Gloster Javelin FAW.9/9R

Airfix, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Valom's 1/48 scale An-2 Colt is available online from Squadron.com

The Gloster Javelin was the RAF’s first purpose-built interceptor aircraft. It entered service in 1956 and was finally retired in 1968.

The Javelin was a T-tailed delta-wing aircraft designed for night and all-weather operations and was the last aircraft to bear the Gloster name.

The Javelin was reportedly an easy aircraft to fly, but it did have some dangerous stall characteristics that led to the loss of several aircraft early in its career.

The FAW.9, as depicted by the Airfix kit, were FAW 7s refitted with the revised wing and engines of the Mk 8. Out of a total of 118 FAW.9s, 44 were fitted with refuelling probes as FAW.9F/R.

The Javelin was succeeded in the interceptor role by the supersonic English Electric Lightning.*

Contents

A large box arrived on the doorstep this morning. I ordered the kit from Hannants last Wednesday, and only six days later it was here, half way around the world in Sydney Australia. Impressive as always!

The Gloster Javelin FAW.9/9R is the latest Airfix 1:48 scale release. In fact, this is the very first 1:48 scale injection moulded Javelin to be released. Until now, if you wanted to build a Javelin, your only choice was the very good (but long out of production) Dynavector vacform kit.

Airfix’s 1:48 scale Javelin comprises 213 parts in light bluish grey plastic and 10 parts in clear. Markings for three aircraft are provided.

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Thumbnail panels:

The parts are packed into a large box, but there is not much empty space – this is a big aircraft. The grey sprues are all in a single plastic bag. It would be nice to see them separated to reduce the risk of scuffing.

Moulding quality is excellent. The only obvious sink marks that I could find are on the undercarriage doors. Surface detail is by way of crisply recessed panel lines, which are definitely finer on this model than previous efforts. They look even better against the sheer bulk of the Javelin.

Raised vortex generators are moulded onto the wings too. These are a bit thick, but should look fine under a coat of paint.

Cockpit detail looks pretty good straight from the box, with raised detail on the side consoles and sidewalls, but you’ll need to provide your own harness straps. Decals are offered as an option to painting the raised detail on the instrument panels. No doubt Eduard will address both the harnesses and instrument panel with their inevitable future releases.

The fuselage is broken up into separate sub-assemblies for the nose and main body. The main fuselage is split into upper and lower halves, and these encase the completed nose sub-assembly. This arrangement allows for full-length intakes and exhaust ducting. Both the exhaust and intake ducts are cradled in the wing spars, which will offer a stout and positive fit for the big wings. I love that the ducting and the arms of the wing spars are marked with raised “P” and “S” letters to indicate the port and starboard sides.

The main wheel wells are moulded as boxes with sidewalls and plenty of deep, flawless structural detail moulded in place; while the nose gear bay has separate sidewalls. Speed brakes may be posed open or closed, with different parts provided for these options.

Ailerons and rudder are separate too, and may be posed to taste. Optional parts are also provided for raised or lowered landing gear.

The wheels are provided as injection-moulded plastic parts. The nose wheel is broken down in an interesting fashion - the entire hub is moulded to one half of the tyre. Lots of nose weight will be required to keep that nose wheel on the ground, but there is plenty of room for lead sinkers in the nose.

Canopy parts are nice and clear, and may be posed open or closed.

Four well detailed Firestreak Air to Air missiles with clear heads plus four drop tanks are provided.

A refuelling probe is also offered as an optional part for the FAW.9R variant.

A very nice touch is the inclusion of the boarding ladder and FOD covers for the intakes and exhausts.

Markings

Markings for three aircraft are included:

• Javelin FAW.9R, No. 64 Sqn, RAF Tengah, Singapore, 1960s. Finished in Dark Green and Dark Sea Grey over High Speed Silver (silver paint).

• Javelin FAW.9, 228 OCU, RAF Leuchars & Binbrook, 1966. Finished in overall bare metal (unpainted).

• Javelin FAW.9/9R, No. 33 Sqn, RAF Middleton St George, England, 1962. Finished in Dark Green and Dark Sea Grey over High Speed Silver.

Decals on the giant (bigger than A4) sheet are matt in finish but colours look good and everything is nicely in register. Stencil markings are included.

By any standards, this is a great model. Over the course of writing this review, the closer I examine the contents, the better they look. In fact, the kit detail is so crisp that some of my sprue photos look like CAD renderings - but they’re not!

Along with their 2010 1:48 scale Sea Vixen, this new Javelin demonstrates the impressive potential of the new Airfix.

Until now, I have considered the 1990s-era 1:48 scale E.E. Lightnings and Spitfire Mk.24 / Seafire Mk.47 as the high water mark for Airfix, but no more. In my opinion, the Javelin has snatched the mantle of “best Airfix kit”.

Detail is excellent, moulding quality is world-class, surface textures are their best yet, and there are plenty of useful options in the box.

The Airfix 1:48 scale Javelin should be warmly welcomed by Cold War modellers. Even if you haven’t explored this era, this kit is good enough that you might consider giving it a try!

Highly Recommended.

* Historical reference adapted from Wikipedia

Purchased online from Hannants

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2013 by Brett Green
Page Created 8 October, 2013
Last updated 10 October, 2013

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