Here’s a little twist… I am sure you will recognize the lines… but the paint job is a bit different. This is one of a group of 100 Wildcats destined for France in mid 1940 that were diverted to England after the fall of Paris to the Nazis. They were renamed the Martlet and sent to Scotland to serve with 804 Sqdn. They flew in the Battle of Britain mainly as CAP over the eastern approaches and Scapa Flow. One of these Martlets is also the first US made aircraft to shoot down an Axis aircraft in WWII. (Nov 1940, a Ju-88 over Scapa.)
I know there are a few issues with the build, one of the main being there are no decals on the prop. Strangely neither the Tamiya set, nor the Aeromaster decal sets had the decals for the prop on them. I nabbed a set from the SBD I had been building and will place them eventually… also it’s not weathered much… but because they were only recieved and stationed in Scotland in Sept of 1940 and the Battle of Britain officialy was over in October, 1940 I didn’t want to overdo it…
(please ignore any dog hair you see on the model… my 2 dogs were playing around the area I was taking the pics at and I see a few strands floated onto it)
just something a little different, first time I have posted in the AC topic usually I am active in the GB section but suddenly remembered to post here!
Comments welcome… (except about the dog hair) [;)]
—edit----
just for the ones who dont model WWII craft or dont do British craft - FAA is Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Navy’s Air section…
also the landing light is in that wing on that last pic, it just doesn’t look like it… (I had to go back and look)
Mark, I plan to do a SBD-3 in RNZAF markings soon… I am enjoying building these ‘crossdresser’ aircraft lately… they look so different in non-US schemes.,…
nice work Tom!! i like the story too, very interesting. i stand corrected once again, you do build!!![:P][;)] carry on sailor, you’re doin’ good.[tup] later.
haha I didnt think of you when I posted this but yeah… sad as it may be I do model now and then… but gabbing is more fun! just curious.,… have you ever checked out the Ultracast line of resin parts? some REALLY nice seats and other bits and pieces… and most come with enough for 2 kits… I am posting some pics of the pieces I just got tomorrow… and I will let ya know where to look for them… the price is good and the quality is excellent!!! the harnesses look 100% better than PE as they are resin and not flat metal etc…
just thought you might be interested as the price is good also… got 2 seats for a P-47 for $4.50
Nice to see the bird that’s really a cat, called a fish. (A Martlet is a fish - right ?)
And thanks for thinking to post here. A few of you BoB GB guys have posted here. I just haven’t taken the time to go through all 80 or so pages of the BoB groups posts, but I bet there’s alotta good work going on there. I will check it all out eventually.
Chris… kinda odd… but a Martlet is closer to a weasel or a ferret… dunno how they came up with that name!!! those of us who have finished are moving intot he Aussie GB and soon the North Africa group build… you are welcome to join either or just hang out!! Also there is a Latin American Aircraft GB going on too we are trying to get new members to join!
Why would anyone name a plane after a weasel ? Go figure !
I couldn’t get more out of sync with the GB’s. I was a part of the Heavy & medium bombers GB. The finish date has been and gone and there are a few of us leftovers hoping that the GB police don’t kick us out. I just finished a N. African P-40 Kittyhawk before the NAGB starts, the same P-40 kit had decals for an Aussie plane - but now I have no kit to go underneath them. I’ve got a Spit 1a that’s deep in the to build pile, probably too late for the BoBGB, and I’m working on a Sopwith Snipe at the moment. I’m expecting that as soon as I finish it - someone will initiate a Sopwith, Biplane, or “rig-till-you-drop” GB.
I guess I was just destined to provide aeronautical diversity.
Steve - I went’ with a Dk Sea Blue, The period photos looked close enough that the resotred plane at the FAA museum in England became my go - by… and they were Sea blue…
Lee… Aeromaster makes the decal set for the FAA planes, there are about 3 schemes on the sheet but the one I did is similar to two of them… and the other one is what I am doing for the N Africa build… Light Gull Grey up to about the canopy line and Middlestone on top. looks good!
