H.S. Buccaneer S2B
 

by Francesco Pernice

 Airfix's 1/48 scale H.S. Buccaneer S2B is available online at Squadron

The Airfix kit of the Buccaneer was released in 1994. The panel lines are heavily engraved and the surface is grainy and wrinkled. Even if you decide to build it straight from the box this model will be very hard work!

To improve the poor details of the kit I used two Eduard set: the 48-130 and the 48-132.

The ejection seats are good so only the belts were added. The cockpit received many photoetched parts and a great deal of scratchbuilt details, especially the oversized control column. A fire extinguisher was added on the left side of the rear cockpit. The seats have been placed, as on the real plane, out of axis: 1 mm toward left the pilot seat, 1 mm toward right navigator seat.

The two fuselage halves in my model were deformed so it was necessary to restore the original shape with the help of a good quantity of sprue parts.

All external surfaces were sanded to tone down the engraved lines and smooth the grainy plastic .

The normal configuration of the Bucc' on the ground was often with the wings folded and airbrake open. Lots of work was required to fold the kit wings. Structural reinforcement was required so it was not practical to rely solely on photoetched parts.

To simulate the main supporting longeron of the wings, I used a thick staple (the type used for cardboard box) folded with an angle of around 120°. All the photoetched parts are strengthened with epossidic glue.

The rear airbrake has been reproduced by Airfix with many inaccuracies in the shape and in the internal structure, but the corrections were not too difficult. The only way to achieve accuracy in this area by working with the pictures of the real brake displayed on the workbench!

Even the landing gears received plenty of scratchbuilt details.

In 1977 the RAF decided to participate at Red Flag in Nellis with some Buccaneers of the 208th squadron. With the prevision of desert missions the aircraft were over painted with more adequate colors on the original camouflage extended at the undersurfaces. The colors used in Nellis were manufactured with the intention to allow easy removal once the Buccaneers were back in U.K.. But they didn't recognize the power of the Nevada sun - the big solar oven made the colors so hard that was really difficult to remove them!

The colors used were: over the Dark Sea Grey B.S. 638 a strange Light Stone B.S. 361 similar to the Tamiya XF57, lightened with a 20% of white; over the Dark Green B.S. 641 a classic Dark Earth B.S. 450 using the correspondent Aeromaster color.

The decals from the kit were used. They have a great attitude to silvering.

Weathering was achieved with a pre-shading first and then with a work of airbrush especially in the exhaust zone.

Unfortunately, this model is not a milestone of the English manufacturer. However, anyone who wants to launch himself into a superdetailing adventure will find that this is the right subject!

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Text, Images and Model Copyright © 2001 by Francesco Pernice
Page Created 14 October, 2001
Last Updated 04 June, 2007

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