Oldgitian Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 The build of the mid 1990s released Airfix kit started out as something of a crusade for me after I'd been banging on, to anyone who would listen, about the price of the upcoming new release. I was, and still am, convinced that £70.00 for a 1/48 scale kit is over the top and I was therefore determined to have a crack at making the old version into an acceptable model. I'd been warned by many that the fit and finish of the old kit was at best poor and at worst diabolical. I discovered that it actually fell somewhere between the two. I set out to build pretty much from the box but that plan soon changed when assembling the cockpit. The ejector seats had to go followed by much of the instrumentation. The airbrake detail needed some enhancement and a new set of wheels seemed like a good idea. As the build progressed, I also decided to replace the flight refuelling probe and the pitot tube with metal parts. I always like my models to have a "parked " look so I also bought crew access ladders and FOD guards. Finally I invested in paint masks for the canopy and wheels. The bottom line is that with the cost of the original kit (bought second-hand under the table at some model show several years ago for about thirty quid) plus the extras and replacements, It's actually cost me just short of £95.00. So a valuable lesson learnt by this modeller. Don't shout too loud about the exorbitant price of new models unless you can prove the old "pocket money" kits are up to standard. By the way. I visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum a few days ago to check the details of my latest build against the real thing. Guess what? It ain't there. In their wisdom the museum have chosen to remove a surprising number of aircraft from display. The S2 Buccaneer on the Carrier section has gone together with the Sea Hawk, Scimitar, Sea Venom and Gannet leaving a yawning gap on the flight deck presumably to give a clearer view of a rather disappointing animated video. In other halls the two seat Hunter has vanished and also the Firefly is missing. I assume someone has a master plan to improve the visitor experience but at the moment it's not working. So, if you intended a visit to take some reference photos, don't bother if your next build is of a subject that has been relegated to the reserve collection. Enough of my rant, here are some photos of the finished Airfix circa 1995 Buccaneer S2D. 58 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliGauld Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Beautiful job. Very nicely done. Cheers, Alistair 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Beautiful work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick b Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 2 hours ago, Oldgitian said: By the way. I visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum a few days ago to check the details of my latest build against the real thing. Guess what? It ain't there. In their wisdom the museum have chosen to remove a surprising number of aircraft from display. The S2 Buccaneer on the Carrier section has gone together with the Sea Hawk, Scimitar, Sea Venom and Gannet leaving a yawning gap on the flight deck presumably to give a clearer view of a rather disappointing animated video. In other halls the two seat Hunter has vanished and also the Firefly is missing. I assume someone has a master plan to improve the visitor experience but at the moment it's not working. Being a ‘Friend of the Museum’ I raised this issue, way before the new Carrier Experience was opened, via an email sent to the editor of the club magazine as I had visited the museum to look at the Albacore which was also missing along with the Firefly. Then as now it appeared to be a case of making room for more Harriers and various helicopters, but my point was the museum seems to be moving FAA aircraft out but retaining the non FAA airframes in the Concorde hall. Numerous FAA aeroplanes being shifted to Cobham Hall which as you may know is only open on particular days, usually a Thursday, and at extra cost. My email was not responded to … Great model by the way. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitewolf Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Great model!! So whats going on at the FAA museum then? Carrier deck is supposedly Ark Royal IV (even thought it better resembles Eagle) so the Buccaneer S2 is a must! The people that originally managed it were made redundant a few years back and responsibility moved to Portsmouth under a guy who promptly fell out with the model clubs meaning the twice yearly model show disappeared. Now I understand he"s gone... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winded Penguin Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Nice candid background story, and you did a great job to end up with that result 👍 Looks lovely in the FAA scheme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Fantastic result Ian, and you got my vote at this months club meet, but clearly didn't need it judging by the number of votes when I last looked! In the end, models are what we make of them. As you know I do have the new tool 1/48 Buccaneer, and it is a great kit, but I know I'm going to be severely hard pressed to come anywhere close to what you've done here. Well done that man! T. PS, As for your recent experience at the FAA museum, it does sound like they might need to talk to some serious FAA advocates, before they dilute things too much. Crisp @Ex-FAAWAFU I wondered if you were aware? I've not been down there for a couple of years, but did hope to go back soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 great work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgitian Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 Thanks for your kind words re the build. I've yet to see a completed new tool version to make a comparison. With the show season soon to begin, I'm hoping to track down a few. As far as the FAAM Cobham Hall reserve collection open day goes, I wonder how much we'll be charged for entry? With the main museum now costing £19.00 on the day I would expect we'll be stung to see the greater part of the collection. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Lovely work, looks just as good as the new mould! I bought the original kit for £55 at Telford in 2021, but it did come with a resin cockpit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgitian Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 2 hours ago, F-32 said: Lovely work, looks just as good as the new mould! I bought the original kit for £55 at Telford in 2021, but it did come with a resin cockpit. Sounds like a good deal. The resin cockpit will certainly help. You can probably manage quite well without the wheel and airbrake replacements. Have you made a start? Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 24 minutes ago, Oldgitian said: Sounds like a good deal. The resin cockpit will certainly help. You can probably manage quite well without the wheel and airbrake replacements. Have you made a start? Ian Not started just yet, I've got a Canberra (almost done) and a Valiant ahead of it 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Nice job 👍 still scrubs up well, doesn't it? On 2/4/2023 at 5:50 PM, Oldgitian said: .lThe bottom line is that with the cost of the original kit (bought second-hand under the table at some model show several years ago for about thirty quid) plus the extras and replacements, It's actually cost me just short of £95.00. So a valuable lesson learnt by this modeller. Don't shout too loud about the exorbitant price of new models unless you can prove the old "pocket money" kits are up to standard. Really appreciate your honesty about this, a salutary lesson for everyone! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Great looking Bucc! That old kit certainly scrubs up well with a bit of effort. I agree about the cost of the new one too, still hoping some eBay bargains come up at some point. To me about £50 seems a fairer price, but I guess Airfix wouldn’t make enough profit then. As to the FAA museum that’s very disappointing to hear. We went in 2019 and that carrier deck was amazing! Glad I saw it when I did, doesn’t sound worth a visit anymore. How can anyone think a big projector screen is better than a real Buccaneer or Sea Venom!? Why are so many decisions in all walks of life these last few years always stupid ones? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantherhawk27263 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 A beautiful Buccaneer!!! Excellent job on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndM Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 Excellent work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred piket Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 fantastic Buccaneer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry_the_Spider Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 Nice work. Regarding the FAA Museum... They've improved it by removing a load of aircraft? Was there back in 2019 and, whilst the flight deck was a bit cluttered, there was a lot of stuff to look at. Maybe better lighting would improve the experience rather than getting rid of the exhibits. I paid to see the aircraft, not the holes where they used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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