Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C by CDW & AJohnson - FINISHED - Airfix - 1:48

[AJohnson]

Hi Gang,

 

Well as discussed at the tail end of my Sea Harrier log, I am very fortunate that a good friend on mine bought me an Airfix 1/48 Buccaneer for my birthday last week, so putting up a build log which I hope some of you will enjoy.  @CDW also has this kit and hopefully we could have two build logs going at some stage.  Though I need to say this one might be something of a slow burn as firstly the Admiral has got me decorating the hallway and lounge at the moment and also I am determined to finish my Caldercraft HMAV Bounty this year, so I am trying not to get distracted - going well huh?! 😆

As mentioned on my Sea Harrier log I'm largely going to build out of the box, with some upgrades to the ejection seat/cockpit at most.  Also going to have the wings flat and air breaks closed as I have made the 1990's version of Airfix's previous 1/48 Bucc. where I had all that visible.  As for which scheme I am drawn to, thinking the S.2C - XV162 as it appeared onboard HMS Hermes in 1969, serving with No.801 Naval Air Squadron.

 

I have some more pictures to share next of the real thing.

Edited June 2, 2023 by AJohnson

[Jack12477]

I'm in. 

[AJohnson]

Got a few pictures to share of what I'm very proprietorially going to call "My" local Buccaneers!!!  

 

About 20 miles from where I live is the Yorkshire Air Museum on the site of former RAF Elvington - https://yorkshireairmuseum.org/

 

They have a couple of examples of the Buccaneer which I thought I might be of interest.

The first example in XN974 the first production version of the S.2 that first flew in 1964 and served outs it's days as a trials and test airframe.  The first two pictures of XN974 are of it in 2006 when it was still taxiable and people could have a sit in the cockpit. (My Son Michael has grown a bit since then and is now at his second year of University - I feel old!) 👴  The next bunch show XN974 in it's more recent swanky new Fleet Air Arm colours and she now lives indoors so hopefully will look this good for years to come.

The other Bucc. they have is XX901 a Gulf war Veteran that flew 14 missions in 1991.  The same scheme is used today and this is the example I modelled previously, not least as it was called "Kathryn - The Flying Mermaid" (my beloved Admiral's name!) on the nose art. The picture outside is the Admiral holding Michael, again many Moons ago. 

 

Hope you like the pictures, please chip in with any of your own reminisces or info on the mighty Bucc.  

 

Modelling will commence when I have pleased the Admiral sufficiently with my decorating efforts.... 🙄

Edited February 21, 2023 by AJohnson

[shipman]

AJ, thanks for the photo's.

 

I'll be watching your build.

 

Also being a Yorkshireman, I'm familiar with the Elvington Museum.

Did you ever get to the 'Cold War Jets' open days at Bruntingthorpe, where 3 very professionally presented examples did fast-taxi runs? Plenty reason to be wearing air defenders! Sadly all gone now.

 

Recall they were built at Brough, in Yorkshire. Their runway wasn't long enough to fly out, once completed, so they were towed on the roads to the nearest RAF base where they could. Can't remember where that was, but I do remember being confronted by one being trundled through a town on the way.

That's when you realise how big they are.

 

Only the British!

Edited February 20, 2023 by shipman
Extra copy.

[AJohnson]

45 minutes ago, shipman said:

Also being a Yorkshireman, I'm familiar with the Elvington Museum.

Did you ever get to the 'Cold War Jets' open days at Bruntingthorpe, where 3 very professionally presented examples did fast-taxi runs? Plenty reason to be wearing air defenders! Sadly all gone now.

I didn’t sadly get to Bruntingthorpe for the fast Taxi runs before it was all shut down to make way for car storage and some of the bigger exhibits cut up for scrap!  Thankfully the Buccaneers and Lightnings escaped to new homes I think. 
Elvington did its own version with XN974 and their Nimrod and Victor. Like Bruntingthorpe all sadly stopped now due to costs, insurance, revenue hits because of Covid lockdowns and complaints about “noise” from some well healed residents of the village nearby. 😟 (Who knew you buy a house near a working air museum and you hear  aircraft!). 

[shipman]

 Elvington: A pal was there this last summer and the Victor was being run-up.

Also they still run speed events on the runway, including jet-cars!

 

Bruntingthorpe: The Buccs have been re-located. The Lightning (LPG) are still there, including their magnificently restored QRA shed, due to that area NOT being part of the deal with the car storage MAFIA.

