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Scottish Aviation
Bulldog T.1

Primary Flight Aptitude Trainer


Central Flying School
Royal Air Force
Cranwell, 1997

Airfix

This model added to kgwings.com on August 14, 2004
Beagle Aircraft began development of the Bulldog in the mid 1960's as a replacement for the RAF's aging deHavilland Chipmunks. When Beagle was liquidated in 1970 the project was taken over by Scottish Aviation Limited which later became the Scottish division of British Aerospace.
Sweden was the first country to order the Bulldog assigning fifty-eight aircraft to the Swedish Air Force and twenty to the Army. Other major users were Malaysia, Kenya, Hong Kong, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria and Botswana.
The largest customer was the RAF, which placed an order for 130 Bulldogs in 1972 to be flown by cadets of the University Air Squadrons. This kit represents XX638 of the RAF Central Flying School (CFS). The CFS is the longest serving flying school in the world.
The Bulldgog is powered by a Lycoming 360-A1B6 flat four engine providing 200 HP which gives the aircraft a maximum speed of 150mph (240km/h) at sea level.
Mistake number one: Not enough nose weight! I added as much weight as I could fit into the nose area, but it still wasn't enough. My kit sits right with the fuselage parallel to the ground, but the real Bulldog is supposed to have a slight nose-up attitude when at rest like this photo. Mine tail-sits in this position so I had to settle with a level profile.
Although the seats and sidewalls lack detail, the instrument panel isn't really all that bad. I was fairy pleased with the overall appearance after I added harnesses to the seats. Notice the small gap to be filled at the wing root.
Despite a few shortcomings (mainly the decals), this kit builds up nicely and a “must have” for the RAF or Flygvapen enthusiast - I'm glad I built it!



Airfix
Kit:  Airfix #01061
(this kit was also released as Airfix #0061 with
alternate RAF and Flygvapen decal options)
72 scale
Scale: 1/72
Cost: I paid $4.99(US) at HobbyTown USA (Plano, Texas) in year 2001.
Decals:
Optional markings are provided for Swedish Air Force SK.61 based at F5 in Ljungbyhed.

The decals were in register, however they were not opaque and the black bled through. After throwing a fit, I decided to finish applying the decals then seal them in Future Floor Wax. Then I masked and painted over the decals. The final result worked but it wasn't much fun. There is also no gold spinner decal provided for the RAF prop. After several failed attempts to create one from scratch I decided to just leave it off.
After Market Parts: None.
Kit Review:  The kit is 40 parts molded in light gray and clear. In typical Airfix style it comes complete with raised panel lines, injection holes, and some flash. The clear parts are very thick, and badly distort the view of the interior so a coat of Future Floor Wax is required. (the ambitious modeler might make a heat smash replacement). Two mediocre pilots are included.
 
The landing gear struts were molded very rough and require careful cleanup. They are also very fragile and difficult to align.
 
The interior consists of 3 very basic seats, simple control sticks and an instrument panel that isn't bad for Airfix.
 
The parts fit together fairly well although filler is needed in a few places, namely the wing to fuselage joints.
 
This kit is a tail sitter so fill every nook and cranny of the nose with with weight!
 
Like most Airfix kits it's not perfect, but also like most Airfix kits it's the ONLY kit available! So if you're dead set on a Bulldog you'll have to put up with a few imperfections.
Customizing: Masking tape seat harnesses. Replaced the rear canopy glass pieces with acetate. Epoxy covered sequin slivers used for all lights. Repainted decals.

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