Contrail

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KIWI
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

Does anyone have a catalogue for Contrail , I think at least one was issued . I am not sure the list at top of this thread is completely accurate , yes it is fairly good but it does need sharpening up . For example the TSR2 was issued in both 1/72 and 1/48 scale , the N.A. XB70 was also issued in 1/72 as well as in error in 1/100 .
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JohnRatzenberger
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Re: Contrail

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

From the previous discussion.

I added the 1/24 SE5a; I have one, it is the Contrail Black Knight.
I managed to find the Side/Overstrand, so now I have both manufacturers.

All I've got for reference is PAK-20 and whatever is in my stash -- and I'll rerun them if that helps.
A google didn't find any other listing, not helped by some outfit in Florida called Contrails Models.

Take me a couple days, so if someone has a better idea, jump in.
I will take all the previous comments and try to confirm them.
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

I would like to see a list in the order that kits were released , however I have yet to find one . Several kits were advertised but never released I believe , one being the Short Shetland , another I have seen mentioned but found no proof of is the Armstrong Whitworth Ensign . I will try to provide a list that shows some sort of order of release , this will certainly not be accurate , more like an educated guess .
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

I have enjoyed making up lists for these long gone " Cottage Industry " companies . Contrail I find a little more difficult because their kits did not have numbers . From this distance in both time and miles I am sure I will get some things wrong and so I hope that as in other up grades of other lists there will be imput from other interested forum members so that we end up with the most complete and accurate list .
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

Probably the best place to start would be a crib from John Burns book . Gordon Sutcliffe started this company in 1970 with conversions for 1/72 Airfix kits . Sutciffe Productions was the official name for the company , the Contrail name was not used until 1974 . In the late 1980's many of the kits were retooled and upgraded . In the early 1990's a small range of 1/24 scale kits was produced under the Black Knight name . At some time a range of 1/48 scale kits was proposed for the retailer Earnest Berwick under the Nimbus name a batch of decals for an Attacker , a Seahawk and a Scimitar were made but only the Scimitar was produced and sales were so poor the idea went no further . However the decals later were used by Falcon . Contrail marketed many of the Gerald Elliott / Bristol Models / Sanger Engineering kits . In 1992 a large number of Contrail moulds were sold to Aircraft in Miniature . All production ceased in March 1994 when Gordon Sutcliffe retired . John Burns book's list is fairly comprehensive and useful however I think there is more to the story and we can add detail .
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Re: Contrail

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

I got some stuff out to futz around with, but it's under a couple other research projects ....
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

The first kit produced by Sutcliffe Productions , Westcombe , Shepton Mallet , England .
Conversion Unit. No.1 .
According to the lable , lists the York , Manchester (wings , engines , fins ), Halifax 1 or 11 ( engines , fins , nose and mid upper turrets ), Halifax Transport ( nose , tail and pannier ) , Hereford (engines ) , Beaufighter mk11 ( engines ). All based on 1/72 Airfix kits . The York conversion was crossed off the lable and actually appeared in the next kit .
Heavy Conversion Unit No. 2 .
York (Fuselage , fin and transparency ), Liberator Transport ( fuselage and tail unit ) and Privateer ( fuselage , tail unit and transparencys ).
Heavy Conversion Unit No.3 .
Locheed Ventura (Fuselage and engines ), Armstrong Whitworth Whitley 111 (engines), Vickers Armstrong Wellington 11 (engines and transparencys)
These kits included vacuuformed parts and where needed transparences , Xeroxed , typed instructions , notes on individual types and hand drawn plans .
I have an Avro Lancastrian conversion with part of the instructions which are so similar to these that I have to wonder if this is is also a Sutcliffe product of this era , I have also seen a picture of a completed Lancaster converted to the version intended for the Far East , captioned as a Contrail kit . Neither are proof positive but worth a mention .
At the time of the arrival of these first two kits in a review of the kits in Scale Models there is a mention that Gordon Sutcliffe is working on a 1/72 Galaxy . To the best of my knowledge this kit never appeared .
The instructions I have for Conversion Unit No.1 mention that the Heavy Conversion Unit No.2 will be available late in 1971 . Also they include plans for a Stirling Transport but no parts .
Often on the instructions backside there are notes from Gordon Sutcliffe informing his customer of new releases , for example one I have reads , C46 , one pound sterling , Martin B10 , 66 p , now ready , hope to have DC4 early 1974 , B36 next ready about Oct/Nov . Dated 1/10/73 . Of these I think only the C46 , Martin B10 and B36 made it into production .
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Re: Contrail

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

With that kind of info, it might be possible to amend the list with "ca. 1971" etc to establish a rough order.
And then somewhere else capture the detail descriptions such as for the HCUs in an organized fashion.

