The Little World

You may wonder how Stein’s Air World museum can afford to get all these wonderful airplanes for display. The answer is simple; they are gifts given in charity. The new Blackburn Buccaneer Mk 1 seen here is just such a one. It was donated by the Gentleman of the Cloth.

Of course, it’s not all it seems – museum pieces never are. As an aside, you must adopt one of two courses when visiting a military museum; either believe that it is all authentic or suspect that it is all fake. You will be right in both instances. Just stop yourself from rapping your knuckles on the breech of the display cannon to hear the sound – you will always be disappointed. Or your fist will go through the papier-maché.

And do not hit the torpedo nose with a hammer…just in case.

Well, the Buccaneer is up and ready for the visitors. The hydraulic landing gear system is the best that Britain made – 60 years on – and is therefore locked with pins, epoxy, and wooden blocks to prevent the plane sagging to the ground. The wings are locked in place by corrosion. The canopy is screwed tight to prevent children from prising it open to climb in and play pilots. The ejection seats are still armed as none of the museum fitters were game enough to unscrew the aged cartridges.

Likewise, the intakes and exhausts are capped off to avoid the embarrassment of visitors to the museum seeing through from one end to the other – The RAF long ago took the engines out for spares. If you’re wondering why this loss of weight has not resulted in the plane rising on its struts like a giraffe we refer you to the hydraulic system again…

Unlike many of the SAW exhibits, this plane has never fought in the wars – unless you consider the business of fulfilling an Air Ministry contract sufficiently violent. It is a prototype – and one that was successful. The sisters of this plane served in the Royal Navy and are serving now in the RAF.

On a modelling note – this plane is built to the maximum of its potential, as kitted by Airfix all those years ago. As a Series 3 kit – in a box – it was a premium product in the days of the 50¢ bagged Spitfire. The pride of a kid’s collection. And this makes it all the sweeter a gift from the Reverend Gentleman. He has seen the pictures of it and I hope it satisfies him at last.

Note: The tyres are originals but filled with concrete.