Martlet Mk.IV on deck - Airfix 1/72 - finished and in the Gallery

[PlaStix]

The new(ish) Airfix Martlet in 1/72 will be my entry (possibly the first of two) for this GB. These are the bits and bobs I'm thinking of using:

 

I have previously made Airfix's 1/72 Wildcat as if it was in flight so with this one I'm intending to do it with the wings folded.

 

I must also add that this kit was bought for my birthday a couple of years ago by a colleague at work - so a big thank you to them.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix 

Edited May 4, 2020 by PlaStix

[rob85]

An excellent choice Stix, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

 

very glad to have you in the GB!

 

Rob

[PlaStix]

On 09/02/2020 at 22:04, rob85 said:

An excellent choice Stix, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

very glad to have you in the GB!

Rob

Thank you Rob. I am really looking forward to this project but I'm going to be building it alongside my current M1A2 build project in the Armour section - to start with - so it may be a bit of a slow start to begin with.

I'll get some sprue photos taken soon....I hope.

Kind regards,

Stix

 

[Hewy]

👍👍i like it , 

[modelling minion]

I think we all know that this will  be another classic, I'm really looking forward to seeing this come together.

[Robert Stuart]

Another 'Stix diorama?
Sounds promising.  I'll pull up a seat and try to learn something 

[PlaStix]

On 11/02/2020 at 17:04, Hewy said:

👍👍i like it , 

 

On 11/02/2020 at 20:22, modelling minion said:

I think we all know that this will  be another classic, I'm really looking forward to seeing this come together.

 

On 11/02/2020 at 21:28, Robert Stuart said:

Another 'Stix diorama?
Sounds promising.  I'll pull up a seat and try to learn something 

Good morning Glynn, Craig and Robert. Thank you very much for your interest. As I mentioned; this project may have a bit of a slow start but I made sure I got the sprues out this morning to give them a wash in warm, soapy water. And while they were drying I took a some photos of the contents of the box.

The box lid of the kit I'm going to build:

All the content of the box except the instructions:

 

A few closer views:

 

I noticed this though:

Annoying but not a big problem. I will try and glue it but if that doesn’t give a good result I will replace the column with some wire.

 

 

 

Clear parts:

 

Decals:

 

And finally a sample of the instructions:

 

My intention at the moment it to try and make a bit of a start on this, this afternoon. I'm currently doing some weathering on my 1/48 Abrams.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

Edited February 15, 2020 by PlaStix

[MarkSH]

I thought about this one too. I'll watch keenly for future reference.

[rob85]

On 2/11/2020 at 9:28 PM, Robert Stuart said:

Another 'Stix diorama?
Sounds promising.  I'll pull up a seat and try to learn something 

I like to call them stixorama’s

Rob

[Grey Beema]

Grand, I like the ol’ Martlet.  Which marking set are you going for?

 

 

[PeterB]

I know it goes against common sense but the instructions say put the gear in before you close it up, and unless you want to indulge in surgery they are correct, as one of our colleagues discovered in a recent GB.

 

Pete

[Andwil]

Why oh why do Airfix insist on attaching control columns and similar parts to the spruce in two places?  Just begs breakages.

 

AW

[PlaStix]

On 15/02/2020 at 14:55, MarkSH said:

I thought about this one too. I'll watch keenly for future reference.

Hi Mark. Well if you get time you could always make one as well? My plan is to do mine with the wings folded - are you thinking of doing the same or with them extended?

 

On 15/02/2020 at 17:29, rob85 said:

I like to call them stixorama’s
Rob

 

On 15/02/2020 at 18:05, Grey Beema said:

Grand, I like the ol’ Martlet.  Which marking set are you going for?

 

 

Hi GB. Not sure which markings yet but it'll be one of the two in the box! 

 

On 15/02/2020 at 18:09, PeterB said:

I know it goes against common sense but the instructions say put the gear in before you close it up, and unless you want to indulge in surgery they are correct, as one of our colleagues discovered in a recent GB.

Pete

Hi Pete and thank you for the tip! Following your advice I have cut the gear parts from the sprues this morning - please see below - just to make sure I don’t forget!

 

On 15/02/2020 at 23:39, Andwil said:

Why oh why do Airfix insist on attaching control columns and similar parts to the spruce in two places?  Just begs breakages.

