Wings unlevel Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 (edited) You would have done the same as me yes? In a moment of enthusiasm for this GB, bought that just-listed, reasonably-priced Airfix/Heller Super Etendard that was still in it's original plastic shrink wrap packaging, untouched in 30 years? The retro 1990 Airfix box art and design may have also prompted an impulsive 'buy it now' acquisition! 😄 I may be deluding myself in thinking with so few parts it will be a quick build. But with only a handful of parts, it will be a quick build, yes? 🤪 Of course the old and out-of-register decals were a gateway to just a few other items of aftermarket! If I have to order new decals, I may as well order some masks (hope they can be made to fit as they're for the Academy kit!) and a new seat. I did though decide against PE. I'm going to leave the raised panel lines (for a quick build - yes? - and my scribing skills need a lot of work!) so it didn't make sense to add PE for better detailing when the kit still has raised panel lines. Meanwhile, these decals are on their way to me: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/berna-decals-bd-72-129-dassault-super-etendard-aeronavale--1410102 so I can build an Aeronavale aircraft, probably in the later blue/blue-grey scheme. And yes. I'll definitely hang the Exocet of it. I have seen some great models made of this kit online that set the standard for what can be done with this humble kit. So hopefully I can fly the flag for the Super Etendard in this GB (while also progressing my Mirage 2000 and finishing my Salty Sea Dog Intruder) and do this very pretty aeroplane some justice. Merci bien, Gerard Edited April 2, 2023 by Wings unlevel 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEMPESTMK5 Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 Good morning Gerard Welcome aboard with this kit , have fun and enjoy your build ... Best regards Patrice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 Salut Gerard @Wings unlevel thank you for adding the Super Étendard to the GB. Let‘s see what you will do wih this kit! Will it end up inflight? Or maybe on the catapult just like the box art? (the way the jet was attached to the cat shoe was „interesting“). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 3 hours ago, TEMPESTMK5 said: Welcome aboard with this kit , have fun and enjoy your build ... Thank you, Patrice. 3 hours ago, Sam said: Let‘s see what you will do wih this kit! Will it end up inflight? Or maybe on the catapult just like the box art? Thanks Sam - there's nothing quite so dramatic as a fighter jet on a carrier ready to be launched. I suspect my representation of the aircraft will be a little more mundane! So this definitely does have the potential to be a quick build. After 20 minutes of cutting bits off sprues and a bit of tidying up, I could dry fit the airframe together. The main challenge I can see will be the seem lines between he top and bottom fuselage halves (that wing join seam looks bad in the photo, but that is only because in the photo the parts are dry fitted with no pressure on them). I don't think much putty will be required to clean up the fuselage joins, but any sanding will destroy the lovely raised detailing, especially around the engine hot end. (I should correct my original post - the panel lines are in fact recessed, not raised, but some of the other surface detailing is raised.) Other than that though, the build otherwise looks pretty straightforward. The cockpit is bereft of any real detail, and looking down the inlets will reveal a void where an engine should be, so it is a kit of its time. But I think it will build up quite nicely, and complement its American contemporary and current bench mate, my Salty Sea Dog A-6E Intruder, quite nicely! Cheers, Gerard 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 46 minutes ago, Wings unlevel said: and looking down the inlets will reveal a void where an engine should be Maybe you could glue a printed photo of the engine front view into the void? That rear part with the bolts on it looks indeed like a tricky part to clean up. Especially at that scale. Do small bolts to glue on exist in 1/72? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 G'day Gerard, Great choice! (I may be biased), it looks just like a scaled down version of their 1/48 kit. Good to see the A-6 progressing as well, cheers, Pappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 For what’s it worth and to make you fell better, I would have ‘impulsively’ done the same thing as well. Come to think of it, I just bought a Heller Black box Mirage 2000 last night, not having ever thought about the subject prior to this GB! She looks like a quick build, however you may get bogged down tidying up some of those joins, I’m sure you make a good go of it either way. Cheers.