1:72 BAe Jetstream Collection

The aircraft that outlived its builder

The story of the Jetstream began at the Handley Page company, whose HP.137 type first rose into the air in 1967 as a small pressurized turboprop aircraft for short routes. The promising project drained the firm financially, however, and it went under in 1970. Production was taken over by Scottish Aviation and, after the merger of the British aviation industry, continued under the British Aerospace banner, where the machine took on the shape known as the Jetstream 31 with Garrett TPE331 engines.

Besides regional carriers, the type also took hold in military service. The Royal Air Force introduced it as the T.1 multi-engine trainer, while the navy operated the T.2 and T.3 versions for training observers and navigators. In all of these roles the machine wore very different finishes, from sober military grays through the colored stripes of airlines to the bright red and white schemes of the training units.

Useful for the model

• markings for airline and military users of the type
• 1:72 size, that is, the same as the available models of the aircraft
• long stripes along the fuselage and a row of window frames
• part of a collector group devoted to British types

Continuous stripes running along the whole fuselage are the hardest part of the work on airline schemes. It works well to fit them from the nose to the tail in shorter sections and to keep checking whether the stripe stays parallel with the row of windows. Be careful with water under the windows, because an excess easily runs under the edge and leaves a matte stain once dry. The tall narrow fuselage also distorts the perspective, so it is better to check the result several times from the tail along the axis of the machine rather than only from the side.