MODEL TALK BY PHILIP BURDEN
MODELS ON THE NEVER-NEVER
JERSEY HERALD :
The Rolls-Royce powered Handley-Page Herald in the colours of Jersey Airlines is expected to be released by Frog shortly. It should be available in the shops late this autumn.
RAF Flying Review October, 1962, Vol. XVIII, No. 2
MODEL TALK BY PHILIP BURDEN
COLOURFUL HERALD
Handley Page prop-jet now available to enthusiasts as a model
FOR some considerable time enthusiasts have been shouting " Let's have a model of the Dart Herald:' These modellers will now be pleased to know that their cries have not gone unanswered as Frog recently released a 1/72 kit of the Handley Page Rolls-Royce Dart-powered Herald in Jersey Airlines colours—and what a splendid model it is too. As far as I know there is no other kit of the turbo-prop Herald on the market so this model, which is certainly a real gem, should be an outstanding success. In this column every month I sling quite a few brickbats and some manufacturers, I am sure, view my words with some awe. In this case, I have nothing but praise for the new Frog model.
Pressed in white plastic this kit should please enthusiasts and beginners alike. The detail is really amazing and this will surely be one of the model's big selling points. Assembly should not present any problems as the fuselage halves, wings, engine nacelles, and engines fit as smoothly as a glove. All the movable control surfaces also slip into place without undue effort having to be exerted.
Special mention must be made of the decals which are authentic and beautifully made. Something about these transfers that will surprise many people is the minute copying of the Rolls-Royce name which is affixed to both engines—some enthusiasts may need a magnifying glass to read this famous name—and because of their smallness extra care must be taken sticking them on.
Enthusiasts who want an alternative colour scheme might like to finish their models in Maritime Central Airways markings (see photograph). Radome is dark blue, with white fuselage and wing upper surfaces. A dark blue line above a yellow strip stretches from top of radome, above passenger windows, to tail-plane. Below yellow there is light blue from top to bottom of windows. Airline name is painted dark blue on grey which covers fuselage undersurfaces. Spinners are light blue with dark blue rings around front of engines. Engines, nacelles, undercarriage doors and lower surfaces of wings, excluding wing tips, which go in white, are painted grey. There are white bands from leading edge of engines to far tip of nacelles. Long arrows, in light blue, cover outside of engine nacelles and engines, with arrow heads pointing towards spinners. Tailplane is dark blue with rudder and part of fin same colour. A long V stretching from top of fin to juncture of fuselage goes in yellow. Remainder of fin is white.
One small criticism I make is that the manufacturers have failed to say if this is a model of the Herald 100 or 200 series. For enthusiasts who want the full details of a kit—and who does not?—the Frog model is of the larger 200 series which is also operated by Maritime Central Airways, Nordair, and British United Airways. This kit costs 12s. 6d. at Hamley's.
RAF Flying Review March, 1963, Vol. XVIII, No. 7
Trade Notes
Lines Brothers are putting out their 1/72nd scale series of unusual, but nevertheless, very attractive war-time subjects at the rate of one a month. We specially like the latest which is the Proctor IV trainer in their "blue" series at 2s. 11d., and which joins the Hotspur II glider in "red" series at 3s. 11d. Frog have a stream of these less common but popular types in line for production. They have also released their Handley-Page Dart-Herald. which has made up nicely in Jersey Airlines colours. This one sells at 12s. 3d.
AeroModeller MAY 1963 Vol.XXVIII No.328
Over the counter
TWO further additions to the rapidly increasing range of Frog plastics, are the big Handley Page Dart Herald and the diminutive Percival Proctor. Both will be well received by collectors, particularly since they are again to 1/72nd scale. The Proctor, attractively boxed, costs only 2s. and assembles into a really delightful little model. There are innumerable colour schemes from which to choose, for almost every flying club still boasts at least one Proctor. War-time camouflage is shown on the coloured three-view on the box lid for the military version.
Airliners seem to have less appeal than combat aircraft, but the Dart Herald does possess that extra something to lift it out of the rut. Moulded in gleaming white plastic and finely detailed, the new Frog kit is well worth 12s. 6d. Excellent and very colourful transfers for Jersey Airlines complete this accurate and interesting model.
Model Aircraft May 1963
Trade Notes
Frog Dart Herald kit makes up neatly In Jersey Airlines insignia, provided with transfers. No—we haven't lost the ailerons—they've drooped under heat of photofloods!
The Martin Marauder Mark II has been introduced to the Frog 1/72nd scale plastic kit range "orange series" at 6s. Moulded in fawn, which is a good grounding for desert camouflage, the kit has over 80 parts, including three crew and moveable controls. Last month we were mislead by a news announcement from Lines Brothers and mis-quoted the prices for the "blue" and "red" series, which are 2s. and 3s. respectively, not 2/11d. and 3/11d. as quoted.
AeroModeller JUNE 1963 Vol.XXVIII No.329
NEW AND IN VIEW - AIRCRAFT KITS
Re-issues of FROG Herald, Britannia, Comet 4 and Boeing 707. 1/72, 1/96, 1/96 and 1/144 scale respectively. No manufacturer's name aiven (Not made by Rovex) Price 8/11. each. (U.K.)
These four kits represent a good idea spoilt by inexcusable carelessness. The models themselves are well-known, so no further comment will be made on them, and we shall confine our remarks to the new transfer sheets provided.
The Herald has been given the colourful insignia of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, and could have looked most attractive. Unfortunately, however, the markings are unusable; not only are the national insignia 50% to 100% oversize but the lettering is in the wrong style and size and parts of it have been omitted.
The Britannia has been provided with Royal Air Force Transport Command markings. As it represents the original short-fuselage Mk 102, these are completely inappropirate, as all R.A.F. Britannias are of the long-fuselage type. The markings of B.K.S. or Britannia Airways should have been used, as both are applied to Mk 102's; those of B.K.S., in particular, are very colourful. The R.A.F. sheet itself is quite useless - the roundels are the wrong size, and the lettering above the cabin windows is too large, while the instruction sheet even tells the unfortunate modeller to paint the lower half of the fuselage pale green and to apply the underwing serials the wrong way up'.
The same comments apply to the Comet. The kit represents the Comet 4, not the Mk 4C used by the R.A.F., which has a longer fuselage, while the markings are, if possible, even more inaccurate fhan those of the Britannia.
If the foregoing kits are bad, the 707 is a real shocker. Described as "The President's Jet", its markings bear no relation to those of the well-known Air Force One. Despite diligent search, we have been totally unable to uncover any evidence of their authenticity, and can only assume them to be the product of some designer's dreams. Beside such folly, the fact that the kit represents a 707 - 420 with the original short fin rudder, and is quite unlike any sort of U.S.A. F. VC-137 or C-135 is of minor importance.
The issue of models of this degree of inaccuracy is, in 1967, well-nigh unbelievable. It is the greater pity in that the kits themselves, though old, are basically good. All four types could have been provided with attractive, appropriate, and accurate transfer sheets at no more cost than was necessary to produce the abortions inflicted upon them. The only virtue of these kits is that they enable anyone who wants to buy the models to do so at a lower price than hitherto.
The IPMS magazine, Vol.5 No.10, NOVEMBER 1967
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