Avro Shackleton MR.2 in 1/72 by Airfix
This is the first major 1/72nd kit I have built since around 1985: usually I do 1/48 & 1/32 scale, however the Shackleton has always been a favourite & at just over half a metre wingspan it's not small! Beautifully moulded & detailed as I have come to expect from Airfix these days, the Shackleton build was total enjoyment, not that it fell together. Care & test fitting is advisable as there are a lot of parts & a full interior, which, of course, can't be seen through any of the windows. Filling was minimal & only slight clean-up of parts required. Build was out-of-the-box except for the turret cannon barrels, one of which broke when separating from the sprue: easy enough to fix. Paints used were Tamiya white primer, MM Medium sea grey & Vallejo Air white. Kit decals were great (and plentiful) & went on beautifully. I'm ready for the Handley Page Victor now!
Hope you like it.
Tony, that's a beauty, really well done. Wonder what they'd carry in the bomb bay? Depth charges? Bombs?
You can see the Lancaster lineage.
Thanks Bernard. Bomb bay mainly carried torpedoes & depth charges although I recollect that they could (& did) carry bombs a few times. Two different types of torpedoes are supplied with the kit but I was too lazy to put them in. (They are on the way).
Thanks, Tony. I didn't know they gave you armament, as well. Nice touch. Did you leave the interior details in? I hear tell you can't see much of it, once the fuselage is together.
Hi Bernard. Yes; all the interior is in there but you could just paint it black & nobody would know. There's
radar scopes, desks, swivel chairs & lots of other gizmos that I fitted just for the hell of it. The turret even has the gunner's seat & the ammunition box!
Yep...now THAT'S a nice build - and excellent pictures as well.
Thanks Craig. A new camera helps as does editing in Picasa!
Great work, Tony. Gotta love the cannons on that beast!
Thank you John. Yes the cannons are pretty impressive!
You did an amazing job on this one! I hope Airfix release the later Mark Shackleton that was operated by the SAAF in the maritime strike role for decades. One of the SAAF Shackleton s crashed in the Sahara a couple of years ago whilst on her way to take part in an airshow in Britain. The crew survived but the Shackleton was damaged beyond repair. A sad end to a SAAF legend of the skies.
Tony, I've been waiting for someone to build and post one of these, marvelous work here. I really enjoyed checking this out.
Thanks Morne for your kind comments & for the information as well.
I had a lot of help not only from the web but also from the Aeroplane Illustrated special edition "Aeroplane Icons No 21" which appeared in my newsagent's shop a couple of days after I picked up the kit. A happy coincidence. It has a wealth of pictures, many in colour & includes several of SAAF Shackletons. There are also fold out drawings, fuselage layout details & four pages of side view drawings, also in full colour. Really good value if you can get a copy. I understand from their website that the series has now ended, but back copies are available.
Thanks Terry. Glad you like it.
Nice model, but all official cdomments about the Shack in this scheme say you haven't weathered it enough. It got sdo dirty so fast that the commander of Coastal Command recommended never letting it go overseas on a "show the flag" flight because it would have a bad effect on British image. The reason they went to overall Dark Sea Grey had nothing to do with camouflage other than "camouflaging" all the weathering.
Not a "ding" on your model, which looks good. But those who want to do this scheme can go whoie hog into weathering knowing that "too much is not enough."
Hi Tom. Fair comments. I just didn't have the heart to make it any dirtier. Some of my reference photos show them pretty putrid & I can well understand the need to change from the early camo.
A beauty Tony. Very well done.
California Steve
Thanks Steve; much appreciated.
Very nice work Tony, it looks good, another Airfix winner, from a re-juvinated Airfix, long may it last! I do hope they bring out the Mk 3 Shack, the nose wheel version, as I was serving in the SAAF when they were still operational. I was at an Airshow at Margate on the Natal South Coast, when a Shack on a patrol got clearance to pass down the runway on it's way to Durban. She came down the main runway low and the sound of those four Griffons was inforgettable, the ground was shaking! Lovely gracefull aircraft in the air. One memorable mission in the early seventies I think was when the South African weather station on Marion island stopped tranmitting. A SAAF Shack was sent out to investigate. It was at the limit of it's range, taking off from the closest SAAF land base, Port Elizabeth airport. When they got there, the crew saw the whole station had burnt down, leaving the personnel out in the open, in a very inhospitable environment. After discussing it with the crew, the aircraft captain ordered the Shackleton't survival dingy and rations to be dropped to the Marion weather station crew, thus giving them shelter to survive and wait for help. The Shackleton now faced a very long overwater flight home, with no survival kit if they had a problem and had to ditch...I'm sure they listened intently to the sound of those Griffons as they flew home! Brave crew!
Thanks James. Those recollections are something to cherish. My references (see above) have a good deal of info on SAAF Shackleton MR Mk.3s & a kit would be really good. There's also a new Revell kit which I checked out at IPMS the other day. It's the AEW Mk.II & the fuselage parts indicate there will be another version in due course & I'd guess it will be another MR2. It seems a beautiful kit, but a shame they didn't take the opportunity to make the later version with nose wheel etc.
I've fond memories of the Shackletons operating from RAF St Mawgan in the 1960s, especially having a ride in one as an "air experience" while I wss an Air Cadet... those were the days. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, and can't really recall the state of the finish, but your model certainly looks right somehow, great job!
Thanks George. Half your luck getting a ride!
Sweet looking build. I can seevwhy they got grungy just look at seagulls. Very nice build
Thanks Vincent.
Great looking build, Tony! I love the Costal Command scheme. I'm still debating whether I have enough shelf space to add one of these to the stash, but I really do like the lines, and knowing Airfix has done a bang-up job, it is really tempting!
Thanks Greg. As they say:"necessity is the mother of invention". I rotate my display shelves & put the surplus models in cardboard post boxes in the garage. Several sizes available & they're stack-able & dust free.
Beautiful work Sir!
Great build Tony. I've done this one, but in the 204 Squadron scheme. Have another Airfix MR 2 which will be this scheme and just got Revell's AEW 2 version.
Looking forward to how they compare.
G'day Tony, lovely model and just enough weathering I think, they had to be clean at some stage, well done.
Stunning work. I'm about to acquire this and your efforts will serve as an ideal to aspire to.
Hello Tony,
Came across your amazing Shackleton. As mentioned above, stunning in every aspect.
Regards, Dirk / The Netherlands.