AZ 1/48 Firefly Mk. I – by Jean Barby - La Chapelle en Serval, France

The AZ kit is nothing but the old but reliable Grand Phoenix model. As the faults remain the same, the good old Cooper Detail’s (now BarracudaCast) prop and spinner, wheels, cannons, and a new vac canopy were used to fix them. Building was straightforward, with the usual fit problems of any short run production kit. The camouflage is the one from the FAA, Dark Slate Grey, Extra Dark Sea Grey and Sky.

The plane is from the 1770 Squadron and was flown by S/L L Crawshay-Jones while on board HMS Indefatigable during the final raids on the Formosa and Sakishima Gunto islands in 1945. The weathering effects on the model are obtained with the use of oil paint, sepia and black India ink. Acrylic inks were also used to create some depth effects sprayed directly through the airbrush. AZ provides the AN radar and it is a welcome addition to a very neat model.

BarracudaStudios products used:
BR48001 Firefly Mk. I Prop and Spinner - 1/48 Scale
BR48002 Firefly Mk. I Cannon Barrels
BR48004 Firefly Mk. I Late Wheels
BR48005 Firefly Mk. I Vacform Canopy