SPA Modeler

Stikpusher wrote:

LyleW wrote:The Airfix kit is another option if you can find it.

As I mentioned above, there is one for sale in the UK - although I'm not sure if the seller will ship to the US. If you're desperate Lyle I can pick it up on your behalf and ship it to you.

Stuart, the B-57 kit for sale on eBay is 1/72, not 1/48. I really wish that Airfix would reissue more of their 1/48 Canberra kits. They only have one on the market now.

Stikpusher wrote:Stuart, the B-57 kit for sale on eBay is 1/72, not 1/48. I really wish that Airfix would reissue more of their 1/48 Canberra kits. They only have one on the market now.

woops! Totally missed that, sorry - I didn't actually know they made a 1/72 B-57! You can still make an RB-57E from the base B-57 kit though, if the MM review is to believed, and the offer still stands if you want me to source one from the UK.

When it comes to Airfix's 1/48 Canberra's, sadly they can't do all the RAF range anymore as they modified the tool to make B-57. You can still get the two-seat side by side models (under the bubble canopy) in a red box release but not variants with the off centre single seat canopies - like the one I have.

Airfix released all of their original 1/48 Canberras within a short time span. More than likely they have separate fuselage and corresponding canopy sprues, as that is prime difference between the versions released: offset, fishbowl, and tandem centerline (USAF). I have the offset B.(I)8, kit in my stash, but love to get the USAF and Fishbowl types also. The fishbowl B(i)6/20 is the one they recently reissued, so hopefully I can find one for a good price.

Stikpusher wrote:Airfix released all of their original 1/48 Canberras within a short time span. More than likely they have separate fuselage and corresponding canopy sprues, as that is prime difference between the versions released: offset, fishbowl, and tandem centerline (USAF). I have the offset B.(I)8, kit in my stash, but love to get the USAF and Fishbowl types also. The fishbowl B(i)6/20 is the one they recently reissued, so hopefully I can find one for a good price.

Ignore me - it was the 1/72 Fishbowl B.(I).6 tool that they converted into an RB-57, not the 1/48.

The B.(I).8 is a nice looking kit, I have one in the stash too - it has the markings in the kit for an aircraft flown by a friend of my wife, a former test pilot that taught her spin recovery and aerobatics in the T-67.

I recently picked up the 48th PR.9. I would love to get an entire collection of Canberras

I found an B-57B from Airfix ... sheesh, seemed expensive. Bagged kit, no box. It was inventoried and missing a couple of small resin parts. I guess it is because they are hard to find.

Stuart, we could never ignore you. Love your style man.

Lyle, yeah the Airfix B/G kits have probably at least doubled in cost over the past several years since they went OOP. When new those were usually north of $50 at the usual bargain spots. Nowadays it’s certainly a sellers market

I bought two when they were first issued. I built the B-57B using a CMK cockpit set and a Phase Hangar tail correction set. I posed the canopy open because it is a little low in profile but also to let the cockpit be more visible. It was a nice build. The second kit is a B.2/20 which I will probably build as a B-57A, but I might relent and do it in RAF colors.

It looks like the B-57B/G kit was only released once so far.

Wow, that looks great!