Italeri's new 32nd scale Tornado GR.4's release day is imminent. We brand new pictures of the team from Italeri's build of the test kit - all complete and looking very good to us. These photos add to the tooling of the colours of the variants, the moulds of the kit to add to the previous CADs we have already shown you in our preview...
Preview: Italeri's new 32nd scale Tornado GR.4 - test build & colours of the kit...
Tornado GR.4
From Italeri
1/32nd scale Kit No #2513
The kit comes with 4 decal choices
Photo-Etch included in the kit.
Rubber or plastic tyres included
Length 52.1 cm
The new pictures of the moulds for Italeri's new GR.4 Tornado in 32nd scale are with us. This model will be released this month! Italeri has provided us with more pictures of the completed aircraft to add to the and information of the plastic mould's details, decal sheets, final assembly and painting tests.
The new box art that has been a little more dramatic with the lightning in the background...
Italeri's blurb on the new Tornado GR.4:
The Tornado Gr.4 arose from a collaborative project between Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom to produce a multi-role high-performance combat aircraft. The primary requirement, however, was to develop a ‘state of the art’ modern aircraft able to perform low-altitude penetrating strike missions. This need was met by the development of a twin-engine combat aircraft with a variable-sweep wing. The Tornado IDS (Interdictor/strike) was the first version to be released by the British Royal Air Force and designated GR.1.
Panavia Tornado GR4s in liveries to mark 100th anniversaries of Nos. IX(B), 12(B), XV(R) and 31 Squadrons as well as 40 years of Tornado, 2015.
In 1996 the Tornado was upgraded to the Gr.4 standard which was characterized by improved operational capabilities, new avionics systems for navigation and the adoption of new ‘on-board’ technologies. These systems enabled the effective identification and tracking of targets and the weapons management of the newer generation of weapons such as Paveway IV bombs and Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
Kit features:
● Finely detailed photo-etch parts included
● Removable RB.199 Engine with special support trolley
● Retracted or extended flaps and slats
● Movable ailerons
● Openable radome and fully detailed radar
● Rubber or Plastic Tyres
● Movable variable-geometry wings and wing pylons
● Rubber cover for the wing entry point into the fuselage
● Colour instruction sheet
● 4 R.A.F. versions included on the decals sheet
The completed test kit, ready to go to market - shown here with wings swept forward. Notice the crew ladder included also?
A view from the rear showing the thrust reverser deployed, airbrakes up and flaps down, lots of feathers on this bird.
You can see the large droptanks of the "Tonka" are included also
Not sure if there are activators or not - but we cant see any in this photo...
A photo showing the range of the wing's sweep. thy can be posed after assembly to your desired angle...
A very nice cockpit awaits modellers, this one looks very well detailed and it includes Photo-etch for the more delicate / thinner parts
You can see the moulded on canopy destructing cord here on the perspex...
A very nice looking prospect we think for modellers, we look forward to seeing one ASAP!
An extended in-flight refuelling probe is an option here. There is an option of both rubber and plastic injection moulded tyres (which are weighted) - a great move to included both.
Some of the closer in details of the kit - notice just like the real thing the windbound stores pivot - they can be positioned to suit the angle of sweep you desire on your finished kit.
The cockpit does look really good we have to say. There is also the option of an openable radome and fully detailed radar. We see also that there is a removable RB.199 Engine with special support trolley included.
There are four marking choices in this boxing of the Tornado GR.4 in British service
Previous news on this kit:
The sprues of the kit...
The Tooling of the kit:
The photo-etch sheet of this kit.
Posable horizontal and vertical tail surfaces...
It looks like those wings will "swing"
The CAD drawings of the kit in an earlier form:
As you can see by this image from under the kit the large 2250 Litre drop tanks these aircraft used to carry is included with the kit - that and AIM 9L Sidewinders and LGB's.
The same angle, with the gear up, showing you more of the undersides of the "Tonka"
The access ladder and mini platform for both pilots are included in the kit.
The complex air intakes with auxiliaries are also included
YOu can see they plan to model the airbrakes and reverse thrust shields on the rear of the aircraft...
The internals of the nose gear are included on this kit. Twin nose wheels with gear and even hydraulic lines are included don the CAD drawings...
A similar story applies on the rear gear set up, hopefully, this area is finished off nicely in the kit.
The inclusion of removable Rolls Royce Turbo-Union RB199 engines (with a trolley for support) are a good feature of the kit - hopefully, they are a little lifelike...
While there are no instrument panels to be seen so far in this CAD, the detonation wire on the canopy is there and that we guess is a start - along with some good looking MB ejector seats.
That is it for this preview, you can find more about this kit on the Italeri Website
