New Buccaneer kit 'catches the wire'
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
We have another dual blog post edition of Workbench for you this week, as we mark the recent release of two major new model tooling projects which we have been following for many months through several blog updates. Firstly, we welcome the much anticipated arrival of our new 1/48th scale Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C/D by showcasing a series of built model images, with each build produced by the hand of the kit's designer and regular blog contributor Paramjit Sembhi.
We will be following this with a separate blog post to mark the release of our new 1/35th scale Austin K2/Y Ambulance kit, the latest addition to our growing collection of 1/35th scale Military Vehicle kits and one which presents us with something just that little bit different from a modelling subject perspective. Proving that not all successful wartime military vehicles featured thick armour and a huge main gun, we will see why this kit appears to have captured the imagination of the modelling world and why we are delighted to be welcoming it to this ever-popular range. It’s a double blog release special for Airfix fans this weekend.
Designed for a tough assignment
Just as the real aircraft had a particularly demanding mission profile to fulfil, the new Airfix 1/48th scale Buccaneer was a kit much requested by modellers and was quite the challenge for our designer.
As far as our Product Design team are concerned, the initial kit launch of any new tooling project is a time of great excitement, but probably mixed with just a little trepidation. Having spent so many months completely emersed in the project, from initially inheriting the subject to finally signing off the tooling, the release of the kit takes everything to a completely new level and brings both their skills and honest endeavours to the attention of those who matter most, the modelling community. Even though the designer will have brought all their experience to bear in making the kit both an accurate representation of the subject matter, in addition to ensuring it is an enjoyable model to build, how will their efforts actually be viewed once the kit is in the hands of modellers? Although clearly confident in their own design abilities, everyone wants people to be impressed with their work and in that regard, Airfix designers are no different.
That will certainly have been what the new 1/48th scale Buccaneer's designer Paramjit Sembhi will have been going through recently, as this much anticipated kit finally hit model stores everywhere and is probably on thousands of modelling workstations as we speak. A project which will always be special to him, the Buccaneer was his first larger scale design undertaking and was one which he knew right from the outset brought quite an amount of pressure with it - he knew that everyman and his dog had requested the Buccaneer in 1/48th scale and he wanted to make sure he delivered something special, something which lived up to all these expectations.
In anticipation of the Buccaneer's arrival and having already built multiple full and partial builds of various rounds of test frame components, Paramjit recently embarked on an ambitious build schedule to complete three new Buccaneer kits in different scheme options which come as standard with this initial release, just by way of a final check and to give our blog/social media/marketing teams some new imagery to share with everyone, by way of welcoming the 1/48th scale Buccaneer into the Airfix fold. Images of these builds are all featured in this week's blog update by way of our Workbench welcome for the Buccaneer, serving as inspiration for those currently building the kit and trying to decide which of the appealing scheme options they should finish their model.
In preparation for the launch of this impressive new kit, Paramjit embarked on a challenging build project to complete three of the kits in different presentations, each one wearing a different scheme from the selection included with the kit. His workroom must have resembled the Blackburn production lines at Brough, only in miniature.
When initially asking Paramjit about which aspect of the Buccaneer's design he found the most challenging, when conducting our initial project review at the beginning of the year, we weren't really too surprised when he replied 'Everything'! The Buccaneer is a really complex aeroplane from the perspective of shape and replicating this accurately was always going to be a challenge, even though he did have accurate shape data to refer to from our previous 1/72nd scale kit project. In addition to this, adding all that extra detail proved to be another challenge, because the sheer size of the Buccaneer in this scale dictates that there will be a huge emphasis placed on the necessity to include lots of additional surfacing and internal detail. Where reference material was not as robust or if he required additional supporting information, he wasn’t able to simply jump in his car and arrange to go and get the details he needed in this case, as the design was taking place during lockdown.
Sections of the design which proved particularly challenging on the Buccaneer were all the fine details which reveal themselves in this larger scale and included such features as the myriad of weapons options, and cockpit detail Paramjit wanted to incorporate. Thankfully, he could call upon the support of several external experts when it came to securing this information, something which proved invaluable during the design phase.
A12012 - New Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C/D in 1/48th scale
More of Paramjit's modelling handywork, a trio of beautiful Fleet Air Arm Buccaneers.
A mighty naval strike aircraft which can trace its origins back to Britain’s response to a massive naval expansion programme by the Soviet Navy in the 1950s and the introduction of their Sverdlov Class Cruisers, the Blackburn Buccaneer was designed to have exceptional low altitude performance and the ability to effectively neutralise this new naval threat. Required to operate from the relatively confined space aboard one of Britain’s aircraft carriers, this subsonic strike jet was the most capable aircraft of its kind in the world and a real triumph for Britain’s aviation industry - it also happened to be the heaviest aircraft ever operated by the Royal Navy. In order to allow its effective operation at sea, the Buccaneers design not only included the ability to fold its wings, but also the nose (radar housing) and rear speed brake could be folded back and split open respectively, allowing for more effective carrier stowage, whilst maintaining the aerodynamic integrity of the aircraft. Entering Royal Navy service in July 1962, there were no two seat trainer versions of the Buccaneer, so even though the pilot would have had the benefit of several flights as a back seat observer in the new aircraft, his first flight as pilot would therefore be his Buccaneer solo. Thankfully, the Blackburn designers included many hi-tech automated features in the Buccaneer’s roomy cockpit, all of which were intended to reduce pilot workload.
