September 2015

Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1

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75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain

Scottish Aviation Bulldog

Central Flying School, RAF Little Rissington, 1973

Airfix 1/72

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www.gengriz.co.uk

The Bulldog started life as a Beagle Aircraft design, taken over by Scottish Aviation (later British Aerospace) when the Beagle company ceased trading. Its first customer was the Swedish Army and Air Force, who used 78 Bulldogs between 1971 and 2001 as basic trainers.  The RAF also purchased 130 Bulldogs, using them as basic trainers and with the University Air Squadrons from 1972 until 2001.  Export models saw service with the Malaysian and Royal Jordanian Air Force as well as many smaller air arms, including Malta, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Lebanon, Hong Kong and Botswana.

Capable of carrying a small bomb load, it is not clear if this option was ever implemented by any customer, although Swedish aircraft were used for basic weapons training.

#bulldog

Have a look at my Friends & Allies  pages for more RAF Aircraft models

This Airfix kit has been relatively difficult to find in recent years, but is a potential candidate for the company’s current limited re-release programme.  Fairly simple in layout, the kit is a little fiddly to build (not least in painting), although parts fit is generally good, except for the slightly over-large canopy.  

Its undercarriage is very fragile, and unlikely to survive should the modeller decide  (or indeed, manage) to place the required amount of weight in the nose to make the kit stand properly on its wheels.  With this in mind, I added a small prop beneath the fuselage  under the rear of the wing.  Transparencies are a little thick, but a coat of Klear seems to have done the trick.  

Airfix provide two decal options - the aircraft above and a Swedish version.  Later issues of the kit have included a different Swedish scheme and the more recent black RAF trainer scheme.  

All in all , a  delightfully small, but colourful addition to my collection!

Battle of Britain - 75th Anniversary

No new Anniverary builds this month -  but to mark this important date, here is a link back to the August 2010 and September 2010 pages of my 70th Anniversaries project which include models of a number of important aircraft from the battle.

In addition, here are some inspiring photos of BoB era aircraft from this year’s commemorative RIAT flying display!



Background Picture- Hurricane fly-by at the 2015 RIAT