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Airfix 1/48 Buccaneer S.2 for 2022!


The_Lancaster

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Apologies if this has popped up elsewhere on BM but could not see anything.

 

Key Publications have recently released a Step-By-Step-Guide - Buccaneer - Building Airfix's New Tool Plastic Kits bookazine which includes two-page coverage of the new sprue for the 1/48 Buccaneer S.2B expected later this year.

 

This has an image of the complete sprue (F to replace existing E on the S.2C/D kit) along with close-up detail shots of various aspects - Bomb Bay door , five-part Sea Eagle ASM , Paveway II LGB , AIM-9L , Tail Hook fairing with integral Countermeasures dispensers , 'Scab-On' Countermeasures dispensers for wing pylons but not underside engine fairings , pylons , revised fin top.     Not shown in close-up the image of the complete sprue also contains upper wing tank parts , AN/ALQ-101 and Pave Spike Pods , new radio hatch , underside airframe panel.     It is also mentioned that the kit will retain the existing Sprue D with Martel , Guidance Pod , Free-fall and Retarded Bombs.

 

The bookazine also includes a twenty-page 1/48 RAF S.2B build but this is a conversion from last year's S.2C/D release.

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7 hours ago, Des said:

Key Publications have recently released a Step-By-Step-Guide - Buccaneer - Building Airfix's New Tool Plastic Kits bookazine which includes two-page coverage of the new sprue for the 1/48 Buccaneer S.2B expected later this year.

Funny that I have had this issue since it was released and had skipped right over this article with the new sprue shot until Des pointed it out here - thanks for that!

 

My disappointment is confirmed by this pic: no CBLS.  I suspected as much because the weapon lay out in the original promo shots didn't include it but this rendering was published at the same time which made me hold out an ounce of hope:

 

52732896015_ae83412087_c.jpg

 

Those look like CBLS to me.  I suppose it was considered for inclusion and found to be a bridge too far.  Too bad because it really is the single most ubiquitous store in the inventory for in service Buccaneers.  Admittedly not nearly as cool a telephone pole sized Martels and Sea Eagles but would have been very useful.  Don't get me wrong, I love having the maritime weaponry and if forced to choose, like Paramjit apparently,  I too would have made the decision to leave out the CBLS in favor of the big missiles.  Flightpath has a decent looking if not fiddly option for putting CBLS on your Bucc models.  Onward and upward! - Jack 

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14 hours ago, wadeocu said:

Flightpath has a decent looking if not fiddly option for putting CBLS on your Bucc models.

 

Considering buying them for a non-Buccaneer project although the last time I needed a CBLS was back in the 1980s and it started life as a rather generic 1,000lb. Bomb shape razor-sawed to shape , some plastic card added and then decorated with some very small bombs from a between-the-wars biplane that I had in the spares box , recall feeling very pleased at the time and although I am sure that the completed model is still in a box up in the loft not quite so sure that I would still be as pleased with the results today.

 

P.S. Slept on it and ordered them this morning , rather stick little bits of etch to my fingers with CA than breathe in plastic dust from sawing.

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I was also disappointed to see there were no CBLS planned for the boxing, I thought it was a given as for some reason I believed they were included in the 1/72 version but on looking I was wrong. As mentoined above it was one of the most common loadouts in the 80/90's. Just need to hope that someone steps up and produces some modern examples of them.

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I'd rather have a nuke or two, but the Westinghouse gear is cool. 

 

If Airfix mirror their 1/72 release pattern then I'll probably wait for the Gulf S.2B boxtop. Wonder if that might include both Air Force and Navy sprues F and E

 

Tony 

 

 

.

Edited by tony.t
clarity
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3 hours ago, tony.t said:

I'd rather have a nuke or two, but the Westinghouse gear is cool. 

 

If Airfix mirror their 1/72 release pattern then I'll probably wait for the Gulf S.2B boxtop. Wonder if that might inclyde both Navy and Air Force sprues.

 

Tony 

It appears that they are putting a gulf war scheme in the next boxing.  I suspect sales will warrant another boxing as it turned out to be in 1/72.  Perhaps an RAFG boxing with 15 & 16 squadron aircraft - a wraparound scheme and a grey  bottom scheme from each squadron?

