1:48 MERIT AVRO 504K (4745)
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AN ADMIRABLE AVRO!
RELEASED in 1956 by Merit, this excellent 1:48 scale kit of the classic British Avro 504K training aircraft was a welcome addition to their range, one of several home-grown subjects the Potters Bar firm produced. Kit 4745 was moulded in a buff colour in at least two shades and sometimes a bright yellow. It was accurate in outline, bore convincing surface detail and easy to assemble thanks to a first-class instruction leaflet and good fit of parts. This pre-owned example is complete with all original 37 pieces accounted for despite having been detached from their 'sprue trees' at some point. The box is in reasonable condition with several worn areas and minor tears and unavoidably yellowed with age.An end label has been recreated in correct style as the original was quite degraded. Extras include a CSM Clerget in white metal and PE British instruments, plus a virtually complete ex-Smer decal sheet with British and Australian trainer options. Only the 'Auroraesque' etched markings 'despoil' what many consider to be Merit's finest addition to their range.
OF all the 13 vintage aircraft kits manufactured by Merit of yore, their Avro 504K remains the best of a very mixed bunch. It proves to be a pretty accurate 1:48 scale 504K when compared to modern scale drawings and its moulded detail far superior to most other kits of the era. Wing and tail surfaces exhibit convincing enough rib stations but the omnipresent etched transfer guides will have to go. That other bete noir of true WWI modellers-interplane struts with tie-bars to fit upper wing slots is featured but for novice builders they certainly eased the assembly process. Our example is pre-owned and all parts detached from their long-discarded runners but the original 37 parts have been carefully checked before being re-bagged.
All components are in VGC aside from the rearmost tail strut which suffered a moulding defect and has been replaced by by a part-painted substitute from a previous build. Eight-piece undercarriage unit is well-designed and provides a sturdy assembly to support the model's weight although the tail skid requires four small braces-HSP will do the trick. Cockpit detail was never high on the agenda for early kit designers so be prepared to work on an interior that provides two seats, a pair of pilot figures and dashboards-the pupil's in the front cockpit incorporating the foremost centre-section struts-a thoughtful design feature to support the upper wing during assembly. Others include soft wire for fashioning lower wing hoops and an extremely fine pair of windshield transparencies. Airscrew and cowling are presentable enough although the rotary is somewhat basic so a CSM white metal/ PE Clerget has been included as a substitute.
Merit always outshone Aurora with their superior instruction leaflets which often include painting notes and always helpful rigging guides. That for the Avro is particularly complex so the annotated diagrams are a real plus!
*BONUS! As well as the metal motor, there's another CSM product-a British Gauge set with PE surrounds and printed film inserts. The original transfers present markings for F2311 whilst an ex-Smer Propacteam decal sheet sans one wing roundel has been added offering alternative D7600 and F9754 serials and markings .Provenance of this particular Merit Avro is unknown but the intriguing compliments slip found in the box offers a clue-perhaps this was a very early magazine review sample?
