For a long time now, I've enjoyed re-working the venerable 1/72 Revell SE-5.
A kit this simple and well-engineered is absolutely ripe for "the Treatment". I've done versions with cowled radials and a canopy and others where I substituted a SPAD or D.VII engine.
A few days ago, I pulled the last one out of the kit stash. What to do? The best I could come up with was grafting on the rotary engine from a Nieuport. Then I found an amputated Spitfire Merlin from the spares box. Some cut-down sprue made for serviceable exhaust manifolds.
I got ambitious and decided to do something I usually loathe - I detailed the 'pit! First I added a seat and then a lap belt and an instrument panel from old decals. The cherry on top is that suitably rakish windscreen I happened across. Can't recall what it came off of...
I also decided my new sleek SE should be armed more conventionally with two guns on the engine decking. This meant hollowing out a little notch and adding a rear fairing made from part of an old drop tank. Luckily, I had a spare Vickers from a previously-built kit.
Here's how it all looked when I tacked on the prop from an ancient Testor's Spirit of St. Louis:
Of course, this new Merlin engine would need to be properly cooled. I tried using the belly intake from a Hurricane.
It was too big and covered the holes for the landing gear struts. Having faith in the kit's engineering, I needed another solution. I decided to scratch a new cooling intake from card.
Wait something's missing...that looks like a long empty hallway down there!
Oh no! How do I fix this?
Add a splitter plate! This seemed a good idea as chances of me having the exact-size radiator rattling around the spares box are slim and none!
Will I succeed in making even a marginally creditable model out of this? Stay tuned to find out!
Brian da Basher
