Pavla 1/48 Canberra PR.9 Detail Sets

With first Classic Airframes and now Airfix, 1/48 modelers are definitely in Canberra heaven.  With popularity high, it is no wonder to see Pavla release several detail sets for the Airfix Canberra PR.9 kit.  These sets focus on two areas: the cockpits and the wheel wells.

U 48-32 - E.E. Canberra Nose Wheel Bay
U 48-33 - E.E. Canberra Main  Wheel Well

Starting with the wheel wells, these two sets provide simple replacements of the kit wheel wells.  The detailing in these wells is quite a bit better than what is in the kit, both in the well itself and in the doors.  The nose gear set has six pieces, including the two doors, a one-piece well, and the actuator arms.  The main gear set is a bit more complex, with twelve pieces covering the doors, wells, and various actuators.  As these are generic wheel wells, they should work for any Canberra/B-57 variant put out by Airfix.

S 48032 - M.B. Mk. 2CA Pilot's Seat
S 48033 - M.B. Mk. 4QS Navigator's Seat

These are straight replacements for the kit seats, and are identical to the ones provided in the cockpit sets described below.  Pavla has accurately captured the different shapes of these two seats, and the detailing is quite good across the board.  For those wanting a simple upgrade to their cockpit, these are the perfect choice.

C 48017 - Pilot and Navigator Cockpit
C 48018 - Pilot Cockpit

The Canberra PR.9 has two separate cockpits, one for the pilot and one for the navigator.  The pilot gets to sit under a bubble canopy, able to look around at the world underneath him.  The navigator, on the other hand, is stuck into a black hole in the nose, with just a few tiny slits through which to look out.  As the British painted their cockpit areas black, this was not just a figurative black hole, either.  Bad for navigators, good for modelers, as one does not have to detail out that area if they don't want.  For those that do, though, Pavla has you covered.

The differences between the two cockpit sets are simple: the pilot & navigator set has the navigator section molded on to the cockpit tub, and provides the added detail pieces for that section.  The pilot's section is identical, and we'll describe that first.  The tub has sidewall and bulkhead detailing molded in place, with a separate instrument panel & coaming, control column, and rudder pedal assembly.  The seat is also separate, as are a couple instrument clusters.  Other details include some nicely done throttle levers.  For the solo pilot's cockpit, this is all you get, and it should make for a very nice replacement for the kit parts with minimal effort.

For those who want to detail out the navigator's section, the expanded set adds that forward cockpit onto the pilot's section.  This includes a detailed bulkhead and sidewalls, and as with the pilot's section, the seat is separate.  Building onto this main assembly, there are two separate sidewall pieces, a new nose cone with an instrument panel insert, and a matching front ring to allow the modeler to display open.  That, plus the open top hatch, would let in enough light to show off all this additional detail, and make this a definitely eye-catcher at your next model meeting.

The Airfix Canberra is an impressive model, and these detail sets from Pavla can take it to the next level.  My thanks to  Pavla Models for the review samples.