I said my eyes were going !!!

[Jabba]

One thing that I did not mention in my initail post is that I was hoping to make this with the wings folded. I know that in the Gulf this rarely happened if at all, but it is just to save space on my selves abd display. Eventually I found an Airwaves set, which arrived today. In the last photo is some of my reference material, plus I have a few books on the Gulf which cover the Buccs.

 

 

[Col.]

Sounds a good plan. The Bucc is a big model in 48th scale so will take up a lot less space with folded wings. That way you'll have more room for another one  

[Jabba]

On 02/05/2020 at 08:23, Col. said:

The Bucc is a big model in 48th scale so will take up a lot less space with folded wings. That way you'll have more room for another one  

And also in 1/72nd.

[Col.]

33 minutes ago, Jabba said:

And also in 1/72nd.

That'll teach me to pay attention

[Jabba]

I have not forgotten about this one, but have just applied over a million decals to an Airfix Phantom. I have applied the decals to the cockpit and the Navs panel (not shown), plus added the panel with the engines fronts to the lower fuselage. Initially I fitted this the wrong way around after one of my decal sessions, but it is now fitted the correct way around. I have also started on the wing fold. The airwaves set gives you dimensions as to where to make the cuts for the hinges in the upper fuselage, but I have decided not to do this but to cut off the appropriate piece of etch metal and use this as a template as can be seen on the Port side. The inner part of both wing sections on the port side have also been thinned down so that the etched piece fits better. I wil start on the STBD side tonight.

 

 

 

[sanfrandragon]

Looking good!  I'm making a Granby Buccaneer too.  Not decided on which particular aircraft yet, but I'm looking for a combo of which one had the best looking bomb grafitti and nose art!

[Jabba]

Fuselage now together. I think that a bit of filler is required before I carry on.

On 17/05/2020 at 09:36, sanfrandragon said:

Looking good!  I'm making a Granby Buccaneer too.  Not decided on which particular aircraft yet, but I'm looking for a combo of which one had the best looking bomb grafitti and nose art!

 

I think one of the main reasons that I am making "Guiness Girl" is because when she was at Cosford Museum our Gulf War display used to be sited right by her even though she was censored. People used to ask us  where was a Buccaneer on the display, and I used to point behind us saying "why have a model when you have the 1/1 real thing right here". I have made "Debbie/Sea Witch" in 1/48th which also has a very colourful nose art.

 

 

[Col.]

Looks to be going together well  

[Jabba]

A little more added in the shape of the new nose and the air brakes. Lots of filler applied and the first round of sanding down done. Somore filler added and the next lot of sanding to be done. There are lots of rivets on the air brakes, which will go when I have finished the sanding.

 

 

 

[Col.]

Looks to be coming together well  

[sanfrandragon]

Looks nice.  Does even the latest Airfix offering have a poorly shaped nose?

[Jabba]

7 hours ago, sanfrandragon said:

Looks nice.  Does even the latest Airfix offering have a poorly shaped nose?

 

I do not know about the latest Airfix kit, but remember that the one that I am building is the late 1980s kit, that Airfix put into one of their shiny new red boxes adding a few parts and new decal sheet.. Here is a comparison picture with the kit parts and the resin nose that I fitted.

 

[sanfrandragon]

Ah I misunstood.  There's a lovely shape to the new resin nose!

[Col.]

Wonder if the kit nose parts are a legacy of its NA.39 heritage? Either way your one shows a marked improvement.

[Jabba]

4 hours ago, Col. said:

Wonder if the kit nose parts are a legacy of its NA.39 heritage? Either way your one shows a marked improvement.

 

I am not so sure, after having a look at the parts of the Iarfix NA39 that @PlasticSurgeon used for his build. Although it is split the same there is no cutout for the nose fold. It may have been based on the NA39 nose but I do think that Airfix did a slight update on it but not quite a correct one. Yes the new nose looks a lot better and fits near enough perfectly.

[Jabba]

A bit more work done in that the fin and tailplane now fitted. A bit of adjustment to get tha tailplane to fit, but it looks alright to me.

 

 

[Jabba]

Another small update. I have built the outer wing panels, thinning down the trailing edges quite a bit. Airfix do not show you where to put the leading edge RWR fairings, so I had a set of plans and measured where they should go from them. I have also added the wing pylons to both the inner and outer panels, just need to rub down the filler where the wing tank openings were and add the flare boxes to the inside of the outer ones. I now have to figure out how to make the flare box that is situated around the arrester hook. I know it will be some plasti card, just not sure which way to go about it. I will have a few trial and error sessions over the next day or so.

 

 

[Col.]

Tidy work again Jabba.

Would it be worth cutting into the kit and semi-recessing the plasticard for your flare box?

[Jabba]

To be honest I did not think of that. I had already started on the way I went before I saw your suggestion. The way I went was with plasti card. I cut a square to the right length, but larger in width and mounted it on the rear fuselage. under the over hanging edges at the sides I added strips of more plasti card until I thought that I had reached the correct depth on the fuselage. As these had spread out width wise I then sliced down the side of the first strip so the this was all level, and then cut a champher at the front of this. This was given a thin coat of filler and then sanded down. It is a bit difficult to describe how I did it but I think that I got there in the end. It is probably not quite accurate, but does give the rough impreesion of what the addition looked like. I also replaced the small intake just behind the Stbd side of the nose U/C. I was just going to drill a hole in the kit part that was there, but it looked wrong so replaced it. I have also seen that the tail skid is not deployed on the kit, so I will make this yet again from plasti card. Finally a couple of ejection seat arrived in the post this morning, so much better than the lumps that are supplied with the kit.

 

 

 

 

[CliffB]

Your new parts and additions have gone in really well Jabba.

 

Cheers

[Col.]

Nice work. Your new additions certainly look right and those seats look rather good too