SMER (Vista) 1/72 Fairey Fulmar Mk.I/Mk.II

SMER (VISTA) 1:72 FAIREY FULMAR MK.I/II
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Myself (rec.models.scale)

Aircraft: The Fulmar was developed from an FAA (Fleet Air Arm) request for carrier-borne aircraft similar to the Hurricanes and Spitfires used in the RAF. There was a thinking at the time that aircraft carriers required two-seat aircraft so a single seat fighter was not developed and the admiralty placed an order in 1937 with Fairey for the aircraft they were producing.

The Fulmar first flew in the early days of 1940 and was essentially based as a modified and lighter version of the Fairey Battle. The first aircraft were designated Mk.I variants and delivered to 806 Sqn, HMS Illustrious, in June the same year. The Fulmar was then delivered to at least 20 other squadrons by 1944.

The Fulmars were generally initially employed in the Mediterranean and fought against the Italian Air Force with some success but when the Luftwaffe came into the fray the poor manoeuvrability and performance compared to that of their counterparts exposed them and losses were severe. To answer this the Mk.II version was produced with an upgraded and more powerful Merlin engine plus a broader radiator under the nose and oil coolers on its sides.

Fulmars were employed for shipping escort duties and also participated in hunting down the German Battleship Bismarck. They also carried out reconnaissance roles in Africa and the Near East and in 1942 fought against the Japanese in Ceylon. Fulmars were also launched from catapults on converted trade ships to protect shipping convoys, particularly those going to Murmansk in 1943/44. Finally, some 100 Mk.II Fulmars were converted to Night Fighters. All up about 250 Mk.I Fulmars were produced and 350 Mk.II's.

Kit: SMER Fairey Fulmar Mk.I/Mk.II art:#0876
The kit is marketed in the familiarly colourful blue standard issue denoting that it is aimed for modellers aged 8 and over. Smer to my knowledge only rebox other manufacturers kits and in this case they have reboxed Vista's Fulmar and included their decal sheet.

The SMER kit is a reboxing of the VISTA Fairey Fulmar

The box tells you the number of parts inside and dimensions of the finished model. On the bottom of the box is a colourful four view diagram of an FAA example with Humbrol colour call outs. In addition to the instructions inside the box there is a slip of paper advertising "4+ Publications" book on the Fulmar.

Bottom of the SMER box, showing the first listed example (see "versions" below) of FAA with American style roundels

Parts: Two light grey sprues of about 38 parts sit unbagged inside the box. The molding is crisp and generally the detail looks really good, with plenty of panel line scribing on the wing surfaces and fuselage sides in particular. Panel lines are engraved and well done. This is my first exposure to a Vista kit, and it actually reminds me of a Hasegawa looking mold!! The three part clear sprue and decal sheet come in a separate bag with the decal sheet facing away from the sprue to ensure it is not scratched.

The sprues were taken straight from the scanner and my first attempt, so hope they look okay!
There is a fair bit of surface detail on the fuselages - this is the first sprue, note the exhaust stacks top centre and the weird "+" looking rudder pedal contraption spoken of in details section below, bottom right corner, second part in.

Instructions: These are represented in the form of a 6-page continuous fold out sheet with each page slightly smaller than A4, and covered in Czech, German and English. A brief history and technical data is provided on the front page and this carries over to the second page with model and symbol information. The next two main pages covers the assembly in half a dozen steps with large exploded views which are very straightforward and easy to follow, perhaps only a couple of very minor areas that you will have to guess on exact position and placement. Colour information for individual components, is provided by letter labels and each letter corresponding to a Humbrol paint, with both name and number provided. Then turning over onto the back sheets provides a four-view marking diagram of the RAF version provided for by the kit with Humbrol number/name call outs for the external scheme and decals already placed, so you have to interpret which ones they are (which is very easy). Finally the back page contains a list of Smer 1/72 kits. Overall the instructions are very good.

Versions: The kit allows for one of two versions to be produced, one on the box bottom and the other on the instruction sheet. The first is an FAA Mk.II DR 641, 809 Sqn, HMS Victorious during operation "Torch", North Africa, 1942 wearing American style roundels per image above, with upper Slate Grey and Dark Sea Grey camouflage over Sky blue undersurfaces. The second version wears the same colour scheme with RAF style roundels and is Mk.I N4129, flown by Lt. D.Gibson, 803 Sqn FAA, HMS Formidable, 1941.

Decals: Produced by Vista and obviously giving away the kit is a reboxing of their Fulmar, and the sheet is actually printed by Propagteam. In a word they do look superb and are very sharp and in excellent colour register. I am sure you all know about the renowned Propagteam decal sheets so I assume this will be no different, being matt in register, very thin and once it lands on the model will be hard to move around!

The Decal sheet printed by propagteam in excellent register - not as sharp in scanned form due to the plastic wrapping still on the decal sheet (so bear that in mind!).

Accuracy: Using the kit's assertions about the dimensions of the model of 196mm span and 170mm length then the finished model will be spot on according to my references - although I have found that rarely do stated model dimensions actually match the finished product. However, measuring out the fuselage and allowing for spinner, it does measure exactly 170mm so we can assume the span will be as equal, so here's for an accurate 1/72 model!! On some other notes though, I don't think the model will make a truly accurate Mk.II by virtue of the notes of difference stated in the Aircraft section above, the Mk.II version had oil coolers and a larger radiator - while the oil coolers are supplied the radiator is the same size as the Mk.I version and is already molded to the fuselage - a minor criticism I guess. I don't have scale plans of the Fulmar to compare its profile against but on the sprue it looks okay.

Detail: External surface detail is very good and equal of that to mainstream manufacturers noted for excellent detail. The cockpit is lacking a bit in detail with only seat, instrument panel (with generic gauges molded on), rear bulkhead, stick and an interesting looking rudder pedal contraption supplied. The rear cockpit for the gunner has only a seat supplied. Wheel well detail is effectively non-existent, although to be fair there is a very minimal amount of structural raised lines on the inside of the upper wing halves. Exhaust stacks are typically molded standard types found in most kits and not particularly defining. A clear part is provided for the port wing as a landing light and another clear part makes up a HUD-type sight in the front cockpit.

The second sprue in the kit - note the level of scribing detail provided on the wing surfaces.

Options: Other than wheels up/down and a moveable propeller there are no options in the kit (of course discounting the Mk.I/II version if you consider those as options). The canopy is one large injection molded piece and all positional components are molded onto the aircraft. Perhaps the only one that could be converted to an extended position is the arrestor hook.

Impressions: Well this is my first exposure to a Vista kit and I must say I am quite impressed with the moldings, which are crisp and flash free and gives one the impression they could have come from a Revell or even Hasegawa box! The decals look quite superb, and obviously give away the fact that SMER have reboxed a Vista kit. If the decal sheet acts as it looks then we will be all thankful that the Vista decals were kept! I am not a real buff on the Fulmar so my comments on accuracy are limited to what I stated above, but on the sprue it does look reasonably convincing to me.

There are not a lot of parts to this kit and the breakdown is what one would consider standard or "logical". The fuselage halves are complete from tail to nose. Tail fin and radiator halves are already molded on, but the arrestor hook section is a separate part. The wings are broken into three sections, a large underwing section with overlapping upper wing halves. The undercarriage doors are one-piece moldings and look like they will fit neatly into their cavities - you will need to cut them to display in open position. Locating pins and tabs are provided to aid in positioning parts and it really looks like it will build into a nice model. I did not get to test fit any components, but I am not anticipating any major dramas. From what I can see, this kit looks to be one that should be recommended to all modelling skills.

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