Halifax GR.Mk.II
Nose, Cockpit & Canopy

Pavla, 1/72 scale

Pavla has produced a comprehensive cockpit and canopy set for the Revell re-release of Matchbox's old but decent 1/72 scale Handley Page Halifax. This set is labeled as a GR Mk.II, but would also be appropriate for the B Mk.II Series Ia bomber. With some major surgery to the engines (replacing them with Hercules radials - perhaps cross-kitted from Airfix), you could also depict a B Mk.III.

It would be selling this set short to describe it as a simple cockpit. Pavla has supplied an entire replacement nose in resin. The interior of the nose halves feature authentic structural detail plus various boxes, dials and wiring cast in place. This will be a direct replacement for the kit's separate nose halves - no cutting of the fuselage will be required.

The remaining resin parts cover the cockpit floor, bulkheads, seats, instrument panel, radios and smaller details.

Casting quality is very good, and the detail is as impressive as the larger nose parts. The instrument panel even features a cable bundle on the back of the resin part.

The only curious omission is harnesses. You'll have to source these yourself.

The Matchbox / Revell kit transparencies are quite thick and distorted, so Pavla's replacement nose cone, canopy and navigator's astrodome clear sections are particularly welcome. The vacform parts are sturdy and clear, with no noticeable distortion on my sample.

It is pleasing to see this sort of resin attention lavished on an older, but fundamentally decent, kit. Pavlas's Halifax cockpit is beautifully detailed, and a huge improvement over the kit cockpit parts and canopy transparencies.

I do hope we see more in a similar vein in the future.

Highly Recommended