Cyber-hobby.com 1/72 Sea Venom FAW.21 Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The de Havilland Sea Venom was a two-seat night fighter that was a navalized version of the RAF's Venom night fighter. Both designs show their heritage to the first de Havilland twin-boom fighter - the Vampire. The Sea Venom FAW.21 was powered by the de Havilland Ghost 104 engine and equipped with the American AN/APS-57 radar.

The Sea Venom saw combat during Operation Musketeer when the UK and France invaded Egypt to prevent the nationalization of the strategically important Suez Canal. Two years later, the Sea Venom was back in combat during the Cypress Emergency and several other Middle East conflicts. The type was phased out starting in 1959 in favor of the de Havilland Sea Vixen.

DML's 'Cyber-hobby.com' brand has released the much anticipated Sea Venom in 1/72nd scale. This release covers the Mark 21 version and the tooling hints at other variants in our future. Molded in light gray styrene, the kit is presented on three parts trees plus a single tree of clear parts and photo-etched wing fences.

Despite the kit's small scale, it does feature some impressive details. Let's take a look:

• Detailed cockpit
• Detailed Ghost engine w/intake ducts
• Intake ducts with engine faces
• Tailpipe with turbine face
• Positionable landing flaps
• Positionable tail hook
• Positionable speed brake
• Positionable rudders
• Positionable elevator
• Positionable ailerons
• Wings can be posed folded or flight-ready
• Positionable landing gear
• 2 x external tanks

The kit provides markings for the following two examples:

• FAW.21, XG693, 894 Sqn, A/492, HMS Albion, late 1950s
• FAW.21. WW189, 892 Sqn, J/451, HMS Ark Royal, Suez, 1956

This is an impressive kit and I wish DML would consider up-scaling this gem to 1/48 as well. This kit provides another nice installment to the de Havilland twin-boom fighter family.

My sincere thanks to DML For this review sample!