Despite the large numbers built and the many countries that employed her services, kit manufacturers have largely ignored the Avro 504. This is the perfect opportunity for a “limited run” manufacturer to step in and Blue Max has done precisely that.

The 504K is a large aircraft and comes in 21 plastic and 29 pewter parts. Also supplied are four lengths of rod, three of which are streamlined. The latter is meant for the struts and experience has shown that with care, this solution is perfectly adequate.

A decal sheet is supplied that provides for the usual two options and the package is completed with an A4 sized instruction sheet. All this is contained in Blue Max’s typically attractive boxing with what appears to be one of Paul Monteagle’s classic paintings adorning the front.

Fuselage

The fuselage is done in two halves and has good crisp detail along its length. The stringers are well defined and the stitching is neatly executed. The inner sidewalls receive the structural framework and this has been cast in pewter alloy. Some careful cleaning up and test fitting is needed to ensure that all goes well but this is expected for a kit of this type.

Other cockpit items in metal are the control columns, rudder bar and floor runners, while the instrument panels and seats are supplied in plastic. An opening of this size can always be added to with detail and the modeler would do well to exercise their skills in this area.

Wings

As per the original aircraft, the wings are provided as four separate parts. Naturally there is also the center section supplied that fits between the upper mainplanes. The rib detail is very subtle, being represented by “tapes” and should look fine under a coat of paint.

A couple of the sprue attachment points are located on the end of these tapes so they will be affected during the cleaning up process. This is not a great problem as these can be easily reinstated with decal strip or the like. The same process can be used for those on the undersurface of the wings, as it would be wise to sharpen up the trailing edges.

Thoughtfully the ailerons have been moulded individually so the animation of your model is made that much easier. The detail on these items is quite exquisite and because of the way they have been produced, no detail will be lost.

The lower wings are a butt joint to the fuselage so some form of pinning will be necessary. There is plenty of surface area for this and no problems are expected.

The tailplane is a one-piece affair and slots into a cutout in the fuselage…to be created by the modeler. Again, if the builder takes their time, there should be no dramas.

Other plastic parts include the rudder, wheels and propeller. All have good detail with no blemishes at all.

More Pewter

A zip-lock bag contains all of the pewter alloy items. Some parts will be slightly bent due to the packaging but a flat surface will soon put things right. The rotary engine is made up of nine separate cylinders and these are superb. A well-formed cowling is also in this medium and it too is finished to this same high standard.

White metal can be seen on the undercarriage components, tailskid, cabane struts and upper wing gravity tank. All these items were cast without imperfections, with only the usual flash to remove.

The Albatros Productions Datafile was used in the production of the kit so it is not surprising that the parts matched the plans perfectly.

As expected, the superbly printed decal sheet carries two options. These hand-printed decals result in a very thin carrier film. Thus it is advisable not to use any decal setting solutions and in fact none are necessary anyway.

All items were in perfect register and the colour density was excellent.

The options are:

a) Avro 504K, restored at the RAF Museum, Hendon (E449)

This aircraft is finished in the usual PC10, which is also seen applied to the wheel covers.
The cowling, side panels and gravity tank are all painted black, with clear doped linen appearing under the wings.

b) AVRO 504K, of No. 4 Flying Training School, Abu Sueir, 1921/2 (H7528)

For something a bit different, an aluminium doped scheme is provided for the second choice. It belonged to a training school and was repainted from its original PC10 or PC12 finish. Again, the gravity tank is black and a red band is seen encircling the fuselage.

To ensure that there are no registration problems, Blue Max has sensibly supplied both the roundel centers and the tail number outlines as separate items.

Blue Max has given the modeler a great start with this kit.

Some careful dry fitting and cleaning up is needed but this is expected in a kit of this type.
All of the basic items are provided to allow the builder to create their own accurate example of this famous aircraft.

Recommended for the experienced modeler.

 

Thanks to Squadron.com for the review sample.