Irish Air Corps Collection 

by Roy McKay

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  St Patricks Day 2009 

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Hi all, here to mark St. Patricks Day is a little collection of Irish Air Corps aircraft in 1/72 scale. All are decorated with decals from one of three sheets by Max Decals, the only source for Irish Air Corps equipment. This is only a small cross section of IAC history, and all these models were built over a ten year period (with some having much better quality builds than others!). They are shown here in roughly chronological order, but the models were not built that way.

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We start of with a couple of pre-war birds. The Gladiator is shown wearing the pre-1939 (delivery) scheme of green fuselage and silver (doped) wings, and tricolour stripes for National Insignia. The Lysander is in a later wartime dark green/dark earth camouflage similar to RAF aircraft of the same time. National markings now consist of the Celtic boss in 4 positions, with stripes remaining underwing. Both are Matchbox kits, and like almost all the models shown, apart from decals are out of box. (Photos 1-7)

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The Hurricanes show a contrast in markings. The Mk.I (Airfix) wears it's RAF scheme of dark green/dark earth, with Irish markings painted over the original British ones. This was an RAF aircraft that landed in the Republic after a dogfight with a German aircraft and was impressed into IAC service. The green/grey Mk.IIc (Heller) represents one of the aircraft bought new after 1943. While Ireland was nominally neutral during WW2, (so much so that officialdom didn't even refer to it as a war, rather as 'The Emergency'!) it is fair to say we were more neutral to some than to others! (Photos 8-12) 

The all green Spitfire T.9 brings us into the 1950s with a jump. All the surviving 5 Irish Spits (of 6 delivered) are still airworthy today, including the famous 'Grace Spitfire' and 163 is currently in the USA. This is a heavily converted Matchbox kit, and not one of my better efforts. The Chipmunk (Airfix) is the first model I built when I got back into the hobby, as is evidenced by the brushed-on Humbrol 11 Silver enamel. (Photos 13-18)

The Percival Provost (Matchbox) is a much later build and is far better finished (with an airbrush by this time) and brings us into the late '60s/early '70s. The SIAI Marchetti is from a Final Touch Products resin kit (my first) and is tiny. Even the small Provost dwarfs it's later partner in the basic training role. The first Marchettis were ordered in 1977 and only recently retired. (Photos 19-22). They even outlived the Gazelle (Airfix) and the Fouga Magister (Heller)  (Photos 24-32).

The Magister shares ramp space with the definitive Irish Air Corps machine, the Alouette III. (Heller kit). This is also an older model and will be stripped and repainted/redecalled as soon as another on the bench is finished. (Photos 25 and 26). The Riems Rocket (aka Cessna 172- Arii kit) brings us on to more recent times and current equipment, (photos 32-35)  while the HS-125 (Matchbox again) represents 'Irish 236' better known to the public as the first incarnation of the notorious 'Government Jet'. (Photos 36-39)

We are bang up to date with the Pilatus PC-9M, the current cutting-edge aircraft of the IAC. The kit is from L&M resin, and needs work for a presentable model. If only Hasegawa would do this... 

Hope you enjoyed it. Happy St Patricks Day!

Roy

(and if I hear one mention of lepreachauns or begorrah you'll be sorry........)

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Photos and text © by Roy McKay