Miniwing 1/144 Supermarine FB.2 Attacker
By Matt Bittner
Introduction
The progression from the F.1 version of the Supermarine Attacker to the FB.2 version first went to the FB.1, which added hard-points to the wings to make a fighter-bomber variant of the type, to the swap of the engine from the Nene 3 to the Nene 102. There were 84 built for the FAA while 36 Type 538 Attackers – with the Nene 4 engine – were built for the Pakistan Air Force.
The Kit
Miniwing added rockets to their already released F.1 variant of the Supermarine Attacker to take it to the FB.2 version. In addition they provide decals for the following two aircraft:
- FB.2 WP286/101-J, No 800 Naval Air Squadron FAA, HMS Eagle – finished in Extra Dark Sea Grey on top and Sky on the underside
- FB.2 R4003, Pakistani Air Force, finished overall in aluminum
Decals are nicely printed by JBr Decals and are in register.
This is another easy-to-assemble kit from Miniwing. The biggest headaches will be adding the four separate cannon to the wing and the photoetch antennas, as the rest of assembly will go fast. In addition you'll need to add the photoetch weapon pylons but you need to decide if you want to do that before painting (ensuring a stronger joint) or after decals are on (avoiding having to cut up the decals to fit around the pylons). Or don't worry about it and not fit the rockets and/or pylons at all. As with the F.1 my plan for this one is to glue on the flying surfaces first and then worry about the cockpit. I think it will be easier to handle that way. Plus I'm opting to glue on the pylons prior to painting and then cut the decals up appropriately.
Conclusion
While I think the F.1 is a great first-time resin kit for those whom haven't tackled any yet, the FB.2 version of the Attacker not as much. This is because of the addition of the pylons and rockets. But it still shouldn't be that difficult of a kit to finish.
My thanks to Miniwing for sending the FB.2 to review. You can find this and all other Miniwing kits at Kits-Shop, which includes free shipping, anywhere.