Re: a good day

from what i've read, the malta birds were early, but had 3 blade props. is there an aftermarket canopy? and do you know if the lindberg "wire" is scale? the thread looks awfully thick.

On the other hand I just heard from him that the clear parts were missing from the sealed bag.

Anybody out there have an extra windscreen/canopy for the Lindberg (or Merit or..) Gladiator? Is there a vacuform canoopy available?

J.Marc?

Tom

actually the bag was taped...but no biggie, something will turn up.

FWIW The Malta birds were "Sea Gladiators", ex Royal Navy birds. There was a stash of Sea Gladiators at Malta dockyard as spares for the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet carriers. Three bladed props (Fairey Reed fixed blades) and tail hooks removed. A couple were supposedly rebuilt after damage with later Mercury Radials from a bomb damaged Bristol Blenheim and had three bladed variable pitch props as a result, making them very unique birds. The original Inpact molds were a Gladiator Mk.1 with the two bladed wooden prop. Most of the subsequent holders of the molds (Life-like, etc.) kept that prop. For some reason, when Lindberg got ahold of the molds they junked the two blade part of the molds and added a rather poor rendition of the Fairey Reed three blader. If you really want a Mk.2, you can get a better Fairey-Reed prop from Aero Club. They make a very nice cast metal prop. The Roden Kit for a Mk.1 is rather nice, except that they have fallen into the trap of giving you the Mk.2 instrument panel. Roden's Sea Gladiator and soon to be released Gladiator Mk.2 should enable the whole Gladiator family to be made in very nice style.

Bill Shuey

Vac-u-form canopy is in one of the Falcon canopy sets for British fighters. I'm not sure if the Gladiator canopy is available in the Squadron line or not.

Bill Shuey

haven't found one in squadron yet...but not through looking.

Congrats on your Good Day. Before you go on with your Malta project I suggest you read F.K. Mason's The Gloster Gladiator. You might be surprised about the true story of ' Faith, Hope and Charity and how the myth was prolonged as a very good propaganda tool. I would like to get hold of couple more Lindberg Glads myself as I find them almost an equal to Roden's Mk I. I've always wanted to do a diorama of RAF 263 Squadron's two adventures in Norway a really very untold story of the early war. Mike IPMS

if you do find more, could you heat form me a canopy? be glad to cover poatage and materials. wasn't one of the 263's aircraft a wreck near a lake for many years? i know the malta glad story was mostly fabfication, they did have hurris on strength too. but it's great mythology.

Not really into vacu-forming but if I do come by another kit I know a local modeler who is fooling around with it...but like rabbit stew...first you have to catch a rabbit :)

wasn't one of the 263's aircraft a wreck near a lake for

I believe it was either a lake or fiord in Norway that it was discovered and retrieved from. I believe its now being restored at a RAF museum?

The RAF commander on Malta didn't even know of the myth until he returned to England and read about his squadron's 'heroic adventures' in a local newspaper :-) Winston Churchill once said: " A good lie is one of the best weapons in modern warfare." Mike IPMS

thanks, the library might have some.

yep, make the bads guys think you're such a bad mother they never want to fight.