Brewster ‘Buffalo’ ASR.I, “NH-D”/W8251 of RAF 274 Sq.; Hal Far, Malta, 1942

[Dizzyfugu]

This build was inspired by the recent discussion circling around the Buffalo in Malta, and its potential liveries. Malta (and to a lesser degree the MTO in general) was obviously a very creative turf, since many RAF planes sported rather unusual if not improvised paint schemes, ranging from Desert Scheme (when coming from North Africa) over Tropical Scheme (Mid Stone/Dark Earth/Sky) up to totally weird concoctions, made up with local paints. Lots of potential!

I decided to join the mayhem with a kit, too, and after digging in RAF history I came across the Air Sea Rescue Squadrons – a suitable employer for the rather outdated Buffalo, which only saw limited use in Crete (through the Royal Navy). The ASR squadrons also offer the benefit of (typically) yellow codes, another unusual detail that's probably not well known. So, here it is, the probably first Air-Sea-Rescue Buffalo.  

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Siege of Malta was a military campaign in the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War. From 1940–42, the fight for the control of the strategically important island of Malta pitted the air forces and navies of Italy and Germany against the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

The opening of a new front in North Africa in mid-1940 increased Malta's already considerable value. British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting vital supplies and reinforcements from Europe.
General Erwin Rommel, in de facto field command of Axis forces in North Africa recognized its importance quickly. In May 1941, he warned that "Without Malta the Axis will end by losing control of North Africa".

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Axis resolved to bomb or starve Malta into submission, by attacking its ports, towns, cities, and Allied shipping supplying the island. Malta was one of the most intensively bombed areas during the war. The Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) flew a total of 3,000 bombing raids over a period of two years in an effort to destroy RAF defences and the ports.

Success would have made possible a combined German—Italian amphibious landing (Operation Herkules) supported by German airborne forces (Fallschirmjäger). It was never carried out. In the event, Allied convoys were able to supply and reinforce Malta, while the RAF defended its airspace, though at great cost in material and lives.

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


When it became clear to the British that the Italian air forces were limited and having little impact on the population, which could endure, a steady stream of reinforcements arrived. The potential of the base was realized and Whitehall ordered further aircraft into the island; including Hurricane and Buffalo fighters, Martin Marylands, Sunderlands, Vickers Wellingtons, more Swordfish and submarines. It provided an increasingly potent offensive arm.

The RAF Buffalos eventuall saw use in Far East and in the MTO: Appraisal by Royal Air Force acceptance personnel criticized it on numerous points including inadequate armament and lack of pilot armor, poor high-altitude performance, engine overheating, maintenance issues, and cockpit controls, while it was praised for its handling, roomy cockpit, and visibility. With a top speed of about 323 mph (520 km/h) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m), but with fuel starvation issues over 15,000 ft (4,600 m), it was considered unfit for duty in Western Europe.

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Brewster Model B-339E, as modified and supplied to Great Britain (as Buffalo Mk. I) was distinctly inferior in performance to the F2A-2 (Model B-339) from the original order. It had a less powerful (1,000 hp/745.7 kW) engine compared to the F2A-2's 1,200 hp (895 kW) Cyclone, yet was substantially heavier due to all of the additional modifications (some 900 lb/400 kg).
The semi-retractable tail wheel had been exchanged for a larger fixed model, which was also less aerodynamic. Top speed was reduced from 323 mph (520 km/h) to 313 mph (504 km/h) at combat altitudes. Since there was no other place to use them, about 50 of the 170 RAF Buffalos were sent into the MTO (Crete, Egypt, Tunisia and later Malta and Italy).

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In service, some effort was made by at least one Brewster squadron to improve the type's sluggish performance: the fuselage tanks were filled with a minimum of fuel, and run on high-octane aviation petrol where available; a few aircraft were lightened by some 1,000 lb (450 kg) by removing armor plate, armored windshields, radios, gun camera, and all other unnecessary equipment, and by replacing the .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns with .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns, but the lack of firepower and protection could not outweigh the marginal improvements in performance.

