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Airfix 1/48 Buccaneer S.2 for 2022!


The_Lancaster

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At the risk of beating a dead horse, here is my analysis of the errors on the proposed Xtradecal sheets with the caveat that I may not have caught them all and of course could always be wrong:

 

X48228:

 

XV867/736 Sqn: The "LM", "Royal Navy" and the rear serial "XV867" should be pale blue not white.  The "55" for the inside of the airbrake is suspect, they also have the inside of the airbrake as EDSG and it is more likely correctly painted in the light blue/gray that the landing gear and wheel bays are in with no serial (source Aviation Photo Company: https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p783529736/h80BE4F3D#h80be4f3d  Air Britain: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1301773 )

 

XV345/XV and a half Sqn: They really messed this one up; the fun thing about this scheme is that it had XV 1/2 Sqn markings on one side and 16 on the other side not XV 1/2 on both sides as Xtradecal has it.  Now you could make use of the 16 Sqn markings they provide for XW550 to finish out the starboard side of XV345 more correctly, but the squadron markings 16 used in the late 70s early 80s were larger in diameter than in the earlier 70s.  The ones on the sheet seem to be the smaller size that would actually be correct for XW550 but not XV345.  Then there are the last three serial markings.  The 345 inside the airbrake petals is actually correct in placement and size which is a good catch because this was not a standard position for the last three inside the airbrake; it was usually in the middle portion, but it is indeed correct for XV345 (sadly they applied this to other schemes on the sheet for which it is not correct).  They missed however the fact that the last three appears on the outside of the nose gear bay door.  Then there is the issue of color.  They have it as yellow which could be correct (reference photos are black and white) but I have doubts; it doesn't look like yellow to me.  My guess is they are either in red, dayglo or black.  The last three in dayglo inside the airbrakes and nose gear bay door was more the standard for Honington based Buccs.  XV345 was with 208 not long before this, but 208 was using a "F" code at that time without the last three. I suspect the last three were applied when it arrived at Laarbruch. RAFG Buccs had a letter code in red on the gear door and airbrake as the standard in the 70s, so maybe red.  Not real sure what the correct color is but I don't think yellow is right.  They also have the color as dark grey but that appears to be wrong, it should be the light blue grey same as the gear bays.  This can be discerned looking at the black and white reference photos as well as the missing last three on the outside of the gear bay door.  Another thing I question is the artist correctly depicts a panted out squadron marking on the intake, but it is depicted as a green patch on one side and I think it appears to be grey on both.  (source Aviation Photo Company: https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p892481436/h677C5290#h677c5290 and https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p892481436/h677C5290#h67760646 )

 

XN977/801 Sqn: For this one I deferred to the same scheme on Modeldecal sheet 57 as a reference.  While relying on one artist to determine the accuracy of another is fraught with peril, I have a great deal of faith in the late Dick Ward's research.  If Ward was correct then the last two of the nose code "30" in the airbrake should be a "3" in a yellow circle on one side and a "0" in a yellow circle on the other instead of "30" on each side with no yellow circle.  Xtradecal correctly has the underwing serials in blue and the nose serial in black, but I believe the squadron emblem on the fin should also be blue but it appears to be black on the sheet.  What is absolutely clear is that the proportions are all off.  The winged trident looks too big and the V is too squat and short to my eye. (source airhistory.net: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/204156/XN977 )

 

XW550/16 Sqn: The drawing on the Xtradecal instructions shows this aircraft as having the flush bomb bay door which is wrong; in 1977 XW550 had the bomb door tank.  Not really an error with the decal sheet, but worth pointing out.  The decal sheet offers the last three of the serial for the inside of the airbrake and would have you place them at the bottom like XV345.  I am reasonably certain that this would be wrong.  In the mid to late 70s Laarbruch Buccs used a letter coding system.  XW550 was coded “X”.  The large black code for the fin is supplied but there should also be a small red “X” for the inside of the airbrake and the nose gear door.  The reference photo from Aviation Photo Company clearly shows this for the inside of the nose gear bay door.  Based on period photos of other RAFG Buccs, I think this would have also appeared on the other side of the nose gear bay door as well as the middle of both sides of the inside of the airbrake. (source Aviation Photo Company: https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p934046062/h54d29502#h54d29502  Aviation MT: https://www.facebook.com/aviationmt/photos/a.735829616779034/1456142718081050/ NA3T: https://www.transportphotos.com/photo/mil13430 https://www.transportphotos.com/photo/mil13431 )

