The Fireflash - Gee, That's A Great Aircraft

Here’s a few snaps of the Aoshima Fireflash kit I’ve taken on my larger diorama setting.

The kit, a fairly accurate representation is apparently 1/350 scale, and when assembled it’s around 14” long.

Painting the kit is quite a job which involves a lot of masking tape and an equal amount of patience as you‘re dealing with a small kit with plenty of paint detail. The water slide decals provide white lines which can cover minor paint bleeds but they are a nightmare to apply, and you have quite a job placing them in the right spot. I, like many of you kit builders out there, used a thin damp paint brush to apply them. Another problem is Aoshima doesn’t provide enough white strip so you have to sacrifice some strips on the underside which are not generally seen. One more thing, the decals are prone to cracking which can be a pain especially if they’re ones directly on show. I tried a spot of washing up liquid in the water to try and minimise it.

The glazed winged passenger sections are another part which needs attention. As Aoshima haven’t provided any detail behind the clear plastic you have to create the wing lounges yourself otherwise you’d just see right through. A little detail is needed in the cockpit as well.

By and large though, as there’s very few Fireflash models out there this is worth considering but it does involve a fair bit of work.

I’ve no doubt you’ll all agree the Fireflash is a popular design with Anderson fans and is as synonymous with Thunderbirds as any of the actual Thunderbird craft.

As many of you will know the futuristic airliner was designed by effects maestro, Derek Meddings and first appeared on TV in the Thunderbirds opening episode, Trapped in the Sky.

As a little extra ,the kit provides all four elevator cars including a master and a spare. Also provided is a card showing section of runway, so you can create a diorama of the climax of that first story.

As you can see I’ve put three of the cars together but I’ve yet to paint them, preferring to display the model with the landing gear down.

Anyway, if you’ve got one of these kits how did yours turn out? If you’re thinking of getting one - I say go for it, but take your time - It's a great aircraft!