1:72 BAC Bushmaster GA1, Malaysian Air Force (TUDM), 1978

[Dizzyfugu]

"It's a Strikemaster, Jim, but not as we know it!" 


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Malaysian air forces trace their lineage to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force formations of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed in 1934. They later transformed into the Straits Settlements Volunteer Air Force (SSVAF) and the Malaya Volunteer Air Force (MVAF) formed in 1940 and dissolved in 1942 during the height of the Japanese advance over Malaya. The latter was re-established in 1950, in time for the Malayan Emergency and contributed very much to the war effort. On 2 June 1958 the MVAF finally became the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (RFMAF).

On 25 October 1962, after the end of the Malayan Emergency, the RAF handed over their first airfields in Malaya to the RFMAF, even though its role was limited initially to communications and the support of ground operations against Communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency. The first combat aircraft were 20 Canadair CL41G Tebuans (an armed version of the Tutor trainer).


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


With the formation of the Malaysian Federation on 16 September 1963, the name of the air force was changed to "Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM)" or "Royal Malaysian Air Force". New types introduced into service included the Handley Page Herald transport and the De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, and TUDM received Sikorsky S-61A-4 transport helicopters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. TUDM gained an air defense capability when the Australian Government donated 10 ex-Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) CAC Sabre fighters.
After the withdrawal of British military forces from Malaysia and Singapore at the end of 1971, a five-nation agreement between Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom was concluded to ensure defence against external aggression. The RAAF maintained two squadrons at Butterworth Air Base as part of its commitment to the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

However, Malaysia sought to become more independent, add more firepower and expand its fleet. In the Seventies the Sabres were replaced by 16 Northrop F-5E Tiger-IIs and the Tebuans partly replaced by BAC Bushmaster attack aircraft, directly procured from Great Britain. A reconnaissance capability was acquired with the purchase of two RF-5E Tigereye aircraft.


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The BAC 168 Bushmaster was a British jet-powered, dedicated attack and close air support aircraft. It was a development of the Hunting Jet Provost trainer and its armed cousin, the BAC Strikemaster, which had been developed primarily for export customers. The BAC 167 Strikemaster was essentially an armed version of the Jet Provost T Mk 5, but it was modified with an uprated engine, wing hardpoints capable of carrying four 500 pound Mk82 bombs, two machine guns under the intakes, an uprated flap system with two jacks, larger airbrake jacks, new communication and navigation gear, different electrical system, canopy breakers on the ejection seats, and a revised fuel system including conformal fuel tanks on the wing tips. First flown in 1967, the aircraft was marketed as a light attack or counter-insurgency aircraft, but most large-scale purchasers were air forces wanting an advanced trainer.

However, British Aircraft Corporation was certain that there was a market for a dedicated and more capable light attack aircraft, esp. for many smaller Second or Third World countries. This led to the BAC 168's development as a private venture, since the RAF and most European air forces were putting their focus on complex supersonic strike aircraft.


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The BAC 168 was based on the Strikemaster's aerodynamic components, but a pure single seater with a new fuselage. The cockpit received armor against small caliber shells, and, like the Strikemaster, the BAC 168 – christened Bushmaster – was capable of operating from rough airstrips. Special care was given to general ruggedness, easy maintenance and high reliability of all vital systems.
The Bushmaster was powered by a bigger engine, a downrated Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet without afterburner. The armament of the GA1 version consisted of four 20mm Hispano cannon in the lower nose section, plus more than 2 tons of external ordnance on four underwing pylons – primarily iron bombs and unguided missiles, but drop tanks or reconnaissance pods could be carried, too. As an alternative, the Bushmaster GA2 was armed with two Aden 30mm cannon, but otherwise both variants were the same.

The first Bushmaster prototype flew in late 1968, and two pre-production machines went on a global demonstration tour in 1970. The new aircraft met high interest, e.g. from Switzerland, Portugal, Chile, Peru, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Rhodesia, Singapore and Malaysia (and some more), but only a few countries eventually ordered it. Many governments favored the lighter Strikemaster, which also offered the benefit of two seats for advanced trainer duties, and many other Western-oriented countries rather opted for either the more capable Hawker Hunter, or they were supported by the USA with deliveries of the supersonic F-5 Freedom Fighter.


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Malaysia became one of the major operators of the Bushmaster, 54 aircraft were ordered in 1971. Two squadrons were equipped with the type. In 1982, though, the Malaysian government decided to upgrade the TUDM's fleet once more and opted for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The first Skyhawks (2nd hand aircraft from USN stocks, restored by Grumman) were delivered under a modernization program called PERISTA in late 1984. By 1987, all Malaysian Bushmasters had been retired and subsequently scrapped or sold back to BAC for refurbishing. All in all, only 114 BAC Bushmasters were produced between 1970 and 1975.



General characteristics:
    Crew: One
    Length: 34 ft 2 1/2 in (10.44 m)
    Wingspan: 37 ft 1 1/2 in (11.34 m)
    Height: 12 ft 3 in (3.74 m)
    Wing area: 213.7 ft² (19.85 m²)
    Empty weight: 6,195 lb (2,810 kg)
    Loaded weight: 11,994 lb (5,440 kg)
    Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)

Powerplant:
    1× Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet, rated at 6,000 lbf (26.5 kN) thrust

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 970 km/h (524 knots, 603 mph) at sea level
    Ferry range: 2,300 km (1,242 nm, 1,429 mi)
    Service ceiling: 13,700 m (44,950 ft)
    Rate of climb: 70.0 m/s (13,780 ft/min)

Armament:
    4× 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano Mk V cannons (200 RPG) in the lower front fuselage
    4 underwing hardpoints for an external ordnance load of 5.000 lb (2.270 kg)



The kit and its assembly:
This kitbash model was spawned from the thought what a single seat BAC Strikemaster might have looked like? I had a Matchbox kit in the stash for some time and played through possible conversions – only to finally come to the conclusion, that the Strikemaster's tadpole fuselage could hardly be slimmed down to something conclusive. Integrating a new canopy or nose section would be quite challenging, too.

