Bristol F.2B Fighter
Weekend Edition

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Eduard's 1/48 scale Bristol F.2B Weekend Edition is available online from Squadron.com
 

The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, other popular names include the "Brisfit" or "Biff".

Developed during the First World War as a replacement for the pre-war Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c by a team lead by Frank Barnwell, the Bristol Fighter made use of innovations such as the newly-available Rolls-Royce Falcon inline engine and the synchronised fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun.

Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft that was able to hold its own against opposing single-seat fighters. Having overcome a disastrous start to its career, the F.2B's robust design ensured that it remained in military service into the 1930s. As the type was phased out of military service, many of the surplus aircraft entered into civilian uses, in which it proved to be popular.

* Historical summary courtesy of Wikipedia

Eduard originally released their 1/48 scale Brisfit back in 2005.

The model was greeted with much justified praise upon its release. It was well-detailed, accurate and broken down as simply as possible.

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12 years later, the plastic still looks good, albeit some of it is a different colour. We are presented with 164 plastic parts in both grey and tan colours plus a prined clear acetate sheet. There are no photo-etched parts or masks with this Weekend Edition, but there is a low price that should please the frugal modeller.

The shiny plastic is holding up remarkably well - no flash or sink marks on my sample as far as I can see. The wings and tailplanes boast subtle stretched fabric effect and rib tapes. The characteristic stitching on the fuselage is really well done too.

The plastic detail in the cockpit looks good. Decals are supplied for instrument dials and harness straps.

The upper and lower wings are both full span. The upper wing is mounted upon two pairs of interplane struts and one pair of cabane struts on each side.

A rigging diagram is offered in the instructions.

Markings are supplied for two interesting aircraft:

• D8084, No. 139 Squadron, Villaverla, Italy, September 1918. This aircraft features a series of black and white stripes painted on the rear fuselage sides and top.

• A-7198, No. 1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps, Ramleh Aerodrome, Palestine, May 1918. This aircraft has its fuselage, port upper wing top, starboard lower wing top and upper horizontal stabilisers painted white. Quite striking!

Decals are printed in the Czech Republic and they look good, although the wax paper sheet was stuck to some of the decals on my sample, lifting part of a roundel when it was removed.

Eduard’s 1/48 scale Bristol F.2B Fighter stands the test of time.

Considering this model was first released twelve years ago, it certainly remains a worthwhile contender for building. It is well detailed, mouldings are still very crisp, and the absence of photo-etched parts means that it will be an even faster build than before.

Still Recommended!

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2017 by Brett Green
Page Created 4 April, 2017
Last updated 5 April, 2017

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