Martin Baker MB-5

[ricleite]

Strange as it may look, this is the first Orlik kit I decided to assemble. It is not a very recent kit but it looks good and models one of the last piston engine fighters – Martin Baker MB-5. Like others, it didn’t make it to service. The overall aspect is quite like a Mustang and the wingspan is similar. It is noticeably longer, however, and the contra-rotating propeller leaves no doubt that the engine has plenty of power…
The kit is not as detailed as a typical Halinski, namely in the cockpit. There are no weathering effects, either inside the cockpit or outside, but the printing is good. I counted 509 parts. Some of them are optional, meaning that they can be used instead of others or simply not used. So, the real number is rather elusive…

[Draco]

The MB-5 was considerated one of the best fighters of WWI, but the Martin Baker was a small company that supplied medium parts (tail turrets and so on) for the big ones.
So the english goverment had not interest in a new fighter build by such small fish.
I have detailed information about this plane somewhere in my house. If you want it, I can look for it.

[ricleite]

Thanks for the offer, Draco. If you want to include information here, please do as you wish. I almost invariably stick to the detail level provided in the kits. It is common to add parts to ease the assembly, but they are not visible in the completed model.
I started with the cockpit but moved on to the huge propeller. The formers require trimming to fit inside the hub.

[Erik Zwaan]

Hi Ricardo, good choice! I have built a few Orlik kits (the Mosquito and Hawker Hurricane Mk IIb in desert livery) and found them very pleasant and high quality models to build. Not as overly detailed compared to Halinski but still with plenty of detail. I still have the Orlik Lysander on my stack but it's not yet in the construction planning .

Cheers,
Erik

[Draco]

I haven't searched the magazine I have about the MB 5, but I found this: Almost the greatest fighter of World War II: The Martin-Baker MB5 | Hush-Kit

[Don Boose]

Flawless work on the airscrew and spinner!

Don

[Rata]

Years ago I worked with a semi retired English bloke that had emigrated here who used to be an engineer at Martin Baker. He had some great stories and even loaned me a whole pile of technical manuals and info on that companies products- including the MB-5.

[MacSongLi]

Very nice start. You did a great job the nose petals.

Gary

[Mike1158]

Looking sharp. Biggest flaw in the MB company was a fixation on perfection. Had the improvements made it on to the MB4 that may have made production. The simple production and maintenance methods mentioned by Eric Brown for example, would have made it easy for Hawker and others to build it. Essentially an update of the Hurricane but with a metal skin from the get go.

[Siwi]

Ironically, Martin Baker had a more succesful existance after the war than all the other famous British companies who either disappeared or were swallowed up into BAC and then BAE Systems, because they moved into being the world's biggest ejection seat manufacturer. This is quite an interesting story in itself as the 'test pilot' was a factory fitter who agreed to be blasted upwards with increasing force.