Top Banana!

Bill Clark is relieved to find that Airfix haven't slipped up with their new 1/48 Brick.

The Buccaneer had several nicknames. ‘TheBrick’ (built like a brick ‘outhouse’ – thepolite version), ‘Grandma’, or ‘Sky Pirate’ following its exploits in Operation Granby. More often though it was The Banana Jet’, which was likely a result of a‘naming’ competition for Blackburn's NA.39 prototype. One witty suggestion was ARNA A Royal Navy Aircraft’, and once added to Blackburn, it became A Blackburn ARNA! That may or not be true, but when the Buccaneer S1s appeared in overall anti-flash white, they were soon called Peeled Nanas.

This kit is issued as a Fleet Air Arm Buccaneer, with decals for two options from 809 NAS Naval Air Squadron) an S2C based at RNAS Lossiemouth in1970, and an S2D based on HMS Ark Royal in1978. The other two options are both S2Cs from 1969: one from 801 NAS on board HMS Hermes, and another Lossiemouth jet serving with 803 NAS. All four are in overall Extra Dark Sea Grey. Anyone wishing to backdate their kit to an S2 with the earlier white lower surfaces, would need to remove both the small noise-reduction fairings in front of the air intakes, and the chaff/flare mounting points and panels on the underside of the jet exhausts.