1/72 Basselope Mark V

Gallery Article by Alvis 3.1

 

Utilising the basic B-35 structure, Avro Canada reworked the airplane into a superb ASW platform. The turboprops gave a smoother, quiter ride than the USN variants had, as they were still using the original piston engine design.  The design for the Basselope went through several upgrades, and shown here is the final version, the Mark V, or Marv as it was known to it's crew. The fittings for the original underwing turrets were retained, and were modified to be used as observer stations, and while it was not the most comfortable position, it sure beat hanging out the back of the C-130 looking for lost Cessnas. The last of the Marvs were scrapped in 1986, having been replaced by the CP-140 Nimrod.

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The Model
The idea for this came from a thread on RMS several years back, on the fictional history of the Flying Wing. It was compiled and tweaked by Glen Broman, and can be seen if you track down the Ninfinger website (sorry I don't have an URL)

Basically the model is the 1/72 ERTL XY-B-35, with props from a C-130 added, and a vacuformed bubble canopy for the middle section. The paint scheme nearly drove me mad (you figure out how to place a lightning flash down the side of a plane with no fuselage!! This is likely what doomed the flying wings in the first place, as the Air Force couldn't figure out where to put those huge tail codes...8>)) The clour used by the RCAF was also unique, and initially I made it using several Tamiya paints, but after 6 yes 6 total failures of the paint (runny or ceiling spackle finish, it varied) I gave up and went to Model Master Enamels and finally finished the cursed painting!

Alvis 3.1

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Photos and text © by Alvis 3.1