Good work, I'm afraid my contributions won't be as significant ....
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

So what came next ? I really have no idea but the only kit I have seen which is similar to the first three in presentation is ;
Blackburn Botha 1 , Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle , Waco CG-13A .
This kit includes all three aircraft , all three were later released individualy , and the first two were retooled and upgraded during the life of the company , with new moulds , injection moulded detail parts , later in white metal and decals .
Another kit from this period contained four Soviet aircraft ;
Tu 14 , Yak 15 , MiG 9 and La 15 .
Again all these were also issued seperately .
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

Packaging .
In an attempt to add a order to the list , a bit about how the kits were presented .
The first kits were bagged with strong coloured headercards with white lables stuck on . Pink , orange blue green and black were colours used , and the kits mentioned so far appeared like this . Next ( 1975 ) I think for a short time a white not so sturdy box with a hand drawn , printed lable . The Horsa , Welkin and Ju 290 might have been boxed like this , some of these also included plans which appear to be from Aircraft of the Fighting Powers . Then I think a return was made to bagged with header cards , this time with paler colours and a printed lable , some with a picture . A sturdy brown corrigated cardboard box with a printed lable with an outline drawing I think came next , followed by bagged with a blue headercard and outline drawing . Basicly I think that is how it went .
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

Contrail 1/72 kit List ;
Conversion Unit No1
Heavy Conversion Unit no2
Heavy Conversion Unit No3
Avro Lancastrian conversion
Blackburn B26 Botha 1
Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle
Waco CG-13A
Waco CG-4A Hadrian
Airspeed Horsa
Westland Welkin
Tupolev TU 14
Lavochkin LA 15
Yakovlev YAK 15
Mikoyan MIG 9
Junkers JU 290
Tupolev TU 73
Tupolev TU 104
Avro York Conversion
Avro Manchester Conversion
Consolidated-Vultee PB4Y-2 Privateer Conversion
Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando (Two types of fuselage)
Convair B36D
Consolidated PB2Y-2-3 Coronado
Short S.19 Singapore
Boulton & Paul Overstrand/Sidestrand
Vickers Supermarine Stranraer
Supermarine Southampton
North American XB-70 Valkyrie
Blackburn Beverley
A.V.Roe 688 Tudor 1 to 4
Northrop N-3PB
Miles Marathon
Douglas O-35 B7
Handley Page Heyford
Handley Page HP42 / HP45
Fairey 111F (three kits in one box)
Short Mayo Composite (Short Mercury kit suppied by Airframe)
Short 21 Maia
Short 20 Mercury
BAC TSR2
Blackburn Iris
Blackburn Perth
Vickers Vincent/Vildebeest
Airspeed Ambassador
Fairy Hendon
Handley Page Hydrabad / Hinaidi (Two kits in one box)
Handley Page Hydrabad
Petlyakov Pe 8
Handley Page Harrow / Sparrow
Junkers JU390 V2 or V3A
Supermarine Scapa
Supermarine Scimitar
Saro London
Avro Lincoln
Avro Manchester
Avro York
Vickers Vernon conversion
Martin B10
Ilyushin Il-4 / DB3
Tupolev Tu-16 Badger
Tupolev Tu-28 Fiddler
Fairey Spearfish
Short Rangoon / Calcutta
Blackburn Rippon and Baffin (two kits in one box)
Fairey Gordon (Can be built as a Seal)
Hawker Horsley
Vickers Virginia - Victoria - Valentia (five kits in one box)
Short Seamew
Vickers Armstrong Warwick
Vickers Armstrong Warwick additional parts (enough parts to build a second kit with parts left over from original kit)
Convair B32 Dominator
Blackburn Blackburn
Vickers Valiant B1
Vickers Valiant B2
Zeppelin Staaken R.VI
Short Sturgeon TT.2
Miles M.33. Monitor
Sukhoi SU-2
Yakovlev YAK-28 C and P (two kits in one box)
Avro Shackleton Mk1
Avro Shackleton Mk11/Mk111
Saunders-Roe S38 Lerwick
Beech Starship
Piaggio Avanti
Blackburn G.P. Seaplane
Blackburn Kangaroo Commercial
Blackburn Kangaroo R.A.F.
Myasishchev M-52 Bounder
Tupolev TU.20 Bear
Tupolev TU.126 Moss (includes alternative parts for TU 114 Cleat)
Myasishchev Mya-4/Mya-201-M Bison
Vickers Windsor
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mks 1 , IV and V.
Latecoere 631
Sukhoi SU-25
Tupolev Tu-14T Bosun
G.A. Hamilcar
Bristol Brigand
Bristol Buckmaster
Bristol Buckingham
Hawker Siddeley Sea Vixen

