Contrail

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Contrail

Post by JamesPerrin »

Original thread

Originally compiled by MerlinJones

Contrail

This British manufacturer also goes under the name Sutcliffe.

Their earlier kits were somewhat simple, but they reportedly improved as time went gone on.

Surface detail is engraved and the canopies are sometimes a touch on the yellow side and not very clear. Some kits include white metal detail parts while others have short run injection molded details.

As with many kits of this media, some effort is needed to get the parts to fit well. Only the later kits include a decal sheet, which is basic, Most kits include Contrail rod and strut which can be very useful.

In 1/72;

Airspeed Ambassador
Airspeed Horsa
Ant 22
Avro Lincoln
Avro Manchester
Avro Manchester conversion
Avro Shackleton
Avro Tudor
Avro York
Avro York conversion
A W Ablemarle
BAC TSR2 (in 1/48 scale)
Blackburn Beverley
Blackburn Blackburn
Blackburn Botha
Blackburn GP (Civil)
Blackburn GP (RAF)
Blackburn GP (Seaplane)
Blackburn Iris
Blackburn Kangaroo
Blackburn Perth
Blackburn Ripon / Baffin
B P Overstrand / Sidestrand
Bristol Bombay
Consolidated P2Y2
Convair B 32
Convair B 36D
Convair PB2Y 3
Curtiss C 46
Douglas B 7 / O 35
Fairey F111F
Fairey Gordon / Seal
Fairey Hendon
Fairey Spearfish
G A Hamilcar
Hawker Horsley
Heavy Conversion Unit #1
Heavy Conversion Unit #2
H P 42 / 45
H P Harrow / Sparrow
H P Hendon
H P Heyford
Il DB 3 /IL 1
Ju 290
Ju 390
La 15
Martin B 10
Martin Mars
MiG 9
Miles Marathon
Miles Monitor
Mya 4 Bison
N A XB 70 (in 1/100 scale)
Northrop N 3PB
Petlyakov Pe8
Rangoon/Culcutta
Saro Lerwick
Saro London
Short Maia
Short Seamew
Short Shetland
Short Singapore 111
Short Sturgeon
Su 2
Supermarine Scapa
Supermarine Scimitar
Supermarine Southampton
Supermarine Stranraer
Tu 14
Tu 16
Tu 20
Tu 73
Tu 104
Tu 126
Vickers Valiant B1
Vickers Vernon conversion
Vickers Vincent / Vildebeest
Vickers Virginia /Valentia /Victoria
Vicker Warwick
Waco GC 4
Waco GC 13
Westland Welkin
Yak 15
Yak 28
Zeppelin Staaken

Supermarine Scimitar 1/48 made by Contrail for Earnest Berwick under the Nimbus brand name

In 1/24, (Produced by Contrail under the brand name Black Knight );

Albatros DV
Nieuport 17
S.E.5a (Kit #3)

Thanks to KIWI

added S.E.5a, jRatz
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

Probably time to up date this one too .
The early kits were branded as Sutcliffe Productions .
I do not believe the Ant 22 or Martin Mars were ever kitted by this manufacturer , Gordon Sutcliffe wrote an article on how to model an Ant 22 in Scale Models and I think the Mars was made as a vacform in 1/72 by Combat models .
The Blackburn GP came out as three kits , the seaplane and as an RAF or civilian landplane .
The 1/48 Scimitar was supposed to be followed by a 1/48 Attacker and a Swift , however the sales of the Scimitar were so poor that the other two were not produced .
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Re: Contrail

Post by bluesteel »

The Saro Lerwick needs to be added to the Contrail list.
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Re: Contrail

Post by JamesPerrin »

Cheers guys, I've added you amendments.
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

The listed Consolidated P2Y2 should more correctly be titled Consolidated P2Y-2 Ranger and the Convair PB2Y2 should be Consolidated PB2Y-2 /-3 Coronado .
The Short Shetland though advertised I have never seen or heard of any other trace of this kit and suspect it never made it into production .
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Re: Contrail

