Airfix 1/72 Bristol Bulldog

AIRFIX 1:72 BRISTOL BULLDOG

The old 'boxart' for this kit, subject of Richard's review

More current boxart of this little kit

Reviewer: Richard Stracey (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: February 2001

Kit Details:

AIRFIX # 01083 1/72 -- BRISTOL BULLDOG IIA

Aircraft History:

The Bulldog was the RAF’s premier fighter from 1929 to 1936 seeing service with ten squadrons (3/17/19/23/29/32/41/54/56 and 111) and exported to numerous countries including Japan. The most (in)famous Bulldog was K1676 of 23 Sq in which Douglas Bader had his crash. They were powered by a 490hp Bristol Jupiter VII radial engine and had a span of 33’ 11” and a length of 25’ and were armed with two Vickers machine guns and four 20lb bombs.

The Kit:

This gem of a kit was first issued in 1970 and consists of fifty parts in grey plastic that includes bombs and a pilot (wearing the wrong uniform) and early releases also included a stand. The instructions are straight foreword, the exploded type in five stages. Various decal options are included depending on the year of issue. Originally it came in a plastic bag with a header card but now comes in a box.

Construction:

Construction is simple. The braces (11 to 14) are easier to attach to the fuselage before adding the lower wing. I fitted the main struts (21 and 22) to the top wing and after leaving them to dry simply dropped them into place on the inverted lower wing after which the carbane struts (25 and 26) can be fitted. I chose not to use the rather crude bomb rack or the windshield and gun sight, the latter two being easy enough to scratch build. The “drainpipe” sized fuel lines (27) were replaced with copper wire and super glue is best used on the tailskid (38) as polystyrene glue tends to soften and weaken it. The very nicely detailed engine can be added after all painting has been completed.

Colour Schemes:

As the wings and most of the fuselage were aluminium doped fabric, I depicted them using a mixture of 80% Tamiya XF16 Aluminium and 20% XF2 White and the metal parts Humbrol 11 Silver. For the tyres I used Humbrol 67 Tank Grey. Airfix recommend their own M3 Green (Humbrol 30 Dark Green) for the fuselage top deck. In fact it was a medium moss green known as NIVO (+/- FS34159) for which I used Xtracolour X20.

Decals:

The latest release supplies two decal options, one for a Swedish Air Force aircraft and one for a 56 Sqn machine that operated the IIA from North Weald from October 1932 to May 1936. The 1979 release contained decals for only one machine, a 17 Sqn aircraft based at Kenley in 1936. The original issue also had only one marking for a 19 Sqn aircraft based at Duxford from September 1931 to January 1935. I opted to use Modeldecal Sheet # 31A depicting a 23 Sqn aircraft based at Kenley and Biggen Hill from July 1931 to April 1933. All that was needed was a bit of rigging to finish the job.

Overall Recommendation:

This is one of the best and simplest biplane kits available and an important and colourful addition to any (RAF) collection. There are plenty references available including Profile # 6, Aeroplane Monthly of August and September 1991, Scale Aircraft Modelling of April 1992, Scale Models International of April 1993 and Flying Scale Models Vol.2 # 6 1999.

Photo Credit: Richard Stracey
Dick's image of the completed model in all its glory!

This kit is a nice model, easy to make, with a colourful choice of markings. It is an important aircraft in the history of the RAF and the 1930’s.

Good references can be found in Aeroplane Monthly Aug & Sept ’91 & Scale Aircraft Modelling April ’92.

Related Reviews:-

Airfix 1/72 Bristol Bulldog (Tim Beales)

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