Excess Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 (edited) Alright, here we go. Initially I was going to do this using this late 80s Airfix issue S.2B kit below, using the decals from the spares box. But after a little research there are a lot of details like the earlier FAA wing pylons, that will be too much effort to replicate. So I have now decided to just buy the new 2010 release from Airfix, which has all the parts and the decals that I need. Plus the spare bits I can use on my Matchbox S.2 that I'm bringing back from the dead in a Gulf War scheme. I need to do some more research into payloads. At the moment I'm looking at a rather implausible payload of left slipper tank, Airwaves resin buddy refuelling pod and a pair of AS-30 ASMs from the Heller hi-tech "OTAN armement" weapons set in the configuration shown below. If I'm only using one slipper tank I thought it wasn't worth getting a set of the elongated slipper tanks the South Africans developed but luckily I understand these come with the new Airfix issue anyway. I need to find more references of SAAF Buccs in the tanking role, e.g. I understand only the starboard inner pylon was used for the buddy pod, but I'm unsure whether they carried any self-defence AAMs, ECM pods etc. I have seen an ECM pod on a late SAAF Buccaneer, but it wasn't one I recognised. It had a stubby cylindrical fore body, with a thinner longer aft body. I'm also keen to discover when the SAAF installed the belly tank and whether this was the same size/configuration as the RAF birds. It would make more sense for a tanker to have the belly tank. I've had the SAAF scheme in mind for a while now for the earlier airfix kit and I managed to find a tin of the old Humbrol 124 petroleum blue for the underside at a small local hobby shop. As an aside I'm also currently trying to finish an old Academy MiG-23 as its theoretical MPLA "dogfight double"... Edited August 27, 2010 by Excess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark M Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 welcome and were watching Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoxy Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 (edited) I need to do some more research into payloads. At the moment I'm looking at a rather implausible payload of left slipper tank, Airwaves resin buddy refuelling pod and a pair of AS-30 ASMs from the Heller hi-tech "OTAN armement" weapons set in the configuration shown below. If I'm only using one slipper tank I thought it wasn't worth getting a set of the elongated slipper tanks the South Africans developed but luckily I understand these come with the new Airfix issue anyway. I need to find more references of SAAF Buccs in the tanking role, e.g. I understand only the starboard inner pylon was used for the buddy pod, but I'm unsure whether they carried any self-defence AAMs, ECM pods etc. I have seen an ECM pod on a late SAAF Buccaneer, but it wasn't one I recognised. It had a stubby cylindrical fore body, with a thinner longer aft body. I'm also keen to discover when the SAAF installed the belly tank and whether this was the same size/configuration as the RAF birds. It would make more sense for a tanker to have the belly tank. If you go to this site and register, you will get access to the other pages of the galleries including the Buccaneer S50 pages which have lots of pics of Bucc's in museums, and in service, and lots of pictures of weapons etc, there is also a pic of air to air refuelling . You need to go in the knowledge base, then the air album, then the aircraft album, the the Bucc Smk50 album. If you don't register all you will see are the airshow albums. Regards Paul. http://gallery2.ipmssa.za.org/main.php Edited August 27, 2010 by redfoxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark M Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 i dont know if the long tanks are in the new boxing off the top of my head but if they are do you want mine, i wont be needing them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metallicus Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 ah brilliant another SAAF bird!! looking forward to your build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excess Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 Thanks for the referral Paul, that's a great site and I did as you suggested and got some good detail for the buddy pod and AS-30s I'm looking at. I'm still not 100% sure about the pylon used for the buddy pod though. I'm wondering if it's a deep pylon similar to the height of that used for the TV Martel datalink? There's a good pic of it on page 36 of the Graham Pitchfork book. Maybe its just my imagination... I got my new Airfix boxing today, and luckily yes it does have the elongated tanks on one of the extra two sprues they've added. Thanks for your offer though Mark. And here it is in all its glory: So my build can begin in earnest.... Errr maybe tomorrow night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark M Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 looking forward to this i love the bucc, i supose i better get on with my builds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excess Posted November 10, 2010 Author Share Posted November 10, 2010 Gorblimey, its almost halfway through November already. Believe it or not I began work straight away back in September but got distracted with overtime at work and another build. But I've finished the cockpit and can move on to the build proper. Figures are PJ Productions US 1970's pilots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoxy Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Cockpit looking good, especially the pilots, I forgot you don't get any with the 1/72 kit. Regards Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excess Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 Aaaarrgh! I got a bit distrcted there and only checked the GB closing date last week. Since then I've been feverishly trying to finish her off. I initially added weight into the nose intending to do a wheels-down kit but now with time running out I have just done her wheels up. I have also decided not to bother with armament, instead just putting on a slipper tank and refuelling pod. I decided that the Airwaves buddy pod was too small and not the right shape at the rear so I just took a whole unit out of my Matchbox Victor kit, which are spare since I bought the Heritage Aviation resin replacements. I used wire for the hose and one of the Heritage drogues. I didn't bother with a pylon, I just used the one from the Victor which looked about right. Once attached it was on to painting. I have done one coat on Petroleum Blue on the underside. I have to say I haven't really enjoyed this build. I've had to do a lot of filling and sanding and every time I've done sanding parts of the fuselage joins crack and I have to re-glue a lot of them as well as various bits and pieces including the tailplane which took me a while to get straight. Last week I lost the internal bulkhead with the turbine fan faces so I had to open up the bomb bay and re-glue it in place, then struggled to get the bomb bay door to sit correctly again. I'm using Tamiya liquid cement, which doesn't seem to dissolve the plastic very well in this case. Anyway, only 1 day to go and I need to door more paint and apply the decals. I wonder if I'll make it??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excess Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 The answer is no! I actually thought it ended today, but it was two days ago on the 26th so I definitely failed. I only got one coat on top (partially) and bottom, but managed to paint all the extra bits except silver on the the wing and intake leading edges. The paint is still drying in these shots. I haven't got the exhausts far enough in as I was worried they'd pop all the way through into the fuselage. She needs some more sanding and holes filled, but I wasn't too far off. Not a very good effort for my first group build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoxy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The answer is no! I actually thought it ended today, but it was two days ago on the 26th so I definitely failed. I only got one coat on top (partially) and bottom, but managed to paint all the extra bits except silver on the the wing and intake leading edges. Don't forget the silver on the tailplane leading edges as well. Great effort, so close!. Nice to see some hairy stick painters still about, like myself. Regards Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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