1/72 Airfix Sunderland

Gallery Article by Paolo De Sanctis on June 5 2009

 

 The Sunderland was the main Allied reconnaissance seaplane of the Second W.W. Derived by the S.23 “Empire” civil seaplanes class this massive flying boat first flew in October 1937 and was fitted with 1010hp Bristol Pegasus XXII engines. It was a happy beginning and the first series, the Sunderland Mk.I totalled 90.  Ever short of power around all her long career, the Mk.I was fitted with an impressive firepower and was nicknamed “hedge-hog”.  She served all over the war fronts both in reconnaissance as in anti-submarine role.  She was very sturdy built and so very versatile.  She was used by British Airways also, for transport duty.

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THE MODEL: some fourteen years ago a friend of mine (ever the same!) presented me a lot of two wrecked Airfix Sunderland kits. One was moulded in a cream and harder plastic, the newer of the two was moulded in a white and softer plastic. They were much wrecked in all their parts so I’ selected the best of the two (the white newer one) and I sank it in a wash of bleak, in order to clean it off. It was in fact painted with a thick layer of gloss paints, although of the right shade. The second step was to select all the best parts of the two, repair them and mix them up to build a complete example of the model. It was a long work of patience, requiring some time too but it was worth of it. Slowly I rebuilt an entire example but, having only the decals for a Mk.I one, an old ESCI decals sheet, I decided to this for.  I carefully built all the cockpit, the turrets and the internal spaces.  I choose the windows clear and, in order to build the Mk.I defensive points on the top of the fuselage, I used the related fairings of the two models.  The previous turret hole was faired over and two new hatch was drilled.  The guns are those of an old and scrapped S.81 kit.  I applied a lot of filler to fairing the gaps but I was not happy at once with the filler used, the so vaunted “Squadron” green one, because when the model was finished, some months later, it retired very much leaving an awful look (and trenches) on the entire model!  So beware of this danger.  Once completed, the model was polished, washed away and sprayed with a coat of Humbrol 64 in order to reveal gaps or mistakes.  Then followed the colours of the Coastal Command, i.e. Extra Dark Sea-Grey 34099 (Humbrol 32), Dark Slate Grey 34096 (H.86) and Sky type ‘S’ 34424 (H.90).  In order to scruff and wear the model, I didn’t spray the gloss paint this time.  I added many steel touches here and there, and the stains of the engines.  I bore in mind the heavy toll requested to the real plane by the marine salt water and I wanted to build a Coastal Command 201° Sqn example based at Pembroke Dock in 1938.  At the end of the work I was very happy with the results.

Good work to all the modellers friends! 

Paolo De Sanctis

Photos and text © by Paolo De Sanctis