 

AW

Hi AW - I do not know!  Either that or they make the smallest of parts attached to sprues with the thickest gates possible - so the part can't be cut out without breaking it! I have managed to repair mine okay.

 

I had every intention of starting mine at the weekend but life in general got in the way. However, over the past few evenings, I have made a bit of a start.

First off I cut out all the cockpit parts and cleaned them up - removed sprue gates and seam lines:

 

I also did the same with the fuselage sides:

I leave the bits of sprue on to give me something to hold when I brush paint them.

 

Next I started some painting - thinned, with water - Humbrol Acrylic 117 - applied with a medium flat brush. This is after a couple of thin coats:

 

 

And following @PeterB's advice, above, I made sure I cut the landing gear parts from the sprues so I don’t forget to paint and fit them before joining the fuselage halves together. This is after I had cleaned them up:

 

More painting will be next - probably at the weekend.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

 

 

[Grey Beema]

Mind those markings on the box.  Hopefully someone will come along with more expertise than I and set you right but I think the letters should always be in the order Ø9P or Ø7D On both sides of the aircraft.  

 

Ø is the carrier designation (HMS Formidable), 7 or 9 is the Squadron designation (6 was 885 (Seafires), 7 was 888 and not sure of 9) and D or P was the aircraft ID letters.  I think Airfix has it the wrong by leading with D on the port side...

[PeterB]

Hi Stix,

 

The undercarriage is a bit of a pain to get right but it looks  good in the end.

Here is mine together with a Hasegawa F6F - darned site better u/c than on the previous Airfix FM-2 offering.

 

Pete

[MarkSH]

1 hour ago, PlaStix said:

Hi Mark. Well if you get time you could always make one as well? My plan is to do mine with the wings folded - are you thinking of doing the same or with them extended?

Yes, I could build another Martlet but I am tempted to add the Skua I failed to even start from the Frog classic GB.

[PeterB]

15 minutes ago, Grey Beema said:

Mind those markings on the box.  Hopefully someone will come along with more expertise than I and set you right but I think the letters should always be in the order Ø9P or Ø7D On both sides of the aircraft.  

 

Ø is the carrier designation (HMS Formidable), 7 or 9 is the Squadron designation (6 was 885 (Seafires), 7 was 888 and not sure of 9) and D or P was the aircraft ID letters.  I think Airfix has it the wrong by leading with D on the port side...

Think you are correct Grey,

 

Osprey RN Aces WWII has the Ø in front on the port side in their pic of aircraft D and Airfix show it correctly on the other machine as my kit of P shows.

 

Pete

Edited February 20, 2020 by PeterB

[Grey Beema]

In the best tradition of Blue Peter...

 

 

 

[GREG DESTEC]

Great start Stix 👍

 

Enjoy your build.

 

Cheers Greg

[modelling minion]

Nice start Stix, looks like a nice kit with perfectly adequate details for 1/72 scale.

[Robert Stuart]

Grey Beema's image, or this one?

 

That wheel chock looks interesting - I'm not sure it would hold if the aircraft began to move.

[PlaStix]

On 20/02/2020 at 17:07, Grey Beema said:

Mind those markings on the box.  Hopefully someone will come along with more expertise than I and set you right but I think the letters should always be in the order Ø9P or Ø7D On both sides of the aircraft.  

Ø is the carrier designation (HMS Formidable), 7 or 9 is the Squadron designation (6 was 885 (Seafires), 7 was 888 and not sure of 9) and D or P was the aircraft ID letters.  I think Airfix has it the wrong by leading with D on the port side...

Thank you very much for the heads-up! I will keep your advice in mind when doing the decals.

 

On 20/02/2020 at 17:07, PeterB said:

Hi Stix,

The undercarriage is a bit of a pain to get right but it looks  good in the end.

Here is mine together with a Hasegawa F6F - darned site better u/c than on the previous Airfix FM-2 offering.

Pete

Hi Pete. Both of yours look superb! Thank you for posting the photo. I had read your post before and then, yesterday evening, I had a go at assembling the undercarriage - I see what you mean! It was a bit of a faff - ended up gluing bits together, trying to fit parts, taking glued parts apart again, trimming parts and then finally assembling parts!!! By the time I was finished it was quite late and I couldn't be bothered to take a photo of it. I might take a photo if I get chance later.

