Last fall, I accidentally published a sort of mission statement. Lots of time and money later, I no longer need somebody to make me the vehicle I called “the warbird.” Sit back, toy companies. I got this.
I’ve had a lifelong infatuation with aviation, especially military aviation. I grew up in the age of diecast planes and Micro Machines, so there was plenty of toys. And the era of GI Joe meant that I had a handful of airplanes and helicopters that could fit poseable pilots, and that’s something I just haven’t been able to shake. I remember trying all kinds of stuff to get bigger figures crammed in cockpits, from repurposing big processed plastic C-130s to building big planes out of Lego. Luckily, I got older, and while a precious few vehicles have fit that bill at retail, more parts became available, I bought more tools, and I learned the power of alcohol-fuelled courage.
So, my first attempt played out for you all on the front page late last winter. I took a Peterkin “SF-16”- a made-up plane based on an older toy that I cobbled into a plane that resembled, in rough terms, a F-51 Mustang of Korean War vintage. It looked pretty good, it played pretty well, but I was unsatisfied. So after a month or so, the modding resumed.
And I screwed up royally. I wanted to move the nose section further back, and in trying to do so, made it so the Mustang RC cowling, that had fit like a glove, was now useless. So I returned to a frantic search for a new nose, which of course meant changing the entire plane.
I ended up shifting from a V-12 style engine, like the Merlin and Allison ones that powered the Mustangs, to a flat nosed radial, like the 18-cylander P&W Double Wasp. If you’re into cars, this means a shift from a straight-line car engine to a giant motorcycle engine. Both types were used throughout World War 2, and both would power the world’s premier fighters, from Mustangs, Hurricanes and Spitfires with the Merlin to Hellcats, Corsairs, and Thunderbolts with the Double Wasp.
Other things I changed were the tailerons- I never did like the swept ones- and a new 3-bladed propeller and bell spinner. Some of the styrene work was changed around as I went. Lastly, in totally accidental fashion, I put the outer wings on backwards, and much preferred the change. In the end, I ended up with a plane that is mostly a Grumman F6F Hellcat, but there are some elements that feel a little Corsair too. Choosing a color was brutally tough, and I had thought of staying in the 1950s with the midnight blue on all surfaces, but the WW2 Navy/Marine tri-color scheme from the last couple years (before going to that all-blue) is so visually striking that it won out in the end.
There are a few things I would still like to do, like work out a sturdy hinge section so the wing can fold, but I really like now this Warbird looks now.
And whenever you get a project you really like done, it’s only a matter of time until you want to do another…
And that time was short. I started playing Farcry 5 with YouTube celebrity RoboKillah. Not only is it a great game, but the visuals are just incredible. And of course to up the ante over previous games, there are now even more vehicles to cover the large map with, including naturally, planes and helicopters.
And their choice of planes was an instant eye-catcher for me. They were Warbirds! While they are all essentially the same plane with different liveries, the build is very unique and cool. The plane is a bastard bird that takes major inspiration from turret fighters like the Boulton Paul Defiant. If I were an aviation writer, I would easily crank out a thousand words on the subject of turret fighters, but in the context of the game, it’s a fascinating choice. And in that context, you get the feeling that these planes are more “barn stormer” than factory produced war machines. It could be that these planes were built off of reproductions or de-milled aircraft, then re-armed and outfitted (in a heavily WW2 inspired theme) in garages and hangars. Again, I love the idea. So I wanted to build another plane.
I had already started the conversion of my remaining Cherilea jet into a prop plane anyway. I just think they work better this way. The plan, at least at the start, was for a two-seater turbo prop– that would make it the Super Tucano or Wolverine I talked about in the Warbird article. Unfortunately, getting the plane to sit properly on a tricycle landing gear wasn’t working- only time you’ll ever heard me complain about a fat ass. So, that makes the layout much the same as the Mustang was, first time around: Tail-sitter, wings from the BBI A-10, RC Mustang nose, and new squared-off rudder and tailplanes. I don’t mean to make it sound simple, turning a 40-year old molded plastic jet toy into a prop plane, but after 3 tries, it’s not bad work.
I got the canopy cleared for two-seats, which was more trouble than I expected for a part made for 12″ figures. Then, I started talking with some friends on Instagram about some additions. The first, as suggested by GIJoefan312, was the addition of some MENG scaled bolt heads. A little stressful, a little time consuming, but man, what an awesome effect. I will be going back to older work to add these. The next suggestion, innocent as it was, gave this plane a personality that took over from there on out. Talking with Lestat about colors, he made a simple, common sense type of observation: if I paint it gray, it will feel like a newer, modern plane. If I paint it green, it will come off older and used. Makes good sense. I opted for the green.
Next thing I know, the turboprop idea is out the window. The V12 is back. Modern livery is out of the question. Fine, I’m thinking, this plane can become that “Adjudicor FBW-2” from Farcry.
Almost. Turns out, nothing I tried for the canopy feels right. There aren’t a lot of turret options for something this size, but the ones I tried didn’t work. Moreover, I started to feel like this damn thing didn’t want a turret. I suppose, given the razorback style of the fuselage, it would kind of jack the body lines. Modding the Cherilea canopy is a possibility, but one I’m hesitant to try. As it is, I did all manner of reinforcing the old plastic to get it to work just as intended? and I’m afraid cutting it down for a gun port might end up fracturing the whole thing.
So, fine, we’ll finish it without a turret. For now. But as insurance, I mounted the seats on a magnets, with a piece of sheet metal on the cockpit floor, so when I figure out that rear-facing gun, I can add it. On the plus side, it left me parts to mount 4 forward wing mounted .50s, and that always looks good.
I wanted to emulate the deco of the game planes, without necessarily replicating it. I weathered the green, added some lighter shades and some metallic fleck. Then I used Tamiya weathering on the exhaust and guns, both drilled out for some depth. Like the Hellcat, there is plenty of space under the wings for stores, which like the game includes HVAR rockets and dumb bombs.
There are some little things I still need to do, like build the seat harnesses, like the ones on the Hellcat. Otherwise, this one’s good to go as some kind of “missing link” between a P-51 and a Super Tucano.
And that, friends, is how video games, childhood memories, alcohol and power tools can make a man turn vintage jet toys into even more vintage-looking propeller planes. Lots of screw, glue, paint and decals later, they feel almost unrecognizable, and yet, both have that crucial detail- they fit 6″ figures. And I’m damn proud of that.