Post by BWP »

JamesPerrin wrote:Their earlier kits were somewhat simple, but they have reportedly as time has gone on.
Um ... reportedly what as time has gone on?
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

BWP wrote:
JamesPerrin wrote:Their earlier kits were somewhat simple, but they have reportedly as time has gone on.
Um ... reportedly what as time has gone on?
My guess would be "improved". Many of the kits were revisited over time , for example the Valiant can be found with the fin moulded with the fuselage and also with the fin moulded as a seperate part . Both the Botha and the Albemarle were completely redone , the Harrow was first issued as just that , but later editions had additional fuselage halves to enable the modeller to make the Sparrow as an option . Many kits were upgraded by the inclusion of white metal detail parts .
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Re: Contrail

Post by SJPONeill »

The Hendon was also improved from a five part wing to a two part wing and rereleased with much better plastic and molding quality on the second go-round...
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Re: Contrail

Post by JamesPerrin »

KIWI wrote:
BWP wrote:Um ... reportedly what as time has gone on?
My guess would be "improved".
Fixed.
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Re: Contrail

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

I'm looking at my inventory list, not in the actual stash, but I show:

1/72: H.P. Hyderbad/Hinaidi

1/48: Vickers Wildebeest/Vincent
1/48: H.P. Hampden (but that might be Sanger?)

1/24: S.E.5a

Contrail did the Sidestrand/Overstrand ? I have that listed as Esoteric -- did they both do it ?
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Re: Contrail

Post by bluesteel »

Contrail definitely did the Ovesrtrand/Sidestrand as I have two of them. I think Esoteric also did their own.
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

jRatz wrote:I'm looking at my inventory list, not in the actual stash, but I show:

1/72: H.P. Hyderbad/Hinaidi
Yes

1/48: Vickers Wildebeest/Vincent
1/48: H.P. Hampden (but that might be Sanger?)
Yes to both , I have mainly looked for the 1/72 kits , and the with Sanger /Contrail connection I am not too sure about who originaly did what in 1/48 . The kits of Gerald Elliott , Bristol Models were marketed and sold under the Contrail name then when Gordon Sutcliffe retired , Gerald Elliott aquired many of the Contrail moulds and set up Sanger Engineering and thus many of the kits have been marketed under the Sanger name .
1/24: S.E.5a
I have not seen or heard of this before . The 1/24 scale kits were under the brand name Black Knight and as far as I know only the Albatros and Nieuport were made , apparently a Gloster Gladiator was talked about but I do not think it got to production

Contrail did the Sidestrand/Overstrand ? I have that listed as Esoteric -- did they both do it ?
Yes they both did these in 1/72 , the Contrail kit had parts for either , so you could make either one .
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Re: Contrail

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

KIWI wrote: ..... snip ....

1/24: S.E.5a
I have not seen or heard of this before . The 1/24 scale kits were under the brand name Black Knight and as far as I know only the Albatros and Nieuport were made , apparently a Gloster Gladiator was talked about but I do not think it got to production

Contrail did the Sidestrand/Overstrand ? I have that listed as Esoteric -- did they both do it ?

Yes they both did these in 1/72 , the Contrail kit had parts for either , so you could make either one .
When I get home, I'll confirm that S.E.5a kiut.

Esoteric has parts for both also -- I started it then got side-tracked (again).
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

An SE5a would compliment the other two which have always seemed an odd couple to me . The Nieuport had RFC decals for the aircraft of Bishop , Ball and Maddock , the Albatros had one decal option , it had a large red Dragon on the fuselage sides .
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Re: Contrail

Post by KIWI »

Searching through PAK-20 I see there is the SE5a listed , also in 1/72 there is an Armstrong Whitworth AW27 Ensign and a Percival Prentice , this last one being the Elliott kit .
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