 

XV357/803 Sqn.:  Color pictures of 803 Buccs seem to be on the rare side, but the artist has all the serials, the “LM” code and the “Royal Navy” in white.  I believe that all of this should be in pale blue although the serial in white could be correct.  The “12” from the last two of the nose code are shown in white on the inside of the airbrake which is also suggested to be painted EDSG.  I am reasonably certain that the inside of the airbrake would have been the same light blue grey as the undercarriage.  I also have doubts about the last two of the code but cannot find any pictures that address the issue.  If this photo from the Air Britain site  of a sad old preserved S.1 is anything to go by, they should likely be black on a yellow square. (source FAA Buccaneer Association https://www.facebook.com/FleetAirArmBuccaneerAssociation/photos/585018218202661 Air Britain https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1174764 )

 

XT277/809 Sqn: Ah the squirrel grey scheme – I personally have doubts that this was ever a thing.  I have seen the B/W photos of overpainted grey over white jets.  The 800 Sqn S.2 coded 100 does appear to have a different demarcation mid-way down the nose like the old S.1 grey over white scheme making me think that maybe that is the mysterious squirrel grey scheme.  I don’t know, but I do believe this scheme that Xtradecal depicts was standard EDSG with pale blue codes instead of white.  Again, license was taken with the last two of the serial in the airbrake; I think it should be one number on each side not both numbers on both sides.  I also think they missed the last two that should be on the flaps too. (source FAA Buccaneer Association https://www.facebook.com/FleetAirArmBuccaneerAssociation/photos/a.441169869254164/441170532587431 https://www.facebook.com/FleetAirArmBuccaneerAssociation/photos/a.441169869254164/441170585920759 )

 

XT281/JBG31: I think this is another odd ball one off sort of thing.  The only photo I have seen of this zapped aircraft is the one on the Aviation Photo Company site (which it appears the artist relied heavily upon) shows this zap on XT281 when it was undergoing some type of maintenance.  There are blue X’s over the ejection warnings and red on the pointy ends and under the flaps.  The last three in yellow are on the fin as was standard for Honington based aircraft at the time.  It also has the last three in dayglo inside the nose gear bay door which Xtradecal doesn’t provide.  Again I have doubts about the last three in yellow on the bottom of the inside of the airbrake as Xtradecal has it.  There is a picture of XT281 from 1983 that shows no serial on the inside of the right airbrake and none on the gear bay door.  I have seen earlier photos from the mid 70s of XT281 with the grey bottom and the dayglo serial inside the nose gear bay door.  Based on the photo that shows the dayglo serial and the zap taken in 81, I believe the serial was likely also in dayglo inside the airbrake which was also likely in the color of the undercarriage and not dark grey as it was in 1983.  Also if I am right that this was a one off sort of thing, then it looks like they should have mentioned the underwing borrowed from XV34? as seen in the 1981 photo.  Maybe the plane was zapped prior to going in for maintenance and cannibalizing, but I have nothing to confirm or refute that.  In any event, it should likely have the last three in dayglo in the gear bay and airbrake. (source Aviation Photo Company https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p934046062/h651d0868#h651d0868 https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p783529736/h3EF047D#h3ef047d https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000627489.html )

 

G-2-1/SAAF 24 Sqn: I was inclined to skip this one as I am not nearly as well versed with SAAF Buccs as I am with RAF Buccs, but I gave it a quick once over and a google search which revealed another forehead slapper: it should have underwing serials.  I don’t see that Xtradecal provided any.  (source: 24 Sqn Buccaneers NPC facebook page https://www.facebook.com/24SQNBuccaneers/photos/a.1708446332505886/2138034949547020/ )

 

Well this took much longer than I thought and I have grown a bit weary slagging off Xtradecal.  I realize that I am being pedantic and perhaps hypercritical.  I know a bit about Buccaneers so it bugs me, but most would be very happy just enjoying what is a mostly historically accurate depiction nicely printed on a good thin decal.  It bugs me because of the depth of my familiarity with the subject matter, but I am also partly motivated by a sense of disappointment with current Xtradecal products when they were once among the best; the 1/48 Bucc sheet from the 90s is great.  Their current incarnation reminds me of the Model Alliance sheets; the OCU badge on that sheet for example had yellow cutlasses – really?! Adding to my angst is that they are nicely printed Microscale decals but I find them unusable because of these little oversights.  Just a missed opportunity with easily avoided issues.    Anyway, I am droning on; I was planning on going over both sheets but I think I will leave it here for now unless there is interest in hearing my nitpicks on the other sheet.  Cheers - Jack       