There is something aviation enthusiasts find particularly fascinating about the operation of aircraft at sea and the intrepid aviators who flew aeroplanes from the heaving decks of aircraft carriers under steam, particularly when aviation entered the jet age. The unforgiving nature of these operations dictated that naval aircraft had to be extremely tough, in addition to being capable of carrying out the mission for which they were required, attributes the Blackburn Buccaneer possessed in abundance. The introduction of the S.2 variant of the aircraft in late 1965 saw a major upgrade of the Buccaneer’s capabilities, but centred around the adoption of a new powerplant, the famous Rolls Royce Spey turbofan. Possessing greater thrust and increased range, the Buccaneer S.2 was an even more capable naval strike aircraft and one which must have struck fear into the hearts of every Soviet naval commander. With its increased power, the S.2 was now able to land back on its home carrier with one engine shut down if required, but still having enough thrust to safely go around again, should the aircraft fail to catch the arrestor hook.
The Buccaneers of No.800 Naval Air Squadron were famously involved in the destruction of the stricken oil tanker Torrey Canyon, off Land’s End in March 1967, as the government attempted to avert an environmental catastrophe by breaking open the vessel and burning its flammable cargo. Operating from RAF Brawdy, eight Buccaneers from No.800 NAS dropped 42,000 lbs of high explosive bombs on the tanker, achieving an impressive 75% success rate.
Let's take a look at each of Paramjit's Buccaneer builds in turn, detailing the schemes in which each one has been finished.
This particular Buccaneer was delivered as an S.2 Rolls Royce Spey powered variant on 4th February 1965, initially allocated to 700B Flight at RNAS Lossiemouth, before going on to serve with No.801 NAS, embarking on HMS Victorious during June 1966. This aircraft would go on to have a long and illustrious service career, seeing service with Nos.809 and 800 Squadrons during her Fleet Air Arm days, before being transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1971, after undergoing conversion to S.2A standard.
Newly built Buccaneers for service with the Royal Air Force were given an enhanced maritime strike capability, with the ability to carry both anti-radar and anti-shipping missiles, as the retirement of the Navy's large carriers meant that they would now be providing this anti-ship protection from shore bases. These new build Buccaneers could fire the Martel anti-radiation and Sea Eagle sea-skimming anti-shipping missiles, both of which were stand-off munitions, which could be fired at long range, thus increasing the survivability of the aircraft. These new build RAF Buccaneers carried the variant title S.2B, however, former Fleet Air Arm Buccaneers which went on to serve with the RAF underwent some limited rework and were referred to as Buccaneer S.2As. Some 36 Buccaneers were converted to this standard.
In her first period of RAF service, XN981 spent time with both No.237 Operational Conversion Unit and No.12 Squadron at RAF Honington, before returning to the Royal Navy once more at the beginning of 1973. She would be upgraded to S.2D standard around this time, which was basically an S.2B standard Buccaneer with the ability to carry the Martel missile and with the RAF standard bomb bay door additional fuel tank removed. Once again, she would serve with No.809 Naval Air Squadron and would actually be part of the squadron's final cruise aboard HMS Ark Royal, following the decision to decommission Britain's last large carrier in 1978. During the carrier's final Mediterranean cruise in November 1978, XN981 was one of the Buccaneers launched for the final time from the deck or Ark Royal, with the vessel finally being decommissioned in Devonport early the following year. At the time of the final Mediterranean cruise, Ark Royal had a complement of 14 Buccaneers, with air cover being provided by 12 Phantom FG.1s.
Having finally hung up her sea wings, Buccaneer XN981 underwent modification once again to full S.2B standard and would serve the rest of her days wearing the camouflage of the Royal Air Force, spending time with Nos 208 and 12 Squadrons until her retirement in 1994. Although currently in a semi-dismantled and rather dilapidated state, she does still survive, having so far managed to avoid the unwelcome attentions of the scrapman.
Ably representing the legacy of this magnificent aeroplane during her service life, XN981 even spent time as the RAF's Buccaneer Airshow display jet, when in the colours of No.12 Squadron, she performed to millions of spectators at events the length and breadth of the country.
One of 17 new Buccaneers ordered from Hawker Siddeley Aviation at Brough to be delivered between April and December 1966, XV162 was delivered to the Fleet Air Arm on 21st September 1966 and allocated to No.810 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Lossiemouth. The unit spent a brief period embarked on HMS Victorious for a Mediterranean cruise, before returning to Lossiemouth once more, during which time the squadron was officially recognised for its work in helping to bring the Buccaneer into Fleet Air Arm service.
In 1968, No.810 NAS transferred to HMS Hermes for an extended period operating at sea, mainly in the Indian Ocean, but also in Mediterranean waters. One of four Royal Navy strike carriers, Hermes was a high profile display of Britain's naval might, with the flexibility to travel to any world hotspot and to provide a significant deterrent presence with her awesome strike capability in the event of heightened tensions. When stationed off the coast of Malta, Hermes' fixed wing aircraft would often disembark and operate from RAF Luqa and with her compliment of large jet aircraft away, life must have been much more manageable onboard for the ship’s crew.
