FROG F175 Fokker Southern Cross

NEW AND IN VIEW
AIRCRAFT KITS
ROVEX LTD. (FROG). Avro Shackleton MR III. 1/72nd scale. 17/6d. (U.K.)

This is another eagerly-awaited kit, whose release, for technical reasons, has been seriously delayed.

However, we would say without hesitation that the wait has been worth while. On opening the box one is struck by the large number of component parts, which are moulded in deep blue-grey plastic, but examination of them brings to light the only real fault in the entire kit, the excessively heavy rivet detail. There is little excuse for such exaggerated detailing and remedying it requires scribing of all panel lines followed by a great deal of tedious sandpapering and polishing to remove the rivets. Apart from this, the rest of the kit is delightful. All parts fit exceptionally well, and in particular we liked the idea of a spar insert to lock the wings into their correct positions. The detail on the undercarriage, engine cowlings and other components is excellent, and the pilots' canopy and other glazing is among the best we have seen with regard to fit and also to accuracy and detail. Alternative parts to assemble the radar 'dustbin' in the open or closed positions are included, and flaps, control surfaces, bomb doors, and undercarriage legs are all movable. The undercarriage doors are not, but a skilled modeller should be able to modify them to do so without too much difficulty, while even making the dustbin operate is not beyond the bounds of possibility. The decals are superb, although matt finished instead of the correct high gloss. They include markings for a machine of 206 Squadron, R.A.F. Coastal Command, and for an aircraft of the South African Air Force's Maritime Command. The markings include wing walkway stripes, those for the S.A.A.F. Aircraft having lettering in both in English and Afrikaans.

The box art consists of a rather garish drawing of a Shackleton sinking a submarine. If this had been accurate, it would have caused an international incident, as the Shackleton did not enter service until the mid-1950's'. The back of the box shows side views of RAF and SAAF Shackletons, but we must point out that the colouring of these is, through technical limitations in printing, not accurate. R.A.F. Shackletons are Extra Dark Sea Grey overall with white fuselage decking, while those of the S.A.A.F. have Extra Dark Sea Grey upper surfaces with P.R.U. blue undersides. Fortunately the shade of the actual plastic matches almost exactly the P.R.U.blue colour, which is not the light blue shown in the artwork. The external finish on all Shackletons has a very high gloss.

The interior surfaces of bomb bays, bomb bay doors, and wheel wells and doors are gloss white while the interiors of the cockpit and other crew stations are either slate grey (Humbrol 31) or matt black; both finishes have been seen on Shackleton MR. Ill's.

Though the box art shows nose armament, this is not included in the kit, and rightly so, as these aircraft no longer carry nose guns. Anyone making a model of an earlier MR. Ill can make these from scrap sprue.

This kit is good value for money in spite of its high price, and the completed model makes a truly eye-catching showpiece in any collection. We would give this model top marks except for the horrible rivet detail.

The IPMS magazine, Vol.5 No.10, OCTOBER 1967

ERRATA

With reference to our review of the Frog Shackleton kit in the October issue of the Magazine, we have received the following letter from Member Glyn Jones:-

"..........Shackletons have mushroom-head rivets, not flush rivets, the Shackleton having the Lincoln-type wing, which was mushroom-head riveted. There is a story about this. When Roy Chadwick designed the Lincoln wing, engineers objected to his using mushroom-head rivets. Chadwick therefore asked them to find out how much speed would be gained by the use of the flush rivets. The answer was 4 mph. He then asked the engineers to calculate the speed lost due to the drag of the mid-upper turret. The answer came back - 40 mph. "Right", said Chadwick, "I'll redesign the turret but I'll not have flush rivets in the wing".

Even so, in our opinion, the rivets are considerably oversize.

The IPMS magazine, FEBRUARY 1968, Vol.5 No.2

COVER COMMENT

The Frog kit of the Avro Shackleton has brought forth many enquiries as to the detail finishing of the type, and we are therefore publishing drawings based upon the A.V. Roe painting and stencilling instructions in this issue.

The colour specifications referred to are all to be found in BS381C, but for the benefit of those wishing to mix these colours we offer the following suggestions matched to BS381C.

Dark Sea Grey (BS381C-538): Humbrol Matt Sea Grey 27 over which is applied one coat of Gloss clear varnish to which is added a slight amount of matting agent. The Shackleton has a very high gloss surface finish but to 1/72 scale the sheen from pure clear varnish is too high.

