Airfix Model World – September 2019

ADVANCED BUILD

CANBERRA T.17A

ADVANCED BUILD

CANBERRA T.17A

96 Airfi x Model World

reaching for the craft knife/razor
saw. All resin components were
washed in warm soapy water
prior to assembly, in accordance
with Alleycat’s advice, to remove
any fixative that may be left
from the casting process.
The bomb bay doors were
added to each fuselage half,
as this compartment would be
closed, and it was known from
prior experience that adding
these items after the airframe
has been mated often caused
fit problems. Interestingly,
attaching them at this stage

revealed minor warping in the

fuselage parts, fortunately

nothing akin to that on Airfix’s

1/48 scale Buccaneer, but enough

that the same ‘spot, attach and

tape/clamp’ gluing method was

required to join them.

Test-fitting was carried out

at every stage, with one of the

tightest areas being the new

resin nose, as the bulkhead was

located immediately adjacent

to the pilot’s instrument panel.

Another factor to be borne in

mind is that despite all the resin

in the forward fuselage, this

kit is a notorious ‘tail-sitter’,

and the instructions indicated

at least 100g of weight was

required, just behind the cockpit

bulkhead. It’s always prudent

to add more to be on the safe

side; on this occasion, Deluxe

Materials’ Liquid Gravity (www.

deluxematerials.co.uk) was

employed, with further weight

inserted into the nose section

and sealed behind a scratch-

built bulkhead.

The cockpit fitted snugly

into the fuselage, and joining

the airframe halves was

straightforward, although

previous removal of the upper

fuselage and nose sections

nose did cause a temporary

loss of structural stability.

Deluxe Materials’ Roket Max

cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesive

was used to attach the new

resin nose. A test-fit of the

replacement canopy highlighted

that the original cut was too

deep, so styrene strip was

cut and shaped to achieve

a better seam. The tail was

also converted to the T.17

specification by removing the

tip and adding AlleyCat’s resin

component.

Main assembly

The kit itself was straightforward

and definitely ‘punched above

its weight’ in terms of size and

visual impact. The wing area

was impressive and Airfix gave

plenty of depth in the spar to

attach to the main fuselage

securely. There was

a slight

96 Airfi x Model World

has been mated often caused
fit problems. Interestingly,
attaching them at this stage

Another factor to be borne in

mind is that despite all the resin

in the forward fuselage, this

kit is a notorious ‘tail-sitter’,

and the instructions indicated

at least 100g of weight was

required, just behind the cockpit

bulkhead. It’s always prudent

to add more to be on the safe

side; on this occasion, Deluxe

Materials’ Liquid Gravity (www.

deluxematerials.co.uk) was

employed, with further weight

inserted into the nose section

and sealed behind a scratch-

built bulkhead.

The cockpit fitted snugly

into the fuselage, and joining

the airframe halves was

straightforward, although

that the original cut was too

deep, so styrene strip was

cut and shaped to achieve

a better seam. The tail was

also converted to the T.17

was impressive and Airfix gave

plenty of depth in the spar to

attach to the main fuselage

securely. There was

a slight

MODELSPEC

English Electric Canberra

B(I).6/B20

By: Airfix

Stock Code: A10101A

Scale: 1/48

Price: £40.99

Available from: http://www.airfix.com

revealed minor warping in the

nothing akin to that on Airfix’s

1/48 scale Buccaneer, but enough

that the same ‘spot, attach and

tape/clamp’ gluing method was

at every stage, with one of the

tightest areas being the new

resin nose, as the bulkhead was

located immediately adjacent

to the pilot’s instrument panel.

Another factor to be borne in

mind is that despite all the resin

and the instructions indicated

required, just behind the cockpit

bulkhead. It’s always prudent

to add more to be on the safe

side; on this occasion, Deluxe

Materials’ Liquid Gravity (www.

employed, with further weight

inserted into the nose section

and sealed behind a scratch-

previous removal of the upper

fuselage and nose sections

nose did cause a temporary

loss of structural stability.

Deluxe Materials’ Roket Max

cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesive

was used to attach the new

resin nose. A test-fit of the

replacement canopy highlighted

specification by removing the

tip and adding AlleyCat’s resin

component.

Main assembly

The kit itself was straightforward

and definitely ‘punched above

its weight’ in terms of size and

visual impact. The wing area

 Pavla’s ejection seats were a vast improvement on the styrene items and, when
combined with the revised instrument panels and scratch-built wiring, made a big
difference in the cockpit’s appearance.

 Airfix’s Canberra is a notorious tail-sitter, and it recommended at least 100g of

weight should be added; on this occasion, 150g was used, plus additional ballast in the

nose cone.