Vickers FB 5 "Gunbus"***FINISHED***

[Ray S]

Hi Pete, a lovely result from this kit. I liked the way you solved the issues that were presented, and especially the skid alignment.

 

Ray

[AdrianMF]

It's got more rigging than aeroplane, simplified or not! Terrific work.

 

And thank you for making such an effort with four builds in the GB too!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[PeterB]

Well, in spite of being the first kit I started this has turned out to be the last one finished, but I think it was worth the wait as working on the Rumpler and Halberstadt definitely helped me to develop a technique for handling both the struts and rigging.

The "Bus" has now got its "Gun" and the whole model has had a coat of flat varnish which has toned down the shine from the rigging as hoped. This particular machine, 2345, was probably one of a batch transferred to the RFC from the RNAS, and it is unclear if it ever saw service in France. - it seems probable that it was retained for Home Defence and then training. Apparently it was a "presentation" machine funded by an organisation called "The Overseas Club" whose badge it wears on the white part of the fin flash. I guess they must have been based in India as 2341 was named "Bombay (1)" and 2345 was "Bombay (2)" but I have not been able to find any mention of them - presumably it was a group of British ex-pats.

 

It has certainly not been a "comfortable" build but I got there in the end and am rather pleased with the result. I guess Adrian was appealing to our individual "masochism" when he proposed this GB, and it certainly seems to have worked, so thanks for that.

 

Pete

Edited July 6, 2023 by PeterB

[pheonix]

Congratulations Peter - that is a first class model and one to be proud of for sure. With the gun in place it certainly looks the part and the simplified rigging still gives it a realistic look. (I got my figure wrong in an earlier post: the number of wires if you add them all is nearly 190 so you certainly saved your wire, time and sanity by simplifying the rigging!)

 

P

[Flamingo]

Prime the cylinders and swing the prop, very carefully, it's a pusher!

 

In an old book about presentation aircraft by G.R. Duval I found:

 

Overseas Club...Britons in all parts of the Commonwealth. Should be Empire in 1915?

 

To present a BE 2c you had to pay £1500, for a FB5 it was £2250 including the gun, which would be almost 300,000 today.

 

Apparently 2345 was lost as an FE2b carried the inscription "Bombay 2" at a later date.

 

Greetings Joe

 

 

[JOCKNEY]

Congratulations Pete

Your finished build is an absolute credit to you 

Cheers Pat 

[PeterB]

2 hours ago, Flamingo said:

Prime the cylinders and swing the prop, very carefully, it's a pusher!

 

In an old book about presentation aircraft by G.R. Duval I found:

 

Overseas Club...Britons in all parts of the Commonwealth. Should be Empire in 1915?

 

To present a BE 2c you had to pay £1500, for a FB5 it was £2250 including the gun, which would be almost 300,000 today.

 

Apparently 2345 was lost as an FE2b carried the inscription "Bombay 2" at a later date.

 

Greetings Joe

 

 

Thanks Joe,

 

Your research was clearly more successful than mine - interesting to know a bit more about the plane.

 

Pete

[Ray S]

That is a lovely result Pete, and well worth the uncomfortable-ness you underwent during your practice builds to get this. It is an absolute cracker

 

Ray

Edited July 4, 2023 by Ray S
corrected spelling

[Mr T]

That is a brilliant model Peter, I have not seen that many FB5 models around, and hours us inspirational. 

[81-er]

That's been well worth all of the pain, Pete, it's a superb result  

 

James

[PeterB]

On 7/3/2023 at 9:47 PM, Flamingo said:

Prime the cylinders and swing the prop, very carefully, it's a pusher!

 

In an old book about presentation aircraft by G.R. Duval I found:

 

Overseas Club...Britons in all parts of the Commonwealth. Should be Empire in 1915?

 

To present a BE 2c you had to pay £1500, for a FB5 it was £2250 including the gun, which would be almost 300,000 today.

 

Apparently 2345 was lost as an FE2b carried the inscription "Bombay 2" at a later date.

 

Greetings Joe

 

 

Actually I came across a similar situation with a previous build a couple of years back in connection with 263 Squadron in WWII. There was apparently an organisation calling itself "The Fellowship of the Bellows" started in Argentina that raised funds to buy a lot of planes for the RAF and they bought so many that 263 adopted their name, as did 692 later. Started in Argentina by British and Argentine businessmen, because of the political situation in that country they had to keep a low profile hence the slightly obscure name. The idea was that the members "worked the bellows" to raise the wind (cash) or as they put it "Air Force". Appropriately I believe the first planes they "bought" were Westland Whirlwinds!😄

 

Pete

Edited July 5, 2023 by PeterB

[Brandy]

Very impressive!

I have this kit in my stash so know what you had to deal with. Add to that the fact that it's outside your comfort zone, (and let's face it, pusher biplanes are outside most people's) and you've done a fantastic job!

 

Ian