1:72 Shackleton AEW.2

The real subject

The Avro Shackleton was a large four-engine aircraft of the Royal Air Force, which served mainly for patrolling over the sea. The AEW.2 version came about by rebuilding machines built earlier into airborne early warning aircraft: under the front part of the fuselage they were given a conspicuous radar cover, and inside the stations of the operators. They lasted in service until the beginning of the 1990s, that is long after the air forces around them had written them off, and among modelers they gained the reputation of an unmissable machine with a long span and a stocky fuselage.

What the set offers

This is a photo-etched accessory, that is parts produced by etching from a thin metal sheet. Etching allows a thickness that cannot be reached with injection-molded plastic, so it is used to replace grilles, instrument panels, belts, grab handles and other elements that come out too heavy on a plastic part. Which particular parts this set contains and which kit it is cut for is stated in the enclosed instructions of the manufacturer.

Building tips

• cut the parts off the sheet with a sharp blade on a hard surface, not with nippers
• level the remains of the bridges with a file or with sandpaper
• make the bends along the scored line, best in a bender or between the jaws of pliers
• glue them with cyanoacrylate glue or epoxy; cement for polystyrene does not hold on metal

Wash and degrease the metal before painting and use a primer, otherwise the paint will peel off during handling. Prepare the small parts only just before you fit them; they are easily lost.

Terms of supply

A photo-etched accessory is supplied. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.