Special Hobby 1/72 Hunting Percival Pembroke C. Mk. I
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History
Originally developed as a communications aircraft, the Pembroke first
flew in 1952. In 1953 it entered RAF service and expanded its role to
include VIP transport and navigation training. Probably the most fascinating
role carried out by the Pembroke, though, was that of a spy plane. While
the SR-71 and U-2 captured the public’s eye, seven Pembrokes based
in Germany were fitted with reconnaissance cameras and routinely photographed
Soviet and East German military installations while traveling to and from
Berlin. The Pembroke remained in RAF service well into the 1980s, proving
the viability of this stable aircraft.
The Kit
This is very likely the only injection molded Pembroke we will ever
see, as it is not exactly the most popular subject out there. Luckily
the Special Hobby kit is quite nice and should make into a beautiful replica
of this lesser known type. The kit comes packaged in the typical end-opening
box, with several trees of gray plastic, one of clear, and a small selection
of resin pieces. A small fret of photoetch rounds out the kit, and the
decal sheet provides markings for three RAF aircraft.
Starting with the interior, this kit comes with a nicely detailed cockpit
and a simpler cabin area. This is just fine, as the small windows in the
fuselage won’t allow much to be seen in the cabin anyway. The cockpit
gets a pair of seats, a resin console and control yokes, and a rear bulkhead
with some additional detailing on it. The cabin area consists of an interior
bulkhead, a rear bulkhead, a floor, and six seats. Once painted, these
will look suitably busy in the limited view offered by the glazings.
With the fuselage together, the rest of the assembly will be quite fast.
The wings are split into four pieces for each side, with separate wingtip
extensions mating to the main wing. The landing gear is long and spindly,
just like the real thing, so some care will be needed when assembling
these. The locator pegs are solid, though, so there should be no problem
in resting the model on these. The engine nacelles are separate, and these
are a bit complex. Follow the instructions carefully, though, and test
fit everything, and there should be no surprises.
As these were communications aircraft, the exterior gets quite a few
antennae and bumps. Most of these are provided in resin, but there are
some plastic pieces. Again, the instructions will be instrumental in getting
all of these on in the right place. There are also several different noses
in the kit, so make sure you are using the right one for the Pembroke
you’re building.
The decals are nicely printed and offer some interesting examples. The
first option dates from 1956 and is a Pembroke from the Levant Communications
Flight. This plane is overall silver, with a white nose and white extreme
upper fuselage. Additionally, this plane carries Operation Musketeer invasion
stripes of black and light stone around the fuselage and wings. The other
two examples have similar finishes. Both are from No. 60 Squadron out
of Wildenrath, Germany. They are finished in light aircraft gray, with
a white upper fuselage half, separated by a lightning bolt. The difference
between the two are slight, consisting of some stenciling differences
and the fact that one has black bars with lightning bolts on either side
of the fuselage roundel. The decals are well printed and feel thin.
Conclusion
This is a welcome kit to those who are building RAF collections, or
spy plane collections. The stubby shape of the Pembroke grows on you quickly,
and I cannot wait to dive into this one and build it up.
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