[ page 6 ]
1/72 scale kits of the BAC Jet Provost modelling the NEW AIRFIX KIT
... continued from page 5...
Additional models of the great Airfix Jet Provost T.3 kit #01029 kits were made. This was done similarly as described earlier on page 3..... ..
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I corrected a small
error: Airfix moulded a raised central canopy hood
frame on the outside. On the real Jet Provost this is a frame running
on the inside. So the raised frame was sanded carefully away, than with
a (nail) polishing pad the scratches were buffed away until the
canopy hood looks clear. (On the inside the central frame will be
painted later on).
The only other small change to the kit was again adding the 3 tiny trim tab control rods (left side rudder, upper left side elevator, lower right elevator). These are moulded on the parts so I shaved them off and will add later on tiny rods from thin wire.
There is strangely no exhaust pipe in the kit, so this was added from scrap. A thin straw can be used for that.
I
had purchased the nice XTRADECAL JET PROVOST decalsheet X72250 with
plenty of interesting schemes of Worldwide used Jet Provosts. This
sheet is really inspiring, so another 3 models were made.
The set also has the high visibility striping, but these are less bright than the rather thick Airfix kit decals (see the special trick using FUTURE I used for applying these on page 3). So you can pick what you want here.
Before adding any decals, make sure to have a gloss surface to avoid "silvering". I airbrushed a few layers of Future.
For all kit seats
were painted black with yellow emergency pull cords, buff packs and
some harness straps
from thin cut tape. Canopy hood frames were painted and inside the main
canopy hood 2 mirrors were added from thin metal foil. I assumed the
cockpit interior was painted mostly BSC381C: 623 interior grey with
black details.
Finishing each model was as per kit. Don't forget adding lots of nose weight to prevent tail sitting. Landing gears installation is simple and the windshield which fits well. Note that antennas may vary between individual Jet Provosts, so check photos.
Tip tank tip lights were painted Tamiya Smoke "for lights off" .
Finally to protect the decals and have an even sheen, a model got a few airbrushed layers with American Johnson FUTURE varnish (with the usual technique).
...SRI LANKA
This Airfix model was finished as a Jet Provost T.51 of no.6 squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force, around 1971.
Paints airbrushed were the base overall "silver" colour using Revell Aqua acrylic 90 "silber". The red nose areas were masked off and airbrushed with Revell Aqua 311. The dull black anti-glare panel was also airbrushed after it had been masked with tape.
Decals came from the XTRADECAL set X72250. Note that a small additional pair of Sri Lanka decals are in the set and it is noted that in the Sri Lanka tail flags the red should face forward.
I used the kit canopy hood part for the closed cockpit setting and polished away the central outside frame (see above why).
Sri Lanka
.
.. [area: 65,610 sq.km | population: 22,3 million | capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | GDP nominal < 3,000 USD per capita ]
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) (Sinhalese: ශ්රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව; Shri Lanka Guwan Hamudawa) was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It started with many English aircraft types like the Oxford, Heron and in 1959 Vampire jets arrived. Jet Provosts came and used for training and light ground attack. In the 1970s Soviet aircraft arrived like the MiG-15 UTI trainers, followed by the MiG-17 and some Bell and Kamov helicopters. In the 1980s Chinese aircraft were delivered like the Shenyang F-7 and even FMA Pucara's. From 2009 IAI Kfir fighters were acquired as well as MiG-27 ground attack aircraft and MiG-23 UB trainers.
at Colombo.
....VENEZUELA
The next kit was finished in a scheme for a Jet Provost T.52 of the Venezuelan Air Force training school at Palo Negro near the city of Maracay around 1964. Decals came again from the XTRADECAL set X72250.
Again main paint was Revell Aqua 90 "silber" and the bright fuselage band was after masking airbrushed Revell Aqua 30 "orange" and the nose antiglare panel black.
The drawn schemes in the set do not indicated bright wing leading edges, but photos suggest these were present on these aircraft. So, I cut some of the bright stripes from the XTRADECAL decalset as these are thinner. I had to paint some portions of the edges with a paint brush with orange. (You can also use the Airfix decals if desired, but cut away some portions. The bright bands are only on the upper and lower wing leading edges and the tip tanks).
... with bright decals applied....
The wider canopy hood part with polished central frame was set in place to show the cockpit.
.
.........[ area: 916,400 sq.km | population <24 million | capital: Caracas | GDP per capita nominal < 1,000 USD crisis ]
In Venezuela military aviation started with the Air Academy in 1920 with some French Caudron aircraft and Breguet aircraft. In the 1930's a first base was established at Boca del Rio and aircraft purchased from France, England and the United States. Venezuela had large oil fiels and its oil was important in the Second World War. The Fuerza Aerea Venezuelana (FAV) was formally established in October 1947. Several aircraft like the P-47 and transport aircraft were used. Vampire aircraft arrived in Venezuela in late 1949 replacing the surplus P-47 Thunderbolt. Later aircraft delivered were F-86 Sabres, Sabredogs and the Canberra. Jet Provosts were put into service in the early 1960s with some 15 T.52 aircraft delivered.
Politics were not always stable also because of fears on Communism propagated in Cuba. Aircraft like Mirages V, OV-10 Broncos and later the T-2 Buckeye and various helicopters were operated. From Canadair second CF-5 fighters arrived from 1972. Later on, also F-16 aircraft were put in service as well as EMBRAER Tucanos. Politics changed in 2001 and the FAV was renamed Aviacion Militar Venezolana in 2001 and later under the Chavez government "Aviacion Militar Nacional Bolivariana". The last decade Russian "socialist" influence became larger and purchased Russian aircraft were types like the Sukhoi SU-30 fighters based at Barcelona and El Sombrero. Also Chinese K-8 trainers are used based at mainly the base Barquisimeto.
For some 10 years the country is in a crisis and very unstable with internal unrest. The economy is dead and many citizens have fled the country. Currently there are 2 currencies: Bolivar and unofficially the US Dollar. The people with access to US Dollars have a large advantage, all others struggle.
at Aeropuerto Carlota Venezuela, 1965.
... South "Arab" Air Force (South Yemen)
During 1967 the British Goverment set about creating the "South Arabian Air Force" before independence was established of South Yemen. For offensive duties, 4 former Royal Air Force Jet Provost T.MK.4's were converted to armed T.MK.52's. Above one of these is seen being assembled at Khormaksar after shipment in crates. These aircraft had temporary markings as the country South Yemen would be recognized with their own markings.
This kit was made as was supposedly a jet Provost T.52 of this "South Arab Air Force". Apparantly today a Jet Provost flies in this scheme in the warbird scene. It seems that XTRADECAL did their homework with set X72250.
It has rather standard camouflage scheme for which I airbrushed....
lower light grey BSC381C: 627 using Gunze Sangyo acrylic 332;
dark green camouflage BSC381C: 641 using Gunze 330;
dark earth using Revell Aqua 82.
The camouflage was masked with low tack masking film as the colour separation edges are hard.
The various edges and gaps of flaps and ailerons were darkened a bit with a pencil and some black wash. I also painted a few loose panels in slightly different colours with a paint brush.
The final finishing was as described in general.
Jet Provost T.52 flew briefly with established "South Arabian Air Force" 1967/ 1968 before independence of South Yemen.
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Created this page
August 7, 2017