Re: The AW52 Arundel PR2

PR19_Kit · February 05, 2021, 08:43:49 AM

I've copied this lot across from my posts in the Micro-Mir thread as it's turning into a complete build.

On first sight the AW52 looks very good (but then so did the Aerovan....)

Quite why it needed such a large box is open to question though, shades of the original Airfix Banshee that huddled in one corner of a VAST box that was at least twice as large as it needed to be. In this case I suspect it's because they needed a large box to get a decent pic of the aeroplane on it. It's quite a large device...............

The almost conventional (by now...) Eastern Bloc 'sticky-lid' plastic bag contains all the parts, even the instructions, and most of them can be seen below.

Amazingly the kit includes TWO complete RR Nene engines

Which you won't be able to see when it's built of course unless you do the wings some serious surgery. But they might come in handy for other projects. The cockpit has both PE and 3D printed decals for the various panels, although only the PE parts are mentioned in the instructions, odd. I'm not sure if they are alternate items, or to be used together.

There's also only one seat, although the aircraft carried a Flight Observer. Try as I might I can't find out where he sat, logically it'd be behind the pilot, and that would mean below him buried in the fuselage, as the canopy isn't long enough for two seats. The seat's important, if only from a historical perspective, as it was the first ejector seat used by a Brit to save himself after the first prototype AW52 got into some serious vibrations problems and the pilot, John Lancaster, sensibly decided to punch out.

So far it looks quite pleasing, and I may test build one of the Nenes later on to see how the bits fit.

PR19_Kit · February 05, 2021, 08:44:25 AM

First problem with the AW52 is that you can't actually build it as it's shown in the instructions.....

The engines in the kit are the Nenes, as fitted to the ill-fated first prototype. The Nene has nine combustion chambers, and as the kit's moulded with them in two halves (!) you'd need eighteen halves, wouldn't you?

They give you ten on each sprue, so at best you can build one whole engine, or maybe just the top half of both of them.

This does not bode well.

Their instructions actually tell about the observer sitting behind the pilot, yet there's no space for him or parts for his bit of the cockpit either.....

Tophe · February 05, 2021, 09:00:52 AM

It depends on opinions: according to me, no matter engine details, the general shape of this aircraft/model is pleasant

PR19_Kit · February 05, 2021, 09:04:07 AM

It gets worse................

The outer wings, which is much of the aeroplane of course, come as two halves for each side, top and bottom, as you'd expect. But they're done with that moulding method which leaves the sprue gates on the edges AND the gluing surfaces of the parts, as is very common with 'Eastern Bloc' moulds these days. That wouldn't be so bad but there are TWENTY TWO of them on each wing!

Every one of them has to be cut off and then filed to provide a decent gluing surface. Now that wouldn't happen on an Airfix, Revell, Tamiya or Hasegawa kit, you could glue it together and then file the sprues off later if you wanted to. Is this cursed method a by-product of low pressure, low production rate moulding, and if so, why?

I've got one wing together, and finding the root end is totally free of any tongue, peg or spar to connect it to the centre section, I dug deeper into the instructions and parts. The centre sections have little cut-outs moulded into the outer edges, but these are flashed over, and the instructions show small pegs protruding from the outer wing sections fitting into these cut-outs. Except they don't exist..............

I checked that the sprues I'd just trimmed from the outer wing sections were the pegs in disguise, but they're not, they aren't in the correct places for that. I'm less than confident that the outer wings, plus their tip fins too remember, will stay attached with just a butt joint so I'm going to make some pegs to use those cut-outs.

~~That's after I've made the wings longer of course.~~

The centre section is also moulded as a top and a bottom, but with no sprue gates at all, they're just there, nice and clean. Except the lower has some SERIOUS flash! Around the intakes and cockpit area there's lots of it, so much so that the starboard engine intake is totally blocked off and took some hefty knife surgery to de-flash it.

I thought that had gone out with the last FROG kits back in the late 60s!

