Magna Models 1/72 Short Seamew AS.1

MAGNA MODELS 1:72 SHORT SEAMEW AS.1
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Tim Beales (rec.models.scale)

Kit Details: Short Seamew by Magna Models in 1/72

Kit

Magna Models Short Seamew AS1 in resin. Made in England, and dated ca 1994. Expect the price to be on the high side for a model of this size, especially if you are paying in a currency that is weak relative to the British pound.

Aircraft History

The Short Seamew was developed as a cheap anti-submarine aircraft and was designed to operate from land or from small aircraft carriers. It was envisaged to be used by Britain's Coastal Command and Fleet Air Arm. It first flew in 1953. The Fleet Air Arm ordered the AS1 version, and the RAF ordered the MR2 version. The RAF cancelled their order after only five aircraft were delivered, and the Fleet Air Arm cancelled its order in 1957 after only seven aircraft were delivered, because of the very large defence cuts that happened in Britain in the mid 1950s. The Fleet Air Arm initially mothballed its small number of AS1 aircraft, but then scrapped the lot a few years later.

Instructions

Magna provide a single A4 photocopied sheet for the instructions. The front sheet contains a side and top view of the Seamew AS1, and some general construction notes for resin kits. Near the bottom of the first sheet are some references, and instructions on how to fit the complicated canopy for this model.

The reverse side shows two side profiles. The first is for a Seamew AS1 of No. 700 squadron from 1956, with dark grey upper surfaces and sky sides and lower surfaces. Underwing and fuselage serials are in black, with D roundels in six positions. The second profile is for a Seamew MR2 built for the RAF Coastal Command but never delivered. This is overall dark grey with white serials and D roundels.

At the bottom of the reverse side of the sheet are a colour chart, some technical data, and a brief history.

Contents

The resin parts list is: two fuselage sides (with rudder), one-piece cast wings (left and right), nose intake, and two tail planes. The white metal parts are: propeller, two sets of undercarriage and wheels (one for the AS1 and one for the MR2 version), hook and tail wheel. There is no cockpit detail or chair for the pilot. There are two vacuformed cockpit transparencies.

Castings are good in a nice creamy white, with virtually no bubbles visible. There is some tiny flash on the white metal parts that will need removing with a blade though. The transparencies are nice and clear.

Versions

There are parts to build the AS1 or the MR2 versions (seemingly differentiated by different undercarriage). There are no decals the builder being told to get some Modeldecal sheets 34, 35, 36A, and 47 for the roundels and serials.

Accuracy

I have always found Magna kits to be spot on, and a quick measure of this one shows that it will also be the same.

Impressions

It is an unusual looking aircraft, a cousin of the Fairey Gannet, and looking like it came from the same gene pool. This kit is a necessity for a Fleet Air Arm assembler or collector. It is also good for a what if? buff - the aircraft was an unfortunate victim of the spending cuts incurred after the Korean War and was sacrificed for no other reason than lack of cash.

This will not be a difficult kit to make, and like all of Magna's kits, I suspect construction will be fun, and the builder will end up with a fine model. A real let down though, is the zero cockpit detail, which will have to be completely scratchbuilt. In the instructions, Magna reference a Contrail vacuform kit, but don't know how their kit compares to this. However, does the lack of cockpit detail mean that Magna's kit is a cast of Contrail's kit? I have no idea, but it does mean that if you want a Seamew, then Magna's the only game in town.

I have a soft spot for this aircraft, and I am unapologetically biased, because I have liked all Magna's kits that I have built. I know I will like building this one, and can't wait to get started on it.

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