Meanwhile, the Italian invasion of Egypt had failed to achieve its goals and the British counter-offensive, Operation Compass, drove the Italians back into Libya. The diversion of the North African Campaign drew away significant Italian air units which were rushed from Italy and Sicily to deal with the disasters.

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The relief on Malta was significant as the British could concentrate their forces for offensive, rather than defensive operations. In November 1940, after months of poorly coordinated Italian air strikes, the FAA and Royal Navy struck at Italian naval forces in Taranto.
The following Battle of Taranto was a victory for sea-air power. Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers disabled a number of Italian heavy units, backed by Buffalo escorts - one of the type's most significant contributions during the Malta campaign.
The withdrawal of the Italian fleet to Naples, out of reach of British aircraft, was a strategic victory which handed naval supremacy to the British for the time being.

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


By November 1942, the Axis had lost the Second Battle of El Alamein and the Allies had landed forces in Vichy French Morocco and Algeria under Operation Torch. The Axis diverted their forces to the Battle of Tunisia, and attacks on Malta were rapidly reduced. The siege of Malta effectively ended in November 1942.

In December 1942, air and sea forces operating from Malta went over to the offensive. By May 1943, they had sunk 230 Axis ships in 164 days, the highest Allied sinking rate of the war. The Allied victory played a major role in the eventual Allied success in North Africa.
By that time, all RAF Buffalos in the MTO had been retired and replaced, e. g. with surplus Supermarine Spitfires from North Africa, or they had already been relegated into 2nd line duties or allocated to Air Sea Rescue units.

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr




General characteristics:
   Crew: one
   Length: 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
   Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
   Height: 12 ft 0 in (3.66 m)
   Wing area: 209 sq ft (19.4 m2)
   Empty weight: 4,732 lb (2,146 kg)
   Max takeoff weight: 7,159 lb (3,247 kg)

Powerplant:
   1× Wright R-1820-40 Cyclone 9 9-cyl air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,000 hp (745.7 kW)

Performance:
   Maximum speed: 321 mph (517 km/h; 279 kn)
   Cruise speed: 161 mph (140 kn; 259 km/h)
   Range: 965 mi (839 nmi; 1,553 km)
   Service ceiling: 33,200 ft (10,119 m)
   Rate of climb: 2,440 ft/min (12.4 m/s) [N 9]

Armament:
   4× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns,
   one pair nose-mounted, and one per wing
   Two underwing hardpoints for light bombs or other ordnance




The kit and its assembly:
This simple but highly whiffy Matchbox Buffalo was more or less built OOB; only additions are a dashboard, the flaps were lowered (easy to realize with the Matchbox kit and pieces of styrene sheet) and scratched lifeboat containers on the wing hardpoints – based on pics from Westland Lysanders and Baulton Paul Defiants in the ASR role, and made from some rather ugly, modern Soviet iron bombs from a KP Su-25. Ugh!

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
More fun in this section. Finding a weird but still suitable livery was tricky. Since the Buffalos would not come from North Africa (at least in my Whifworld and in this case) and overpainted Desert Scheme was not my way to go. I used the standard Temperate Scheme (Dark Green/Dark Earth/Sky) as basis, since that was the livery of the Buffalos based on Crete. But I would not leave it this way...

Other rather unusual MTO schemes included all-blue RAF aircraft, e. g. Martlets (Grumman F4F) in Azure Blue, as well as Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers in an all dark blue and medium blue scheme. Then I also found a CG rendition of an all-blue Hurricane with a Temperate Scheme fin – and that was more or less the direction.

My scheme would be an all-blue upper surface, but with an original fin, plus Mediterranean Blue undersurfaces - but with certain twists. The fin was kept Dark Green/Dark Earth, using Modelmaster enamels. The same colors were also used as a kind of primer, since some of the old camouflage was supposed to shine through the new blue upper side. These were painted with Humbrol 96, "RAF Blue", which was actually rather worn by ground support vehicles. But why not use it as improvised camouflage paint?
The spinner was kept in Dark Green, with a tip in Humbrol 23 (Duck Egg Blue).

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The undersides follow a similar pattern: in a first step, thin Black and Sky were painted on the lower halves, and the painted over with an individual mix of white, grey, blue and a bit of green - trying to mix a pale blue color. Again, some of the former camouflage was to show through. The respective black and Sky wheel cap was retained, though.

