Bristol Freighter Mk.31

OzMods, 1/144 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Eduard's 1/72 scale Bf 110 G-4 is available online from Squadron.com

The Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner.

Its best known use was as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively short distances. A passenger-only version was known as the Wayfarer. *

This is not the first 1/144 scale Bristol 170 Freighter to be released. Welsh Models offered a 1/144 scale multimedia Bristol Freighter, and Formaplane had a basic vacform kit.

OzMods' latest addition to their 1/144 scale range is the Bristol 170 Freighter Mk.31.

The kit comprises 39 parts in white low-run injection moulded plastic, two parts in grey resin, two parts in clear vacuum formed plastic, one part in clear injection moulded plastic and decals for two aircraft.

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Thumbnail panels:

Surface detail on the shiny white plastic parts is by way of recessed panel lines. The panel lines are quite fine and consistent, but the plastic of my sample suffers from very slightly rough surface texture. This should be easy to eliminate with a few minutes' sanding and polishing. Sprue attachments are heavy and there is some fine flash on most parts, but I cleanup will not be beyond the skills of a moderately experienced modeller.

The kit is broken down conventionally into two fuselage halves with the wing being split into six pieces - outboard and centre sections for the upper and lower halves. The outboard sections are located with tabs. The horizontal tailplanes are moulded full span with the elevators fixed in the neutral position. This part slips through a corresponding slot in the kit's empennage. The fin and rudder are provided in two parts - left and right halves - that are attached via a locating tab on the tail.

OzMods provides cockpit details including the instrument panel, cockpit floor, seats and two control yokes.

The fuselage halves are moulded with the canopy as solid white plastic, but OzMods has given the modeller two options if they want to show off that cockpit detail. An injection moulded clear windscreen is provided, featuring crisply defined framing. Also included is a pair of vacform canopies - certainly the best option in terms of scale thickness but also representing the most amount of work. With either the injection moulded or vacform canopies, you will need to cut away the solid windscreen moulded to the fuselage halves.

Engine fan detail is provided too.

The instructions are well laid out across three double-sided A4 pages, with text and CAD diagram directions guiding the way.

Markings are supplied for two commercial aircraft:

• Safe Air Freighter finished in Gloss Light Grey, White and Bare Metal with Gloss Red trim.

• British United Freighter finished in Gloss Light Grey, White and Bare Metal with Gloss Dark Blue trim.

Decals are supplied for the trim in both cases. Windscreen and window decals are included too.

The decals are glossy and in perfect register.

A second military option is available as Kit No. OMKIT 14419 with decals for RNZAF and the RAF.

It is nice to see the relatively neglected subject of the Bristol Freighter being released in 1/144 scale by OzMods.

The big photos of the small parts doesn't really do them justice - OzMods' Bristol Freighter is a nice limited run kit and will be an eye-catching model when finished.

Recommended to experienced modellers.

Thanks to OzMods for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2017 by Brett Green
Page Created 25 January, 2017
Last updated 26 January, 2017

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