Slingsby Prefect TX.1 Air Cadets

[acklington]

A very long term wish has been to model the air cadets gliders from my mis-spent youth. However,there are very few 1/72 kits available, and even harder to find these days. The AZ Models Grunau Baby kit is easily available, and in theory it is very similar to the Slingsby Prefect, which was a later development of it. So this was the kit I set out to modify.

WE985 (1) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

And this was the hoped - for - outcome

WE982 (8781M), Cosford, 14 June 92 (1) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

*break for lunch, more to follow!

[acklington]

Here are photos of the completed conversion. The Land Rover and air cadet figures are from the original Airfix bloodhound kit, the Land Rover I painted decades ago to represent the one in use at RAF Ouston for towing glider cables, etc. It carries the Ouston MT code T/23.

WE985, 641 GS, Ouston, 1967 (2) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
WE985, 641 GS, Ouston, 1967 (6) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
WE985, 641 GS, Ouston, 1967 (9) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
WE985, 641 GS, Ouston, 1967 (12) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
WE985, 641 GS, Ouston, 1967 (15) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
WE985, 641 GS, Ouston, 1967 (17) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
WE985, 641 GS, Ouston, 1967 (21) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

The conversion is only partly accurate, the increased fuselage length is correct, but the nose is too long and the rear fuselage too short. The wings have the increased dihedral plus new struts located further forward. The wingtips are slightly longer and fully enclose the modified ailerons. A mainwheel has been added, plus modified skid. The underside of the rear fuselage should be flat, but I settled for 'nearly flat' as the plastic wasn't thick enough to shave any more off. The fin and rudder have been moved backwards as the elevators on the Prefect are in line with the rudder post.

This was the only Prefect TX.1 to be used by 641 Gliding School at RAF Ouston, and only 16 in total were built for the RAF. Most gliding schools had a single example.

Thanks for looking, and a very Happy New Year to all.