50 Display Seasons for the RAF Red Arrows

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything related to my other hobby, building model aircraft. That's partly because a majority of my stash, tools, and paints are sitting in another city, and partly because I've been almost completely absorbed by my newer hobbies, video gaming and photography. Planning a wedding is also partly to blame, as is the lack of a proper workspace to build any models in my new apartment.

Anyway, this year marks a significant milestone for one of my favourite display teams histories, with the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows performing its 50th Display Season. The occasion will be commemorated with a special design applied to the tail fin of the team's Hawk aircraft. 

I am particularly fond of this bold design as it features silhouettes of several Hawk and Gnat trainer aircraft (both of which have been flown by the team) leaving smoke trails which cross to form a stylised Union Jack.

I was fortunate enough to see a Red Arrows display in Cape Town in 1995 while Queen Elizabeth II was visiting South Africa, and would relish the opportunity to see the team perform again.

But back to model aircraft; both Airfix and Italeri are set to release Hawk kits featuring the 50 Display Seasons tail art. Airfix will have both 1:72, and 1:48 versions, while Italeri will only release a 1:48 version. In addition to the two Red Arrow Hawks, Airfix will also be releasing a 1:48 Gnat featuring Red Arrows livery.

I already have an Airfix Red Arrows Hawk in 1:72, as well as an older Revell 1:72 kit with the Red Arrows' millennium tail art. That wont stop me from adding the new Airfix 1:72 Hawk to my collection though, as if it's the same mould as my other Airfix Hawk, it'll be a beauty to build. I still want to build nine Red Arrows Hawks in various configurations, and liveries, and display them in the Reds iconic Diamond formation.

Banner image credit: SAC A. Fletcher; other images: www.raf.mod.uk/reds/

Pat Pattle's Gloster Gladiator in 1:72

Some time ago I posted about Airfix's planned releases for 2013. In that post I mentioned my intentions to build one of the mounts of Squadron Leader Marmaduke T. St John 'Pat' Pattle, who is often considered to be the Commonwealth's highest-scoring fighter ace of the Second World War. He was also South African! 

Airfix have made it even easier for me to build a scale replica of Pattle's most famous mount with the release of their Gloster Gladiator Mk. 1 Starter set, which includes decals for L8011, the aircraft flown by Pattle over Egypt in early 1940. 

The paint scheme of L8011 doesn't look anything special, but the history of her pilots certainly is

I'll have to wait a few months for stock of the kit to reach South African shores, but when it does I'll pick up a couple of sets. I might even consider trying to replicate the mount of another of the Commonwealth's most famous Gladiator pilots, that of author Roald Dahl.

Do-it-yourself SLR camera

Lomography have produced the first build-it-yourself plastic SLR camera called the Konstruktor.  The kit comes packed with several plastic sprues that resemble those of plastic model kits. 

PetaPixel did a great write-up on the Konstruktor, which features some additional product images, and shares some photographs taken using the DIY 35mm SLR.

1:72 Gripen C from Revell (New tool)

Model enthusiasts with an interest in South African (and Swedish, Czech, Hungarian and Thai) subjects are going to be spoilt for choice this year. In addition to the several future releases from Airfix, Revell have announced that they will be releasing a new-tool, 1:72 SAAB JAS 39 Gripen C in November.

To date all 1:72 Gripens available have been produced from the ageing Italeri moulds. While the details are not bad, the Italeri-based moulds are only suitable for recreating the earlier Gripen A variant. A recent reboxing of the single seater kit has simply been labelled as JAS 39 Gripen C, although all four decal options represent Gripen Cs.

I own one of the original Italeri Gripens, and I am looking forward to adding one of Revell's new offerings to my collection too. I'm hoping that the kit comes with a good selection of decal options, in particular options for a South African or Thai subject would be great.

New models from Airfix and Revell for 2013

Hot on the heels of me posting a list of the model kits in my stash, today both Airfix and Revell announced the new additions to their product ranges for 2013.

There is some excellent news from Airfix for those keen on modelling South African subjects. A newly tooled Gloster Gladiator, as well as an early Hawker Hurricane Mk I, both in 1:72 are set to be released. If these kits are up to the same standard as other recent Airfix releases then we're in for a treat. These two subjects will allow me to complete two of the mounts flown by the South African born ace, Squadron Leader Marmaduke T. St. John 'Pat' Pattle. Pattle is considered to be the highest scoring ace in both the Gladiator (15 victories) and Hurricane (35 victories).

Here's a trailer of an upcoming documentary about Pattle and his achievements during WWII.

In addition Airfix will also be releasing the two-seated De Havilland Vampire T.11 in 1:72. Presently there are two airworthy Vampire T.55 airframes in South Africa, and I was fortunate enough to see them fly together at Africa Aerospace & Defence (AAD) 2012 held at AFB Waterkloof in September. Airfix's new Vampire kit should provide the ideal starting point with which to create a model Vampire T.55.

De Havilland Vampire T.55s in formation. Lead aircraft in South African Air Force (SAAF) colours while the trailing aircraft is still in its Swiss Air Force scheme.

Airfix are also planning to release a Douglas C-47 Skytrain. While 1:72 kits of the subject are still relatively easy to find, this mould may be an upgrade to the ageing moulds of the competitors, and may just offer South African modellers a cheaper option. Maybe once I've honed my skills sufficiently, I'll try and tackle a model of "Gooney Bird." Sadly AAD 2012 will remain the first and only time I saw Gooney Bird up in the air.

A new and interesting venture by Airfix is the launch of their Quick Build range. It features push-fit aircraft kits that are no doubt aimed at the younger modeller. They will not require any glue or paint for assembly. From pictures the pieces look very similar to Lego blocks. I'm intrigued as to whether the range will feature a familiar scale such 1:48 and 1:72, or whether it will use a 'metric' scale like 1:50 or 1:100.

Exploded view of the Quick Build BAe Hawk

Finally, the 1:1200 U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier from Revell is of particular interest as I've been considering getting either Italeri's 1:720 or Trumpeter's 1:700 Nimitz for some time now. The idea is to make it the centre piece for a display consisting of several planes representing different squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) during the period that it was stationed aboard the Nimitz (1975-1987). This release will offer a smaller option, which in the long run may save me some shelf space. Even at the 1:1200 scale the model Nimitz will measure close to 30 cm in length.

I'll wait to see what other reviewers have to say about the overall quality of the kit before making my decision. In the meantime, I'm still in the process of sourcing the most important plane for the display, an F-14A of VF-84.