*(113) F.2B BRISFIT
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AURORA KIT NO.113-F.2B BRISFIT
THIS is an original Aurora F.2B Brisfit kit, one of six WWI kits the American manufacturers released in 1957 but this one is a UK Playcraft production. Plastic content is mint with almost every part still attached to the runners. Moulded in glossy olive green and black, it is surprisingly accurate with outlines that accord well with modern drawings although the curious inverse wing camber requires modification. Some of the more heavily-modelled items: guns; radiator front; struts; etc., demand remedial work to bring them into line and all the embossed markings have to go. Decals are showing their advanced age providing rudder and fuselage serials for a post-war Avro 504N! As a major bonus the box includes revised parts from the 1976 re-issue with wings; tail-plane; fin/rudder-all bereft of embossed markings; revised strut design, plus wheels and Lewis guns. The dual option decal sheet offers a pair of wartime' Biffs' bearing the markings of Nos. 22 and 48 Squadrons, and a few coats of acrylic clear spray is recommended before using them.
RELEASED during 1957,the Aurora F.2B Brisfit, bearing its post-war sobriquet, contained 47 olive green and black 'accessory' parts. It has received a bad press over the years but a retrospective comparison with reliable, modern scale plans shows that Aurora's pattern-makers were not that far off the mark; nor were William Wylam's Model Airplane News drawings.Wings curve upwards along trailing edges that may prove difficult to reduce-removing the etched roundels will be easier. However, outlines of both wings are actually quite accurate with a slight increase of curvature of the tips being all that's required. Fuselage is about. 4.5 mm short at the kingpost and upper and lower surfaces should be flat-all easily remedied. Horizontal tail-plane requires minimal adjustment so tips conform with late production wide-span outlines.Engine manifold covers and exhausts are moulded black along with airscrew, a pair of crude Lewis guns and even cruder linked fore and aft sights all best substituted with modern items Decals provide yellow-outlined roundels with rudders stripes carrying Serial J-8586-actually assigned to a post war Avro 504 N. The majority of the parts are still held to their runners with only a few being detached-these have been carefully bagged. Decals aside, kit content is near mint and complete although the box outer wrap has suffered a few tears necessitating small repairs and brown tape reinforcement.
EXTRAS! In 1976 Aurora reissued ten of their WWI aeroplane kits in a revamped Collector's Series revising the moulds of some and removing embossed markings from most-including the Bristol Fighter, Now renumbered 776, and moulded overall in buff the kit retained its flat-section struts now forever linked to tie bars for lower wing slots. Oversized cable horns sprouted from all control surfaces. Some parts of this reissue have been included with our kit: various detail items along with wings and fuselage halves sans embossed decal positions. There's also a superior new decal sheet with two options:B1152 of No.22 Sqdn. and C814 of No.48-both with appropriate markings although some items display cracking that may prove troublesome unless pre-sprayed in clear gloss acrylic.
Bristol Bonanza! Bristol Fighter-a WINDSOCK DATAFILE SPECIAL by J M Bruce, Vol.1,1993 and Vol.2,1997. Both contain scores of rare period photos; 1:48 scale drawings: large selections of airframe close-ups in colour: contemporary rigging notes and handbook sketches along with four pages of authentic colour profiles. *Also: Profile Publications 21,The Bristol Fighter by the same author published in 1965 with colour plates on inner covers and over 30 photos. All three titles are available in store-please see links below...
