The Little World

I confess. I got greedy. I started building and just couldn’t stop. I didn’t even take build photos.

But in the end, I fell back exhausted and satisfied. I had scored a definite win in the game of scale modelling. I had contemplated this model kit for a year at a local shop. The emotion was part lust and part horror – as the price of the thing was about 4 times what one might have expected.

The kit was made by Ace – which I believe is a Russian factory. The sprue trees and moulding quality suggested second-generation design. That’s one step beyond re-jigged FROG moulds. There is more detail and less flash, but not by much. This is far below the quality of modern Zvezda kits – which I regard as third-generation products. The 2º kits can make up very well if you do not expect more than a short-run experience.

However, the kit in the hobby shop – identical to this one – is being offered at a modern full price. I do not blame the shop owners as they have bought it from somewhere else at a cost, but you can only charge so much for 2º quality.

Imagine my delight at the Big Local Scale Model Exhibition swap tables to see this and its companion Hunter Guardian offered for sale for $ 10 each. I resisted the temptation to get the pair, as I did not really know whether this would be buildable. As it is, it has proved to be amenable to careful sanding and filling.

The real aircraft were a stopgap design for A/S work in the 40’s and 50’s but were quickly phased out as helicopters and Neptunes took over the duty. Some fetched up on the civilian working circuit as fire bombers, and are preserved in air museums as such. It took only the smallest twist of the arm to decide to dedicate this bargain to that duty.

Yes, the landing gear really does do that in real life, and that giant engine can pull up a pair of torpedoes or depth charges. Or in this case two tanks of red fire retardant – some of which is splattered on the underside of the fuselage. The leading edges of the wings have built-in slats and slots to make for a slower approach to either a submarine target or a carrier deck.

I wonder if the Hunter Guardian will be on that swap table next year? I think the Killer Guardian in the hobby shop will be there until they re-invent the wheel…