Czech Master Resin 1/72 Gannet & Seafire Wing Folds
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Overview
 Fitting
big-winged aircraft onto aircraft carriers has always been a challenge
and led to the development of functional wing folding. Grumman came up
with the concept of a two-dimensional fold, rotating the wing 90 degrees
and folding aft along the fuselage. Most other wings folded in a more
traditional vertical manner, though. The British adopted that for most
of their aircraft, but with an interesting twist. Rather than just a single
fold, these wings had two hinge points on each side, with the wings forming
a Z shape when folded. This allowed the aircraft to have a slightly longer
wing and still fit in the tight hangar spaces.
The Conversions
With such an interesting wing fold design, having a model displaying
it becomes that much more appealing. However, with two hinge joints per
side to deal with, the idea quickly dissipates and most of us just build
our models with the wings outstretched. CMR has come to the rescue (sort
of) with two sets, one designed for their Seafire kits and one designed
for their Gannet kit. I say sort of, because while the actual conversions
are beautifully done, you still have to build a fairly complex resin kit
AND get the folded wing aligned correctly. Still, it is going to be much
easier with these sets than scratching it yourself, so let’s take
a closer look at the sets.
Fairey Gannet AS.1 Folding Wings
 This
set is designed for use with the CMR Gannet, kit number 118. You get the
wings, chopped into three pieces per side, with quite a few accessory
pieces to provide all the hinges and connectors. There is also a vertical
brace included, which is good as the wing pieces are quite solid and I
would worry about the delicate resin connectors holding up to the weight.
Although the instructions do not suggest it, I would recommend reinforcing
some of the hinge pieces with stiff wire, just for that extra bit of protection.
The main wing piece should fit into the fuselage as easily as the original
part, as it has a large locating tab.
On a whim, I took a close look at this wing fold set and the recent
Trumpeter Gannet kit, and while it won’t be a drop-in fit, with
a bit of work you could adapt this wing to the Trumpeter kit. Given that
the CMR Gannet has a nicer interior and better overall detailing, perhaps
folding the wings on the Trumpeter kit would be a better route to go.
Either way, this set will really make your Gannet look ugly in a neat
way.
Supermarine Seafire Mk XV/17 Wing Fold
 The
Seafire wing fold is similar to the Gannet, although it does not have
nearly the weight of that larger aircraft. This set has five main pieces,
with a one-piece center section. This will help greatly in getting the
rest of the folds aligned correctly, as long as the wing/fuselage join
is solid. Like the Gannet, this set also has a wing brace, but given the
angles and relatively light weight of the fold sections, this may not
be needed.
One thing different about this set, though, is that it comes with a
set of decals. These are different options than those found in the CMR
Seafire kits, with three aircraft portrayed: one Canadian and two British.
One of the British examples is a bubbletop F.17, and all are camouflaged
in extra dark sea gray and sky. This is a nice addition to the set, as
it provides just that many more options to add to your Spitfire/Seafire
collection.
Conclusion
Overall, these are nice conversions (if you could call them that: it’s
more a drop-fit replacement) that will give you something a little different
on the shelf. My thanks to CMR for the review samples. |
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