Berliner - Joyce P-5 Jaybird

[Brian da Basher]

In November of 1927, the U.S. Army Air Corps announced a design competition for a new pursuit aircraft. The firm of Berliner-Joyce was quick to submit a design which firmly established them as a company on the leading edge of aircraft technology.

The new design, known as the YP-5 was a water-cooled inline engined biplane fighter with a wood and fabric covered aluminum frame that was armed with two .50 caliber Marlin machine guns and perfectly streamlined, spatted undercarriage which caused even the most veteran airframe techs to wolf-whistle when they first saw it.

The YP-5 was undergoing static field tests and was only a stripped-down uncovered frame when the lead designer from Berliner-Joyce and the U.S. Army Air Corps chief were paying a visit. Unknown to them a mechanic named Ves was having a dalliance with one of the post-exchange counter girls in a maintenance tent nearby. Thinking he heard his sergeant approaching, Ves smacked the girl on her bottom which caused her to run from the tent in the nude. Seeing the streaking girl, the Air Corps commandant said "Why she's naked as a jaybird!" Assuming this applied to the uncovered airframe, the Berliner-Joyce designer nodded and the name stuck.

The P-5 Jaybird was ordered into production and was one of the most well-known U.S.A.A.C. fighters in the early 1930s. The example shown here, No. 5 of the 27th Pursuit Squadron is shown in the war games scheme it wore while taking the "Purple Force" to task during exercizes at Ft. Knox, Kentucky in 1933. It can be seen on display at the U.S. Air Force Reserve Museum across U.S. Route 69 from the No-Tell Motel (room rates available by the quarter-hour) in Intercourse, Pennsylvania.

1st of 7 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

Here's my first entry in the I Love Spats! GB. The base kit for this project is the 1/72 ICM Ki-10 II Japanese fighter, code-named "Perry" by the allies. The Ki-10 II served in the Nomonham conflict with the Soviet Untion in the late 1930's. I've always really liked the look of this aircraft and it reminded me of some Boeing and Curtiss prototypes, so I was curious what one would look like in inter-war U.S. markings and with spats!

2nd of 7 pics.

Brian da basher

[Brian da Basher]

This ICM offering is a bit rough and made for a challenging build, but nothing one experienced at stuffing up more expensive kits couldn't handle. The only modifications I made to the ICM kit were adding a headrest fairing made from part of a drop-tank and scratching a windscreen from clear blisterpack because I lost the acetate one that came with the kit.

Oh and did I mention that I added spats?

I love spats!

3rd of 7 pics

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

The spats are white-metal from Aeroclub which are for a Hawker Fury. They cleaned up very nicely and were no problem to work with. Considering that they're made of metal they don't weigh very much either. At $2.04 a pair, I highly reccomend them! They certainly help dress up a kit that's a bit difficult to put together right. Even though this kit was not shake-and-bake, it does come with a nicely detailed cockpit, some of which you can see in this shot.

4th of 7 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

Although I didn't make many modifications to the original kit, sometimes rigging biplanes can be a challenge. By far the easiest rigging method I've found yet is using steel guitar strings cut to length and attached with Elmer's™ white school glue. The accuracy experts will cry that it's not perfectly in scale but it's close enough for me! In this one, you can see the rigging and those spats.

Did I mention that I love spats?

5th of 7 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

This ICM kit might be a bit rough and not the easiest to build but I've got to commend them for having the rudder as a seperate piece on the sprue. This made it a lot easier for me to hand paint those 13 red and white rudder stripes. Even though I knew this was going to wear U.S. 1930's markings, I wasn't sure if I was going to do a Yellow Wings scheme or not and which squadron insignia I'd use. Finally I decided on the 27th Pursuit Squadron's handsome eagle emblem. I find those 1930s war games camo schemes very interesting as it seems no two were alike so I hand painted it in acrylics using Polly-Scale PC-10, Model Masters Euro Green, Model Masters Dark Earth, Testor's Tan and Olive Drab and Polly Scale Clear Doped Linen for the undersides. I used Tamiya Aluminum on the prop blades.

6th of 7 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

I had a lot of fun on this project which took me about a week to build. I hope you enjoy the pics and the backstory and will feel insired to join the fun in this group build!

Last of 7 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Daryl J.]

BdB!   That looks great.


Daryl J.

[B777LR]

Uber cool, ein berliner!

[McGreig]

Impressive result - looks absolutely right in these USAAC markings    

[lancer]

Amazing plane Brian, but the thing the killed me is the name of the hotle and it's location...the No-tell motel in intercourse...       . As for quarter hour room rates, do people really need that long???      

[Maverick]

Brilliant stuff Brian, look oh-so-right in interwar cammies!!

Mav

[Brian da Basher]

I'm really glad you gents like it! I had a lot of fun with it even though it was a challenging build.

There actually is a town called Intercourse, Pennsylvania, near Lancaster in the south-central part of the state. I got the idea on the quarter-hour room rates from a hotel on the bad side of town here in Pittsburgh called the Biltmore Hotel. When they tore it down, we called it the Built-less Hotel.

Brian da Basher

[lancer]

I'm really glad you gents like it! I had a lot of fun with it even though it was a challenging build.

I find the challanging builds are somtimes the best of all.

[John Howling Mouse]

Young man, do you have any idea just how much your finishing has improved over the past few months?

Wow.  I'm very impressed.  And how you can do rigging without pulling your hair out is beyond me, too.  In 1:72 scale yet!

Inspiring!