Angel Interceptor

[Paul A H]

Angel Interceptor

1:72 Airfix

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was a successful science fiction TV series and a product of the imagination of Gerry Anderson, the man behind Stingray, Thunderbirds, Joe 90 and Terrahawks. Broadcast in 1967 but set in 2068, the series featured the indestructible Captain Scarlet and charted the struggle between the international security agency Spectrum and the, well, mysterious Mysterons. Spectrum’s headquarters was an aerial fortress known as Cloudbase. It was protected by five Angel Interceptor fighter aircraft, all flown by a group of charming young ladies known as the Angels.

By all accounts, Airfix’s Angel Interceptor had become something of a collector’s item in recent years, having disappeared from their catalogue in the mid-1980s. Nearly 20 years later, however, the kit is back in production, a fact that I’m sure will please fans of Gerry Anderson’s work. Inside the familiar bright red box are two sprues of grey plastic, a canopy, decals and instructions.

As you might expect for a kit that dates back to the late 1960s, the kit is fairly basic both in terms of part count and details. The plastic parts feature raised panel lines but, despite their age, they are relatively free from flash. Having said that, there are a couple of quite noticeable sink marks, particularly around the engine intakes and nose. These will be quite tricky to treat without losing some of the raised detail.

Construction should be simple enough, mainly thanks to the low number of parts. Relatively little interior detail is provided, but not much can be seen under the tiny canopy anyway. A decal is included for the instrument panel and a pilot is provided, but unfortunately it bears little resemblance to an Angel.

The decals are very nice indeed. As well as the main markings, a full range of stencils is included as well. The decal sheet is well printed.

Conclusion

As mentioned above, fans of Gerry Anderson’s work will be very happy to see this kit back on the shelves of the model shop once again. Whilst it’s fair to say that the kit is showing its age now, just like the original TV series it has a certain charm.

Review sample courtesy of

[little-cars]

I noticed Retrokit had a resin cockpit detailing set for the kit for £7, might give it a new lease of life.

Contents appear to be a one piece cockpit tub, seperate seat, standing pilot and a second seat with a sitting pilot.

Paul

[Kallisti]

Yup I've got that resin set and it looks pretty good. One of these days I'll get round to building myself an Angel!