There were also three accessory sets
Engine ground trolly with w/m engine
Propellor blade carriage with 12 blades
Propellor carriage with 4 propellors
These were avaliable in both 1/72 and 1/48

Contrail also produced packets of ;
struts (5 different sizes)
rod (5 different sizes}
tube (5 different sizes)

Contrail 1/48 kit list
BAC TSR2
Bristol Blenhiem Mk1
Bristol Blenhiem Mk4/5
Grumman F7F-3 Tigercat
Supermarine Scimitar
Douglas A26B
Douglas A26C
Martin Maryland
Martin Baltimore
Bristol Beaufort
Handley Page Halifax 1/2
Handley Page Halifax 111/V111
Handley Page Hampden
Heinkel He111
Lockheed Hudson
English Electric Lightning F6
Mitsubishi Ki21-11 Sally
Vickers Vildebeest

1/48 Supermarine Scimitar was marketed under the brand name Nimbus for Earnest Berwick this was intended to be the start of a range which was to include a Supermarine Attacker and Sea Hawk . Decals for all three were produced but as sales of the Scimitar were so poor the other two were not produced and teh surplus decals were sold to Falcon Industries in New Zealand .

There was also a range of 1/24 called Black Knight
Nieuport 17
Albatross DV
SE5a

I believe Gordon Sutcliffe used his knowledge and equipment to produce other similar lines . I believe he supplied the vacform parts for Sevans Models Doctor Who kits .


More to come
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JohnRatzenberger
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Re: Contrail

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

I'll be along presently, I'm wading through several other projects.

Our previous list appeared alphabetic, is there an order to this newer one ? I had though that if we maintained alphabetic, we could annotate something like "ca. 1971" after them although certainly your packaging post gave me the idea to sort them under those headings ... I have it on my to-do to photo each kit I have for that purpose .... I just wish I had thought of this last week as I had all my kits out being re-organized ....
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KIWI
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

jRatz wrote:I'll be along presently, I'm wading through several other projects.

Our previous list appeared alphabetic, is there an order to this newer one ? I had though that if we maintained alphabetic, we could annotate something like "ca. 1971" after them although certainly your packaging post gave me the idea to sort them under those headings ... I have it on my to-do to photo each kit I have for that purpose .... I just wish I had thought of this last week as I had all my kits out being re-organized ....
This new list is currently is in no order as such apart from the fact that the first three kits were those three conversions at the start . The idea of a list in alphabetical order with a close date might work , though , many kits were completely redone and as such were new morre than once . I am not talking about with decals and w/m parts added , I am meaning a completely new mould , new instructions etc . Does this mean two appearances in the list ? There are about thirty odd additions to be made too .
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JohnRatzenberger
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Re: Contrail

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

I've been capturing the posts so I can work them into something easier offline.

I took pix of my 29 kits (well fewer kits than that because I have several in multiple packaging styles) and will upload soon. Some I did not photo because the "packaging" is whatever baggie the previous owner stuffed the kit/remnants into.
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

Contrail published a catalogue which I have not seen , as well as this in the 1980's there was often a simple single sided sheet advertising their kits supplied in each kit . I have two different versions of these , I do not know how many versions were printed .
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