Airfix 1/72 Bristol Bulldog

AIRFIX 1:72 BRISTOL BULLDOG

Reviewer: Tim Beales (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 10 December 2002

The Aircraft:

Perhaps the most famous of the RAF interwar fighters, the Bristol Bulldog entered service with the RAF in 1929 in the form of the Mk II. It was a very manoeuvrable airplane, and equipped ten fighter squadrons. The Bulldog was also produced in a two-seat trainer version. In addition to the RAF, the Bulldog was sold to the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic republics, and Thailand. The Bulldog retired in 1937.

Kit Parts:

The kit is a reissue of a much older kit that has since been updated. Airfix originally brought out the Bulldog in kit form in 1970, and it is truly an Airfix classic. There are 50 kit parts moulded in the regulation Airfix light grey plastic with no flash to speak of. There are minor ejector pin marks and mould lines around the pilot and struts etc, but these can be cleaned up in a jiffy with a sharp blade.

Kit instructions come in a single A4-sized sheet and a separate folded A3-sized sheet. The single A4 sheet contains a brief history of the Bulldog in eight-point typeface in the dreaded ten European languages that no EU manufacturer dare neglect these days. The back of the single A4 sheet provides basic modelling instructions in the 12 languages of the EU. The fold out section kicks off with a blank sheet (?), followed by a page detailing the eight construction steps. The next two sheets show the decal options and paint guides for two aircraft.

Construction of the kit:

The pilot is cemented onto a seat that locates onto the stepped cockpit floor. This assembly locates onto a stepped ridge on the inside of the cockpit and the two fuselage halves are then cemented together. Airfix recommends the seat be painted in Humbrol H110 (wood), the cockpit floor in H85 (black), and the cockpit interior in H105 (dark green). That is the sum total of the interior. However, if you are using the pilot (and I do) then the cockpit opening is very full, and it's not really possible to see any interior detail.

As normal for a biplane, the fuselage mates onto the lower wing, and Airfix recommend attaching at this stage four small bracing struts from the lower wing to the fuselage, the windscreen, gun sight, and what look like a wind generator and landing light on the two wings. I left attaching the latter two items to the end, as I felt that they would get in the way of assembling the wings. The two tailplanes and tailfin were also added at this stage. Only a smear of the good old Humbrol filler was needed, especially around the tail plane joints.

In the next stage, the fuselage "W" struts are added along with the application of the lower wing serial number decals and roundels in advance, as these are located beneath accessories that attach to the lower wing. The next stage is the construction of the Bristol Jupiter radial engine, which is a beauty consisting of five parts (including the propeller). Stage five involves mounting the upper wing (which is in three parts) along with the outer struts (consisting of two struts connected by a bar that locates in a slot in the upper wing), and the rest of the struts that attach the fuselage to the upper wing. Handily, Airfix provide a face on profile at this stage showing the correct angle of the outer struts - more evidence that this kit was built and designed by real modellers. I found it best to assemble the upper wing as a single piece before attaching it to the strut assembly, and this is not clear from the instructions.

The model is rounded off by attaching the engine to the front of the fuselage, connecting two exhausts below the engine, and attaching the two vee struts and connecting bar to two wheels for the undercarriage. I then rigged the aircraft, and it was at this stage that I attached all the small detail parts (lights, bombs etc.) that attach to the upper and lower wings.

Decals:

Decals for two Bulldogs are supplied: a Bristol J7 Bulldog IIA of the Swedish Air Force from 1932 (all over H11 (silver) with black struts), and a more colourful Bristol Bulldog IIA of 56 Squadron from 1935 (all over silver (H11) with upper NIVO (?) H105 and black struts). The decals are among the best from Airfix, and really look the part.

Accuracy:

I have a Chaz Bowyer reference book that says the span of the Bulldog was 33 ft 10 in and the length was 25 ft 2 in. My kit has a span of 14.3 cm and a length of 10.4 cm, (33 ft 9 in and 24 ft 7 in, respectively).

Overall:

I highly recommend this kit, and thoroughly enjoyed making it. It really is an attractive aircraft with a brightly coloured three-tone engine. In addition, there are aftermarket decal sources for more colourful Bulldogs. This kit dates from the "golden age" of Airfix kits (i.e., the late 60s to mid 70s), when the company was on a roll, and it shows. Only costing a few coins in any currency, it really is the best value you can get. If you only intend to build one 1/72 biplane in your life, then make it this one.

Related Reviews:-

Airfix 1/72 Bristol Bulldog (Richard Stracey)

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