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MATCHBOX 1:72 H.P. PROVOST T MK.1 |
Reviewer:
Michael Johnson (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:
14 December 2003
Adopted as the RAF's basic trainer in 1953, the Provost remained in service in that role until replaced by a development of the design, the Jet Provost, in 1961.
The Provost was selected for production following competitive trials with the Handley Page HPR2. The first flight took place on 24 February 1950.
First production deliveries were made to the Central Flying School. The first Flying Training School (FTS) to be so equipped was No.6 FTS at Ternhill in October 1953. Other FTSs equipped were at Syerston, Hullavington, Feltwell and Worksop.
The Provost proved to be a popular machine with good aerobatic qualities and 397 aircraft were delivered to the RAF.
The Provost was the last piston engined basic trainer to be used by the RAF. The last training unit re-equipped with a jet-powered version of the design, called the Jet Provost, in August 1961 but a few Provosts lingered on until the last one was retired in November 1969.
© Michael Johnson 2003
I have had this one lurking in my stash for quite some time and decided to bring it out into the light of day as cabinet mate to the Airfix Tucano T.1 and Italeri BAe Hawk T.1A
Resides in a typical end opening Airfix box with box art depicting an attractive RAF silver and day-glo trainer. Opening the box reveals two plastic sprues in red and stone green, one clear, an excellent decal sheet and Matchbox’s typical instruction sheet. On the whole, all parts are clean and flash free, with fine, raised panel lines. The single piece canopy is of a thick nature but has nicely defined panel lines making masking an easy task.
Decals on inspection were dense, sharp and commendably thin, I had a gut feeling about the decal sheet even so, later on my gut feeling was realised much to my dismay.
Construction (as always) started in the cockpit.. The twin seat was painted Humbrol Leather and dry brushed with Citadel Snakebite Leather after an accenting wash of Citadel Brown Ink. After some quick questions online, I painted thin strips of Tamiya masking tape mid blue and added then to the seat to “busy it up” a little. The inside of the fuselage and cockpit tub was painted flat black.
A quick dry fit ensured the completed cockpit tub fitted well but the open nature of the area in front of the seats needed a small bulkhead of plasticard painted black to conceal the empty hole visible through the cockpit opening. The fuselage halves were then cemented into place, only needed moderate amounts of filler which were then cleaned up with wet and dry used wet to remove any seam lines. The nose and radiator assembly was another story altogether, requiring a fair amount of filler and associated work with wet and dry to eradicate the seam and to smooth it in to the rest of the fuselage.
While the fuselage was drying, I assembled the wings. These needed careful filling and re-scribing to remove the joins of the upper and lower wing halves and to restore the flying surfaces.
The wings attached to the fuselage but required of filler, smoothed over with the nail polish remover dipped ear bud to ensure a smooth join. This is a fantastic way to fill gaps in areas such as wing roots or hard to access areas. I apply the filler as normal, leave it to cure for 5 minutes and then run an ear bud dipped in nail polish remover (make sure the remover is of the acetone type) along the filler. The moist ear bud softens and smooths the filler into place perfectly, removing any excess in the process. Once dry the whole process can repeated if required. I then carefully sanded any remaining seam created after the filler had dried thoroughly.
The underside, where the each wing abutted to the fuselage was another matter, requiring filling and sanding to eradicate the join line and smooth the underside. The one piece tail slotted neatly into the area provided and only required a small amount of filler and some careful sanding to complete fuselage assembly work.
At this stage I put the fuselage aside and painted the radial engine flat black, followed by some careful dry brushing with Citadel Boltgun Metal. I then gave the red plastic propeller a spray with primer and painted the prop tips yellow, ready for masking and application of flat black.
The canopy was polished with Novus plastic polish and brush painted with Future inside and out to improve clarity. Once the Future had cured, Tamiya masking tape was used to mask the canopy and it was then cemented in place. PVA glue was then used to fill any gaps.
© Michael Johnson 2003
A primer coat went on first, to highlight any flaws. Several were revealed and then dealt with, one particularly nasty gap was at the rear of the canopy.
Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver was misted on in three light coats and after dry, the nose was masked off in preparation for application of flat black. For this I used thinned Citadel Chaos Black which went on smoothly with no brush marks. So far so good….
Applying the decals was a total disaster! As soon as the selected decal hit warm water and was removed onto the model surface, it shattered. I kept at it though until the tail flash shattered into small pieces not even I was willing to attempt to put back together, so all the decals were removed and I was left wondering how the hell I was going to build this bare Provost with the scheme I really wanted. Research on the web secured me some good alternative schemes which I could attempt and further frenzied searching through the decal dungeon produced required roundels and fin flashes. Serials proved a problem however!
A flash of inspiration then hit me and I hoped back on the ‘net and surfed across to eBay. Bingo! Several sellers flogging Matchbox Provosts. After several unsuccessful attempts at getting an economical purchase, I then put out a big HELP! on a couple of online forums and secured a sheet from a most generous modeller who took pity on me and came to my rescue.
These original Matchbox decals performed like champions and adhered extremely well with no silvering whatsoever. An application of Aeromaster Sol II helped them snuggle down over surface detail. A great result after an earlier disaster!
As this is a trainer aircraft of long use, I decided that it would be kept reasonably clean by ground crews, with weathering of the painted silver airframe kept to minimum but just enough to give the trainer a used appearance. For weathering I used a “sludge wash” of Aeromaster Tyre Black, detergent and water. Adding the detergent retards the drying time of the acrylic paint considerably allowing excess wash being able to be removed with cotton buds and micro brushes after 15-30 minutes drying time.
Once again the model was put aside to cure and finally sprayed with Citadel Purity Seal, giving an overall low sheen finish.
I then post shaded the raised panel lines with some graphite dust, adding to the slightly worn look of the silver finish. Finally some exhaust stains from the single exhaust completed the Provost’s weathering.
Canopy masking came off now and revealed painted framing that was nicely defined although a little heavy looking. I buffed away any uneven areas with a sharpened wooden toothpick and then polished the canopy clear areas with a cotton bud
© Michael Johnson 2003
Final assembly involved addition of the pre-painted and weathered main undercarriage and tail wheel, with the addition of a stretched sprue whip aerial which was painted black and super glued behind the canopy.
My little Provost was now finished!
© Michael Johnson 2003
Apart from the decal disaster, this kit was a fine and easy build. Matchbox produced many unusual and different aircraft kits, many of which have not been re-released by Revell AG. It would be great if they could either be re-released or perhaps new kits altogether, though that would be too much to hope for I guess!
The Provost is regularly offered up at club sales and eBay, so get hold of one for that moment of a quick fix or AMS cure!
Now for the Jet Provost!
© Michael Johnson 2003
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