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Martin Baker MB-5 (1:48 Falcon Vacform)


Mike

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:blink:

Well, it's taken over 3 years to get this one off my spray booth's roof, and frankly, I never thought it'd ever see completion.

This evening's work has seen the gear bay doors added, carefully lining up the main ones to the groundline. It's also reminded me of the recognition lights that I'd added late in the build - after I'd painted the underside, in fact. I cut a rectangle of clear styrene sheet, punched some discs of pewter sheet, pressed them concave with a round ended tool, and glued them all to the underside of the piece. I then punched out some masking from electrical tape, then glued it to the underside of the fuselage after drilling out some holes to accept the "lenses". After spraying, they were unmasked, and Tamiya clear blue and red painted carefully into the lenses.

The whip aerial was made from a toothbrush bristle glued into a 0.3mm hole drilled in the fuselage. I'll add a pitot probe underneath the wing next time I can be bothered.

Anyway - enough waffle... here she is :)

complete1.jpg

complete2.jpg

complete3.jpg

complete4.jpg

complete5.jpg

complete6.jpg

I'll post one up in the KUTA II thread when I have a moment.

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Absolutely superb! I love anything with contraprops.

This plane must have been quite an experience as a bystander let alone to fly in. This is crying out for few whiff builds - FAA etc.

Can it be done in 1/72, plus is it possible to get a contraprop set for the PR & Sea fire in 1/72?

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Cheers guys :)

Absolutely superb! I love anything with contraprops.

This plane must have been quite an experience as a bystander let alone to fly in. This is crying out for few whiff builds - FAA etc.

Can it be done in 1/72, plus is it possible to get a contraprop set for the PR & Sea fire in 1/72?

I've got a bit of a thing about contra-props too... just need a Bear in 1:72 :wicked:

I'm not sure about your questions in 1:72 - have a word with Woosta - he knows stuff about 1:72 and Whiffs :)

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72nd choice for MB5s is limited. Available kits are resin by Magna and Planet. The latter is pricey, far too much for what you get. The former is a little rough but builds up nicely.

Older kits. There was a vacform from Falcon and possibly someone else but I can't remember who. Pegasus did a limited run kit which may have been a copy of a Czech resin one or they may have pirated Pegasus! I've a French resin kit somewhere which is a Pegasus clone. Finally, Skybirds 86 did a limited run kit which was nice but a pain to build - I gave up and sold my 3 on. The Pegasus one was a bit rough but builds into a nice model with a little care. I have quite a few and always pick them up if I see them.

Whiffwise, I've a few RAF ones and one in RAAF markings as a prototype. An FAA bird (reengined with a Centaurus which was planned for the MB-3) has stalled but may get reviewed later in the year. I also have one being reengined with the RR Eagle.

Aeroclub do a nice white metal contraprop for Spitfires/Seafires in 72nd.

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Can it be done in 1/72, plus is it possible to get a contraprop set for the PR & Sea fire in 1/72?

As Lee has said, yes it can. He forgot one which does come up on eBay occassionally, the old Airframe vacuform and you need Shackleton props not Spitfire props which you can get from Aeroclub plus the Sea Fury wheels which would be needed too.

Here's my one I built a few years ago (if Mike doesn't mind me posting a couple of pics)

MartinBakerMB5008.jpg

MartinBakerMB5011.jpg

MartinBakerMB5012.jpg

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I've got a bit of a thing about contra-props too... just need a Bear in 1:72 :wicked:

Me too, contra-props and pushers or both at the same time but I think you need to do this one though Mike, a Hawker P.1027 (another British 'Mustang' :boxing: )

P1027-1.jpg

P1027-13.jpg

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