Conversion article to convert a Frog Miles Master II to a Martinet.

[T-21]

I think the late Alan Hall published a conversion article in Airfix magazine ?  back in the sixtie's. Hoping somebody  can assist with a copy please ? The conversion will require a bigger engine  14 cylinder Bristol Mercury,higher cockpit, bigger tailplane's, longer nose and extended canopy plus target towing side mounted drogue windmill.

[KRK4m]

Actually the engine (9-cylinder Bristol Mercury) in Master II and Martinet is exactly the same.

I have never seen (nor even heard of) the 14-cylinder Mercury. Neither of a Martinet with any 14-cylinder engine.

The problem is that the FROG model is a Master III with a 14-cylinder P&W R-1535. And you have to change the engine, but the other way around - fit a large-diameter 9-cylinder Mercury instead of that 14-cylinder Yankee baby.

Cheers

Michael

[JWM]

I did such conversion some 20 years ago using only drawings from "Miles airplane book"  (or "Miles Bible" if you like  ), two Frog (actually Novo) MAsters kit (and one Pavla Master Mk I kits): 

The Frog kit has a too deep fuselage, so I cut both of them (Master and Martinet) horizontally and removed some 1.5 or 2 mm making it slimmer. The engine, cowling and propeller  you may use from any kit of Blenheim. Wings are a bit longer so it is some scratch work to do as well as the canopy. If I remember correctly, you have to extend rear part of fuselage. This you can compare with drawings for example in this thread

But be aware - when I  was right in the middle of all this job on Master/Martinet family the Pavla kit of Martinet appeared. So perhaps now, when you will start, the AZ or KP kits of whole family will appear soon   

 

 

Regards

J-W

[brewerjerry]

Hi

    sometimes this pops up on auction site it has the vacuform canopy

    cheers

      jerry

   https://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=5281&erl=Airmodel-1-72-Boulton-Paul-Defiant-TT3-Miles-Martinet-TTI-and-Battle-Trainer-Conversions-117

[Don149]

All this talk on Martinets brings back memories of a month I spent at RAF Stradishall in the summer of `53 . Strad . was a Meteor 8 OTU 

and the target tugs were Mosquitos and Martinets , both " timber kites " . Thanks for the memory , as Bob Hope would sing ! .

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Don .

[Richard Humm]

There was never an Alan Hall article on this conversion in Airfix Magazine (all of Alan's conversion articles were based on Airfix kits for obvious reasons...). I think it was done by Bill Matthews in Flying Review International, but I'd have to dig out my back issues of that title.

[Graham Boak]

I believe you ae right about the Bill Matthews article, but it would be far better to at least try to find a Pavla Martinet  This will give you a spare canopy so that you can go ahead and try the conversion anyway - but the Pavla kit is far superior.

[Ed Russell]

There is certainly an article somewhere as I used it to convert the Frog kit. I vacformed a canopy and the conversion parts were from the spares box or scratch built. It was built for a RAN display quite a few years ago. I would guess Scale Models or possibly Airfix Magazine, even though it's not an Airfix kit. It's not what I used but there is a conversion article in the August 1986 Aircraft Modelworld,

 

 

[Seahawk]

8 hours ago, Richard Humm said:

There was never an Alan Hall article on this conversion in Airfix Magazine (all of Alan's conversion articles were based on Airfix kits for obvious reasons...). I think it was done by Bill Matthews in Flying Review International, but I'd have to dig out my back issues of that title.

Another possibility is the old Meccano Magazine, which in later issues carried occasional articles on this new-fangled plastic modelling.  I remember a Mistel conversion using FROG Bf 109 and Ju 88 kits opening my 9-year-old eyes to the exciting possibilities of conversions. A Martinet conversion rings a faint bell.

[stevehnz]

There was a Meccano Mag one  converting a series of Kings Cup racers from Frog kits, it wasn't a paragon of accuracy as the Master II conversion involved wrapping plastic card around the original cowl to increase its diameter. Find it here . Use the drop down menus at the top left to navigate to May 1967, pages 10 & 11. Some other interesting comb=version by Doug McHard in preceding & maybe succeeding months. This website is a great resource imho.

Steve.

[modelldoc]

Of course, a PAVLA Martinet is the best solution for the problem:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5336381014/in/photolist-98ymad-2jLKAEW-NThRLL-svTsBA-oNt83h-9jiowR

 

modelldoc

[tempestfan]

I have a faint recollection of a Master conversion in an early edition of SAM (first 8 volumes), but it may have been for a Master I before the Pegasus kit appeared.

[T-21]

Wow,thanks everybody for the help,amazing response. Just shows what a great website and members on here. Now investigating  all the answers.

[T-21]

I will try and obtain the 1/72 Pavla Martinet. However I have found in my masse's of aviation stuff Aviation News Vol5 No.17 21 Jan-3 Feb 1977  which has the Alan Hall 1/72 plans for all the Master and Martinet aircraft.

[Dave Wilko]

A little grist for one's mill so to speak T-21,

 

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/model/Miles M.25 Martinet TT1

 

https://www.belgian-wings.be/miles-m-25-martinet-tt-1

 

Please note the fact that due to how it is fitted,a Martinet's rudder always seem to appear to be about to fall off.

 

David.

Edited July 6, 2022 by Dave Wilko

[Dave Wilko]

Also note,as JWM has also pointed out,as built,the Martinet has the original Master I's wingspan,though in later life it is

possible that the outer panels were exchanged for the shorter spanned Master II or III outer panels on some aircraft.

The tail empennage complete was also interchangeable 'twixt Master and Martinet.

 

Some Martinet aircraft had the wind driven target winch,hence the fuselage mounted "propeller",some had an engine driven

winch,therefore a little research is required into your chosen subject,and on that front,one may well struggle,many Masters and

Martinets were transferred to the Fleet Air Arm from RAF stocks,retaining their RAF target tug schemes.

 

Pictorial evidence of these machines is somewhat sparse to non-extant to say the least.