FM 1/48 Martin Model 167 Maryland
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Background
The Martin Model 167 was a three-place attack bomber that first flew
in 1939. Designed for US Army service, its only customer was the French
Air Force, but with the fall of France, these aircraft were diverted to
Great Britain. Dubbing the Model 167 as the 'Maryland' (from whence they
came), the RAF operated these aircraft as reconnaissance bombers in the
Mediterranean and North African theaters. Powered by a pair of Pratt &
Whitney R1830 Twin Wasps, the Maryland had a maximum level speed of 275
mph and a range of 1,300 miles.
The Kit
The FM 1/48 Maryland is a nice-looking multimedia kit, with the majority
of the model molded in light gray styrene and presented on six parts trees.
Featuring nicely scribed details, the kit's external surfaces will look
great with some subtle weathering to get these details to stand out.
Five resin parts are included in the kit to provide the main wheel wells,
the pilot & navigator/bombardier's seats, and the radio compartment
bulkhead.
Two bags of white metal parts are also included to provide cockpit sidewall
details, landing gear struts, antennas, armament, etc. And that's all
in one bag. The other bag contains the two Twin Wasps - two engine cores
and all of the cylinders in white metal.
The transparencies are all vacuformed including the cockpit, glass nose,
rear turret and ventral gun positions. Two complete sets of transparencies
are included, just in case.
Markings are provided for two examples:
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Model 167-A3, 7B Air Levant, French Navy, Syria 1941
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Maryland I, 69 Sqn, RAF, Malta 1941
Conclusion
This is a nice-looking model. While not for the novice modeler, this
kit should build up into a beautiful rendition of a subject that has been
overlooked in 1/48 scale.
My sincere thanks to Squadron Mail
Order for this review sample!
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