Airfix Model World – September 2019

ADVANCED BUILD
CANBERRA T.17A

ADVANCED BUILD

CANBERRA T.17A

http://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 93

and the RN’s Fleet Air Arm, and

was created for the training of

crews in electronic warfare and

countermeasures. It gained an

excellent reputation, notably

during NATO exercises, where

it would attempt to ‘spoof’

opposing forces with fake radio

and electronic messages.

Prior preparation

Airfix’s Canberra B2/20 provided

a great donor kit for this project;

the subject is a large aircraft and

that was reflected in the size of

the box and its contents. It was

evidently an older offering, with

the large runner attachment

gates, and overly deep panel

lines. The clear parts

were crisply moulded,

but on this occasion,

most wouldn’t be used,

as AlleyCat Models

(www.alleycatmodels.

co.uk) provided

a replacement

item with its conversion set

(AC48015C). The decal sheet was

beautifully printed, with good

colour definition and plenty of

detail in the stencils, although

just the latter would be used on

this build. If this was assembled

straight from the box, there were

two schemes to choose from

(see panel). There was a lack

of general detail, especially in

the cockpit, which offered just

a basic level for the modeller to

work from, although there are

several aftermarket products

available for those wanting

to embellish this area. While

this could be considered a

negative point, it did mean

there was a blank canvas

for scratch-building, in

conjunction with the changes

needed to create the intended

T.17 variant.

Blank canvas

As already noted, the cockpit

featured just minimal detail,

with basic ejection seats and

instrument panel; notably the

kit lacked any decals to enhance

the latter. Thankfully, there are

numerous reference photos of

T.17 ‘offices’, which gives the

modeller the opportunity to add

as much or as little as desired.

Various gauges of plastic

card and wire were added to

improve those visible areas,

while the kit’s ejection seats were

replaced with resin aftermarket

items, as they didn’t reflect the

differences in the real items.

This variant had a crew of three,

two of whom sat on Martin-

Baker (M-B) Mk.2CA seats,

while the navigator used an M-B

Mk.4QS. Pavla’s replacement

products (S48032 and S48033,

respectively) were therefore

chosen (www.pavlamodels.cz)

and these featured full harness

detail. Although they wouldn’t

KIT MARKINGS

Airfix’s busy decal sheet provided markings for two aircraft, an RAF B(I).6 and an

Australian B.20, with sufficient stencil data for a single airframe. Colour density and

register were superb and there were crisp demarcations. The two schemes were:

• B(I).6, WT313, 213 Squadron, RAF Brüggen, West Germany, 1969


• B.20, A84-205/205, 1 (Bomber) Operational Conversion Unit, RAAF Amberley,
  Queensland, Australia, 1968

opposing forces with fake radio

and electronic messages.

the large runner attachment

gates, and overly deep panel

lines. The clear parts

were crisply moulded,

but on this occasion,

most wouldn’t be used,

as AlleyCat Models

(www.alleycatmodels.

co.uk) provided

a replacement

item with its conversion set

(AC48015C). The decal sheet was

beautifully printed, with good

colour definition and plenty of

detail in the stencils, although

just the latter would be used on

this build. If this was assembled

straight from the box, there were

two schemes to choose from

(see panel). There was a lack

of general detail, especially in

the cockpit, which offered just

a basic level for the modeller to

work from, although there are

several aftermarket products

available for those wanting

to embellish this area. While

this could be considered a

negative point, it did mean

there was a blank canvas

for scratch-building, in

conjunction with the changes

needed to create the intended

T.17 variant.

Blank canvas

As already noted, the cockpit

featured just minimal detail,

with basic ejection seats and

instrument panel; notably the

kit lacked any decals to enhance

the latter. Thankfully, there are

numerous reference photos of

T.17 ‘offices’, which gives the

modeller the opportunity to add

as much or as little as desired.

Various gauges of plastic

Queensland, Australia, 1968

 While Airfix’s panel lines were accurate when compared with reference photos and scale

plans, they were overly deep, although this was reduced after a primer coat.

 Pavla’s replacement ejection seats offered far superior detail to the styrene items and

included full harnesses and even firing handles.