As a consequence, the radical idea to swap the complete fuselage came next – and I had a potential donor body at hand: an incomplete Matchbox Hawker Hunter, bought in a lot. And when I held the parts together, it looked very good!
So, the Bushmaster became a massive combination of wings and air intakes taken from the Strikemaster and a shortened Hawker Hunter fuselage. Basically a simple stunt, even though the realization called for massive PSR work almost everywhere!


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Adapting the Hunter fuselage was easier than expected, since the Matchbox kit comes with two separate cockpit sections (for a single- and two-seater), and the fuselage's tail section could be shortened so far that it would match the Strikemaster's dimensions – more or less, the Hunter's wing root area was dissected. Once the "new" fuselage was ready, the Strikemaster wings and stabilizers were added, plus a taller donor fin from the scrap box, from an LTV Pinto. Its shape is very similar to the Strikemaster's fin, but the bigger piece just looks much better. Since the Matchbox Hunter's jet exhaust is empty, I implanted a nozzle/pipe (from a Matchbox Mystère IV).


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In the cockpit I used a different seat, which looks like having side and head armor added, and the nose was filled with lead to ensure a proper stance on all three legs. The landing gear was modified, too, because I felt that this dedicated attack aircraft would need more ground clearance and beefier legs for a higher TOW. The main struts were consequently taken from an Intech TS-11 Iskra, while the Strikemaster wheels were retained. The front leg comes from a Hasegawa F9F Panther, and the Hunter's front wheel well and its covers were shortened accordingly.

The underwing pylons are donors from the Matchbox Hunter, too, as well as the missile pods. The drop tanks come from an Italeri Hawker Hawk trainer, they match well in size and shape.


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
The scheme was inspired by a TUDM A-4 from the Eighties, even though only by a profile from a book and with some personal interpretation. Therefore, the colors certainly do not match with real life, but it's a whif, after all.

The scheme is based on the standard RAF-style zig-zag pattern which was also used on Strikemasters, e.g. in Kenya (Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey) or Saudi Arabia (Dark Earth/Mid Stone). I just adopted colors similar to the TUDM Skyhawk profile, in this case RAF Dark Green (Humbrol 163) for an olive drab-ish green and Khaki Drill (Humbrol 72) for a light but dull earth tone, for more contrast than RAF Dark Earth. The undersides became Light Aircraft Grey (Humbrol 166). The cockpit interior became dark grey (Humbrol 67) and the landing gear, incl. the wells, were painted with Modelmaster Steel Metallizer.

Having already seen some years of service I weathered the kit's upper surfaces with dry brushing and post-shading, after the kit had received a black ink wash. This also helped to simulate some surface details that are actually not physically there.


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The bright Malaysian markings come from a Hobbycraft CT-141 Tutor, the tactical codes were taken from a Malaysian MiG-29 from a Begemot sheet. Most warning stencils come from the Matchbox Hunter sheet. The white and black stripe on the fin is a personal addition, created with generic sheet material. It symbolizes the Pahang national state's flag, where Kuantan air base is located.

Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.




1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 BAC 168 "Bushmaster" GA1; aircraft "(MA13-)43" of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia/TUDM) 6th Squadron; Kuantan AB, Pahang/West Malaysia (Whif/Kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


What started as a weird idea and experiment turned into a very conclusive aircraft – I am amazed how well the Hunter fuselage and the Strikemaster wings blend into each other, and how much family relationship is still there, despite the fact that both donor aircraft belong to two different manufacturers. Still, it's a very subtle conversion.

[JayBee]

Now that is a truly wonderful bit of kit bashing, well done that man. 

[PR19_Kit]

VERY clever and innovative Thomas, and it looks the BUSINESS!  

[Vlamgat]

I really like this. The Impala II of the Jet Provost series. Looks the part perfectly.

[sandiego89]

Great job!  Dare I say a sleek Strikemaster!? 

-Dave

[TheChronicOne]

Man, that looks nice!! I like the last shot best. 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Great idea and execution!

[zenrat]

Here I was, not paying attention and thinking "just a simple paint whiff".

Very good Dizz.  Once again the final product looks like it came out of a box.

[Weaver]

That's excellent: well done!

It very much mirrors my own thoughts on upgrading the Strikemaster further, i.e. you'd need a new fuselage for a bigger engine, a single cockpit and worthwhile internal guns. If you didn't upgrade the engine, you'd be left with something so close to an MB-326K that you might as well just buy the latter.

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much, everyone! 

[kitnut617]

You really do come up with some amazing kit-bashes Thomas -----   

[NARSES2]

That's a stunner 

I really like the shot of her on the ground with the pilot about to board

[kitbasher]

Excellent 

[Dizzyfugu]

Here I was, not paying attention and thinking "just a simple paint whiff".

Very good Dizz.  Once again the final product looks like it came out of a box.

Fake classic Matchbox artwork for the BAC Bushmaster GA1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Thanks a lot for the positive feedback! Highly appreciated. 

[63cpe]

Woooow Dizzy, that's a great one! Sure it's a beauty! elegant yet powerful.

Well done!



David