Edited by wadeocu
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9 hours ago, wadeocu said:

At the risk of beating a dead horse, here is my analysis of the errors on the proposed Xtradecal sheets with the caveat that I may not have caught them all and of course could always be wrong:

 

X48228:

 

XV867/736 Sqn: The "LM", "Royal Navy" and the rear serial "XV867" should be pale blue not white.  The "55" for the inside of the airbrake is suspect, they also have the inside of the airbrake as EDSG and it is more likely correctly painted in the light blue/gray that the landing gear and wheel bays are in with no serial (source Aviation Photo Company: https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p783529736/h80BE4F3D#h80be4f3d  Air Britain: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1301773 )

 

XV345/XV and a half Sqn: They really messed this one up; the fun thing about this scheme is that it had XV 1/2 Sqn markings on one side and 16 on the other side not XV 1/2 on both sides as Xtradecal has it.  Now you could make use of the 16 Sqn markings they provide for XW550 to finish out the starboard side of XV345 more correctly, but the squadron markings 16 used in the late 70s early 80s were larger in diameter than in the earlier 70s.  The ones on the sheet seem to be the smaller size that would actually be correct for XW550 but not XV345.  Then there are the last three serial markings.  The 345 inside the airbrake petals is actually correct in placement and size which is a good catch because this was not a standard position for the last three inside the airbrake; it was usually in the middle portion, but it is indeed correct for XV345 (sadly they applied this to other schemes on the sheet for which it is not correct).  They missed however the fact that the last three appears on the outside of the nose gear bay door.  Then there is the issue of color.  They have it as yellow which could be correct (reference photos are black and white) but I have doubts; it doesn't look like yellow to me.  My guess is they are either in red, dayglo or black.  The last three in dayglo inside the airbrakes and nose gear bay door was more the standard for Honington based Buccs.  XV345 was with 208 not long before this, but 208 was using a "F" code at that time without the last three. I suspect the last three were applied when it arrived at Laarbruch. RAFG Buccs had a letter code in red on the gear door and airbrake as the standard in the 70s, so maybe red.  Not real sure what the correct color is but I don't think yellow is right.  They also have the color as dark grey but that appears to be wrong, it should be the light blue grey same as the gear bays.  This can be discerned looking at the black and white reference photos as well as the missing last three on the outside of the gear bay door.  Another thing I question is the artist correctly depicts a panted out squadron marking on the intake, but it is depicted as a green patch on one side and I think it appears to be grey on both.  (source Aviation Photo Company: https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p892481436/h677C5290#h677c5290 and https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p892481436/h677C5290#h67760646 )

 

XN977/801 Sqn: For this one I deferred to the same scheme on Modeldecal sheet 57 as a reference.  While relying on one artist to determine the accuracy of another is fraught with peril, I have a great deal of faith in the late Dick Ward's research.  If Ward was correct then the last two of the nose code "30" in the airbrake should be a "3" in a yellow circle on one side and a "0" in a yellow circle on the other instead of "30" on each side with no yellow circle.  Xtradecal correctly has the underwing serials in blue and the nose serial in black, but I believe the squadron emblem on the fin should also be blue but it appears to be black on the sheet.  What is absolutely clear is that the proportions are all off.  The winged trident looks too big and the V is too squat and short to my eye. (source airhistory.net: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/204156/XN977 )

 

XW550/16 Sqn: The drawing on the Xtradecal instructions shows this aircraft as having the flush bomb bay door which is wrong; in 1977 XW550 had the bomb door tank.  Not really an error with the decal sheet, but worth pointing out.  The decal sheet offers the last three of the serial for the inside of the airbrake and would have you place them at the bottom like XV345.  I am reasonably certain that this would be wrong.  In the mid to late 70s Laarbruch Buccs used a letter coding system.  XW550 was coded “X”.  The large black code for the fin is supplied but there should also be a small red “X” for the inside of the airbrake and the nose gear door.  The reference photo from Aviation Photo Company clearly shows this for the inside of the nose gear bay door.  Based on period photos of other RAFG Buccs, I think this would have also appeared on the other side of the nose gear bay door as well as the middle of both sides of the inside of the airbrake. (source Aviation Photo Company: https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p934046062/h54d29502#h54d29502  Aviation MT: https://www.facebook.com/aviationmt/photos/a.735829616779034/1456142718081050/ NA3T: https://www.transportphotos.com/photo/mil13430 https://www.transportphotos.com/photo/mil13431 )

