MARTIN - BAKER   M B - 5

                           Building the 1/48  Falcon Vac form Kit

This was the second vac form I had attempted , and was of a subject which I had long admired  . Now that I had some experience , I felt confident in tackling this one.A typical Falcon kit, all major  parts were well formed , and looked good.
Unfortunately, no decals were included ,which meant finding the serial numbers,
but more difficult ,finding the  "P"  prototype marking.
A ball point pen was run around  each major part , then panel lines were engraved ,after which the main parts were  cut out.
 Fuselage
A joining strip was run along top and bottom edges in one fuselage half . A cockpit tub was made up from card using the pattern on the plan . (See later ).
Stiffening bulkheads were made in addition to two spars to assist in mounting the wings later.
The problem of how to fit the tub assembly  into the fuselage through the small cockpit opening once the two halves were joined ,was overcome by taking a drastic decision.
This was to cut off the entire nose section  after the fuselage halves had been joined  and the joint smoothed . A   shelf had been fitted in  each side of the cockpit area underneath the cut out. The complete cockpit tub could then be slid in and mounted on the shelves ,after which the nose section would be re- attached , as it had been fitted with a flange to aid re -joining.

Before re attaching it , the nose section had the exhaust slots  cut out . and a card shelf fitted to bridge the gap between the slots . After painting ,this would allow the prefabricated exhaust stub assemblies to slide in and be glued to the shelf . A piece of card was glued across  the nose section, and a piece of brass tubing passed through it to the centre of the extreme nose . This was to allow the contra prop assembly with it's concentric tubes to be slid in and line up correctly .
The prominent blister fairings on the nose were indistinct,so new ones were made from scrap and glued on.

Bulkheads were added to stiffen up the fuselage ,and slots were cut out so that
two spars were loosely trapped  as  the halves were joined. The spars had been made so that the correct dihedral would be achieved, and also to strengthen the wing/fuselage  joint . A tailwheel leg was scratchbuilt and fitted into one half ,
leaving the  wheel fork  to be scratchbuilt and fitted later.

The  chin intake was extremely thin as formed,and required reworking .It was beefed up with card ,and the under nose contour extended to form a roof in the intake . The radiator intake was thin & crushed , so a wooden master was carved and a new section moulded . Cross braces were added to the intake ,in accordance with photos ,the assembly being put aside to be added after the fuselage was joined and smoothed. The tailwheel doors were replaced with thinner ones moulded from card .   
Slots were cut into the rear fuselage so that spars could be used to support the
tailplanes .
Against the root rib positions , a girder type rib was simulated , as it can be seen 
through the wheel wells .
 Wings
Wing ribs and spar as well as wheel well detail was added to upper and lower wing halves referring to magazine articles and a cutaway drawing .Small blocks were added to provide support for the U/C legs later.
The bottom halves were added to the completed fuselage with superglue, the spars setting the dihedral and strengthening the whole assembly . When well set ,the wing tops were added,fillets fitted ,and gaps filled with Feviseal ,(A cheap 
equivalent of  Milliput ).
Cockpit
The kit plan had a printed cockpit fold out diagram ,which was followed using card.  Photos were followed  in making up the side consoles and instrument panel ,using the 3 layer method .
 Various levers were made and fitted to the tub. A control column/rudder bar assembly was fabricated referring  to photos , and fitted. . A cutaway drawing showed that the rear of the fuselage canopy cut out had to be filled in .
Canopy
 The kit canopy was  absolutely flawless as always withFalcon, but when it was compared  with side view photos ,it appeared oversize . Photos and 3 view drawings  of the MB-5 show that the canopy appears relatively small .
Measurements made against these photos and drawings ,   indicated that the canopy represented  just over 18% of the total fuselage length . The glorious kit canopy was well over 20% ,and  a  bit too big to get away with.
 Accordingly, a wooden former was made ,and several new canopies moulded .
The best windscreen was cut from one, and the best sliding section from
another set aside to be fitted when required , but regrettably, neither approached
the  quality of the original Falcon unit .
Exhausts
Twelve short pieces of brass tube were cut ,and soldered to two pieces of shim brass ,using a card template to get them at a uniform angle . These would later be slid into the cutouts in the nose ,and glued to the shelf previously fitted.
Contra Prop Assembly
The vac formed blades appeared too broad when compared with photos , so
new blades were scratchbuilt from card ,with the twist incorporated so that the
front & rear props  rotated in the correct direction . The main sections of the vac 
formed spinners were used ,with cut outs for the blades ,but the tip had to be 
replaced by one made from laminations of card suitably shaped, as the putty
I had used to fill it ate into the plastic rendering it useless.  
 Each prop was mounted on  thin brass tubing which fitted concentrically , with
the assembly then able to be slid into the tube provided  previously in the fuselage nose.

 Tail Surfaces
The kit items were too thick and appeared oversize,so replacementswere scratchbuilt from card ,with fabric covering simulated on the new rudder.
the tailplanes were mounted on spars passed through the fuselage, and the elevators shown drooped .
Undercarriage
The kit legs weren't really useable, so diagrams were made referring to a good
cutaway drawing,and study of many magazine photos .Unfortunately,as no closeup photo of the main gear  was ever located ,  the accuracy can't be guaranteed ,but the aim was to simulate the appearance reasonably .
 Then,the main gear legs were scratchbuilt and detailed accordingly ,with torque links ,brake lines and detailed side stay. All main U/C doors were scratchbuilt
referring to photos .
Finishing
When the whole model was completely assembled and wet sanded smooth, all
bottom surfaces were sprayed yellow and then masked off.
The Green/Grey camouflage scheme was then added to the top surfaces.
Decals were taken from several old sheets ,and the vital "P" markings kindly 
supplied by a fellow club member.
Finally ,addition of the landing gear and doors and pitot tube completed  what 
turned out to be a fair likeness of the  handsome MB-5 when  compared to photos  I had available .
The  MOST VITAL step of all , was to have some photos taken by Pieter Stroethoff who can make almost any model look  reasonable.
 
Who said vac forms are not worth the trouble ? They are definitely more challenging ,and require more thought and planning than a typical injected kit,
as well as some scratchbuilding of parts which do not vac form  well . Actually,
 I think it's probably closer to what used to be known as modelling .