Aeroclassics, ASA Bristol Britannia: 5X-UVT

Propliners don't make up a signifiant portion of my collection. (Only about 23 of nearly 880 models). So my knowledge of their castings in 1/400 scale is limited. But what I can say, is that out of what I have seen, and own, the Bristol Britannia 300 is one of the prettiest. The 300 was a stretched version of the earlier 200 series. There were only 45 of these airplanes ever built, and gladly several are represented in the 1/400 realm. For a closer look at this copy from 2009, read on... 

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After searching the internet and comparing what's available on a few different databases, it seems like there are really only two main Bristol Britannia 300 castings in existence. One is owned by Gemimi Jets/JC, and the other, Aeroclassics. Both of the moulds were online by 2008, and curiously, neither has been used since 2009. There's an article on Yesterdaysairlines.com that does a good job reviewing the details of those moulds, so there's no need to rehash that here. What I can say is that many of the available -300s represent the primary users of the type which are largely either legacy airlines, or naturally, British operators. That means that there are fewer examples like this one representing a more exotic charter airline. 

This airplane which was originally delivered to Canadian Pacific in 1958, didn't come to ASA until 1969. It only lasted with the company until 1971. After that, it was withdrawn permanently.

The real thing: 5X-UVT sits on the tarmac at Biggin Hill, UK in 1970. The ariplane was being used as a display during a local show. (Photograph courtesy of R.A. Scholefield,, Airliners.net).

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Notes:
I found this model at a bargain price on the Aeroclassics online store, Aeroclassicsdirect.com. I bought this, and a second series 300 example, for less than twenty dollars each. I'm glad that I added the type when I did because the prices on these model in the second hand market have continued to increase. I'm looking forward to a detailed review of this model later this year. 

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Sources:
​-Airliners.net
-Modelaircraftdatabase.com