Anigrand Craftworks 1/144 Short SA.4 Sperrin
| KIT #: | AA-4043 |
| PRICE: | $90.00 including shipping to US/Canada |
| DECALS: | One option each |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: | Resin. Includes Gloster Javelin, Short SB.5 and Hawker P.1127 kits |
The Short SA.4 Sperrin (named after the Sperrin Mountains, a range of hills in Northern Ireland) was a British jet bomber design of the early 1950s built by Short Brothers and Harland of Belfast, popularly abbreviated "Shorts". It first flew in 1951. The design had always been a fall-back option in case the more advanced jet designs of the V-bombers were delayed, and it was not put into production because these swept-wing designs (such as the Vickers Valiant) were by then available. The Sperrin prototypes were however valuable for research data on large jet aircraft.
This is another of Anigrand's superb deals in 1/144 kits as it not only has the Sperrin, but three other British jets included. One is the Gloster Javelin, an aircraft that reached full production status and two other prototypes. One is the Hawker P.1127, the prototype Harrier and the other is the Shorts SB.5 that was used to test the wing used on the EE Lightning.
The kit comes packaged in a multi-section polybag with each of the smaller kits in their own section and the rest used for the Sperrin and the clear resin canopies. The kit has nicely engraved panel lines, which are a bit large for the scale, but perfect for a model. As is usual, there will be clean up required as is the norm with all resin kits. None of these will be difficult to build once cleaned up. The only issue for the smaller ones will be finding a place for nose weight as there isn't a lot of room. As you can see from the parts layout that I swiped from the Anigrand web site, the kits really are rather simple, though they do have some rather small parts.
Instructions are CAD drawings of two positions of the model, allowing the placement of all the parts to be noted. On the other side is a brief history of the Sperrin and a painting markings guide. The Sperrin is in unpainted metal, the P.1127 in aluminum paint, the SB.5 in Silver over Black and the Javelin in standard RAF camouflage of green/grey over light grey. There are two decal sheets, each with half the markings. Anigrand decals work well, though have difficulty with any setting solutions I've ever tried on them.
This is another bargain in 1/144 for those who like this scale or just want some unusual subjects on their shelves. If you have not tried an Anigrand kit, you really should. Besides, who else would produce something esoteric like the Sperrin?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Sperrin
March 2010
You can get this kit fromwww.nostalgicplastic.com and pay no shipping in the US or Canada
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This is another of Anigrand's superb deals in 1/144 kits as it not only has the Sperrin, but three other British jets included. One is the Gloster Javelin, an aircraft that reached full production status and two other prototypes. One is the Hawker P.1127, the prototype Harrier and the other is the Shorts SB.5 that was used to test the wing used on the EE Lightning.