De Havilland DH-88 Comet Racer

[Red Max]

/media/tinymce_upload/5ca6256b312c65b60e0655a456935f0f.jpgIn the last year Hungarian model makers SBS have produced a very fine 1/72 resin model of the the famous 1930's racing Comet manufactured by De Havilland primarily for the 1934 MacRobertson England to Australia air race.  Whilst not perfect the new kit knockes the old Airfix Comet into next week.  The Airfix kit has be repackaged with new decals for different aircraft but clearly comes in the original (1950's?) plastic which to be honest was looking tired fifty years ago, especially with its modelled in pilots heads!

82 years after the DH88s first flew there is one one survivor, G-ACSS, "Grosvernor House" still airworthy in the Shuttleworth collection. At Derby airport, G-ACSP "Black Magic" the first aircraft of the type built is being carefully restored to flying condition along side a new build replica of the third of the MacRobertson racers known affectionately as the 'Green One'. These two aircarft will take to the sky in the next couple of years bring the Comet into shape focus in the aviation world.  SBS seems to have sewn up the 1/72 scale model of this famous plane but theirs is an expensive kit and is of course a resin model.

At 1/72 scale the Comet is a rather wee model and I am sure a lot of modellers would prefer to see this attractive historic plane in a larger scale such as 1/48 which would allow far greater detail with less fiddly parts than the SBS kit presents.  Only five original Comets were built in the 1930s but they present us with no less than fifteen colour and markings build potentials.

So can Airfix be persuaded to look at producing a replacement for their aged kit. I certainly hope so.  Please add your thoughs if you support this proposal.   I look forward to displaying a splendid 1/48 scale model of this important British aircraft and hope it will be cast by Airfix.