Pro Resin 1/72 Boulton Paul P.111 & P.120
Overview
After the war, everyone began to explore high speed aviation, using
many designs and concepts developed by the Germans. The British Air Ministry,
wanting to explore some of these designs, issued the specification E.27/46
calling for a delta-winged aircraft. Boulton Paul took on the task and
developed the P.111, which was no bigger than needed to fit the Rolls
Royce Nene engine and the pilot. To aid in experimenting with the delta
planform, the wing had fiberglass extensions that could be changed out
to try different arrangements.
The P.111 first flew on October 10, 1950 at Boscombe Down, and it soon
became apparent that the plane was a challenge to fly. It was not long
before Boulton Paul made some improvements to the airframe, with the hopes
of making the aircraft a bit more stable. This updated aircraft became
the P.111a, and it continued on until 1958, when it was retired and transferred
to the Midlands Aircraft Preservation Society at Coventry, where it is
currently on display.
The P.120 was a follow-on design to the P.111, built to specification
E.27/49. The similarities between the two are very apparent, as are the
differences. The main change between the two is with the tail, with the
P.120 having a T-tail arrangement. The P.120 first flew on August 6, 1952
and began flight testing. Twenty-three days later, the program was over,
with the plane crashing. The P.111 and P.120 were the last Boulton Paul
aircraft to fly.
The Kits
 Like
the real aircraft, these kits share much in common. On first glance, one
would think that only the tailplanes are different but close inspection
shows that there are other, subtle differences. The kits are cast in tan
resin and the detailing is exquisite. The kits have recessed panel lines
throughout, and the cockpit detailing is raised and petite. Each kit comes
with a vacuformed canopy and a comprehensive decal sheet. The instructions
are clearly written, and aside from a bit of general cleanup, these kits
should go together fairly easily. A quick test fit of the wing to fuselage,
for example, revealed a beautiful fit, one which will require no filler
if care is taken in alignment.
Looking
at the interior, this is comprised mainly of a one-piece cockpit tub,
with a separate Martin Baker ejection seat. The instrument panel and control
stick are also separate, and the detail of the completed cockpit will
have you wanting to open the canopy to show it all off. Similarly detailed
is the landing gear, with separate retraction struts and, in the case
of the nose gear, a separate yoke for the wheel. The cockpit and landing
gear parts are identical between the two kits, as are the intake dividers
(although there is a second option in the P.111 kit for the P.111a version),
nose gear well, and exhaust pipe.
 Moving
to the fuselage, these are split into right and left halves, and from
the tail forward they are basically identical. There are differences on
the aft end, though, so if you are building both of these together, don’t
mix them up. The wings are solid right and left halves, and have beautiful
detailing molded into the wheel wells. These butt up against the fuselage,
and although there are no locating tabs or pegs, the fit is quite good.
Some slow setting CA will allow you to position the wings just right,
and give you a perfect seam. When you glue the fuselage together, be sure
to include some weight. The instructions don’t indicate just how
much you’ll need, so experiment around with everything taped together
to make sure these are not tail sitters.
 The
best part about these kits is the color schemes. They are opposites, with
the P.111a having black trim on an overall yellow airframe and the P.120
having yellow trim on an overall black airframe. The decals provide the
trim markings as well as the roundels, fin flashes, registration codes,
and some stenciling. The red centers are printed separately from the roundels,
leaving it up to the modeler for alignment. The decals are well printed
and should go on without any problem.
Conclusion
While British experimental aircraft might not be the most popular subject
in the world, the colorful schemes of these two aircraft, coupled with
the fairly easy construction should make these some popular resin kits.
As they share much in common, I plan on building both of these side by
side, to take advantage of that commonality. My thanks to Pro Resin for
the review samples. |
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