Alley Cat Shorts Tucano T.1 (current RAF) 1:48

White Metal

Some beautiful well detailed white metal is included in the kit. The main items included are: Fine prop blades, undercarriage legs and control columns. Whilst on white metal, A2Zee have very helpfully included two nose weights to prevent your Tucano from tail-sitting – again, a nice touch. This package is looking better and better the more you get into it!

Decals

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Two different sheets are included. The first being the main decal sheet with all the marking options and the second a separate small one that has the detonating chord (MDC). Some good advice is provided for applying the MDC decal and I will follow it. This seems like a clever solution to trying to create the canopy detonation chord, which always seems to confound manufacturers that usually mould it into the canopy – never really very satisfactory. We’ll see!

The main decal sheets looks to be very high quality with all markings in good register and accurate colour and decent opacity to the white.

6 Options

• Option 1 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF140 of 207(R) Squadron, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2010. Overall Gloss Trainer Black with Gloss Trainer Black and Gloss White halved spinner, propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel. The Gloss Pineapple (BS381C:356 FS 13538) wing upper and tailplane markings are supplied as decals, but I’ll probably spray line – this should ultimately be more convincing.
• Option 2 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF294 of 207(R) Squadron, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2010. Overall Gloss Trainer Black with Gloss Trainer Black and Gloss White halved spinner, propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel. Gloss Pineapple (BS381C:356 FS 13538) wing upper and tailplane markings.
• Option 3 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF169 of 72(R) Squadron, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2006. Overall Gloss Trainer Black with Gloss Trainer Black and Gloss White halved spinner, propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel. The Gloss Pineapple (BS381C:356 FS 13538) wing upper and tailplane markings.
• Option 4 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF349 ‘Lewis and Harris Fighter’ of 72(R) Squadron, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2004. Overall Gloss Trainer Black with Gloss Trainer Black and Gloss White halved spinner, propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel. The Gloss Pineapple (BS381C:356 FS 13538) wing upper and tailplane markings.
• Option 5 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF172 ‘DP.D’, ‘Dorothy’ of 72(R) Squadron, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2007. Overall Gloss Trainer Black with Gloss Trainer Black and Gloss White halved spinner, propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel. The Gloss Pineapple (BS381C:356 FS 13538) wing upper and tailplane markings.
• Option 6 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF239 ‘DP.T’, ‘Topsy’ of 72(R) Squadron, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2007. Overall Gloss Trainer Black with Gloss Trainer Black and Gloss White halved spinner, propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel. The Gloss Pineapple (BS381C:356 FS 13538) wing upper and tailplane markings.

Full stencil markings are provided.

Instructions

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Included is a fold-out sheet that has stages explained with notes and advice on construction. To this colour images of the parts are all identified, along with a series of colour images of the cockpit on a real Tucano T.1 when you look at the straightforward layout of the parts and assembly sequence. It all looks very clear to me. I can’t imagine anyone really having any difficulty in locating where all the parts go.

In kit ACRK 48-02 the 2010 RAF Display Scheme

You have the option to create something very different:

• Option 1 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF317 ‘QJ.F’, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2010. WWII Era camouflage scheme of dark Green and dark earth over Sky undersides, satin black spinner with Black and White halved propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel.
• Option 2 – Shorts Tucano T.1 XF171 ‘LZ.R’, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-On-Ouse, 2010. WWII Era camouflage scheme of dark Green and dark earth over Sky undersides, satin Black spinner with Black and White halved propeller blades and Matt Black anti-glare panel.

Conclusion

Highly Recommended.

What else is there to say? For the money you are getting an excellent, well detailed 1:48^th scale model of the Shorts Tucano T.1. Levels of detail are very high, good quality decals are included, there just isn’t any need to go outside the box for anything, with the possible exception of some decals for that main instrument panel/dials.

Geoff C.