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 (edited) On 17/02/2023 at 23:08, Sam said: That rear part with the bolts on it looks indeed like a tricky part to clean up. It sure does! On most photos I’ve looked at the detail is not all that noticeable, and on the kit the bolt/rivet heads are definitely over scale. But they should be there though. On 18/02/2023 at 13:36, Pappy said: Great choice! (I may be biased), it looks just like a scaled down version of their 1/48 kit. Good to see the A-6 progressing as well, Great minds?! it’s when I start a Mirage F.1 build, Pappy, then you start worrying! 🤣 22 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said: For what’s it worth and to make you fell better, I would have ‘impulsively’ done the same thing as well. Come to think of it, I just bought a Heller Black box Mirage 2000 last night I figure there are much worse (and expensive!) impulses to indulge. Teenaged me (and I’m sure teenaged Dave) would have approved. Edited February 19, 2023 by Wings unlevel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 I like the sue, nice build so far👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 16 hours ago, Wings unlevel said: I Great minds?! it’s when I start a Mirage F.1 build, Pappy, that you start worrying! 🤣 I actually have a SH 1/72 F1 in the stash..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 5, 2023 Author Share Posted March 5, 2023 A little bit of progress on my SUE. The original IP decal might not be the first word in detail, but it went on okay. To come I have an aftermarket resin ejection seat that will add at least some detail to the cockpit when it goes in. Otherwise it’s pretty sparse. After some nose weights to be sure, I could then close up the fuselage halves. Which also meant attaching the wings (which are melded as a single piece with a carry through spar). It all fits together pretty well, after bit of fettling. A few things to clean up, like ejector pin marks in awkward places (ie the vertical tail.) But it will clean up alright I think. Gerard 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Looks like it’s taking shape nicely and I’m only starting to notice how similar some of those individual parts are in comparison to other Dassault products. Nice progress Gerard. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Coming along well Gerard, single colour or dual grey camo? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 On 06/03/2023 at 07:47, Rabbit Leader said: and I’m only starting to notice how similar some of those individual parts are in comparison to other Dassault products Cheers Dave, the Super Etendard doesn’t have the prettiest nose, but other than that it has quite an elegant shape I think. 6 hours ago, Hewy said: single colour or dual grey camo? Definitely the more ‘colourful’ grey and blue grey camo. Can never have too many grey jets on the shelf! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 Speaking of colours and camo, my decal sheet finally arrived in the post yesterday. Almost exactly four weeks to arrive from Hannants in the UK. 😪 They look really nice though, worth the wait! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I had a friend who ran a model shop in Edinburgh in the early 1980s, which I occasionally minded for him. He had close links with Heller and I remember him bringing a built test shot of this kit back from a trip to France in early 1984. It was beautifully built, and was the object of much admiration when it went on display in the shop. Despite that I've never actually built one, although we sold loads when it went on sale, so I'm watching with great interest. That Berna sheet looks nice. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 (edited) 22 hours ago, John said: It was beautifully built, and was the object of much admiration when it went on display in the shop. Mine won’t be so beautifully finished, no doubt, but it has been a joy to build thus far. So much so of the three builds I have on the go at the moment, it’s the one I reach for first whenever I get some modelling time! I’m actually almost ready for priming, so shots of the largely completed airframe soon, but first, I’ve finished up the ejection seat. As you can probably tell, this is an aftermarket resin seat, from CMK. Came up alright I think, with a little dry brushing and a light wash. I’m not sure it is 100% accurate for a SUE, it is a Martin Baker Mk6 which was fitted in the SUE, but the packaging says it is for the SMB (Super Mystere), so there may be some minor differences. But it is far more accurate than the kit seat, and looks pretty good in place in the cockpit. More soon, Gerard Edited March 12, 2023 by Wings unlevel 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 (edited) The seat looks fine Gerard! Whether it’s the correct one or not - only you decide whether that matters or not. I often find myself pondering how much accuracy in terms of „this jet in this squadron