Company photographer Michael Collins let his creative juices flow with this stunning Buccaneer kit pseudo night shot.
No.801 Naval Air Squadron flew back to RNAS Lossiemouth during 1970, where the unit was disbanded in July of that year, with their Buccaneers either allocated to other units, or repainted into the camouflage markings of the RAF. This proved to be an interesting time for those stationed at Lossiemouth, as the adoption of the Buccaneer by the RAF saw home based No.736 NAS given the responsibility of training RAF air and ground crews on the type, something which underlined the naval heritage of the RAF's latest strike aircraft. In addition to this, between September 1967 and March 1970, the Station Commander at RNAS Lossiemouth was none other than a certain Eric 'Winkle' Brown, famous test pilot and the Fleet Air Arm's most decorated pilot - just an interesting little side note!
Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C XV162 was one of the aircraft issued to RAF No.12 Squadron as they reformed at RAF Honington in 1969, the first RAF unit to be equipped with the type. Tragically, this aircraft would be lost in a fatal accident during a training flight from Honington in June 1972 - taking part in a low altitude formation flying exercise over the sea, rapidly deteriorating weather conditions were thought to have disorientated the pilot, which resulted in the aircraft hitting the water at high speed, with the sad loss of both souls onboard.
Another well-travelled Buccaneer, XV867 was constructed as an S.2 variant at Brough during 1968 and like so many Buccaneers before it, was towed 18 miles on its own undercarriage to enable its first flight to take place at Holme-on-Spalding Moor airfield. She was taken on charge with the Royal Navy at the beginning of December 1968, delivered to the Naval Air Support Unit at RNAS Lossiemouth. She would be transferred to No.803 NAS on 19th June 1960, where she would operate with the fuselage markings 611/LM.
During its Royal Navy service, this particular aircraft was apparently involved in a rather unusual incident, one which resulted in it suffering significant damage. During a deck landing, the pilot incorrectly assumed that the lack of immediate deceleration meant that his aircraft had missed the deck wires and had 'bolted'. As was normal procedure in such cases, the pilot engaged maximum power to climb away and attempt the landing once more, which is when he discovered his mistake. The aircraft had actually engaged with the final deck wire and despite the aircraft now being at take-off power, the arrestor wire steadfastly held on to the Buccaneer, slamming it down on the deck of the carrier. Despite the fact that the aircraft suffered quite significant damage, it was later repaired and returned to service, but in the colours of the Royal Air Force and not the Fleet Air Arm.
In RAF service, the aircraft underwent upgrade to S.2B standard and spent time operating with No.237 Operational Conversion Unit, along with periods in the colours of both No.12 and No.208 Squadrons, actually alternating between all three over the years. On 10th September 1993, the aircraft suffered a further significant mishap whilst attempting to land at RAF Leeming, where its undercarriage collapsed. Classified as being beyond economical repair, the aircraft was later scrapped at Leeming, with just the nose section being spared the scrapman's axe. This nose section was sold into private ownership and restored to an impressive condition, with its owner placing it on loan with the Morayvia Aviation Museum at Kinloss for public display.
This magnificent new kit is a fine representation of this famous post war British strike jet and in this particular presentation, helps to tell the story of the Buccaneer S.2 in Fleet Air Arm service rather effectively. With most aircraft going on to have long and varied inter-service careers, each one has an interesting history all of its own to learn about, something which makes choosing a scheme in which to finish your build quite the challenge. With the retirement of the Royal Navy’s last big carriers, the RAF would inherit former Royal Navy Buccaneers, aircraft which would constantly remind their new owners of their naval heritage. It is interesting to note however, that all new built aircraft later ordered for the Royal Air Force would retain the folding wings and arrester hook of the original carrier-borne Buccaneers, as these existing design features were not deemed to be detrimental to the operational performance of the aircraft. Keen to avoid the expense of unnecessary re-development, the new RAF Buccaneers simply retained their 'Senior Service' design features.
A stunning addition to the 2022 Airfix kit line-up, the new 1/48th scale Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C/D is available now, both on the Airfix website and in good model shops everywhere - just look out for that beautiful box artwork and secure your example. The question now is what has Paramjit been working on post Buccaneer? We are afraid you will have to wait until next year to find out about that.
To further commemorate the launch of this spectacular new Buccaneer kit, we have two additional video features which may be of interest to our readers. Both now available on the official Airfix YouTube channel, we have the Buccaneer kit unboxing video, in addition to an extended interview with the kit's designer, which gives us a further insight into his work on this significant project. Both videos provide even more information about the new Buccaneer kit and how it came to take its place within the latest Airfix model range.
That’s all we have for you in this particular edition, but we will be back with more project updates for you next week. As always, we are interested to hear your views on all things Airfix and particularly in relation to our Workbench blog, so if you ever feel like dropping us a quick line, please use our workbench@airfix.com contact e-mail address.
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