1/72 Franklin PS-2 Gliders 

by Chuck Holte

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History  

            The Franklin Glider Corporation of Ypsilanti, Michigan produced more than 100 of the PS-2 (Primary/Secondary, Model 2) gliders in the early 1930’s.  Between 1930 and 1933, PS-2s won the US National Soaring Championship three times, including a win by Stan Smith in G451Y.  Smith’s record-breaking aircraft, subsequently restored and now in private hands, is possibly the oldest flyable glider in the world.  Six PS-2s went to the US Navy, assigned to NAS Pensacola, Florida and used to screen potential naval aviators prior to progressing to powered aircraft.  The last of the Navy PS-2s (Bu No 9617) now hangs proudly from the ceiling of the National Museum of Naval History in Pensacola and is the subject of this review. 

The Kit 

            This review covers the Czech Master Resin (CMR) 1/72 scale kit with parts and decals for two complete Franklin PS-2 glider models, one military and one civilian.  This article will focus on the military version of the PS-2 with a detailed look at the civil version to follow.           

            Typical of Czech Master Resin kits, the PS-2 parts arrived sealed in individual plastic bag compartments wrapped in five 8½ by 11 sheets of history, instructions and painting guides, all enclosed in a sturdy zip-lock plastic bag. 

            The parts were nearly perfect with only a few minor pin-holes on the leading edge of the wing.  Kits are cast in 16 cream-colored resin and one clear resin part for the military version and 15 parts for the civil version (no windscreen and a one piece cockpit cover).  The fuselage and wing are each cast in one piece with individual parts for the removable cockpit cover, instrument panel, stick and rudder controls, horizontal and vertical stabilizers and supporting wing struts and braces.  The tiny clear resin windscreen is a little thick but usable with a dip in Future liquid floor wax.  Small parts are attached to the casting blocks while the fuselage and wing are flash free and ready to assemble.

            CMR provide six pages of history and sharp black and white photos of PS-2s including vintage photos of the early aircraft and current shots of 9617 at Pensacola.  Both aircraft, military and civil, have two pages each of exploded parts assembly diagrams and painting/markings instructions.

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Assembly 

With so few parts, kit assembly is relatively simple.  One challenge to address prior to assembly is how to hold the model for painting.  I carefully cut the landing gear wheel from the fuselage and drilled a hole that would accept a toothpick used to hold the model while painting.  Save the wheel to reattach once the painting is done.  After minor sanding to cleanup any mold marks, I superglued the wing to the fuselage making sure it was square.  Next I glued the vertical stab/rudder to the fuselage, again being careful of the alignment.  Finally, I added the horizontal stabs/elevators to the fuselage tail.  The tail is really the trickiest part of the build as there are no positive attachment points for the three pieces.  I usually use brass pins to secure wings and tail surfaces to the fuselage of resin kits for strength and security while handling, but in this case, there just isn’t enough butt joint surface to drill holes and add pins.  Therefore, use patience and plenty of superglue to be sure the tail is square to the fuselage and wings.  Parts fit was excellent and trouble free.  For strength, I used brass rod for the wing struts, bracing and wing tip guards in place of the cast resin pieces provided.  I also pre-drilled holes in the vertical and horizontal stabs to accept the stretched sprue bracing wires to be applied after painting and decaling. 

Painting

After assembly, I washed the model in soapy dish detergent to remove any residual casting release chemicals and fingerprints.  I airbrushed a grey primer to highlight any surface issues. The cockpit was destined to remain grey and masked with wet tissue paper.  After further clean up and another bath in the detergent, I airbrushed a base coat of flat Testors Deep Yellow.  This was followed by a gloss coat of Testor/Boyd Dark Yellow to be ready for decaling.  

Decals

The decals are excellent.  Thin with minimal carrier film.  They lay down very well on a gloss surface and respond to Solvaset, although it’s not really needed.  The markings provided include Bu Nos for all six Navy birds and G451Y, the civil aircraft in the double kit.  The decal sheet also contains four extra US roundels and two extra USN markings. 

Conclusion 

This great little kit provided a very enjoyable build of a unique subject in USN markings.  I spent 15 hours in actual construction/painting and decaling.  The Navy bird is very colorful in yellow with the red, white and blue roundels and sure to be an eye catcher in a display case or on a contest table.  This would be a good “first kit” for those just getting into resin modeling and highly recommended for those who what to do something a bit different in US military aircraft.  I’ve also included a shot of the CMR Franklin Texaco Eaglet (kit # G-25) with the PS-2 for color.  More to follow on the Civil PS-2 and the Eaglet.

Chuck

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Photos and text © by Chuck Holte