1:32nd scale Mosca-Bystritsky MB bis fighter

[sandbagger]

Hi all,
I can't finish the Hansa-Brandenburg W.20 as I'm still waiting for the propeller.
Also I can't progress the Ponnier M.1 until I receive the replacement Lewis gun, so that I can modify the fuselage accordingly.
So I've started researching what will probably be the 'next' model, which will be the last of the problematic resin kits I have.

 

This model will represent a Mosca-Bystritsky MB bis fighter, flown by the Imperial Russian Air Force from 1916.
The Italian aircraft designer Francesco E. Mosca worked at the Russian Duks factory, along with Bezobrasov, Lerkhe and Yankovski.
The initial MB design, first flown in 1915, was a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, similar to contemporary French Morane and Nieuport monoplanes.
During 1916, a smaller and faster single seat version was developed as the MB bis.
The MB bis was similar in construction to the MB, being constructed largely of wood with a linen covering.
The wings were mounted in the shoulder position with gaps between the wing roots and sides of the fuselage, which allowed for easier access to the cockpit and gave the pilot an improved field of view.
When being transported on the ground, the wings were folded to lie along the fuselage sides and the tail-planes were folded forward and upwards.
The aircraft used wing warping, rather than aileron control and was powered by a 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhone 9C engine.
The armament consisted of a single 7.7 mm machine gun (type and make not known, but looks to be a Lewis variant).
The machine gun was mounted in one of two ways. The forward firing machine gun was fuselage mounted and fired through the arc of the propeller, which was fitted with deflector plates to prevent damaging the propeller.
Otherwise, the machine gun was mounted on the fuselage to fire either upwards and outside of the propeller arc, or was mounted parallel to the fuselage, similar to the earlier French Nieuport fighters, again to fire outside the arc of the propeller.
A total of 50 MB bis fighters were built up to 1918 and a few additional aircraft of this type were reportedly built after the revolution.

 

Mike

 

 

[scvrobeson]

You are a machine, never a dull moment with you Mike.  Is this another Omega kit?

 

 

Looks like a really interesting project, has a lot of the Nieuport IV to it.

 

 

Matt 

[Citadelgrad]

Never even heard of this one.   And ive been a plane freak for about fifty of my fifty six years.  Awesome subject. 

[sandbagger]

8 hours ago, scvrobeson said:

You are a machine, never a dull moment with you Mike.  Is this another Omega kit?

 

 

Looks like a really interesting project, has a lot of the Nieuport IV to it.

 

 

Matt 

 

Yes the last of my 'Omega' 1:32nd scale kits 

 

Mike

[sandbagger]

6 hours ago, Citadelgrad said:

Never even heard of this one.   And ive been a plane freak for about fifty of my fifty six years.  Awesome subject. 

 

Similar - although I've been a plane freak most of my 71 years 

 

Mike

[LSP_Ray]

Omega Models. Looks like the MB bis is the only 1/32nd aircraft still available from them. They no longer list the W.20. I happen to have both kite, too. This is the first time, along with your W.20 build, I have ever seen them built. 

[sandbagger]

On 5/30/2021 at 5:46 AM, LSP_Ray said:

Omega Models. Looks like the MB bis is the only 1/32nd aircraft still available from them. They no longer list the W.20. I happen to have both kite, too. This is the first time, along with your W.20 build, I have ever seen them built. 

Hi Ray,

Yeah I picked them up in 2017, but as you say, the MB bis is the only WW1 1:32nd scale model available now.

The HB W.20 was kit 32-001 and the MB bis is 32-003.

I often wonder about kit 32-002 - what it was and was it ever released?

 

Mike

[LSP_Ray]

Good question! I bought them several years before that and I never saw 002 either.

[sandbagger]

Hi all, 
Now that the Hansa-Brandenburg W.20 is finished it's time to start the resin Mosca from 'Omega'.
I sometimes wonder if the company is called 'Omega' because of the reaction modelers get when they open the box - 'OhMyG--'
As you can see, most of the resin, especially fuselage and wings is so thin in places it's virtually see-through.
The instructions are, to say the least, minimal.

