Author Topic: Sunderland - not 'short' on detail or controversy?  (Read 1538 times)

Pen-Pusher

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Sunderland - not 'short' on detail or controversy?
« on: September 02, 2016, 03:40:43 PM »
Short’s Sunderland was an outstanding machine for its time. It’s airframe rugged, reliable and spacious. It could be operated independently for long periods of time and it had a good record in locating, suppressing and killing enemy submarines. It was maybe not the fastest or even (some may dare to suggest) the best flying boat of World War 2, but it certainly ranks among them.
The sole UK Sunderland is preserved as a walk through exhibit in the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon, London. Although it is late war Mk V, it general layout is typical of the breed and it demonstrates the fundamental differences between a flying boat and land based maritime aircraft of the same period. The RAF Museum has neatly arranged its tour beginning with access through the door in the side of the forward hull portside and exits through the starboard side towards the tail. ‘Essence of Shipping’ appears everywhere; there is an anchor, windlass, mooring bollards and boat hooks. Much of the flooring consists of pierced metal grilles. The crew has a galley and rest bunks. The mid-ships bomb room is remarkable for the fact that the bombs are suspended over the crew rest area. There is even a small workshop area with a bench and vice. The whole nose turret and fairing is retracted to demonstrate how the crew can moor up to a buoy. All in all, it is a brilliant, dramatic and evocative exhibit and the inspiration for many of us to build.

With fond memories of Airfix’s behemoth fading fast, Italeri’s offering is supplied in the usual glossy top opening box with a traditional illustration of a Sunderland in action over a foaming sea and exploding enemy submarine. There are five sprues in grey plastic with reasonably crisply moulded and one of clear offering all of the transparencies and a plethora of porthole windows. There is a rather thick fret of ‘etched parts’ for small details should you feel the need. This includes detail for the instrument panel and beaching gear. A sheet of good quality Cartograf decals offers six options - all RAF aircraft. No 210 Squadron, 1941. Camouflaged in Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey over Aluminium under surfaces. Another 210 Squadron, Oban, 1940, but this time camouflaged Dark Green and Dark Earth over Aluminium. No 95 Squadron, Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1941 Grey and Green over Aluminium. No 204 Squadron, Bathhurst, Gambia 1941/42 Grey and Green over Sea Grey Medium. No 230 Squadron, Eastern Mediterranean, 1940. Green and Earth over Night Black and another 230 Squadron, Eastern Mediterranean, 1941, Grey and Green over Sky type S.

This release (one of four versions planned) is one of Italeri’s ‘deluxe’ packages that includes the etch, as previously noted and good choice of colour finishes and a 24 page detailed reference manual with a selection of photographs and sketches. The photos however contradict Italeri’s ‘interpretation’ of this aircraft’s surface detail (A couple of photos below to illustrate the point) since on the real thing, the skin is remarkably smooth in appearance. Assembly instructions consist of a seperate 20 page A4 booklet in greyscale, setting out no less than twenty four stages of construction and finishing, with CGI rendered exploded views. Colour call outs give FS numbers, Model Master paints or Italeri’s own.

Surface detailing on the main parts, the wings, fuselage and tail, is heavy, obvious and quite dramatic with deeply engraved panel lines. There are few kits in my experience that exhibit this extreme of detailing and where that is found, it is almost always in low relief (Apart from Matchbox of course!). Each hull panel is edged with tiny engraved rivets and the upper surface of the wing appears quilted depending on how you look at it? There have been heated debates in the modelling press about whether this is acceptable or renders the kit ‘unbuildable’ Personally, I feel it is just acceptable - maybe more than I would choose, but I’m a brush painter so hope my many layers will do the trick at the end of the day?

And so to the build… (Well I haven’t yet but that will follow in due time)