Gloster E28/39 (Pioneer), Novo (Frog) 1:72nd

This kit by Novo is produced from the original Frog mouldings. While it's a simple kit it does have some nice features like seperate wheels rather than the usual case where the wheel and the undercarriage leg is a single part which can make painting tricky. It also has a proper two piece cockpit tub which which forms the bifurcated intake in the nose of the model. Like the Highplanes kit this also only has decals for W4041 and does not give you the option of adding the end-plate fins fitted to the tail later in it's life.

The biggest problem is scale. Measuring the unassembled parts indicates that the model while scale out to a length of 29ft 6 inches which is 4ft 3 inches longer than the real thing. The wings are better as they only seem to be about 9 scale inches too big which could be easily corrected. When I build the kit I may try to correct the fuselage but it may prove too much trouble. All said the kit parts look nice and if your not worried about scale it will build into a nice model of Britain's first jet aircraft.

Reviewed by Andrew Broxholme, December 2003

The Frog kit built up as the W4041 before it was fitted with stabilizing fins (Jean-Pierre Veret)

Review of the High Planes kit