 

Hey-Ho - I've built 'Omega' kits previously, so at least I know what I'm in for,

 

Mike

 

 

 

[sandbagger]

Hi all,
The fuselage of this model is constructed from six resin parts, which are the right side, left side, top forward panel, top rear of the fuselage, engine bulkhead and the underside.
The underside of the fuselage is a single piece, but the molding of this part is bad.
Not only is the part twisted and with air ‘blow’ holes, but the thickness of the molding is uneven, being thick on the right side and wafer thin on the left side.
This makes the underside of the fuselage virtually unusable.
Therefore I decide to discard this part and make the underside from 0.8 mm thick plastic card, with 0.2 mm thick plastic card strips to represented the linen tapes.

 

I've also decided not to make the kit supplied photo-etch cockpit, which I think is too flat and two-dimensional.
So that's the next step,

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

[sandbagger]

Hi all,
The cockpit is complete now.
I found the photo-etch cockpit parts supplied in the kit were too flat and two dimensional.
Therefore, apart from the compass, single instrument and seat straps, the rest were either scratch built or I used appropriate parts from my 'spares' box.
As there is no information on the cockpit detail for this aircraft, I suspect 'Omega Models' used some 'poetic license' creating there parts.
The cockpit frame work is 1.0 mm and 0.85 mm plastic rod.
The pilots seat is a resin 'Barracuda Studio' part, intended for the Sopwith Camel.
Frame cross bracing wires are 0.1 mm diameter blackened Nickel-Silver rod with 0.4 mm blackened Brass end fittings.
The hand priming pump is 0.6 mm tube, lead wire and plastic rod.
The throttle, although not I think strictly accurate, is from a Wingnut Wings Camel kit.
Rudder and elevator control lines are 0.08 mm diameter mono-filament with 0.4 mm blackened tube end fittings.
The linen paint is the MRP CDL lacquer and wood work is 'DecoArt' craft Burnt Umber acrylic.
Weathering is Flory Models' Dark Dirt wash.

 

I've now fitted the fuselage top rear decking and found it's 5 mm too short at the fuselage rear.

So filler needed,

 

Mike

 

 

[scvrobeson]

Great cockpit work!

A 5mm difference is a bit of a swing. Hopefully you can get it worked out with some additional plastic added in.

 

 

 

Matt 

[sandbagger]

Hi Matt,

No problem - 0.8 mm thick plastic card, CA adhesive, filler and Mr. Surfacer 500,

 

Mike

[sandbagger]

Hi all,
I've fitted the top, rear of the fuselage and then filled the 5 mm gap at the rear of the fuselage.
I also sanded off the linen tapes on that and replaced them with sanded down 0.2 mm thick plastic card.

 

The kit supplies one photo-etch access panel for fitting to the forward, left side of the fuselage.
This panel was used to gain access to the fuselage internal components.
The few available photographs of this aircraft and subsequent colour profiles seem to show that some aircraft had this access panel fitted and some did not.
Those that did had the panels fitted into wood or metal fuselage panels (certainly not into just the fuselage linen covering).
Also, some profiles show the wood access panel to be fitted into either a plywood or metal covered forward fuselage.
However, all reference material shows only the left side of the aircraft, not the right side.
[b]My assumption[/b]
I believe it’s probable that early versions of the aircraft had no forward fuselage side or access panel, but instead had just the fuselage linen covering.
On later versions it seems likely that the wood access panel was fitted and into fuselage forward side panels of metal, as used over the forward top of the fuselage and engine cowl.
It also seems probable that these panels were fitted to both sides of the aircraft, so  full access to fuselage internal components was possible.
I couldn't find any evidence to prove otherwise.
I scratched the fuselage side panels and access panel with hinges and lock plates from 0.2 mm thick plastic card.

 

Mike

 

 

[Wolf Buddee]

Hi Mike,

 

I have to tell you, I’ve admired your work with your WW I model builds for some time now. It’s always inspiring every time I work on one of my WnWs kits.
 

Beautiful work Sir!

 

Cheers,

Wolf