Trumpeter Plastic Model Kit Westland Wyvern S.4 — 1:72

Manufacturer

Trumpeter is a Chinese manufacturer of injection-moulded plastic scale models. The company's 01619 is part of its extensive 1:72 aircraft range and represents the British post-war Westland Wyvern S.4, one of the most distinctive carrier strike aircraft operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.

The kit is listed as a 151-part model, with decals for three markings.
Kit contents

The Trumpeter kit contains approximately 151 parts and represents the definitive S.4 production version.

The kit includes:

Injection-moulded fuselage

Upper and lower wing sections

Folding wing components

Cockpit and pilot's seat

Instrument panel

Canopy

Westland Wyvern's distinctive contra-rotating propellers

Armstrong Siddeley Python engine representation

Four-bladed propeller assemblies

Tailplane and fin/rudder

Retractable undercarriage

Wheel and undercarriage-bay components

Four 20 mm cannon

Underwing/under-fuselage stores

Separate control surfaces

Clear parts

Decals

Assembly instructions

The kit is described by specialist references as a 151-part 1:72 plastic model, with decals for three markings.
History of the full-size aircraft

The Westland Wyvern was a British single-seat carrier-based strike aircraft developed immediately after the Second World War. It was designed by Westland Aircraft for the Royal Navy and represented a major step forward from the piston-engined naval fighters of the wartime period.

The Wyvern's development was complicated by the rapid transition from piston engines to jet propulsion. The original aircraft was conceived around a piston engine, but the design eventually became one of the world's most powerful turboprop-powered carrier aircraft.

The prototype first flew in 1946, and production continued through the early 1950s. The final production aircraft was the S.4, which became the only version to see combat.
The Armstrong Siddeley Python

The Wyvern's most distinctive technical feature was its Armstrong Siddeley Python turboprop engine.

The Python was a powerful turboprop producing approximately 3,560 hp in the S.4 installation. Instead of driving a conventional single propeller, the engine drove two contra-rotating propellers mounted on the same axis.

This arrangement allowed the Wyvern to absorb the Python's enormous power without requiring an excessively large single propeller.

The resulting four-bladed-plus-four-bladed propeller arrangement gave the aircraft its instantly recognisable appearance.
Design

The Wyvern was a relatively large aircraft for a single-seat carrier aircraft. It featured:

A powerful turboprop engine

Contra-rotating propellers

Folding wings for carrier storage

Retractable landing gear

Four 20 mm cannon

Substantial external weapons capacity

Armoured cockpit

Large fuel capacity

The aircraft was designed primarily as a strike fighter, meaning it could attack surface targets while retaining sufficient performance to defend itself.
Performance

Published specifications for the S.4 include approximately:

Engine: Armstrong Siddeley Python turboprop

Power: approximately 3,560 hp

Length: 12.88 m

Wingspan: 13.41 m

Height: 4.8 m

Maximum speed: approximately 616 km/h / 383 mph

Service ceiling: approximately 8,500 m / 27,900 ft

Maximum range: approximately 1,460 km

Fixed armament: 4 × 20 mm Hispano cannon

Maximum external stores: approximately 1,300 kg of bombs and/or rockets

The Wyvern's relatively modest maximum speed compared with contemporary jet fighters reflects its role as a heavily loaded naval strike aircraft rather than an air-superiority fighter.
Production

Approximately 127 Wyverns were completed.

The S.4 was the definitive production version, with earlier pre-production versions accounting for the remaining aircraft. The final production aircraft were completed during the mid-1950s.

The aircraft entered Royal Navy service during the 1950s, just as naval aviation was undergoing another major transition from piston and turboprop aircraft to jets.
Carrier operations

The Wyvern was specifically designed for carrier operations.

Its folding wings reduced the aircraft's footprint when stored below deck, while the robust landing gear and arrestor hook allowed it to operate from Royal Navy carriers.

The aircraft served with Fleet Air Arm squadrons aboard carriers including:

HMS Eagle

HMS Albion

HMS Ark Royal

HMS Bulwark

Its combination of long range, heavy weapons load and relatively low-speed handling made it well suited to maritime strike missions.
Combat in the Suez Crisis

The Wyvern achieved combat service during the Suez Crisis of 1956.

Royal Navy Wyverns conducted strike missions against Egyptian targets during Operation Musketeer, attacking airfields and other military targets.

The S.4 was therefore unusual among British turboprop aircraft because it was not merely a training or patrol aircraft: it was a genuine combat aircraft that conducted operational strike missions.

The Suez operation also demonstrated how quickly aviation technology was changing. By 1956, jet aircraft were already becoming the standard for front-line combat, making the Wyvern's operational career relatively short.
End of service

The Wyvern was retired from front-line Fleet Air Arm service by the late 1950s.

Its short career was largely a consequence of the rapid development of jet propulsion. Aircraft such as the Hawker Sea Hawk and later the Supermarine Scimitar offered substantially greater performance.

Nevertheless, the Wyvern remains historically significant as one of the most powerful and distinctive turboprop carrier aircraft ever operated by the Royal Navy.
Surviving aircraft

A number of Wyverns survive in museums and collections, making the aircraft unusually well documented for such a short-lived type.

The surviving examples are particularly valuable because the Wyvern's complicated Python engine and contra-rotating propeller installation make it an important example of the final generation of high-performance piston/turboprop naval strike aircraft.