Here you go, this is where I'm up to so far, plus there are some smaller sub-assemblies done, ready for painting. Meanwhile, work has started on the weapons load, which will be two AS37 Radar Martel missiles, one AJ168 TV Martel, and the data acquisition pod, the latter being adapted from a later version used on the Tornado GR1 I found in the Airfix Tornado F3 kit.
PIC 1. The Dark Sea Grey has been sprayed overall, and the 'wrap around' camouflage pattern marked out in pencil, ready for spraying free-hand. The pencil marking took over 90 minutes to complete !
PIC 2. The Bucanneer is a big aircraft, as big as a B26, and this comparison with a 1/48th scale P51 shows the bulk of the thing - even without wings !
PIC 3. A comparison of the Radar Martel (top), and the Sea Eagle (minus wings) as provided in the kit. The Martel was sourced from the spares box, having been included in the Harrier GR3 kit built recently, presumably intended for the Sea Harrier. The Sea Eagle replaced the Martels in service from around 1988, and is a jet-turbine powered missile. The intention is to convert one of these back, to represent the TV Martel, which is slightly shorter, and has a video camera mounted in a transparent nose cone.
PIC 4. What the real TV Martel looks like, this one alongside a Buc at Duxford.
PICS 5 and 6. Work underway improving the Radar Martel. Some detail has been added by part-drilling along the fuselage spines, the wings are in the process of being thinned, and the tail has been opened up and chamfered, with a rocket exhaust added from plastic tube.
Hopefully, I should get the Dark Green sprayed tomorrow, and I'll post some more pics then.
Thanks again for your interest.