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This is the Airfix RAF Buccaneer kit
backdated to a Royal Navy S1 of 800 Naval Air Squadron aboard HMS Eagle in 1964.
I used the Maintrack Models S1 conversion kit which supplied replacement resin
intakes (for the Gyron Junior engines that powered the S1) as well as the flush
underfuselage surface to replace the bulged RAF belly fuel tank. Maintrack
also supplied decals with low vis anti-flash roundels and serials for two
aircraft. Wing mounted "slipper" tanks were rarely carried by
S1's but I added them as I felt the aircraft looked better for their presence.
The paint scheme is the standard RN extra dark sea grey (Humbrol) over gloss
white (auto spray paint).
RN Buccaneer S2
A second Airfix RAF kit backdated to
a Royal Navy S2 of 800 NAS aboard HMS Eagle in the 1970's. The kit was
built virtually out of the box with a few added details in the wing fold and the
"flat bell" made from plastic card suitably curved and laminated.
The aircraft carries a single "Sea Eagle" missile under one wing,
however this should actually be a Martel missile and one day I will replace it
with a spare Martel from one of
the Airfix 1:48 harrier kits. The aircraft is painted overall Extra Dark
Sea Grey (Humbrol) with spare "clear fix" decals coming from the
Airways vac formed kit.
RAF Buccaneer S2B
The Airfix kit yet again, modelled
as an S2B of 237 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Honnington in 1971.
|The kit was built out of the box with the flat underside made from plastic card
and the whole aircraft brush painted with Humbrol enamels. The decals are
a mix of the Airways vac-form kit's clear fix decals for the unit's mitre and
crossed-cutlasses insignia and roundels and codes from the spares box. The
rocket pods "under" the folded wings are spares from an Academy Hunter
kit.
RAF Buccaneer S2B - Operation
Granby 1991
This is the first of the Buccaneers
that I built and also the first vac-form kit that I attempted. The kit
components were similar to the Airways Javelin that I built later but the engine
intakes were rectangular in profile and just did not look right. Airways
did, however, supply superb white metal undercarriage and ejection seats and a
good clear vac-formed canopy. This model has been refurbished on two
occasions, the first being an unsuccessful attempt to try an correct the engine
intake profile. On the second occasion I used the spare Airfix S2 engine
intakes from the S1 conversion and grafted them onto the Airways model. At
last it looked right!!! Spare Airfix Buccaneer tanks stores and
aerials completed the makeover. The kit was re-sprayed Humbrol desert pink
mixed with desert sand and lightly weathered with shades of grey to match gulf
war photographs of the RAF Granby Detachment. The nose art and other
decals are Xtradecal.
Darius
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