1/48 Super Etendard, RIAT 1997

by Laurent “Angus” Beauvais

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Since I saw some photos of this Super Etendard, I wanted to build one. This is the Heller/Airfix kit, it’s nice, but with very few details, in particular in the canopy, and this is very visible.
  • First thing to do on this kit, detail visible things:
  • Arresting hook, that is often down and is too simple in the kit
  • Seat and canopy: all this is detailed with electrical wire, eraser, etc... all this things that do not cost a lot
  • Rear stabilizer has to be reviewed and why not positioned with an angle (wing stabilizer have to be horizontal with no pilot inside, there are controled electrically)
  • Air intake, desesperately empty, has to be finned and its hole hidden with a cache that we often see on the ground
  • Lights are recreated thanks to colorized transparent plastic. You have to: replace the 2 triangular lights at the wing tip, also at the wing tip there are 2 white lights which shape is water drop like, and not round, 2 lights have to be added on the parachute cone (which is circular and not oblong), and a light is to be added on the top of the vertical stabilizer.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

Now comes the most complicated part, the paint sheme.  I use mainly the “patafix technic”, colors are a mix of  Japanese grey XF12 and grey XF19 for the light grey, and Humbrol 125 for the dark grey.

Markings are hand painted when they did not exist (“hippocampe” (see horse ?) insigna on the right hand side of vertical stabilizer), painted in grey on the original decal or simply created with little decal tape as the FLOTTILE 11F texte.

A more complete article (in French, sorry) will be issued on master194.com for those interested.

Laurent 

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

  

  

  

Photos and text © by Laurent “Angus” Beauvais