FINISHED: Airfix 1/72 SA Bulldog

[AdrianMF]

Looks very nice! Staples are a good non-exotic last-resort metal source, also tacks.

 

I’ve never really registered this kit because it’s not a Bristol Bulldog! I’m learning now...

 

Regards,

Adrian

[bianfuxia]

As they say in the classics:

 

YYYYAAAASSSSSSSSSSSS!

 

 

Also, you know what's weird? 

 

The Boyz 2 Men approach of Airfix figures. Both of these are supposedly 1/72. 

 

Captain Grey Helmet is a Lynx pilot. Schoolboy Yellow Helmet is a Bulldog pilot.

 

 

 

 

[modelling minion]

Great that she's not a tail sitter!

Interesting size comparison between 2 pilots of the same scale from the same company.

[bianfuxia]

The gloss varnish I used, vallejo, is a bit unsatisfying. Not sure if you can see from the pic but it was kind of sticky and left some pretty ugly brush marks. Not at all as nice a finish as I can normally do, say with Tamiya X-18 (semi-gloss black).

 

So I am contemplating two options:

 

. doing the whole thing over in matt black

. switching to the Swedish scheme.

 

[Jinxman]

It looks ok in the photo, but we can't see or feel what you can. I had some matt varnish from Vallejo - worst stuff I have ever used, except it does seem to be very good for attaching small pieces together. The 500ml bottle will last me years, decades even.

 

Good luck whichever way you choose to go.

[modelling minion]

It really doesn't look bad at all to me, but as has been said we can't see it in the flesh.

The decision can really only be made by you, but I do like the Swedish camo if you go that route.

[bianfuxia]

Well, I've decided to ditch the RAF scheme and go with the Swedish, rather than waste time on fixing the black. Funnily enough I realized I used the Swedish side window (with the little cross-strut thing) rather than the RAF one without it, so I guess that was prophetic or something.

 

To save you all scrolling to the top, this is the one I will now do:

 

And this is where I am up to so far. The orange is a decal but of course I have plenty of orange from my various helicopter builds so if worst comes to worst and the decals are no good, I can still proceed. I need to fix up the blue around where the tail slopes into the fuselage.

 

Sorry for the blurry image, i guess my phone lens is smudgy. My five year old is always nicking the phone with her grotty little paws! 

 

I used Vallejo Blue Grey Pale for the colour, seems about right.

 

 

[modelling minion]

This will be very interesting, a nice scheme.

[bianfuxia]

13 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

This will be very interesting, a nice scheme.

It is, right? Not sure why I went for black RAF in the first place. Maybe I figured it would be faster as I am bit pressed for time these days. But this one is a way more interesting scheme.

[bianfuxia]

 

[modelling minion]

Good job on the camouflage, I like that a lot.

[Dansk]

Much more interesting thank black. With all the yellow areas and the decals on this will really come alive.

[bianfuxia]

I've done all the decals - amazingly for such an old kit they worked really well. They're pretty thin though, and you can see a little bit through them.

 

[modelling minion]

An excellent result for old Airfix decals, never a guaranteed thing.

I like the contrast between them and the camouflage scheme, very nice.

[bianfuxia]

Well, this is basically done. I need to glue on the window, and do the last touch-up paint.

 

Also, I saw on the instructions that nose weight of 4g is recommended. HAHAHAHA. This thing has about 4 Kg up front and even then if you exhale it falls back on its tail. I mean, a butterfly lands on a leaf in China and this plane rocks back. An alien sneezes on Jupiter? Boom, this thing falls over. Hahaha.

 

Last night I discovered a pretty nasty gap at the very front, where the part for the engine front (like, the grille, if it was a car) joins the fuselage. Of course I'd already painted and decalled everything. Anyway I very carefully wedged some putty into there, and scraped all the excess away, and I think with a little discrete sanding I should be able to touch it up nicely without wrecking the yellow decals. Let's hope so.

 

Next time I post this one, it'll be finished!

 

 

On reflection, the decals really are pretty thin and I guess it would have made sense to paint white or something behind them. But it would have been a royal hassle, too, especially for the orange markings because you'd then have white showing between each of the small squares. I also forgot to install the rear bulkhead in the cabin, and because the canopy is unusually clear for an old Airfix kit, you can actually see all the way back down the inside of the fuselage. 

 

OH WELL! Life's too short at the moment, and honestly I am pretty happy with this little thing. 

 

It's going to look cool sitting next to my Zlin 42M (Hobby Boss) that I made some years ago.

[modelling minion]

Coming along very nicely indeed, and getting ever closer to the finish line.

That canopy really is very clear isn't it.

[Dansk]

The IP looks really good, i guess that will be quite visible with the clear glazing too. The thin decals just add to the oldschool charm 👌

[bianfuxia]

Well, this one is done!

 

If you can find this kit for a reasonable price - or already buried deep in your stash - I really recommend you dig it out and build it. It was a lot of fun and I think it looks pretty cool. 

 

The short version is - add a TRUCKLOAD of ballast in the nose. Otherwise it's an easy, clean build.

 

More photos in the gallery - thanks for following along. It is a great Group Build. Really enjoyed it!

 

 

[Dansk]

Great result, It was a great decision to go with the Swedish Scheme it looks really good. Really glad you enjoyed the GB 👍😎

[modelling minion]

Yes a very nice result from a classic kit.

I agree with Paul that the Swedish scheme looks really nice.

I am also really pleased that you enjoyed the GB, I think your Bulldog has brought back some great memories to a lot of us on here.

Very well done.

[stevehnz]

Nice job on that, it's a rather nice looking scheme, I could easily be talked into looking for one of these. I can't help that a gloss or at least satin coat would enhance your paint job, I doubt these were as flat as this & a bit more shine would really make that scheme pop.

Steve.

[bianfuxia]

3 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Nice job on that, it's a rather nice looking scheme, I could easily be talked into looking for one of these. I can't help that a gloss or at least satin coat would enhance your paint job, I doubt these were as flat as this & a bit more shine would really make that scheme pop.

Steve.

Thanks - yes you're totally right gloss would look better. I'm on minimal supplies at the moment (about to move countries) and all I have is the matt Vallejo paints. I had intended to use the Vallejo gloss varnish, but when I painted it on the black I did originally for the RAF scheme it looked terrible and was all sticky even days later. So I cut my losses with this scheme.

 

If I had my full suite of supplies here I'd have gone with Tamiya X018 the semi-gloss - it's really nice.

10 hours ago, modelling minion said:

Yes a very nice result from a classic kit.

I agree with Paul that the Swedish scheme looks really nice.

I am also really pleased that you enjoyed the GB, I think your Bulldog has brought back some great memories to a lot of us on here.

Very well done.

thank you! Thanks for watching and commenting!

10 hours ago, Dansk said:

Great result, It was a great decision to go with the Swedish Scheme it looks really good. Really glad you enjoyed the GB 👍😎

thanks a lot!

[stevehnz]

4 hours ago, bianfuxia said:

So I cut my losses with this scheme.

 

If I had my full suite of supplies here I'd have gone with Tamiya X018 the semi-gloss - it's really nice.

No matter, there is life after this GB & once you're settled in your new roost there will be time to give it that coat.

Steve.