 

XV357/803 Sqn.:  Color pictures of 803 Buccs seem to be on the rare side, but the artist has all the serials, the “LM” code and the “Royal Navy” in white.  I believe that all of this should be in pale blue although the serial in white could be correct.  The “12” from the last two of the nose code are shown in white on the inside of the airbrake which is also suggested to be painted EDSG.  I am reasonably certain that the inside of the airbrake would have been the same light blue grey as the undercarriage.  I also have doubts about the last two of the code but cannot find any pictures that address the issue.  If this photo from the Air Britain site  of a sad old preserved S.1 is anything to go by, they should likely be black on a yellow square. (source FAA Buccaneer Association https://www.facebook.com/FleetAirArmBuccaneerAssociation/photos/585018218202661 Air Britain https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1174764 )

 

XT277/809 Sqn: Ah the squirrel grey scheme – I personally have doubts that this was ever a thing.  I have seen the B/W photos of overpainted grey over white jets.  The 800 Sqn S.2 coded 100 does appear to have a different demarcation mid-way down the nose like the old S.1 grey over white scheme making me think that maybe that is the mysterious squirrel grey scheme.  I don’t know, but I do believe this scheme that Xtradecal depicts was standard EDSG with pale blue codes instead of white.  Again, license was taken with the last two of the serial in the airbrake; I think it should be one number on each side not both numbers on both sides.  I also think they missed the last two that should be on the flaps too. (source FAA Buccaneer Association https://www.facebook.com/FleetAirArmBuccaneerAssociation/photos/a.441169869254164/441170532587431 https://www.facebook.com/FleetAirArmBuccaneerAssociation/photos/a.441169869254164/441170585920759 )

 

XT281/JBG31: I think this is another odd ball one off sort of thing.  The only photo I have seen of this zapped aircraft is the one on the Aviation Photo Company site (which it appears the artist relied heavily upon) shows this zap on XT281 when it was undergoing some type of maintenance.  There are blue X’s over the ejection warnings and red on the pointy ends and under the flaps.  The last three in yellow are on the fin as was standard for Honington based aircraft at the time.  It also has the last three in dayglo inside the nose gear bay door which Xtradecal doesn’t provide.  Again I have doubts about the last three in yellow on the bottom of the inside of the airbrake as Xtradecal has it.  There is a picture of XT281 from 1983 that shows no serial on the inside of the right airbrake and none on the gear bay door.  I have seen earlier photos from the mid 70s of XT281 with the grey bottom and the dayglo serial inside the nose gear bay door.  Based on the photo that shows the dayglo serial and the zap taken in 81, I believe the serial was likely also in dayglo inside the airbrake which was also likely in the color of the undercarriage and not dark grey as it was in 1983.  Also if I am right that this was a one off sort of thing, then it looks like they should have mentioned the underwing borrowed from XV34? as seen in the 1981 photo.  Maybe the plane was zapped prior to going in for maintenance and cannibalizing, but I have nothing to confirm or refute that.  In any event, it should likely have the last three in dayglo in the gear bay and airbrake. (source Aviation Photo Company https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p934046062/h651d0868#h651d0868 https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p783529736/h3EF047D#h3ef047d https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000627489.html )

 

G-2-1/SAAF 24 Sqn: I was inclined to skip this one as I am not nearly as well versed with SAAF Buccs as I am with RAF Buccs, but I gave it a quick once over and a google search which revealed another forehead slapper: it should have underwing serials.  I don’t see that Xtradecal provided any.  (source: 24 Sqn Buccaneers NPC facebook page https://www.facebook.com/24SQNBuccaneers/photos/a.1708446332505886/2138034949547020/ )

 

Well this took much longer than I thought and I have grown a bit weary slagging off Xtradecal.  I realize that I am being pedantic and perhaps hypercritical.  I know a bit about Buccaneers so it bugs me, but most would be very happy just enjoying what is a mostly historically accurate depiction nicely printed on a good thin decal.  It bugs me because of the depth of my familiarity with the subject matter, but I am also partly motivated by a sense of disappointment with current Xtradecal products when they were once among the best; the 1/48 Bucc sheet from the 90s is great.  Their current incarnation reminds me of the Model Alliance sheets; the OCU badge on that sheet for example had yellow cutlasses – really?! Adding to my angst is that they are nicely printed Microscale decals but I find them unusable because of these little oversights.  Just a missed opportunity with easily avoided issues.    Anyway, I am droning on; I was planning on going over both sheets but I think I will leave it here for now unless there is interest in hearing my nitpicks on the other sheet.  Cheers - Jack       

You must have spent days getting all that down in such detail. The crucial thing is to flag this up to Hannants asap to enable updates to be incorporated, fingers crossed, before it goes to print. It may be too late for that sadly.

