J8 Gladiator - Matchbox 1/72

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Today I have for you my second MB Gladiator. Originally this was supposed to feature aftermarket decals from Microscale, but all 3 options on the sheet shattered, so I had to revert to the supplied Swedish Air Force decals. One change that will be made regards the prop, as many of the Swedish Aircraft featured 3 bladed props. I found a picture of aircraft 8 * 5 with one, and assumed that 8 * 4 would have the same. 

 

Like most MB kits, it built quickly but lacked interior detail. With that in mind, I used some Evergreen .020 strip to fabricate some interior framing along the lines of my previous Gladiator build and added lap belts from Tamiya tape. All that remains to be done is a little bit of detail painting on the engine, guns, and canopy, and the installation of the prop and wheels, which should take place in the morning. Both Gladiator should be in RFI by Friday, and their space on the bench will be replaced by a FROG Magister and DH.60G that I intend to (semi) convert to a military M model by modifying the landing gear, adding fuselage stringer detail, and possibly adding an exhaust pipe.

 

Thanks for checking in,

Stay safe everyone,

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