on those particular days was exactly like this and what not“ I want to achieve. It‘s a real rabbit hole and only those working on the particular jet would know. Honestly, I never knew and know all the exact details of the particular bird I am sitting in. I want to know how it behaves and which button does what to it so I can get the desired result. There surely are more flightsimmers and fans who know way more technical details about my current machine, to me it‘s simply operationally irrelevant. So yes, your bang seat is absolutely fine. Edit: In addition to my rant about tech details. I often see that those colleagues with ultra-precise detail knowledge are less flexible operationally, in the civil world especially during SIM situations. It‘s about judging how much detail you need in which subject matter. Edited March 12, 2023 by Sam 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 On 2/17/2023 at 7:03 AM, Wings unlevel said: You would have done the same as me yes? In a moment of enthusiasm for this GB, bought that just-listed, reasonably-priced Airfix/Heller Super Etendard that was still in it's original plastic shrink wrap packaging, untouched in 30 years? The retro 1990 Airfix box art and design may have also prompted an impulsive 'buy it now' acquisition! 😄 Great move Gerard! The boxart had the same effect on me back in 1990 when the kit first came out. Money very well spent. Since then I've acquired and built the Italeri Super Etendard, enabling a repaint of my Airfix model, with leftover decals - as shown in the Inspiration Gallery. Comparison between the two balances firmly in favour of this little gem. Your build is going well - can't wait to see the completed model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 3 hours ago, Sam said: Whether it’s the correct one or not - only you decide whether that matters or not. Thanks Sam, I do like how in scale modelling accuracy is in the eye of the beholder. If it looks right to me then I’m happy. For me it’s more about the external shape, colours and decal placement, so I’m probably somewhere in the middle of the pedantry/accuracy bell curve! 2 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said: this little gem Thanks Tim, it sure is! A really enjoyable build so far, hopefully I do it some sort of justice! Your SUE looks terrific. Gerard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killingholme Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 I've always had a real soft spot for this kit. Simple, but captures the look of the real thing so much better than the Academy kit (especially around the nose). I've long held that nicely done raised detail is usually superior to almost all-but-the-best modern engraved panel lines. I wouldn't worry too much about the rivet detail on the rear fuselage. They are definitely there, but only really shows up when you've got strong light and shadow. Good look with the build. Will 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Very well done seat gerard, and a cracking example of a worn rear end too👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 15 hours ago, Killingholme said: I wouldn't worry too much about the rivet detail on the rear fuselage. Thanks Will, that’s as good an image I’ve seen of the SUE rear end. I have in fact sanded back much of the rear end raised rivet/bolt heads, as you say it’s not really visible on the real thing until you get up quite close, and much more important to get rid of the seam line. As you say, it’s a cracking little kit, a fun build of a fascinating subject! 14 hours ago, Hewy said: Very well done seat gerard Thanks Hewy, it is about as good as my eyesight will allow! 🤣 Now to see if I can get anywhere near your standards of black basing/marbling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 With the seat finished, and the canopy polished and masked, it was time to seal it all up and get some primer down. (Kit seat shown above for comparison to the resin seat I used.) Scrubs up ok I think. Most of the seams have cleaned up quite nicely. There’s maybe on I might re-attack, but should be able to progress to painting pretty quickly. I inadvertently threw away the underwing pylons, so my build will be clean, which meant filling in the attachment wholes on the undersides. They might need a little more attention cleaning up. On the wing undersides you can also noticed some dimpling from the molds, a classic Heller trait apparently? But seeing as I display my kits wheels side down, that’s not particularly problematic. Overall it really is a lovely kit. Glad I took this one on! Gerard 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 43 minutes ago, Wings unlevel said: black basing/marbling! I flippin well drowned mine in paint eventually anyway , You've got a good base down 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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