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On 3/31/2022 at 2:41 AM, viscount806x said:

You must have spent days getting all that down in such detail. The crucial thing is to flag this up to Hannants asap to enable updates to be incorporated, fingers crossed, before it goes to print. It may be too late for that 

Edited by wadeocu
The first draft was a bit moody
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31 minutes ago, lesthegringo said:

A question for the Buccaneer cognoscenti, what does the breakdown of parts on the sprues above tell us about possible future variants or the possibility at least? 

 

Cheers

 

Les

 

Given that the fuel tanks are on a separate sprue I would say the RAF S.2B and SAAF S.50 are a given.

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And like the 72nd RN kit still has the chaff mounting plates beneath the engines that were added later when in RAF service, So B- for research,  as this was pointed out on their 72nd 2SC kit 

 

 

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Just now, Geoff_B said:

And like the 72nd RN kit still has the chaff mounting plates beneath the engines that were added later when in RAF service, So B- for research,  as this was pointed out on their 72nd 2SC kit 

 

 

And they are easier to remove than add, it takes two minutes with a sanding stick. 

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Looks like folded wings option is there, along with open airbrakes - I wonder how long before the aftermarket guys come up with super detailed resin drop in parts for those? Mind you, mine would be an Iraqi War version, so probably those two options would be unnecessary for me despite how cool they are

 

Les

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7 hours ago, sniperUK said:

I got a virus warning when I clicked the relevant link in the Airfix email (did not try the one in your post for obvious reasons). So glad to see the pics in this thread!

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3 hours ago, Geoff_B said:

And like the 72nd RN kit still has the chaff mounting plates beneath the engines that were added later when in RAF service, So B- for research,  as this was pointed out on their 72nd 2SC kit 

 

 

 

Maybe the instructions will tell you to remove this detail, even Tamiya do this sort of thing:

2022-04-01_05-01-41

 

 

 

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Looks like the clear sprue has both long and short span wingtips too, IIRC the Gulf War a/c were fitted with short span ones.

 

And 3 ejector seat frames? Wonder if that's with and without flared side supports for the observer?

 

If that is the box artwork its a winner🏆 

 

No sprue F in the pics so that must be the RAF specific parts sprue.

 

I wish Airfix would update their pilot figures though, or at least give them possible arms.

 

 

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46 minutes ago, AntPhillips said:

 

Maybe the instructions will tell you to remove this detail, even Tamiya do this sort of thing:

2022-04-01_05-01-41

 

 

 

They didn't do it on the Vulcan so I doubt they'll do it on this. Wish they would though

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4 hours ago, Geoff_B said:

And like the 72nd RN kit still has the chaff mounting plates beneath the engines that were added later when in RAF service, So B- for research,  as this was pointed out on their 72nd 2SC kit 

 

 

Likely a choice to add them and have one part rather than as extra pieces or an alternate part. It's better, if you can't do alternate parts, to, too include all these little details than have them missing. It will drive people like me who care enough crazy if they're not there since it limits which airframes and/or schemes you can accurately do, but removing them is trivial and those who care probably have the modelling skills to remove the right details.

Airfix did this on the Vulcan with various blisters under the wings which I mentioned in my previous comment.

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On 3/31/2022 at 2:41 AM, viscount806x said:

You must have spent days getting all that down in such detail. The crucial thing is to flag this up to Hannants asap to enable updates to be incorporated, fingers crossed, before it goes to print. It may be too late for that sadly.

 

I do wish they would take interest in the minutiae for the sake of historical accuracy, but in any event I wish them well as Hannants has always been a giant in the industry and has supported our hobby well for many years. 

