1/72 Martin WH-2, ML-KNIL

[Creepy Pete]

Hello all,

 

Here's my just finished 1/72 Martin WH-2, in Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force markings. This was an export version of the B-10, which served in the Dutch East Indies and other parts of SE Asia between 1938 and 1941. They were originally deliverd in a shiny blue and yellow scheme, but got a camouflage paint job when war seemed more and more likely. There were various variations, with "jongblad" (young leaf) and "oudblad" (old leaf), and like so many paints from back in the day, nobody is 100% sure what these looked like. It seems the general consensus these days they were pretty close to the 2 greens used the USAF South East Asia scheme, so I used Humbrol 116 and 117 for it. At least it looks nice. The underside of the wings was painted with a blueish grey color, similar to RAF Sky.

 

The kit is not bad, with some parts having a pretty good fit, and other parts not so good. I don't think the propellers are accurate for this version, but they will have to do. The decals are from the kit, and they work fine. I used a Montex mask set for the clear parts.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Pete

[stevehnz]

That look really good Pete, very convincing to my eye. I'd be happy to try something similar come the day I get around to mine.

Steve.

[Rabbit Leader]

There’s something about those large Orange triangles that make these kits really stand out and this B-10 / WH-2 is a great example of that. Thanks for the photos and honest write up, especially advising the paints used and your interpretations of them. 
 

Cheers and well modelled.. Dave 

[Richard S]

That’s really nice, echo the comments above re. the markings. I’ve a few single seat fighters lined up for this campaign when current project is completed, but I do have a weakness for twin engined types too.

 

Richard

[Pete in a shed]

I think this aircraft looks really good in the green camo with the orange triangles. Lets face it, it needs all the help it can get as its not the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft on the block. Just my cup of tea though, super work.

Pete

[georgeusa]

I opened this thread because I did not recognize the aircraft.  And lo and behold, it is an export version of the B-10.  I have always liked the ungainly looks of this transition aircraft as it goes from biplane era to the pre-war era.  It honestly looks like it started as a streamlined aircraft, and then someone added a bomb bay and fattened up the mid-section and then decided some defensive armament might be nice and then bubbled up the nose.  It is just goofy enough to be appealing.  I do like the more military camo scheme than the bright blue and yellow markings that shout out "Please come shoot me out of the sky".  Well done on a kit that can have some flaws when it comes to fit.  It looks great.

[Moggy]

2 hours ago, georgeusa said:

 It honestly looks like it started as a streamlined aircraft, and then someone added a bomb bay and fattened up the mid-section and then decided some defensive armament might be nice and then bubbled up the nose. 

 

The predecessor to the B-10/B-12: google Martin B-9 - not very impressive actually...

The necessary add-ons (a capacious bomb bay and a nose turret) actually improved aerodynamics plus made the B-10 an useful bomber.

 

It became an export success: The Netherlands (131), Argentina (35), China, Thailand, Turkey and The Phillippines. The Soviet Union bought one for analysis.

The USAAF bought 181.

 

It was superior to almost all extant bombers in 1936. The German Do-17E and the Heinkel 111E had less bomb capacity and shorter range, The Soviet SB-2 had a smaller bomb capacity and shorter range too. None of the Italian bombers compared favorably to the B-10. Britain's Vickers Wellington became operational in small numbers in 1937; the HP Hampden 1938 and the AW Whitley in 1937 too.

 

So the US had a winner at the time! 😜

 

Cheers, Moggy

 

[kapam]

Excellent build, Mate!

The green coloring, with the orange markings, is almost making a pleasant-looking aircraft from one that is, well, not so attractive (just my opinion).

The tonal variations in your finish add a great deal of realism.

Well done!

👏👏

[Wulfman]

A marvellous Martin !

 

Wulfman