 

Binbrook: I used to be a member of the Lightning Association, who used to wind up their F.mk6. Back then you could stand right next to it on full twin afterburners. The first time I experienced that I drove home with a mega migraine!

Sadly the LA was rapidly marginalised, after all the early enthusasm, when it finally was allowed to fly in, under restricted special license, it's been parked outside, under tarps and deteriorated.

Recently they've managed to get temporary planning permission to build a hanger (shed) for it.

 

Finningley: (near me). The last flying Avro Vulcan has been given a few months to vacate the defunct Robin Hood Airport (yes, that one, which was going to generate hundreds of 'local' jobs). As it is, that aircraft is in better condition than it ever was when operated by the RAF, but has had all flying permissions withdrawn! Another valuable piece of our history heading for the chop?

 

Little by little our heritage is being lost. It's all about money, or lack of it.

Edited February 20, 2023 by shipman
More copy.

[Old Collingwood]

I.m  In  also, seen a  few buccs  over the years  either at Airshows  and even on one aircraft spotting trip to  Lossiemouth  where  208sq  was based.

 

OC.

[Jack12477]

1 hour ago, AJohnson said:

Who knew you buy a house near a working air museum and you hear  aircraft!). 

Same thing happens here with citiidiots moving up to the country from NYC boroughs, building a house, then complaining about the manure smell, noisy farm animals and equipment emanating from the farm down the road. Complaints got so bad we now have "right to farm" laws to protect the farmers from the citiidiots.  

Edited February 20, 2023 by Jack12477

[Edwardkenway]

I'm in, hammock slung!😊

[Egilman]

2 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Modelling will commence when I have pleased the Admiral sufficiently with my decorating efforts....

{chuckle} ......

 

Been there done that... It always pays to keep the pre requirements completed... (well worth the process if I might say)

 

I'm always down for carrier aircraft.... And the Buc's a big one....

[Dave_E]

🍿🥤

[AJohnson]

Hi All,

 

I'm losing my memory, something has been bugging me today and it finally dawned that the Yorkshire Air Museum has three Buccaneers! (Greedy I know)  🤓

 

I wouldn't mind but I did photograph it in 2020!  This is XV168 a S.2B and the last one to fly off an aircraft carrier.  It's final flight was back to Brough (its place of origin as @shipman has mentioned already) in 1991 - and yes it got to Elvington after that by Road! 😆

 

Glad to report since I took this picture it is receiving a bit of TLC and should be looking as new soon (there is a Facebook Group the restoration group have if you are interested just search for Buccaneer XV168.)

 

Next job, book into the memory clinic.... 🧠

Edited February 25, 2023 by AJohnson

[Landlubber Mike]

I'm in too!  Great pic of your son!

 

Looks like a very detailed kit.  My first Airfix kit was an old Citroen kit which was a bit underwhelming.  I wasn't sure what to think of Airfix after that one, but my current Walrus kit from Airfix is really impressive.  Looks like your Airfix kit is similarly very detailed and well done.

[AJohnson]

Glad to have on board Mike and all of you. This “Non ship building” bit of MSW is like going to the local Pub and meeting all the “regulars”  Really great place to visit, but with exception that the advice here is much better than the “know-it-all” 🥸 who normally props up the end of the bar in most pubs I know! 
 

Cheers guys!  🍻

[shipman]

Mmmm.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the Finningley Vulcan XH588 finding a home at YAM.

Nearest long enough runway to fly it in (if the CAA are gracious enough to allow a one flight permit).

Do B&Q sell a big enough shed?

[AJohnson]

1 hour ago, shipman said:

Mmmm.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the Finningley Vulcan XH588 finding a home at YAM.

Nearest long enough runway to fly it in (if the CAA are gracious enough to allow a one flight permit).

Do B&Q sell a big enough shed?

Well Doncaster to Elvington would be a short hop for the Vulcan, but it would be the CAA that’s the problem, imagine the insurance and paperwork!  On the plus side Yes Elvington has the runway at nearly two miles (3000m). I truly hope something can be done to save XH558, last I have heard is she is to be dismantled by this June at the latest if they can’t agree funding for staying at Doncaster. 

[CDR_Ret]

This topic reminded me of a joint US-UK naval exercise back in the Spring of 1975 that my squadron participated in. At that point I was a junior Naval Aviation Intelligence Officer assigned to an A-7E (Corsair II) squadron, VA-66, stationed at NAS Cecil Field in Pensacola, Florida. This was the year before I got my heart right and entered the Naval Nuclear Propulsion pipeline, and, ultimately, the submarine force.