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On 3/7/2023 at 8:19 PM, wadeocu said:

Flightpath has a decent looking if not fiddly option . . . . .

 

CBLS arrived today and I see what you mean , comprehensive set of etch detail parts included but most definitely to be saved for a bright sunny day and rock steady fingers.

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On 3/31/2022 at 12:28 AM, wadeocu said:

 

 

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       

Hi, Jack.

 

Thanks for sharing all that Buccaneer knowledge with us.

I'd certainly be interested to read about the other sheet. In particular, I'm curious about the "XX901 of 216 Squadron" option.

It says on the instructions "based at RAF Honington 1994" which is a bit odd as 216 Sqn only had Buccaneers from about 1979 to 1980 and the Buccaneer was retired in 1994 with Lossiemouth being their last base.

At first, I thought that the "1994" could just be a typo. Typo's are about on the instructions as the description of the camouflage scheme next to XX901 calls her XN981. 

The XX901 in the instructions has a replacement Medium Sea Grey canopy. That could have come from a Buccaneer that had the last camouflage scheme.

So, maybe XX901 was flown down to Honington after retirement and the 216 badge was a commemorative thing.

I'd love to build a 216 Sqn Buccaneer in 1/72, but I wonder if XX901 was with them at the time (1979-1980). Probably safer to use a serial from a known 216 Sqn Buccaneer.

 

On a subject that's close to your heart... Had you never seen a picture of the OCU badge with yellow cutlasses? There is such a picture on the cover of Wings of Fame Vol. 14.  Also on pages 84 and 85 of that volume. 

XV352 "FC" is one of those aircraft.

 

Cheers, Stefan.

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1 hour ago, Stefan Buysse said:

The XX901 in the instructions has a replacement Medium Sea Grey canopy. That could have come from a Buccaneer that had the last camouflage scheme.

So, maybe XX901 was flown down to Honington after retirement and the 216 badge was a commemorative thing.

I'd love to build a 216 Sqn Buccaneer in 1/72, but I wonder if XX901 was with them at the time (1979-1980). Probably safer to use a serial from a known 216 Sqn Buccaneer.

Hi Stefan, when the Buccaneers retired in 94, the surviving airframes were presented to represent every squadron that flew the Bucc, one even had a full repaint in EDSG and adorned with RN markings. So the 216 Sqn example in the sheet may well be the airframe from this time frame.

 

A quick search finds this pic with what is, I'm assuming, XX901 second from the top of the formation, you can just make out the 216 Sqn emblem on the intake and MSG canopy.

 

https://twitter.com/clark_aviation/status/1206528218582437889?t=VWfm25OhbbkJpxJRzp3Anw&s=19

 

Muzz

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3 hours ago, Muzz said:

Hi Stefan, when the Buccaneers retired in 94, the surviving airframes were presented to represent every squadron that flew the Bucc, one even had a full repaint in EDSG and adorned with RN markings. So the 216 Sqn example in the sheet may well be the airframe from this time frame.

 It is and as Muzz mentions XX901 in 216 Sqn. markings was one of several aircraft present at the 1994 event at Lossie in markings of squadrons which had long previously given up the Buccaneer.

 

Close up of of crew and cockpit area complete with grey framing as it taxied out for the final flypast at Lossie captioned as XX901 in the slide show here  -   Buccaneers In Service – The Buccaneer Aviation Group (the-buccaneer-aviation-group.com)

 

Perhaps a general comment on Xtradecal instruction sheets is that they quite often give the location of where a photograph used as a reference was taken rather than the home base of an aircraft which can lead to complications when these were taken away from home at airshows , family days , exercises , lunch stops  etc.  which is particularly relevant to those based up here in the wild wintry north of the island where wolves and polar bears roam the perimeter fence.

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Stefan - The thread is a bit adrift here so let’s do a 216 thread in Cold War aircraft to discuss your options there, but I did want to address your point on the mid 80s ocu emblem here.  Most definitely not yellow cutlasses per the old Model Alliance sheet.  Look close at those photos you referenced and you can make it out like it is as depicted on the mid 90s Xtradecal sheet:

52763697003_e9edf6460c_b.jpg

This old sheet was a work of art and excellently researched.  The fox heads look authentically hand painted. Still the best buccaneer decal sheet ever done with the exception perhaps of the excellent sheet in the new kit save for an omission or two.- Jack

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Hello, Jack.

