Macchi MB 326 H

by Dale Smith

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Here is my Macchi MB 326 H, aircraft serial A7-062 in "25th Anniversary of Service" markings in 76 Squadron colours.

The model started life as the 1/48 Esci offering. This is basically a very good kit with nicely engraved panel lines and good overall shape and dimensions. It is just a shame it is not currently available commercially.

Construction began in the cockpit with the addition of scratchbuilt instrument panels, cockpit sidewalls, canopy raising struts and the use of a 'Plane Bits' resin ejection seats. The canopy was vacformed by a fellow modeller.

The flaps were cut out, reshaped and reinstalled in the lowered position. This is a commonly observed configuration when the Macchis were on the ground. 'Plane Bits' 90 gallon resin wing tanks were also installed along with scratchbuilt wingtip navigation lights.

Other small details included brake lines on the undercarriage, aerials and the large red navigation light on the spine of the aircraft.

Painting was done with Gunze Sangyo acrylics and a clear gloss cote applied after painting.

Decals were a mixture of 'Hawkeye Models Australia' with additional markings from 'Aussie Decals'. The black finish on the wing leading edges was replicated using black decal strips from the Hasegawa range.

Many thanks to Darren Mottram who originally devised the scheme when he was in the RAAF, and also supplied additional reference material and corrected a couple of my minor errors in the paint scheme.

James Blackwell took the pics.
 

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Text and Model Copyright © 2001 by Dale Smith
Images Copyright © 2001 by James Blackwell
Page Created 14 December, 2001
Last Updated 04 June, 2007

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