mmD's PM Kits Sea Fury FB11 **Finished**

[mightymikeD]

More Turkish Delight with the redoubtable PM Kits.. and a special paint & decal scheme that I'll keep under wraps for now

[lancfan]

Watching with interest.

David.

[mightymikeD]

The Kit has arrived...



This Build Is ON!

[mightymikeD]

There's lots of PM kits being built here, so I'll leave the sprue shot etc out. It's basic but tidy looking. PM Kits decals are notoriously poor, luckily I won't be using them (if anyone ends up having an AAAARGH with disintegrating decals, drop me a PM and you can have 'em).
I'll be leaving out the drop tanks and sourcing/scratching some additional rockets, also waiting on Aftermarket decals but other than that it'll be OOB.

[MerlinJones]

I've got a spare set of rockets and racks if you want them...just PM me a postal addy.

Regards,
Bruce

[mightymikeD]

I've got a spare set of rockets and racks if you want them...just PM me a postal addy.

Regards,
Bruce

Magnificent! Thank you very much.

[mightymikeD]

The rockets arrived today.. the MJ Spares Service is a model of efficiency (many thanks, Bruce)
Reason I needed the extra rockets is for the (as I thought) unique scheme I have been planning, namely a Bay Of Pigs Sea Fury. I spent a long time on the internet looking for the decals, as no-one does it in 1/72 OOB. I discovered the wonderful Blackbirdmodels Bay f Bigs set that not only has Sea Fury decals but also the other notable aircraft on both the FAR and FAL sides. However, these decals are also out of print.
Undeterred, I emailed Glenn who runs Blackbirdmodels.com and he sold me his own, personal copy of the decal sheet because, like a true modeller, he's got a ton of builds ahead before he gets near them.. FYI he'll be reprinting it in the new year and you should check out some of the great stuff he has for sale on his site.
The story of the Cuban FB11s in the Bay Of Pigs is fascinating and heroic, however you feel about Castro/US
I'm planning on telling the story as i post build updates, so stay tuned.

[mightymikeD]

..Should have mentioned.. OT is building the only kit that has Cuban markings, the 1:48. So I'll be watching his build iwth interest!

[lancfan]

Will also be watching this build with interest, the markings are unusual and historically interesting, I have both types of Cuban roundels on one of the old 1/72 Esci decal sheets, if I run out of colour scheme options and there is time I may include a Cuban aircraft myself.


David.

[mightymikeD]

Ok... just moved house and now have a great workbench. However, I also currently cannot upload photos to yon interwebz so you'll have to take my word for it that my FAR Fury is looking good and awaiting decals... :

[mightymikeD]

And it's done.. FAR541 as piloted by Enrique Carreras over Giron.. credited with downing a couple of B-26 Invaders and sinking supply ship Houston..

Decals from Blackbird Models (shout out to Glenn for selling me his personal set) and thanks to Merlinjones for sending me a spare set of rockets and racks to enable the thorough tooling-up of this Fury.

[splash]

Well done Mike, I like the Fury in those colours, I might just have to build one (but not in this GB)

Rs

[Old_Tonto]

She is a beauty Mike.

[TimJ]

Great build Mike.

[mightymikeD]

thanks, folks.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable build: the PM kit went together nicely and the decals behaved wonderfully with the exception of the rudder stripes which had a tendency to develop break lines and ended up with me painting them on instead. I may end up doing some more Giron models as the decal set includes Invaders in both FAR and Counter-Revolutionary schemes..

I've always considered pilots Carreras and Rudd to be extraordinarily brave: not only did they fly multiple sorties throughout the Bay Of Pigs invasion and score some excellent wins with an obsolete fighter (which testifies to the quality of the Sea Fury as an aircraft) but also must have had in their minds the expectation of imminent attack by Skyhawks from the two Essex-Class US Navy Carriers stationed off Cuba. Which, Sea Fury kills of jets in Korea notwithstanding, would have led to both of them being killed, had Kennedy decided to risk WWIII.

I'll stick up another couple of photos soon to show the expanded rocket array that period photos show