Hobby Boss

1/48 Tornado IDS

Kit Number:   80353

Reviewed by   Chris Smith, IPMS# 39182

MSRP: $46.99 (w/shipping $61.29) Website: www.luckymodel.com Since its first flight on August 14, 1974 the Panavia Tornado has proven one of the best of the swing wing aircraft of its era. Designed and manufactured through a consortium of the three European countries, Great Britain, France and Germany this multirole workhorse paved the way for partnership developed military aircraft. Multirole means just that. The Tornado was developed to be an interceptor, electronic warfare and interdiction - strike aircraft. This kit represents the latter of those. Combat proven in conflicts primarily in the Middle East all indications are we will see this aircraft serve well into the future. The Kit A large box appeared on my doorstep and was I surprised to find the kit box completely filled it up. The box top features a colorful Tornado of the Luftwaffe in 30th anniversary markings. There are 20 sprues molded in grey and clear plastic holding over 350 parts. Half of the sprues are devoted to weapons. Also included are a small PE fret for wing slats and thrust reverser hinges. Three large decal sheets complete this impressive package. The mould quality is very good with fine panel lines and the usual Hobby Boss penchant for rivets but not to the point it detracts from the model. The coolest features of this kit are the optional parts that allow the wing flaps, slats, spoilers, trust reversers, speed brakes, intake bypass doors and nose cone to be opened. The instructions are on two sheets with a third sheet showing the layout of the parts. There is also a full color, two sided sheet with painting instructions, four view drawings and a color chart with five different brands of paint so you are sure to find a match in your local hobby shop. Lastly, three large sheets of decals are provided for aircraft markings and all the airframe and weapon stencils. Buildup After reviewing the instructions I decided not to follow every step in order. If you do, you would attach all the weapons pylons, antennas and details with each sub assembly. That makes it impossible to mask for painting, fix any joint issues or apply all the decals. The forward fuselage is in two halves with a flat shaped underside. I used some plastic I-beam shaped stock and clamped the parts to insure it came out flat. The swing wing feature is done with the typical intermeshed gear arrangement that looks flimsy at first but it does work. I elected to fix my wings in the open position since I was deploying all extras included in the kit. I used filler on the top of the nose and around the wing glove opening but I suspect that was more my problem then the kits fault. Some high points are the landing gear assemblies which are very detailed and the PE parts used for reverser clam shells and slats hinges. The brass is very thick which is easy to work with without bending. The canopy is very clear with strong frame lines to ease masking and no nasty ridge to polish out. Painting There are two marking options provided. The first is an RAF GRI ZA404 based at Honington UK and the other is an IDS of Jabo 32 in the aforementioned 30th anniversary markings circa 1988 which includes a large graphic on each side the tail. I couldn’t resist the German version even though it’s three color wraparound scheme is a bit more work. I used model master paints as called out in the instructions. I pre and post shaded to slightly fade the colors. The real aircraft was painted with soft edge color breaks but I elected to mask them hard since the graphics are the focal point of this model. All the metallic shades are either alclad or model master metalizers. The wings areas that fold into the fuselage are natural metal on Tornados. I shot these areas with alclad then folded the wings and marked the paint line, masked over that and glued the wings open. The drop tanks for this version have blue upper and lower surfaces that you will have to paint to match as no decals are provided for that. I over coated with testors gloss lacquer to prep for decals. Decals Set aside a few sessions for the decals! There are a lot of them. The sheets are well done. Each subject is in register and the density is very good. Even the large white areas on the tail did not show any of the color underneath. I used a combination of microset, solvaset and future to get them on. My only anxious moment was the large tail graphics which are all one piece. I laid them over a coat of microset and found I had time to position them. They settled into the panel lines and even over the vortex generators after some small relief cuts were made. Measure and cut the wing walk stripes as there are just enough to do the job. These decals are very forgiving as I rolled some up while applying and was still able to save them. Finish Part of the fun of this kit is choosing the configuration of weapons you want. Everything you need to arm your Tornado is in the box. You get three ECM pod variants, two Aim 9 AAM, two AGM 88As, 2 Alarm missiles, some iron bombs, a WM-1 munitions dispenser and several variants of drop tanks. There’s also a photo recon pod and the laser designator for the RAF version molded in clear plastic to duplicate the window. With the right markings this kit could build up to represent most any Tornado IDS. I choose to load the weapons I saw fitted in a World Airpower Journal photograph. As you can see in the accompanying photos, my Tornado has just touched down and the reversers are opening. For this scene to work, I found some aircrew in the spares box and adjusted them to fit in the cockpit. My other addition is a scratch built FLIR pod under the nose pictured on most German Tornados, but not in the kit. The reverser clam shell doors don’t open all the way if you locate the parts per instructions. I did not fix it but it wouldn’t be hard to do. I lightly weathered my Tornado since this was a show bird. The dirty tail on Tornados is a result of the thrust reversers and smoky engines. For those who are interested, the German words on the underside are Frieden: Peace and Freheit: Freedom. Conclusion Let’s start with the high points. Lots of working goodies as previously mentioned and all those weapons! The decals are very good decals and the kit really captures the compact nature of the Tornado when complete. Low points include the air intake interiors which reveal a basic back plate and no ducting. A cockpit which is basic with raised details and cartoon like decals for all the panels if you wish. The Multi part ejection seats are passable but need some serious scratch built additions or aftermarket replacements. The kit parts fill the office but a nice after market set could make this kit a showstopper. The box recommends this kit for 14 years and older and based on the complexity of assembly, I would agree. This kit is distributed by www.luckymodel.com and with shipping will cost you $61.29. That’s a deal considering I saw it elsewhere for near $100.00. Overall this is an excellent kit that I really enjoyed building. It will give you a great result straight from the box. I give it my highest recommendation. Thanks to Lucky Model (Hobby Boss) and IPMS/USA for allowing me the pleasure of sharing this kit with you. References World Airpower Journal: Volumes 30 Autumn/Fall 1997 & 32 Spring 1998 YouTube: numerous videos of Tornados in action