McDonnell F2-K Martlet VII - Seac

[Bungle]

As the Pacific war moved through 1946 and into 1947, SEAC received their first Carrier Jet attack aircraft. Named the Banshee by the McDonnell company a version for the Commonwealth carriers was rechristened the Martlet II.

The Martlet VII replaced the Chance Vought Corsair Mk VI of 1850 Squadron on HMS Vengenance.

The kit is the Airfix Banshee, I'm leaving off the wing tanks and adding rocket rails.

This kit is more my size, the Boeing B377 is huge and I'm in the puttying and sanding stage. The Martlet was an idea to test the colours for the long range anti submarine aircraft (the Bristol 'Beluga' Beausprit) but I've decided on SEAC colours to match Corsair 130/A in the picture below. BTW the weights (10g) used in the nose are tyre weights for balancing your car wheels. I slipped the mechanic a fiver when getting a new tyre recently and got a handful of various sizes (and I have big hands) Really useful as they have a strong stcky back coating.

[Bungle]

Bit rough and ready this build.

Fuselage joined and wings on .....

[Bungle]

Slight change to the title of this one because I didn't realise the Grumman 'Martlet' was such a prodigious little thing. I refer to the esteemed (or steamed) knowledge that is Wikipedia that the Grumman Wildcat was also available under another label ....

"The British received 300 Eastern Aircraft FM-1s as the Martlet V in 1942/43 and 340 FM-2s as the Wildcat VI. In total, nearly 1,200 Wildcats would serve with the FAA. By January 1944, the Martlet name was dropped and the type was identified as 'Wildcat'."

So therefore to make my What-If that bit more credible my kit now becomes the 'Martlet VII' and I, of course, blatantly ignore the last sentence above from Wikipedia as you shouldn't trust everything you read on T'internet.

Have primed and top coated the kit... photo to follow. I hate it already !

Bungle (living up to my name).

[The Wooksta!]

IIRC, I abandoned my Airfix Banshee years ago.  The Hobbycraft/Academy kit is a much nicer build and looks better.

[Bungle]

Having primed the Banshee/Martlet VII I decided on painting the nose a nice yellow (matt) and the rest Humbrol Gloss Sea Blue.  Now I see why I've never used this paint before it is...@*&!%............ not nice.

Ho hum....

[Bungle]

Here's the finished item.

Kit is the Airfix Banshee with the rocket rails from the Revell Swordfish. Decals out of the spares box.

[Taiidantomcat]

Very well done 

[NARSES2]

Nice - just crys out for some Donald Duck nose art with that "beak"