Stuart's Airfix 1/48 Tornado GR.1/1A

[Stuart]

hi Gents,

Just a place holder for now as it's on order.

As we still have a couple of months left on the GB I'm going to try (again) to fill the Tornado shaped hole I feel is in the GB Line up.

I had started a couple of 1/72 kits but I'm not really feeling it, so I've just ordered the Desert Storm boxing of Airfix's Tornado GR1/1A. I know it's probably not the best kit in the world but I've watched a build review on Youtube and I'd say it looks pretty damn good. I've also ordered an Airwaves PE set for the cockpit and have sourced AM decals and stencils if needed.

I'll be interested to see if this particular boxing (being Desert Storm) actually have 1/48 JP233's included.

Cheers!

[ShaunW]

The Mighty Fin in 1/48th! That's something I look forward to seeing, Stuart.

[Stuart]

The Mighty Fin in 1/48th! That's something I look forward to seeing, Stuart.

Judging by the vid’s I’ve seen – It’s going to be a pretty sizable model indeed!

[Stuart]

Woohoo! Got a rather LARGE box delivered at work today!



I’ve not had a chance to take some sprue shots yet, but after a mooch through the box contents this past lunchtime I’m really impressed with what contained within – It’s going to be a HUGE model when built.

Some interesting contents too – there’s a decent set of AM decals and a PE ladder that the seller didn’t list, and the kit decals, though not very inspiring, seem perfectly usable… I might actually get some AM stencils, I just need to check on what’s correct for an over-painted Gulf War Bird.

As you might have guessed it raised panel lines. As I’m not likely to build another of these kits for a while I might go all out and scribe the lines – it’s probably not as difficult task as some aircraft as most parts are flat, it just depends on how lazy I feel.

The other interesting things about this kit – the contents have been updated a few times. On the sprues there’s a really old (a’la 1/72) horrible cockpit and a newer much nicer one that should take my airwaves set nicely. There’s also been some kind of upgrade to the weapons as there appear to be two sets (one not mentioned in the instructions) with the detail on one much better than the other.

To top it off, and what make me think I’m deffo going to do a Desert Storm bird – not only have they included in some really nice looking JP233’s but they’ve also included the large fuels tanks that the GR.1 crews pinched from the Tornado F.3’s! I’m not sure if that’s a standard for this kit or just this Desert Storm boxing, but it’s great that they have obviously done their research and included what’s needed.

I’m stoked – this is just the project I was planning in 1/72 and had been collecting the parts for – and now I have it all in one box!

Pictures to follow.

Cheers!

[iggie]

I recall building this some years ago for my son, and it certainly looked impressive once built! I shall look forward to seeing yours progress Stuart, especially with the improvements you are planning to use!

[ShaunW]

Excellent, sounds like you scored well there Stuart and the Tornado will have great shelf presence in 1/48th. Looking forward to seeing this beastie out of its box!

[Stuart]

Thanks Gents - I hope my build meets expectations I agree though - it's going to look damn good on the shelf.

Here's a couple more pic's to be going on with.

This is what's in the box - a LOT of plastic, but not too much that it becomes stupid. The detail looks pretty OK on the most part.



And here's the size of the fuselage compared to a tin of Humbrol's finest!

[ShaunW]

That's a nicely full box, Stuart and with the PE boarding ladder and aftermarket decals is a great package. I'm really starting to get back into 1/48th again after a lay off of seven years or so and my enthusiasm for more aircraft builds, which was waning a little, has been rejuvenated. I find the scale offers a great balance between manageable size and increased detail over the gentleman's scale. Size matters though and I prefer the scale for fighters as I have limited display space - 1/48th modern jet fighters, which tend to be a bit on the large size compared to their WW II counterparts, are about at the limit of what I can squeeze onto my shelves! I've never done a Gulf War aircraft and am really looking forward to your efforts with this one!

[Stuart]

Thanks Shaun - I hope I do it justice. The first Gulf War is an interesting period from a modelling perspective - it was a real cross over between old and new technologies.

I echo your thoughts on scale - I'm feeling about the same. When I got back into models in 2010 I never intended to build 1/72 again (my first kit was Airfix's 1/48 Spitfire XVIe) - it's funny what paths life takes you down.

90% of my stash of 1/72 kits are now in eBay or up for swaps now...