Miles M.9 Master Mk.I

Dora Wings, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Miles M.9 Master was a British two-seat monoplane advanced trainer designed and built by aviation company Miles Aircraft Ltd.

It was adopted in large numbers into both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm (FAA) during the Second World War.

The Master can trace its origins back to the earlier M.9 Kestrel demonstrator aircraft. Following the failure of the rival de Havilland Don as a satisfactory trainer aircraft, the RAF ordered 500 M9A Master advancer trainers to meet its needs. Once in service, it provided a fast, strong and fully aerobatic aircraft that functioned as an excellent introduction to the high performance British fighter aircraft of the day: the Spitfire and Hurricane. Throughout its production life, thousands of aircraft and various variants of the Master were produced, the latter being largely influenced by engine availability. Numerous Masters were modified to enable their use as glider tows. The Master also served as the basis for the Miles Martinet, a dedicated target tug adopted by the RAF.

Perhaps the most radical use of the aircraft was the M.24 Master Fighter. Armed with six .303 in machine guns, it was intended to function as an emergency fighter during the Battle of Britain; this model did not ultimately see combat. Ordinary trainer models could also be fitted with armaments, including a single .303 in Vickers machine gun and eight bombs, albeit intended for training purposes only.

Beyond the British air services, other nations also chose to adopt the Master, including the South African Air Force, United States Army Air Force (USAAF), Irish Air Corps, Royal Egyptian Air Force, Turkish Air Force, and the Portuguese Air Force. While thousands of Masters were manufactured, no complete examples have been preserved.*

This is time that we have seen a Miles M.9 Master as a 1/48 scale injection moulded plastic kit.

Magna Models released a resin kit in 2011, and there was a vacform from Sanger quite some time before that.

Enter Dora Wings with their 1/48 scale Miles M.9 Master Mk.I.

Dora Wings' 1/48 scale Miles M.9 Master Mk.I comprises 124 parts in grey plastic, 18 parts in clear plastic, 38 photo-etched parts on a single fret, die-cut canopy masks and decals for four marking options.

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Thumbnail panels:

Surface textures are made up mainly from very fine, recessed and consistent panel lines. Fabric texture on the control surfaces are subtly done scallops, but no rib tapes depicted.

The well equipped tandem cockpit is made up from 40 plastic parts, a photo-etched instrument panel, quadrant handles and harness straps.

Decals are supplied for the instrument dials.

The wings are made up from a full span lower and port and starboard upper parts. All control surfaces are separate parts and may be posed neutral or offset.

Each main undercarriage assembly includes separate retraction struts and two-piece plastic wheels with radial tread.

Clear parts look good. Two styles of windscreen and canopy are offered. Each option is made up from four separate parts.

It looks like sliding section of the canopy will have to stay shut, but the instructor's rear upper hatch seems to offer the option of being uopen or closed.

Two bomb racks with four bombs each are included. These are not illustrated on any of the four marking options so check your references.

Dora Wings has very thoughtfully included die-cut, self-adhesive canopy masks, which will save some time!

Moulding quality is very good, but being a limited run kit, you won't find little luxuries such as locating pins. Take a little extra time with preparation and test fitting before you apply glue.

The sprue attachments extend onto the mating surfaces of the larger parts. This is good news because it means that the sprue attachments won't scar the visible outside surfaces, but it also means that you have to take care not to gouge out too much plastic when removing the waste.

Instructions are supplied on a 12-page, glossy booklet. There are 25 illustrated construction steps.

The marking guide is in full colour.

Markings

The decal sheet is printed by Decograph from Ukraine. The decals are satin in finish.

Registration and printing look good.

Markings are supplied for four options. All four are finished in Trainer Yellow lower surfaces with Dark Earth and Dark Green on top.

Demarcation, theatre markings and roundels vary between the subjects.

This is a nicely detailed kit and the first time that we have seen a Miles M.9 Master as a 1/48 scale injection moulded plastic kit.

As a limited run offering, some modelling skills will be required for parts preparation and alignment, but I don't see anything at all scary here.

Dora Wings' 1/48 scale Miles Master will be warmly welcomed by WWII British and Commonwealth trainer fans.

*Historical summary adapted from Wikipedia

Thanks to Dora Wings for the review sample.

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2022 by Brett Green
Page Created 18 April, 2022
Last updated 18 April, 2022

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