The Red, White and Blue paint referred to on the drawing applies to the decals only, while the antidazzle panel (not seen on all Shackletons) is Humbrol Matt Black. The upper surface of the fuselage is gloss white; if one does not have access to a spray gun, a very good brushed finish can be obtained by first painting a coat of gloss white (which will certainly not cover the plastic colour with one coat) leaving this at least 24 hours to dry, then giving two thin coats of matt white, finishing with a thin coat of mixed gloss and matt varnish. Between each coat, and also before commencing painting, wash the model thoroughly in warm water to which a few spots of washing-up liquid have been added. Leave this to dry and do not polish after washing as electrostatic attraction caused by rubbing will cause dust and dirt specks to adhere even more firmly to the plastic.

Alternative markings for Shackleton 3's can be found by reference to Magazines such as Air Pictorial and Flying Review International, but the only completely different finish is that used by aircraft of the South African Air Force. All upper surfaces on these aircraft are Extra Dark Sea Grey, mixed from 7 parts Humbrol Gloss Dark Admiralty Grey No.5 to 1 part Gloss Black 21, while the undersurfaces and fuselage sides are P.R.U. Blue Gloss, mixed from 8 parts Dark Admiralty Grey No.5, slight touch of Gloss Black 21 and 1 part Midnite Blue No. 15. Note that the box artwork for this scheme is totally wrong, the PRU Blue shade of the S.A.A.F. aircraft being in fact one of the variations on the P.R.U. Blue used during the war years. The S.A.A.F. aircraft, although glossy, do not have a very high sheen, and the model will benefit from a thin coat of gloss and matt varnish mixed. These coats of paint will go some way towards reducing the overscale rivet and panel detail.

The interior finish of bomb bays and wheel wells is gloss white throughout. Undercarriage legs and wheels are also gloss white as a rule, though some are dull silver. Cockpit interiors are black with black seating, but the interior crew compartments varied from paste} green to matt black. One aircraft even sported a very attractive best-quality carpet - which we imagine to be definitely non-standard.

For conversion enthusiasts we offer accurate drawings by Nick King from which it is possible to work out the modifications to the outboard engine nacelles to accomodate the Viper engines of the Phase II modification. This makes a most attractive model subject, particularly if the various engine cowl flaps etc. are fitted in the open position.

The aircraft on which these drawings are based, WR 973, is illustrated on our cover. This photograph shows the latest colour scheme carried by these aircraft in which, owing to the introduction of centralised servicing, all squadron markings are deleted. The only difference between the kit model and WR973 is that the circular fitting above the fairing on the top of the fuselage is not carried on the latter.

The very small stencilling common to all Shackletons is most difficult to reproduce. However, we found that a wooden cocktail stick with a circular flattened end dipped into thickish white matt paint and then pressed against the model leaves minute dots. From anything over a few inches away these make most convincing stencilling.

The IPMS magazine, Vol.5 No.10, NOVEMBER 1967

MODELLING
W R MATTHEWS
FROG'S SHACKLETON

Frog's 1/72nd scale kit of the Avro Shackleton MR Mk 3 has been awaited for so long that many modellers have despaired of ever adding it to their collection, but the problems encountered by this company in the kit's production have finally been overcome, and the result is a model of the RAF's venerable maritime patroller which, in most respects, is very good indeed.

The parts are cleanly pressed and generally fit together well, although we encountered some difficulties with our review copy as a result of distorted cowlings. Many working components have been incorporated in the kit. Control surfaces, flaps, weapons-bay doors, contra-rotating airscrews, and undercarriage legs (though not the undercarriage doors) all operate, and also fit extremely accurately, and a profusion of finely-moulded antennae is included. The transfer sheet provides attractive RAF (though not quite in the latest style) and SAAF markings, and the new-style instruction sheet once mastered, is easy to follow. The one serious fault suffered by this kit is the profusion of heavy rivets with which it is covered. The Shackleton is, of course, a flush-riveted aircraft, and modellers are recommended to remove the rivets entirely after scoring the panel lines into the surfaces. At a UK price of 17s 6d this is not an inexpensive kit, but it is worth its purchase price, and no collection of models is complete without this final descendant of World War II's 'heavies'.

NEW KITS (latest review copies received)

RAF Flying Review December, 1967, Vol. 23, No. 4

MODELLING
W R MATTHEWS
MEA CULPA

In our review' of the Shackleton kit by Frog in this column in the December issue, we criticised the heavy riveting and remarked that HSA's maritime patrol aircraft was, in fact, flush-riveted. Two readers, M J Lee and J A Fenton, both having first-hand knowledge of the Shackleton, have written to point out that the aircraft sports mushroom-headed rivets. With heads bowed in shame, we apologise to our readers and to Frog for our error, although, having recently examined a Shackleton for our personal satisfaction, we would say that the rivets as represented on the Frog kit are decidedly oversize.

RAF Flying Review February, 1968, Vol. 23, No. 6