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Tony Prince
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de Havilland Venom FB.1 from Classic Airframes.

January 23, 2022 · in Aviation · · 14 · 1.6K

' range of scale models will be well known to those of us who have a few years "seniority" under their belts. and that includes me... I bought this kit around 20 years ago for the huge sum (then) of $77.95 Aus. & it's been sitting in my stash ever since, although I did look at it a few times as the years passed by. Having built a few C.A. models over the years I knew what to expect, but being constantly seduced by more modern offerings I kept putting off making a start on this kit. As you can imagine, this is a mix of resin castings & pretty simple, but reasonably accurate plastic, although without the benefit of locating pins & tabs. It goes together surprisingly well, despite the need for butt joints & a bit of scratch building. Panel lines are engraved, but of inconsistent depth & needed re-doing & the tail booms were a little bit of a problem, needing rebuilding on top of the port one & under the starboard one in order to have them straight & parallel with each other & to ensure the tailplane & wings lined up with each other. It was a lot of fun as well as a bit of a challenge; but so what's new? Anyway, here she is: I hope you like her. (Incidentally, the decals worked just fine after all these years).

Reader reactions:
9  Awesome

7 additional images. Click to enlarge.


14 responses

  1. A fantastic result out of the challenging CA kit, Tony! You handled all of this limited run kit posed challenges with your usual excellent skills.
    I personally find the Vamps and Venoms among the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft and feel really thrilled seeing beautiful models of them like this one.
    Congratulations!

  2. This is a very fine looking Venom, Tony @tony-prince
    Your build clearly show the attractiveness of this aircraft.
    Well done.

  3. Thank you for your very kind comments Spiros. I still miss CA kits. They filled a gap in the range of models I was looking for, which is still in existence today in some cases in the 1/48 scale line up.

  4. Never done a CA kit, but have read lots of reviews about them. You've done a nice job on this kit especially like the fact after 20 years on the shelf you built her. Job well done Tony.

  5. This is so awesome, love this build and its colors! I got the Airfix Vampire in 1/48, you just inspired me to start that lit!

  6. Very nice. I just picked up the FAW 21 Sea Venom from Rare Plane Detective for the princely sum of US$35 (they go on eBay for US$100+ nowadays). The Venom is one of CA's best.

    A little-known fact (which I only discovered when I saw the Planes of Fame Vampire get its canopy shoved open) is that the canopies do not have a frame on the forward edge of the sliding section. That is just cast plastic, which slides into the frame of the windshield, thus locking the canopy down so air can't get under it. Definitely counterintuitive, but after I saw it in person, I noticed it in photos. It's like Malcolm hoods for P-51Bs, they don't actually have any frame either, just cast plastic.

    • Hi Tom; thanks for the tip on the canopies. Many of the photos I've seen seem to show tape around the 'frames'. I'd guess this is just a sealing measure, or perhaps protection (for museum aircraft?). It seems over generous in some instances.

  7. A terrific build of one of my favourite aircraft.

    • Thanks George; glad you like it. Just about anything WWII or later, from de Havilland, falls into my favourites category. I live in hope that I will find an accurate DH Hornet one day!

  8. A great looking build!

  9. Thanks Robert; much appreciated.

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