 

The exercise involved both the USS Independence (CV-62) and the HMS Ark Royal (R07) operating together in the West Atlantic. The Ark Royal cross-decked a squadron of Buccaneers to the Indy and the Indy cross-decked a squadron of Corsair IIs. This was evidently a prolonged collaboration because the photos of the aircraft taken at Cecil Field in my collection were dated March/April, 1975, while the shipboard photo was dated May, 1975.

 

These photos were taken as Ektachrome slides, which were the thing back then. They're not great but they might be useful as a reference of operational aircraft. I failed to identify which squadron they belonged to but the date of deployment might narrow the choices.

 

This final photo shows a Buccaneer on the USS Independence flight deck. Several A-7Es are in the background.

 

Enjoy!

 

Terry

[AJohnson]

Thank you very much for sharing those stories and pictures Terry 😁. Knowing MSW there are probably some ex. RN on here who will know which Naval Air Squadron those Buccaneers belonged to. Those cross decking exercises must have taken a lot of training to achieve 😲

[CDW]

Permission to come aboard, sir!

Edited February 21, 2023 by CDW

[AJohnson]

On 2/21/2023 at 11:55 PM, CDW said:

Permission to come aboard, sir!

Hey I’m hoping we are going to be each other’s Wingmen on this adventure! 😁

Edited February 23, 2023 by AJohnson

[CDW]

6 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Hey I’m hoping we are going to be each other’s away Wingmen on this adventure! 😁

Roger that. Will be there in a few days.

[shipman]

AJ, there's a 2 day bike event at Elvington over the weekend.

A guy I know is taking along a superb  MV Agusta 500/3.

Must be a special do to persuade him to do that.

That's all I know.

 

25/26 Feb - Sat/Sun - Elvington
Straightliners Open Day - Static Display of all kinds of Speed Record Machines.
Heated Marquees.

[AJohnson]

6 hours ago, shipman said:

AJ, there's a 2 day bike event at Elvington over the weekend.

A guy I know is taking along a superb  MV Agusta 500/3.

Must be a special do to persuade him to do that.

That's all I know.

 

25/26 Feb - Sat/Sun - Elvington
Straightliners Open Day - Static Display of all kinds of Speed Record Machines.
Heated Marquees.

I’m away, but also on this weekend they are doing one of their nighttime photo shoots of a few of their exhibits. Usually they roll out the Halifax for these. 

[king derelict]

Looking forward to this one a lot.

 

A great piece of nostalgia here. Buccs and Phantoms landing on with the Ark in the 70s. Big jets small deck. Great stuff.

Alan

 

 

[AJohnson]

22 hours ago, CDW said:

Roger that. Will be there in a few days.

We could always turn this thread into a mini “group build” if you would like and the admins don’t object 🤔

[CDW]

51 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

We could always turn this thread into a mini “group build” if you would like and the admins don’t object 🤔

In the past, they have asked for individual threads, so I'll probably start with that unless a mod jumps in and tells me otherwise.

[ccoyle]

11 minutes ago, CDW said:

In the past, they have asked for individual threads, so I'll probably start with that unless a mod jumps in and tells me otherwise.

 

The non-ship area is kind of like the "wild west" of MSW -- I think we can bend the rules a bit here. You know, consider them more like "guidelines." We can edit the title to reflect the group effort if that's what you guys want to do.

[Jack12477]

37 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

 

The non-ship area is kind of like the "wild west" of MSW -- I think we can bend the rules a bit here. You know, consider them more like "guidelines." We can edit the title to reflect the group effort if that's what you guys want to do.

@RGL, @cog, @Canute and Stein Gildberg  did a 4 way build of SMS Seydlitz  in a single log about a year or two ago.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Jack12477

[Canute]

I'm in to watch. Too many cars and Model RR operating sessions right now. And Spring is springing right now; a tad early for the Smokies.

 

I had the pleasure of flying in the first Red Flag exercise with the RAF Buccs back in I think '78. Very professional bunch in the Flag Ex, but a riot after-hours.😄 And they seemed as big a jet as my Phantom.

[shipman]

Originally, the Buccs primary mission was to fly at sea level under 'enemy' radar and deliver its weapon/s.

 

The 'area ruled' coke bottle shape was optimized, along with its sophisticated (for its time) avionics to cope with near supersonic speed in the dense air in as smooth and stable manner as possible.

 

No reheat required or needed, yet just as noisy as any Phantom or Lightning!