I'll keep going and report back, while at the same time figuring out how I can whiff this model. Maybe something more than just a camo paint job perhaps.....

PR19_Kit · February 05, 2021, 09:15:25 AM

Quote from: Tophe on February 05, 2021, 09:00:52 AM

It depends on opinions: according to me, no matter engine details, the general shape of this aircraft/model is pleasant

I agree 100% Tophe, it looks terrific, and reminds me that I saw the real thing fly at Farnborough in 1949 or 50, and it was like watching a sci-fi film come to life!

chrisonord · February 05, 2021, 09:19:04 AM

I had better see what grade flap discs I have got for my 5 inch grinder should I Kit

i have been looking at the fuselage and trying to work out if the belly could be made in to a bomb bay or not. Maybe it could carry two large bombs externally either side of the belly in the recess . As a military aircraft it could be either a high altitude recon bird or a light/medium bomber of sorts. I am leaning towards a PR aircraft myself, as apart from my RB-57 I have no dedicated PR birds in my builds. I shall be watching and learning from this one

Chris

PR19_Kit · February 05, 2021, 10:03:44 AM

Quote from: chrisonord on February 05, 2021, 09:19:04 AM

I had better see what grade flap discs I have got for my 5 inch grinder should I Kit
i have been looking at the fuselage and trying to work out if the belly could be made in to a bomb bay or not. Maybe it could carry two large bombs externally either side of the belly in the recess . As a military aircraft it could be either a high altitude recon bird or a light/medium bomber of sorts. I am leaning towards a PR aircraft myself, as apart from my RB-57 I have no dedicated PR birds in my builds. I shall be watching and learning from this one

Funny you should say that................

I've been thinking in terms of PRU blue and Light Aircraft Grey, with the odd camera port in the belly.

There's quite a bit of 'fuselage' sticking out from the underside of the wing centre section that could indeed be a bomb or camera bay, and there's also space under the wings outboard of the quite spacious landing gear bays too.

I've assembled one fin now to see how it mates to the wing and to assess how to add a bit of span there too. The wing is quite thick inboard, so it would be difficult to make it longer at the inboard end, but out near the fins..................

The Wooksta! · February 05, 2021, 10:30:00 AM

I was tempted with this for quite some time and then saw the price. Don't need it that much...

kitnut617 · February 05, 2021, 10:33:38 AM

I was hoping that you had a nice report on it Kit, as I have the A&V Models resin kit. If anyone has seen this kit you would know it is mostly made up of three solid chunks of resin ---- outer wing, center wing/body, outer wing ---

chrisonord · February 05, 2021, 10:44:22 AM

Marvellous. Not everything I build has to have weapons on it so PR bird it is

Chris

PR19_Kit · February 05, 2021, 10:45:25 AM

And I've just figured out a way to extend the span with the bits I've actually already got.

kitbasher · February 05, 2021, 10:48:18 AM

Don't fit the wings, Kit, put them on a high-flying Javelin!

Then with the leftovers you've a delta AW52.

C'mon, you know it makes sense! It's only a 50 quid kit, so what's to lose??

McColm · February 05, 2021, 11:26:51 AM

Good luck with your build.

zenrat · February 06, 2021, 02:36:39 AM

My LHS wants $90 for one. After Kit's kit review I don't think i'll bother.

NARSES2 · February 06, 2021, 06:10:03 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 05, 2021, 09:04:07 AM

Every one of them has to be cut off and then filed to provide a decent gluing surface. Now that wouldn't happen on an Airfix, Revell, Tamiya or Hasegawa kit, you could glue it together and then file the sprues off later if you wanted to. Is this cursed method a by-product of low pressure, low production rate moulding, and if so, why?

Yup, mainly a product of low pressure moulding Kit. You have to have a lot of moulding gates to ensure the plastic reaches all the extremities of the mould. The lack of them or perhaps a drop in pressure is why you sometimes get "short shot" moulding.