This effect was later enhanced through careful wet sanding on all surfaces, in order to create a worn look - IMHO, the desired effect can only be achieved this way; the same way as a real paint finish would be built up.

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


All inner surfaces were painted with RAF Cockpit Green (Modelmaster Authentic), the scratched lifeboat containers were painted plain yellow – a nice contrast.

To add some more weirdness I painted one lower aircraft half black before overpainting it with the Sky tone – as if the former scheme had been hastily painted over. I also kept the Temperate Land scheme on maintenance doors, as if replacement parts had been used. On some areas I also used a slightly different blue tone, as if some repair had been done or the code overpainted/replaced.

Then the whole kit received a thorough black ink wash and serious panel shading with lighter shades of the basic tones.

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The roundels and the fin flash come from the Matchbox kit. The yellow code letters were taken from a generic aftermarket sheet (actually, it's for individualizing slot cars!). AFAIK, 274 Sq. was allocated the tactical code "NH", but apparently it was not carried at all, only the individual aircraft's letter? Anyway,I added the full code, due to the small letters, and the unusual color adds another interesting detail.
The aircraft serial was puzzled together with single digits from TL Modellbau, "W8251" was never used, though, the RAF's Buffalo serials ended with W8250.

Finally, everything was sealed with Revell matt acrylic varnish.


Not a complex whif to build (done in 4-5 days), painting the thing and doing the background legwork was more of a challenge. This Maltese Buffalo looks slightly tatty, but so odd and weird that it's almost credible...



1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Brewster B-339E 'Buffalo' ASR.I, aircraft "NH-D"/W8251 of Royal Air Force 274 Squadron, Air-Sea-Rescue detachment; Hal Far, Malta, early 1942 (Whif/Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Captain Canada]

Gorgeous little build. Great selection of photos as well...very evocative. ASR is a great role for that bird.

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you. The overall combo IS odd, but after I 've seen Defaints with life boats as ordnance, this does not seem to be too far out of place... 
Was fun to build and get the story together, even though it's almost OOB.

[kitbasher]

Well that's something a little different - well done!

And as for the stores - I read the thread from the bottom up thinking 'Mmm, they look like those awful Maquette Su-25 bombs' only to see they are!  Well, OK the Kopro originals upon which the Maquette kit is based.

[Hman]

Stunning build love it

I am not going to be able to match that with my Aifix Buffalo build.  The Matchbox kit, looks a better build than the Airfix kit.

Bravo

[nighthunter]

Glad I could inspire you Thomas, and in completing yours you have pushed me to complete my build. Thanks for the great ideas on how to do faded paint and such, I'll be applying that to mine as well!

[Dizzyfugu]

Looking forward to see yours - in order not to overlap too much with yours, I went for the blue livery, even though I was tempted to use a Tropical scheme (Mid Stone/Dark Green/Mediterranean Blue), but then came across the ASR concept, and then the all-blue Hurricane CG that I posted in your thread was a good inspiration, and very different from anything I had thought of before. The yellow codes also look very odd, an obsure real-world detail.

Go for it! 

[Weaver]

Nice one - good to see an also-ran aircraft rather than a "star performer".

[zenrat]

Oooh, flashback.  The two coloured plastic and odd undercarriage in the build pics take me right back.  I had one of these as a kid.

Good job.

[Army of One]

What a fantastic colour scheme.........love it.....

[Dizzyfugu]

Again, thanks a lot to everyone, glad you like it. And it's hopefully not the last Maltese Buffalo, I hope there's a sister ship coming along...  

[Army of One]

I have a couple of the airfix ones in my stash....I'd love to have a go at a Maltese Buffalo.....I love the story of Malta.....been there loadsa times.....

[nighthunter]

Army, always room for more!

[Army of One]

Ooh.....like the sound of that. I have the aircraft of the aces book that covers Spitfire aces of Malta....some very interesting schemes in there.....reading about some being repainted by the USN while being ferried and others painted with maltese mixes of paint.....there seems to be a lot of leeway in the interpretation of the colours used....just gotta dig the kit out now....

[Dizzyfugu]

Yeah, go for it!