 

On 20/02/2020 at 17:08, MarkSH said:

Yes, I could build another Martlet but I am tempted to add the Skua I failed to even start from the Frog classic GB.

Well, whatever you decide to make, I will be following along!

 

On 20/02/2020 at 17:31, Grey Beema said:

In the best tradition of Blue Peter...

Thank you for posting the photo.

 

On 20/02/2020 at 18:24, GREG DESTEC said:

Great start Stix 👍

Enjoy your build.

Cheers Greg

Thank you very much Greg and I am doing so far!

 

On 20/02/2020 at 18:41, modelling minion said:

Nice start Stix, looks like a nice kit with perfectly adequate details for 1/72 scale.

Hi Craig and thank you. You are right - it is nicely detailed for 1/72.

 

On 20/02/2020 at 19:38, Robert Stuart said:

Grey Beema's image, or this one?

That wheel chock looks interesting - I'm not sure it would hold if the aircraft began to move.

Another great photo - thank you Robert. Mmmm....yeah - I think someone didn't understand how chocks work!

 

I have managed to get a bit done on this although not as much as would have liked. First up I got the wheelbay area painted with a couple of thinned coats of Revell's light Grey - applied with a small flat brush:

 

The landing gear was painted, in some areas, with thinned Revell's Light Grey and other areas thinned Revell's Anthracite:

 

The Light Grey areas were then given a very thinned wash of Gunship Grey. Once dry I used a very thinned wash of Anthracite applied with a fine pointed brush in and around all the details. When the Anthracite was dry I dry-brushed all the Light Grey areas with Humbrol's matt White. The Anthracite areas were dry-brushed with Revell's Tank Grey. The drive chains were then picked out with thinned Anthracite and for the shiny metal areas I used Revell's Alunimium. The photo isn't great as it was taken under electric light rather than natural daylight:

 

As I mentioned to PeterB, above, I did assemble the undercarriage late on yesterday evening but I faffed around with it, finished late on and then couldn't be bothered to take a photo. I may take one later.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[modelling minion]

Nice detail painting on the undercarriage Stix, the Wildcat undercarriage is a tricky looking affair and I remember struggling with the old Airfix Wildcat undercart as a youngster.

[Grey Beema]

Remember of course the undercarriage was wound up by hand, involving a switch of the control column from right to left hand..

[PlaStix]

On 25/02/2020 at 14:45, modelling minion said:

Nice detail painting on the undercarriage Stix, the Wildcat undercarriage is a tricky looking affair and I remember struggling with the old Airfix Wildcat undercart as a youngster.

Hi Craig and thank you. Thank you for the headsup about the undercarriage too - your message made me take more care with it than I perhaps would have done. It was very fiddly - but I took my time and it seemed to go okay eventually.

 

On 25/02/2020 at 18:20, Grey Beema said:

Remember of course the undercarriage was wound up by hand, involving a switch of the control column from right to left hand..

It is quite an interesting design!

 

First off - apologies for the lack of updates. I am finding it difficult to find the time to do much modelling although I have been plodding along with this slowly.

 

Since last time I have assembled the undercarriage which, as @modelling minion said, was quite fiddly to do:

 

I added a bit of detail painting in the cockpit but it's not going to be particulary visible later on:

 

Then I added the decals - which were all a pain in the neck!!! I think every single one broke up in one way or another and wouldn't settle well - despite using Decalfix. The Wildcat's decals seemed much better last time. I also started doing a bit of assembly:

I used some strips of plain masking tape just to give a bit of an impression of the seat belts - again they are not going to be very visible in the completed aircraft.

 

 

 

Then I fixed the IP in place:

 

 

 

 

Next I joined the cockpit tub to the wheelwell section:

 

 

 

After attaching the two clear parts for the windows I glued the wheelwell and cockpit to the port fuselage half:

 

 

 

 

 

Then I glued the two fuselage halves together and cleaned up the join:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last job over the weekend was to do a bit of work on the engine part. Painted with thinned Revell's Anthracite first, drybrushed with Revell's Aluminium and then I picked out a few wires with thinned Revell's Brass - the latter applied with a fine pointed brush:

 

More soon........I hope!

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

Edited March 11, 2020 by PlaStix