Model show bargain bin: 1/72 Blackburn Firebrand TF Mk 5

[Blackmike]

I love wandering around the smaller stalls at model shows - you know the ones where there are many kits (usually vacforms and limited run offerings) often dropped loosely into boxes or lying around in heaps on tables. Very often they are aircraft types that few have heard of - the products of a once-thriving cottage model production industry.  “Roll up, roll up, one kit for a tenner, two kits for fifteen, etc.”  

 

 

 

Well, one year at Telford I bought a vacform then I saw a nondescript bag with some olive green parts and a cover sheet stuck on proclaiming it to be an ‘Epoxy-resin kit’ of a Blackburn B-37 Firebrand.  "Give us a fiver, mate and it's yours..."

 

 

Not having built a resin kit I proceeded carefully, but ended up shelving the project two or three times. In the meantime I built Rareplane’s vacform of the aircraft - carrying a torpedo, and finishing it in the extra dark sea grey and dark slate grey camouflage with sky undersurfaces.

 

 

Then I bought the beautiful CMR Firebrand kit, and, intending to build it with the torpedo, I had the idea to use its bombs and rockets to build this kit as an air-to-surface attack version.  I managed to buy a set of decals from CMR, which came with all of the placement instructions.

 

 

It was a good fun build although I had to scratch build the cockpit (not that you can see anything at all!), and use one of the two CMR kit vacform canopies as the bargain bin model’s canopy was almost a tangerine colour!  I got around the problem of cutting the underwing serial letters and numbers by placing the landing gear doors in position and decalling over them.  24 hours later I used a razor blade to carefully cut the decals and with a bit of Micro Set and Sol the rest was, as they say, history.

 

 

 

So, here is my Blackburn Firebrand TF Mk 5, ‘EK773/CW’ of 738 Naval Air Squadron of the Naval Air Fighter School, Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, Cornwall, UK, as seen at Royal Air Force North Front, Gibraltar in July 1950.  It is armed with two 500 lb Semi Armour Piercing bombs and eight 60 lb practice rocket projectiles.  Of note is the use of a camouflaged engine cover, and the replacement cowling panel with the incoming predominantly Sky finish for Fleet Air Arm aircraft. Which points me nicely towards the scheme I will use on the CMR kit when I build it with a torpedo!

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Mike

[Wulfman]

A fine Firebrand, great work !

 

Wulfman

[Mountain goat]

I like the Firebrand a lot - such a unique looking aircraft. Your rendition does it justice. Brave of you to tackle all that resin. Really nice work. Oh and I love the paint job.

 

Jay

[Tokyo Raider]

Cool!

[stevehnz]

That is superb.

Steve.

[JOCKNEY]

Great stuff, not a kit I've ever seen before, I wonder who made it ?

Also the first time I've seen the word resin, without @trickyrichbeing attached to it 

Cheers Pat

[Kampartiger]

I know Magna of Spain produce a similar kit of the same scale back in the 90s but not so sure whether it was this one. Btw you did wonders on the Firebrand.Somehow despite its unpopularity with the Admiralty it's one of my favourite plane. 

[trickyrich]

4 hours ago, JOCKNEY said:

Great stuff, not a kit I've ever seen before, I wonder who made it ?

Also the first time I've seen the word resin, without @trickyrichbeing attached to it 

Cheers Pat

 

someone rang Uncle Richie???  

 

That is a very nicely made model and resin as well!!!    🥰  So nice in fact I thought it was a 1/48th beastie at first glance, awesome job!

[tonyot]

Lovely model Mike,...... you`ve done a great job,

Cheers,

           Tony

[Maginot]

She's come up very well for a bargain bin find. Unusual type, too.

[Pete in a shed]

Great Firebrand Mike.

Pete

[Blackmike]

Thank you, everyone, for your nice, generous comments - they are much appreciated!

 

Wishing you "Happy modelling" and good times.

 

Mike

[Bertie McBoatface]

Good modelling. It looks better than the real thing.