1/72 Jet Provost T.3/4

[AnticlockwisePropeller]

 

I've been in a bit of a slump recently, so I wanted something nice and easy to build, to get a bit of my modelling mojo back. I picked up a few of the Airfix starter sets at Lidl, back when they were on sale for a fiver, and I have to say I'm quite impressed! There's hardly any flash, and the fit and detailing appear superb. (On the other hand, given that the vast majority of kits I've built in the past have been re-pops of 60's - 80's Airfix kits, I may be more easily impressed than most ).

 

 

 

Like most kits, I started with the cockpit. I painted it black, with a little dry-brushed silver to bring out the details. The instrument panel decal is lovely, but I had to trim the edges after it set, as the film is ever so slightly larger than the part it fits to. The ejection seats were of an interesting construction - four parts each. I painted the seat cushions on the sprue, as it was much easier than trying to fiddle around with them off of it. I might leave them out until after I've painted the model though, as I intend to have the canopy open, and it'll be easier to mask if the seats aren't in place.

 

 

 

Finally, I added a couple of grams of lead in the nose, and closed the fuselage up. A couple of pegs and an elastic band were needed to hold everything together, but it set nicely, so I might be able to get away without any filler - quite the novelty for me!

 

I've not yet decided what colour scheme I'll paint my Jet Provost in. Given the only difference between the T.3 and T.4 seems to be an uprated engine, I could finish it up as either mark. I'm leaning towards something colourful - red, white, and blue, maybe?

[flashlight]

Very good start. the cockpit looks great with the dry brushing and the decal!

[Planebuilder62]

Dear Chris

2g weight in the nose sounds a bit light. If you tape the wings, rudder and tailplane then you can check if there is enough nose weight.

 

Try balancing the plane on the edge of a ruler placed across the plane in line with the main undercarriage. If it tips over backwards then more nose weight is needed.

 

Xtradecals have some decals for red, white and grey Provosts with blue stripes.

 

regards Toby

[AnticlockwisePropeller]

Thanks Toby! I took your suggestion and balanced the Jet Provost on a ruler, with the wings and tail taped on. You were right, it did lean a little tail heavy, so I added another gram of lead through the hole left for the nose gear. After that, it balanced just fine!

 

 

Having looked at quite a few photos of Jet Provosts, I noticed many leave the flaps down a notch while parked, so I decided to replicate this on my model. I cut the flaps off the wings, and glued the two halves together. There was a ledge, as the top half of the flap is shorter than the bottom half, so I remedied this by gluing on some quarter-round styrene strip (actually half-round strip cut lengthways).

 

Finally, I glued the wings onto the model. Again, some pegs were needed to keep the halves together while setting, but otherwise the fit was good.

[AnticlockwisePropeller]

As for the colour scheme, I've narrowed it down to two options I think look quite smart:

 

 

Option 1 is XM470, as she appeared circa 1985. This scheme lets me reuse the nice CFS emblem decals from the stock kit.

 

 

Option 2 is XM479, as she appears today. The tail will be trickier to mask, and I'll need to find white rose decals for this one, but I think I might have a couple spare somewhere?

[flashlight]

Both options are very nice, the decision won't be easy! Looking forward to see which one will be the winner.

[tony.t]

Got the same kit on the go myself, so you're great motivation!

Thinking of somehow replacing the NLG with a Mosquito tailwheel, as I damaged mine trying to tame it. Will be in the Red Pelicans markings that come with the box as I find 1/72 too tiny for any complex paint jobs.

 

Tony

[perdu]

I'm veering in the direction of a Church Fenton bird myself because I have the artwork for the CF emblem in my 'pooter.

 

As for the model I fully agree with you, it's a delight to assemble and no filler on mine either. Wow.

 

Looking forward to seeing the stripey version.

[tony.t]

On 1/7/2023 at 8:09 AM, perdu said:

I'm veering in the direction of a Church Fenton bird myself because I have the artwork for the CF emblem in my 'pooter.

 

As for the model I fully agree with you, it's a delight to assemble and no filler on mine either. Wow.

 

Looking forward to seeing the stripey version.

 

Did you join the upper and lower wings before attaching them to the fuselage, or is it wise to follow the instructions and add uppers after?

I would rather the wing was assembled in its entirety, separately, as it'll cure some warping and allow any joins on the tip tanks to be cleaned-up easily.  

 

It does go together very well.

 

Tony