AZ Models 1:72 Supermarine Attacker

[Guest]

Hi all.

This is going to be my first 'build-a-long' so I apologise in advance for any misdemeanors or other such occurrences.

I am going to tackle this as it is the Royal Navy's first front line jet fighter and as such seems like a mandatory addition to the collection.
I also really like it's simple 'of its era' look, that somehow carries some of the propeller era charm.

I picked up the kit from a local model shop on the same day I went to restock all my paints. I only had the phantom in the stash at that point and on spying this on the shelf I felt I had to have it.

Here's an overall shot of the box contents.



Only three sprues, including the canopy, and only two pages of instructions. Not many parts which is another reason I selected this as my next victim. The phantom had something like 8 sprues and nearly 300 decals, so the appeal is in the simplicity this time around.

The cockpit tub and seat are supplied in a one piece resin casting.



It's hard to see why they'd do this as the detail isn't what you'd expect from aftermarket resin parts. That said, the cockpit is tiny so visibility will be limited anyway.
The supplied cockpit is a one piece and closed so I bought some vacform options so I could open it up. This also had absolutely nothing to do with the destruction of the phantom canopies...



Here are some sprue close ups.





Evidence that the moulds are old with quite a lot of extra plastic. Nothing compared to the Revell Wessex I have in the stash though!

I also picked up some aftermarket decals and intend to represent this as an F.1 of 803, HMS Eagle.



Thanks for viewing and look forward to your feedback.

[Dave Ward]

Chris,
I was looking at this model the other week - I decided not to buy one - I still have my Sea Venom, Sea Hawk, Sea Vixen in the stash - not to mention the Gannet AS.
The Attacker had a bad reputation as an airfield destroyer - one of the consequences of it being one of the few jet tail draggers!
Any thoughts on how you are going to display it?
Dave

[Guest]

Any thoughts on how you are going to display it?

Yep, wheels down and canopy open. It's pretty much my default / preferred state.

[Dave Ward]

Chris,
have you seen this site Coastal Kits they do all sorts of carrier decks...............
Dave

[Guest]

Now you mention it, I had considered something similar.

Currently the space for my displayed models is a bookshelf, and I wondered about making the surface of the shelf resemble a carrier deck. Useful since all my models are FAA themed, I only need one surface!

Thanks for the suggestion Dave!

[Guest]

I have this.....gonna work on an idea....

[boatman]

AH chris I see what you want now just a top view not the whole plans sorry for getting it wrong as these plans are fairly exspensive
chris

[Guest]

AH chris I see what you want now just a top view not the whole plans sorry for getting it wrong as these plans are fairly exspensive
chris

No problem! No mistakes made, but entirely helpful.

[Guest]

Made a start on the prep of the cockpit and fuselage parts.
Did I say this would be quick? I don't think so judging by the first stages! The plastic is good to work with. Sturdy and hard, not like the Airfix plastic at all which is a little soft.

Here's the first part off the sprue; the control stick. Spot the difference....


There's no grip ring on the molded part. What a good start!

I also noticed there should be a second canopy, part C1. Glad I bought those vacforms because C1 is the F.1 canopy!

Out with the saw and on with the scratchery. A little sprue seems to have done the trick.



Next was the control panel. The moulded part looked ok on first inspection but close up it was terrible. So I got the drills out, tidied up the instruments and generally cleaned it up.
Pencil rubber for scale.



I intend to experiment with a little Kristal Klear with this to see if I can improve it at all.

Next I got to cleaning the fuselage halves. Again, not good close up. Lots of obstructions along the seams and no locating pins, so I got out the wet & dry and gently levelled the joining faces.



I then took a look at the intakes. Ugh.



Once these were cleaned up I positioned the intake blanks and found the terrible fit of parts was consistent.



I'll get that closed up before I splurge some paint into the intakes before I put the cowls on.

That's it for the next week or so, I'm off on a little holiday.

[colin m]

OK, it needs a little work to get it right, but aren't they the really satisfying builds ? I'm just completing my second 'vintage' Airfix in a row. I'm not sure if it's a feeling of triumph or relief at the end !

[Dave Ward]

Chris,
these short run kits can be very good, or VERY bad, but with a lot of subjects they're the only game in town! I'm getting more interested in the more obscure aircraft of the 50's & 60's, so names like Valom, Arma Hobby, MPM, Modelsvit are beginning to figure more in my searches.
Currently still on the lookout for a 1/72 Scimitar ( to make, not collect ), and now looking for a Blackburn Firebrand TF IV...............................
I'll get them, in the end - I have patience!
Dave

[Guest]

OK, it needs a little work to get it right, but aren't they the really satisfying builds ?

They can be! There is a definite correlation between build difficulty and satisfaction!

...but with a lot of subjects they're the only game in town!

Absolutely right! Obtaining an obscure aircraft model is exciting, but also terrifying since the quality can be variable, as you say.

Currently still on the lookout for a 1/72 Scimitar ( to make, not collect ), and now looking for a Blackburn Firebrand TF IV...............................

When I looked for a scimitar, there’s a resin kit (c. £60) or the xtrakit injection set, which I got on ebay second hand. Frustrating because I think it captures the philosophy of the era nicely in it’s lines and should be more popular.
A firebrand would be nice. Alongside a decent seafire and sea hurricane.

[Dave Ward]

I've seen the resin model - very nice, but the price! I'd be scared to touch it, for fear of making a mess of it. I'd rather have 3 or 4 other models for the same cost.............
Dave

[Guest]

I've seen the resin model - very nice, but the price! I'd be scared to touch it, for fear of making a mess of it. I'd rather have 3 or 4 other models for the same cost.............
Dave

SAME!

[Guest]

Back from hols and keen to get on with this, so got an hour or so bench time without the kids interrupting me.

Painting the exhaust. This is only 6mm across, so painted in real steel and left at that.



Assembled the exhaust and dry fitted. Not good, as evidenced in these above and below shots.




The problem is the quality of the internal casting and the consistency of the mould thickness.



Since the exhaust is a cylinder, I think I am going to close the fuselage, tidy up the exhaust manifolds and then use a half round needle file or a make a matching diameter file to bore out the fuselage to get a better exhaust fit.

I also finished the cockpit tub which has the seat integrated. I even tried out a bit of a watercolour wash, which I'm happy with. I added a throttle stick and took a couple of liberties with the buttons and added a bit of colour to try to bring out the detail a little.



Here's a scale shot against my thumb.



The last thing I am waiting on is the control panel, which I've added Kristal Klear to the dials. Once this is dry I'll dry brush gently and assemble everything.



It looks horrid in the close ups, but is so small it's not noticeable (lolly stick is 9mm across).