discussion Italeri 1/72 Super Etendard

[flyjoe180]

An old but good looking kit, Italeri's 1/72 Super Etendard, Kit No.152 dating from about 1983 and originally moulded by a relatively unknown company called "Sunny". Typical old-style Italeri instructions and layout. Three options are included on the decal sheet.


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1. A French early scheme, the dark grey with white undersides as seen on the box art.


2. A French later scheme with wrap-around light grey and dark grey disruptive camouflage


2. Argentine Super Etendard in the typical dark grey top and white underside.


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I think I'll do the Argentine version to go with my Sea Harrier. The decals look to be in good order and are nicely printed. Have to find a colour match for that light blue on the Argentine scheme.


First point of order is to get the nose weight sorted as I suspect this would otherwise be a tail sitter:


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I used old sprue parts and created a nice snug fit for the weight. I crammed a little extra under the cockpit floor just to make sure. The nose wheel looks sturdy enough to take it.

 

[flyjoe180]

I've also drilled out the airbrakes. The cockpit has been painted dark grey and I've made an ejection handle for the seat.


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[flyjoe180]

I don't think this is going to be a bad fitting kit from what I can see and the dry fits are promising. However this is going to require work: The wings are attached to the sprues on the leading edges!


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[yak face]

Nice start joe , those sprue gates are going to take some cleaning up !!

 

[papa 695]

Nice start Joe

 

[Guest]

Nice start and nice work on the airbrakes.

 

[Guest]

Lovely start.


Scott

 

[flyjoe180]

those sprue gates are going to take some cleaning up !!

What were they thinking! The rest of it is nicely laid out and easily separated. Should have some wings on this morning, I'll be out of action from this afternoon for the rest of the week for that dirty four letter word.

 

[colin m]

A nice little 1:72 model can do wonders for the soul. Nice start.

 

[flyjoe180]

Wings are cleaned up and on as are the tail planes. The sprue on the leading edges wasn't too much of a mission to tidy up thankfully. Maybe I should have left the tail planes off for painting though. A bit of filler is required at the leading edge where it meets the intake, but apart from that it's a great fit. I've attached the HUD to the coaming and masked the canopy ready for attachment using PVA glue. There are two canopies, one closed and the other for open. As I'm not going to super detail the cockpit it's going to be closed. The under wing fuel tank and Exocet are in the background.


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[papa 695]

Nice work on the wings Joe this is coming together quite nicely

 

[flyjoe180]

Well work has been delayed so I made use of the time. I managed to get the canopy on and after painting the insides of the intakes, glued them into place along with the various probes on the nose area.


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The intakes will require some cleaning up once dry to blend them into the fuselage.

 

[rickoshea52]

Best do an Argy kite as a smoking hole in the ground!

 

[flyjoe180]

Best do an Argy kite as a smoking hole in the ground!

But they didn't lose any during the Falklands conflict Rick.

Argentine Super Etendard losses to date:

• 1 August 1989, 0760 3-A-210, pilot died
  
• 11 December 1989, 0762 3-A-212, engine stopped but the pilot ejected safely
  
• 29 May 1993, 0754 3-A-203, pilot died
  

3-A-203 was one of the Exocet launch aircraft that sank HMS Sheffield (the other being 3-A-202). So far as I know Argentina still operates the Super Etendard. The French ones are being replaced if they haven't already, by the navalised Rafale.

 

[rickoshea52]

What if?

 

[flyjoe180]

What if?

I'm not putting that work into a smoking hole in the ground Rick I quite like the look of the Super Etendard. Can't think of any Dassault produced fighter or attack aircraft that hasn't looked good.

 

[rickoshea52]

I'm not putting that work into a smoking hole in the ground Rick I quite like the look of the Super Etendard. Can't think of any Dassault produced fighter or attack aircraft that hasn't looked good.

That's the thing with French birds, they look nice but are high maintenance.........as I sip on my French wine in a Toulouse hotel!

 

[yak face]

Nice progress joe , it is a beautiful looking machine isnt it , but one that for most of us will always be associated with the exocet and the sinking of the sheffield . I agree about dassault making good looking aircraft too , i can't think of a dud off the top of my head, cheers tony

 

[Guest]

Nice work going into this Joe.

 

[yak face]

Just been thinking joe , before he changed his name ( he was formerly Marcel Bloch ) he gave us the mb 200 bomber , which looked a bit like a flying tin shed!! But then again a lot of other early french aircraft did too! Tony