Panavia Tornado IDS

Ron Garcia
I have three Revell Tornadoes in my stash, so this being the oldest, I started with this one. After competing it, I'm still going to finish the other two (mostly because I completed the cockpits, canopy masking, and weapons for all three kits at the same time), but I'm not so excited about it.

Revell lists this as a skill level 5 (out of 5) model. I'd say that is accurate. It's a tough build because the tolerances are so unforgiving that you will likely have issues with gaps no matter how many times you dry fit the parts.

The instructions for this kit made me feel like I was reading some sort of flow chart. If you do this, then skip this step, but do this step instead that is 20 steps later. Not to mention that steps are very busy with part numbers, paint numbers, and decal numbers all jumbled up together with the pictures, arrows, and instruction symbols. What a mess!

Having said that, everything went fine for me until I got to the intakes. I just could not get them to fit smoothly no matter how many times I dry fitted them. I eventually cemented them together and used a bunch of putty to clean things up.

After that, I ran into a lot of fit issues. Almost everything else always seemed slightly off so that had to fiddle around to get an assembly almost there, but not quite.

The worst part of the build was when I went to install the flaps. They wouldn't fit! I followed the instructions for step 21 and did not remove the extra amount from parts 55 and 56 required for a swept wing pose because I wanted my wings extended. I also lined up the wing mechanism correctly. But when I tried to put the flaps on - flaps up - the end that butted up to the fuselage would not fit because parts 55 and 56 were in the way! Well, I glued them in on step 21 and step 47(!) is where you add the flaps. That was several sessions back, and no way was I going to be able to tear everything apart at that point. I ended up carefully clipping and clipping the flaps until I could get a nice tight fit butting up to the fuselage. On the other two Tornadoes I have, I'm still going to have the wings extended, but I'm definitely cutting away the excess plastic and deal with a small gap if I have to. Carefully trimming the two flaps for this one was tedious, time consuming, and very frustrating!

Because of all the fit issues I had, I just cemented everything together, including the engines, so I could add putty before I painted it. That required more masking, but helped with my sanity!

The decals are nice, and there are surprisingly not that many. Of course you'll need a good decal setting solution for the fin decals. Once set, a few small strategic slices and more setting solution will make sure the decals fit snugly around any protrusions.

So was it a fun build? NO! Did it take me way longer than a 1/48 scale airplane usually takes me? Heck yeah! Did I let it sit for a while because I got sick of the fit issues and sanding? Definitely! Does it look good after I finished it? Yes - and even my wife liked it! But ultimately, was it worth it in the end? I'd have to say no. However, I'm committed to finishing up the other two I have, so maybe they'll go together better. Other than the issue with the flaps, I don't really see where I could have done something different to get a better result with the fit. I think sometimes luck plays a part no matter how skilled you are at building. Maybe I'll get lucky with the next two - but I'm not counting on it.

Mr.T scalemodels
FOR SALE! - Completely new and packed originally

Stefaan Hoste
Pitty, still no decent aftermarket cockpit set available.

Udo Teuteberg
I`m a little bit disappointed about the one and only decal option. No regular aircraft, only a celebration scheme, boring. That is what we called a "Kirmes Lackierung" but the plastic is fantastic. 🙂

Dirk Heyer
I stopped my IDS Tornado Project till release date
🙂 🙂 🙂
Mates, this Harvest will be the right time to built a Tornado!!!