FM 1/48
Model 167 Maryland

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:

• Model 167-A3, 7B Air Levant, French Navy, Syria 1941
• 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!