Kit: Hasegawa Conversion: See text  Decals: Aeromaster

No.488 Squadron RNZAF   Singapur, Ende 1941 Jäger/Fighter

Having previously built an Airfix F2A-2 in US Navy colours, I was very impressed by the Hasegawa kit. The kit is a vast improvement over the vintage Airfix kit in almost every respect. Surface detailing is extremely well done with fine sunken panel lines. As usual with Hasegawa kits cockpit-detailing is sparse. So if you wish to display the canopy in the open position, don't forget to add some basic additions. Falcon did produce a nice vacuformed canopy for the old Airfix kit in one of their clear-vax sets. It should not be too difficult to make this fit to the Hasegawa kit. Unfortunately I had already used this canopy with my Airfix kit, so I chose to use the kit canopy instead.

click on the thumbnails to see a large image

So what do we need to produce a British Buffalo Mk.I ? These Buffaloes, 170 were ordered by the British, were basically F2A-2s without a life raft behind the pilots headrest, a revised tailcone, no RDF antenna and Wright Cyclone engine. Further changes were an uncuffed Hamilton Standard propeller, a British Mk.III reflector gunsight, a second underwing landing light, armor plate for the pilot and armor glass behind the windscreen. The tailwheel of the naval version was replaced by a larger fixed tail wheel.

Luckily most of these modifications can be made by using parts supplied with the Hasegawa kit. The cockpit was assembled out of the box, some seatbelts were added and a typical British reflector gun sight, taken from an Airfix Spitfire Mk.I kit, was fixed to the cockpit coaming. The cylindrical box under the rear canopy containing the life raft was not fitted. The cockpit area was painted British interior grey green. These Buffaloes were custom-made to British specifications, so I thought this was more probable than the usual US interior green. Fuselage and wings were assembled according to the instructions, and a very good fit they proved to be. Before fixing the tailplanes in place, I had to modify the tailcone to depict the shape used by British and Dutch Buffaloes. After some consideration and checking of references I used Milliput two-component putty to model the new tailcone.This was my first attempt at "Milli-putting" ( Thank you, Christian!) and proved to be very succesfull. With basic construction done, it was time to do some painting. Most British Buffaloes had a very attractive scheme with sky/black undersides divided at the centreline and dark green / dark earth uppersurfaces. I started by spraying Revell sky No.68 ( an old tin, now sadly out of production) on the undersides and rear fuselage.The fuselage band and undersurfaces were carefully masked and the black colour applied. Using the fine nozzle of my trusty Badger 150 airbrush, I applied the uppersurface colours (Xtracolor) freehand.

Decals came from Aeromaster sheet 72-146 and proved to be very usable. The only reservation concerning the decals is the fin flash which is not broad enough and the omission of the yellow gas detector patch on the left upper wing surface. A photo of the aircraft depicted can be found in Squadron Signal's In Action series No.81, this publication is to be recommended and contains a number of useful photos of British aircraft.

Finishing touches included all the undercarriage and the propellor, which used the uncuffed blades also provided in the kit. A coat of flat varnish was airbrushed next. The kit canopy was next, again using the alternative windshield provided (without the hole for the telescopic gun sight). Canopy frames were put on with painted strips of decal sheet. The final addition was a photo etched rear-view mirror (from PP Aeroparts) which was often fitted as a field modification.

Elmar Hjorth

letztes Update am 02.02.2001