ADVANCED BUILD
CANBERRA T.17A
ADVANCED BUILD
CANBERRA T.17Ahttp://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 99coat of primer. Once cured fully,
the whole model was wet-sanded
with fine-grade abrasive pads.
By the time WD955 received
its low-visibility Hemp and Light
Aircraft Grey camouflage and
an overall red fin, it was more
than 50 years old. Reference
photographs showed the
airframe was in excellent
condition; as a training school
aircraft it was predominantly
clean, except for the backwashfrom its Rolls-Royce Avon RA.7
Mk.109 engines, which produced
a distinctive discolouration
alongside the fuselage.
Paint specialist Hataka recently
released a colour set specifically
for RAF aircraft, namely its HTK-
AS73 Modern Royal Air Force
Paint Set Vol.2 ‘Cold War/War
Over Iraq’, which contained all
the required shades for the main
scheme. This offering was part of
its Red Line series (optimised forairbrushes), but is also available
in its Orange and Blue ranges
(lacquer-based and optimised for
brush-painting respectively. The
specified camouflage scheme
lent itself to pre-shading along
panel lines and other areas of
weathering; a light application
of 71.251 NATO Black was used
to achieve this, with particular
attention given to areas where
air scoops, vents and hydraulic
actuators operated. The lowerADVANCED BUILD
CANBERRA T.17Acoat of primer. Once cured fully,
the whole model was wet-sanded
with fine-grade abrasive pads.
By the time WD955 received
its low-visibility Hemp and Light
Aircraft Grey camouflage and
an overall red fin, it was more
than 50 years old. Reference
photographs showed thefrom its Rolls-Royce Avon RA.7
Mk.109 engines, which produced
a distinctive discolouration
alongside the fuselage.
Paint specialist Hataka recently
released a colour set specifically
for RAF aircraft, namely its HTK-
AS73 Modern Royal Air Force
Paint Set Vol.2 ‘Cold War/Warairbrushes), but is also available
in its Orange and Blue ranges
(lacquer-based and optimised for
brush-painting respectively. The
specified camouflage scheme
lent itself to pre-shading along
panel lines and other areas of
weathering; a light application
of 71.251 NATO Black was used“STARBOARD
WING PITOT
TUBE WAS
FASHIONED
FROM A
LENGTH OF
BRASS TUBE”
fuselage shade was replicated
with 71.046 Pale Blue Grey.
Although the paints were
supposedly ‘airbrush ready’,
the consistency of each shade
was slightly different and one or
two required diluting with the
appropriate thinners for better
performance when spraying.
After masking the undersides,
HTK-A262 – BS Camouflage
Beige was sprayed in thin layers
on the upper surfaces. Tonal
variations were created by
adding small amounts of matt
white to the base colour, and
applying this in random patches.
Lastly, the vertical stabiliser
received 71.003 Red, after being
masked, this being airbrushed
over an HTK-A153 MK-7
Temporary White basecoat.Squadron markings
Before final weathering began,
all relevant stencils were added;
Airfix’s decals were printed
by Cartograf and settled well,
with minimal use of Micro Sol.
Continual referral to photos
was needed to ensure the
placement was correct for
WD955, as the position could
vary slightly between aircraft.
AlleyCat’s markings were quite
thick and required plenty of
encouragement to conform to
the model’s surface, but once
dry, they looked magnificent
and fears over the opacity of
the yellow lightning bolt faded
quickly. A further gloss varnish
sealed the decals and prepared
the model for weathering.
Initially, 76.513 Brown Wash was
applied, with any excess removed
with damp cotton buds. This was
followed by gradually adding The Canberra’s brightly coloured tail, part of its anniversary scheme, was replicated
via several thin layers of 71.003 Red. With the main masking removed, the pre-shading effect was subtly visible and worked
well with the low-vis camouflage.