Airfix 1/48 scale Buccaneer

[cornedbeef]

I am a totally rubbish modeller!/media/tinymce_upload/499c28c5447fb6933d5aa023dff44c7d.JPG/media/tinymce_upload/3448d1fda6a9c4a5c9124099d8fde895.JPG/media/tinymce_upload/2218c9e4ecf1dbc0318f2a1585e6efff.JPG 3 attempts at this kit and I still can't make all the pieces fit properly. I know it has a bad reputation, but ive seen what can be achieved by real modellers. Still I love them all and have learned a lot working in 1/48 scale for the first time. Airbrushing in the right hands would no doubt improve the paint finish, I struggled with the white underside on the Royal Navy version to produce an even coat. Also couldn't get the intakes to fit properly. Shaky hands dont help either. Now where on earth do I put them, out of sight I think.

 

 

[T2B]

Yes the 1:48th scale kit does have a bad reputation, though I have not attempted it myself. But from your photos I can't see much wrong, or is that the 3' rule? 

[dabhand]

Your models look OK to me.  Three Buccaneer - I bet a fair few modellers who have bought this kit have stashed it away rather than assemble it.  It is quite large too.  

 

I remember it needed a lot of care to assemble and rubbing down too.

 

Looking forwards to the coming Airfix 1/72nd scale kit - due soon?

[Kenneth ONeill]

Well, the kit has "a reputation", due partly to springy plastic. The split lines on "Sea Witch" may be impossible to eliminate completely short of lots of filler, and recribing.

[cornedbeef]

Thanks very much for your comments, they are much appreciated.

[BarnacleBill1707821335]

I've got a 1/48 Scale Buccaneer sitting under the bed, and sadly, it's been there over a year, I just haven't got the courage to take it on, and now Airfix are producing a new 1/72 scale kit, it would have been so much better, had Airfix made this new model in 1/48 Scale.

Do you think if we asked nicely, Airfix just might consider producing a new 1/48 Scale Buccaneer, so I'll start the ball rolling

Please Airfix, with sugar on top, please produce a 1/48 Scale Buccaneer

[John Symmons]

Hi Cornedbeef

Nice trio of Buccaneer's and you are to be commended on producing a trio of fine models. Well done.

 

I've never  made this kit as it way outside my gambit of modelling, but checking your pictures it seems you did make the intakes fit on the first picture. the other two almost look as if they're upside down???. I've had several  occasions where I've done this in thinking that the parts are identical and mixed them up only to find out later they're not identical and now they're mounted up-side down or left to right. The other thing I find useful is if parts don't fit as they should, is to  remove any locating pins, tabs, or lugs as these can easily up-set a fit if they're even slightly out, as in the case of wing locating tabs. this is especially true with older; Vintage?: kits but still crops up on some more recent toolings. Also dry fit, dry fit and dry fit some more, making small adjustment each time and things can usually be persuaded to fit somehow.

 

One of the problems seem to stem from the release angle that has to be designed into the mould. This means that no part can have a true 90 degree vertical angle in the mould it has to be at a slight angle less than 90 degrees otherwise it won't release from the mould also the transition from a flat horizontal surface to a flat vertical one often ( Again especially with older toolings. ) have a slight roundness at the point of transition and not a clean right angle. This is why you oftern find a slight gap in wing root joins and tail plane joins, but it does often crop up in many other places.

 

These pitfalls can usually be obveated with dry fitting and sanding adjutments. I must admit it took me many years of modelling and many dodgy fitting kits to find this out. But unfortuneately some models are just behond redemption although thankfully they are now far and few between. I'm at present making some of my old vintage models from the far east including some early Tamiyas 1/72 WW2 aircraft from the late 60's and what I think was Hasagawa's first model aircraft, the 1/75 Mitsubishi F1M2 Pete float plane, not a kit I'd recommend. This release angle problem crops up time and again in the wing root joints tail planes undercarriage doors and even the fuselage halves joints that virtually all joints and seems need plenty of correction. (Years ago I'd probably not bothered, but now I know it can be fixed. Such is the growth of modelling skills.)

 

One thing I've noticed is that kits wit three piece wings; the type with the lower half being almost a full span with the two upper halfs joined on top. In most case it recommended that the wing be assembled first then joined to the fuselage onten resulting in the wing root joint gap. this can often beavoided by joining the lower ling to the fuselage first ensuring the join under the fuselage is as best you can get it with sanding, (Another release angle problem.) then adding the top wing halfs afterwards. you might have to remove any locating pins and bevell the wing/ fuselage joint but the result could be a far better fit. then you'll probably have to sand the lower wing profile to fit. This I had to do on the Tamiya J2M1 Raiden to avoid large wing root gaps. Thankfully Tamiya has improved it act since those days.

 

Any way hope you find this helpful and happy modelling and again thanks for showing some fine Buccaneers warts and all. (That's a bold move.)

 

Remember we do this for fun.                                                   John the Pom

[Mark the Modeller]

What we need now is for the new 1/72 release to be done in 1/48 along with quite a few other recent releases in the smaller scale. I'd love to see a 1/48 Whitley (both versions).

[Dark Earth]

As a fellow brushpainter - I feel your pain !  Brush painting white is tough.  I often resort to a rattle can for white. And even then - it doesn't look great because I can't find a paint that goes on thin enough.

But to my eyes - those Bucs look very nicely built and painted !  A nice variety of schemes and a very unique aircraft.

Bravo !

Chris

[Andy Moth]

Don't knock your effort. Looks OK to me. Plenty have crashed and burned trying to make this kit.