BPK (Big Planes Kits) Boeing P-8A Poseidon 1:72

Full Review with Dave Coward
View Photo Reference Library for 98 images covering the external aspects of the aircraft

Just before we get started, here’s a picture of my finished model to give you a taste of how it came out.

Background

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defence, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN).

The P-8 operates in anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles. It is armed with torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons, can drop and monitor sonobuoys, and can operate in conjunction with other assets, including the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The P-8 is operated by the United States Navy, the Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It has also been ordered by the Republic of Korea Navy, and the German Navy. The Royal Canadian Air Force announced it is ordering 14 P-8 aircraft with options for two more in November 2023.

In RAF Service

In August 2012, it was reported that Boeing saw the United Kingdom as a market for the P-8, following the cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4. On 23 November 2015, the UK announced its intention to order nine P-8s in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. They are to be based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland and shall protect the UK’s nuclear deterrent and aircraft carriers, as well as perform search-and-rescue and overland reconnaissance missions.

On 25 March 2016, the U.S. State Department approved a proposed Foreign Military Sale to the UK for up to nine P-8s and associated support. The Royal Air Force (RAF) plans to operate the P-8 with U.S. weapons initially, and may transition to British weapons later. It is unclear whether the UK will have access to future ground-surveillance capabilities developed for the P-8. On 11 July 2016, Boeing announced the signing of a $3.87 billion (£3 billion) contract for nine P-8s and support infrastructure, spread across three production lots over a ten-year period, with deliveries commencing in 2019.

The RAF has the service name Poseidon MRA Mk1. They are operated by No.120 Squadron, No.201 Squadron and No. 42 Squadron (OCU). The first Poseidon MRA Mk1 (ZP801) made its initial flight on 13 July 2019. The UK took delivery of the first aircraft, named Pride of Moray, at Boeing’s Seattle facility on 29 October. It arrived at Kinloss Barracks in February 2020 before relocating to RAF Lossiemouth in October 2020, along with ZP802 which was delivered on 13 March 2020. The RAF declared the P-8 had reached initial operating capability (IOC) on 1 April 2020. The final aircraft arrived in January 2022.

Poseidon names:

• ZP801 – Pride of Moray
• ZP802 – City of Elgin
• ZP803 – Terence Bulloch DSO* DFC*
• ZP804 – Spirit of Reykjavík
• ZP805 – Fulmar
• ZP806 – Guernsey’s Reply
• ZP807 – William Barker VC
• ZP808– Name TBD
• ZP809– Name TBD

Aftermarket Extras:

• Airgraphics P-8 MRA1 Decals
• Airgraphics Bomb bay
• Airgraphics Mk.54 Torpedoes x 2
• Reskit Wing Pylons x 2
• Reskit Harpoon Missiles x 2
• PJ Productions Civilian Pilots 721135
• Metal stand (from eBay).

The kit

Before we start with the build a quick look at the box and the contents. The first thing that struck me was it was a small box for a large kit but upon opening it this was explained by the fact that the fuselage was split into two halves. The kit also contains BPK decals for US Navy and RAAF P-8s along with a set of Airgraphics decals for the RAF aircraft. There is also a small bag of resin parts to replace certain kit parts but more about these later.

Construction…