 

Thanks for the image of that wonderful sheet with the different fox badges. I had never seen it before.

 

You're right about the OCU badge, of course. A good close look at those photo's reveals that the cutlass blades aren't yellow. If I take a quick glance at them, I could still think "yellow". Maybe because I have seen the Model Alliance sheet, maybe it's an optical illusion caused by that red disk.

 

I'll head for the cold war aircraft forum for 216 Sqn later. 

 

Cheers, Stefan.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Oh la la linka dinka 🤤

52842437912_94b925557c_z.jpg

 

52842438337_c3fa729c05_z.jpg

52843459623_79e70fc67f_z.jpg

Not so sure about the stark white MDC chord but the colors on everything else look superb!  These appear to beat out Eduard offerings by a wide margin with the caveat that I have not seen them in person.

 

https://quinta-studio.com/en/category/a/search/?query=buccaneer

 

 

Edited by wadeocu
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1 hour ago, wadeocu said:

Oh la la linka dinka 🤤

52842437912_94b925557c_z.jpg

 

52842438337_c3fa729c05_z.jpg

52843459623_79e70fc67f_z.jpg

Not so sure about the stark white MDC chord but the colors on everything else look superb!  These appear to beat out Eduard offerings by a wide margin with the caveat that I have not seen them in person.

 

https://quinta-studio.com/en/category/a/search/?query=buccaneer

 

 

Quinta stuff is good isn’t it?

As I understand it they use a japanese printer (physical printing machine, a Miyazaki I believe)

Anybody know what the others use?

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On 4/24/2023 at 8:51 PM, Bozothenutter said:

Quinta stuff is good isn’t it?

 

wonder how well Russian stuff will be awailable in Europe

guess there will be alternatives!

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2 minutes ago, exdraken said:

wonder how well Russian stuff will be awailable in Europe

guess there will be alternatives!

It still gets through. Takes some weeks but still available.

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1 minute ago, exdraken said:

wonder how well Russian stuff will be awailable in Europe

guess there will be alternatives!

Hannants been getting regular re-stocks over the past year , latest was added to 'New Arrivals' the end of last week.

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15 hours ago, wadeocu said:

Why yes indeed!

52845638179_c941f85980_c.jpg

Impressive, most impressive!

But are those rear cockpit screens shown powered on?   I've sat in some old jet cockpits and have seen similar orange screens, but they did not seem that bright when powered off.

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1 hour ago, neilh said:

But are those rear cockpit screens shown powered on?   I've sat in some old jet cockpits and have seen similar orange screens, but they did not seem that bright when powered off.

fair comment, but for me it's allowable artistic licence because large expanses of very shiny nothingness in a cockpit are boring, and some people like to have in-flight displays with aircraft modelled 'live'. If you want the authentic 'cold & dark' effect then it's really just a little puddle of clear epoxy over a suitable base coat

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13 hours ago, neilh said:

But are those rear cockpit screens shown powered on?   I've sat in some old jet cockpits and have seen similar orange screens, but they did not seem that bright when powered off.

The Blue Parrot has a bright orange screen even powered down:

 

lb9.jpg

 

If anything the black lines are exaggerated but I agree that this is a good example of the necessary use of artistic license to convey the impression of a thing in scale.  Those fine black lines would disappear in scale.  The Martel display was also a light off white color even when powered down.

 

172E91C9-B198-4136-8800-C0D98F7EFCC5

 

I like the approach Quinta chose to depict these screens much better than the way Eduard did.

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On 24/04/2023 at 18:38, wadeocu said:

 

52843459623_79e70fc67f_z.jpg

Not so sure about the stark white MDC chord but the colors on everything else look superb!  These appear to beat out Eduard offerings by a wide margin with the caveat that I have not seen them in person.

 

https://quinta-studio.com/en/category/a/search/?query=buccaneer

 

It's crossed my mind how these MDC's are actually going to be applied to the model.  So far I've only used the Kit World 3D decals and each time I've had to resort to using glue of some sort - are Quinta any different? Not sure I fancy having glue anywhere around the transparency or are there techniques I don't know about.

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