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Happy sprue reveal day everyone!  I have looked these over and note that it is indeed very similar to the 1/72 kit in terms of engineering and design (a plus in my book).  Here are some interesting differences I can discern:

 

1) it looks like there are two versions of the navigator's instrument panel, one on sprue A and one on sprue G.  There were changes in this area over the years so it appears that this is addressed in some fashion.

2) there are two windscreens; it looks like one has a wiper and one does not.  This is not variant specific; I think all Buccs had a wiper (and washer fluid for salt spray!) so I am thinking this is an option to suit individual modeler tastes perhaps.

3) as mentioned, the MDC chord option is there which came along in the mid 70s

4) the intake lip is a separate part; that makes painting/masking easier.

5) posable control surfaces including two positions for the actuator arm on sprue H which is very nice.  You can build one in landing or take off configuration although it appears that the wheels have a flat spot so that would have to be addressed if you were to build a landing configuration on a stand.  One caveat, on landing the all moving tailplane would also move up and down quite a bit and that would be very difficult to do given how the parts are broken down.  I think you could still model a landing configuration accurately with it in the neutral position but I may be wrong about this. 

6) the older round wide band homer is included which was overlooked in the 1/72 kit

7) also mentioned already, the splayed thigh guards for the Martel fit in the rear office which was also overlooked in the 1/72 kit (although to be fair they didn't put Martels in that one but they did fudge this for the S.2B release)

8 ) the seats are the newer style whereas the seats in the 1/72 kit were for the older FAA style with the D pull handle and metal sides around the parachute pack (they fudged this on the S.2B release as well).

9) some plumbing for the bomb bay and I think maybe the mounting points for the bombs in the bomb bay are provided as separate parts which is nice to see.  They were missing on the 1/72 model and the CADs for this 1/48 model made it look like it would be molded in but having the plumbing as separate parts in particular will make painting much easier (it's really cool that PJ is a keen modeler himself and seems to really think about this ease of painting aspect of design)

10) of course the obvious additions not present in the 1/72 kit include the ladders, FOD covers, engine bay parts and Martels (I do hope the Martel display that goes between the Nav's legs is provided - can't really tell from these pictures) 

 

As for future versions, an RAF S.2B with short wing tips is clearly in the works.  I see no provisions for SAAF versions.  Parts for the later RWR fit and aerial/antennas seem to be on the common sprues unlike the 1/72 kit; those were on the S.2B specific release in 1/72. 

 

As for nitpicks (you knew it was coming) the only thing that concerns me is what is provided here for XN981 and the box art.  I believe the box art should have low vis red and blue type D roundels not the red/white/blue roundels.  809 Buccs and XN981 in particular got the low vis roundels by 1974 (https://www.facebook.com/aviationmt/photos/a.735829616779034/1098043697224289/ ).  I think XN981 was serving with 12 Sqn during the early 70s period when 809 would have been operating in overall EDSG with red/white/blue roundels (https://www.facebook.com/aviationmt/photos/a.735829616779034/1642035896158397/?type=3 ).  I could be wrong about this but I have never seen a photo of XN981 with 809 wearing three color roundels.  My suspicion is that when 12 Sqn turned XN981 over to 809, it went into the shop for upgrades and a repaint in low vis roundels.  Adding too my concern is I don't think 809 operated with Martels prior to the low viz roundel period.  Nothing I can't sort out on my own but builders concerned about this kind of thing should beware.  The other part of this is I am pretty sure XN981 had the light on the bottom relocated to the rear of the bomb bay on the radio compartment door. You can make out the blade antenna in front of the bomb bay pretty well in this pic: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001557203.html  You can just make out the light's location in this photo:

 

wade12.jpg - 

 

(Who made that awful scan anyway?! Hint: it wasn't Damien! 😂)

 

I don't see the optional parts for the change of the light location and the addition of the blade antenna in front of the bomb bay.  These optional parts were provided in the S.2B 1/72 kit so I am sure they will come but maybe not in this boxing.  That would only apply to the XN981 option.  Not sure if the MDC would have been present on XN981 when it was with 809 but I think it would have; I will look into this.   

 

Overall I am very pleased with what I see here.  Even if they do goof on the specifics regarding XN981, the correct parts will all be provided at some point in this boxing or the next and some research with reference material will help sort out what goes on the particular subject you are going for.  This looks like it is shaping up very nicely indeed!  Cheers - Jack

 

Edited by wadeocu
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Pity with all the cad work that's done when developing/making kits nowadays they couldn't do the crew not as identical twins

I know that with 99% of completed kits they won't be used but 🤔

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