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I love airplanes especially the out of the ordinary. I have always loved the BD-5 since I saw it in the 007 movie. I also had the opportunity to see the Coors Light Silver Bulled BD-5 jet fly. I will never forget that thing whipping by doing a 12 point roll crisp as could be. I have built and flown a bunch of RC airplanes over the years but as I have grown older, I have started enjoying more simple building projects and the BD-5 series of planes offered by Civilized Models was just what I needed. They offer the model in both 1/32 and 1/48 scale in a variety of versions. You will find short wing, long wing and micro jet versions. The above mentioned Coors Light Silver Bullet is available as well as the Bud Light, Pepsi, Budweiser and Acrojet models.
Building The Model
The BD-5 model is fairly simple. It is different in that it is a cast resin kit rather than you typical injection molded kit. Part count is fairly low as you can see from the image to the left. Mine came with two canopies which is nice, if I am going to make a mistake it will be on the canopy. I did have a problem with the decals that came with the kit. I think it was bad paper but they promptly replaced them for me. Great customer service, thank you! I did a little painting on the interior and then painted the model with a satin spray paint. After I applied the decals I added a crystal clear coat. You can build with gear up or down and canopy open or closed. I did something different on the canopy. Rather than paint the frame, I split some old RC trim tape in half and laid it on.
Adding A Display Base
I wanted a simple base to display the BD-5 model. I did a little rummaging around in my garage and found a half inch piece thick piece of black walnut and an aluminum tube. I cut a trapezoid shape on my miter saw and gave at a quick sand and covered it with a clear coat, sanding in between coats. I then took the aluminum tube and formed it just using the radius of a roll of tape. I drilled a hole in the wood base for a tight friction fit and flattened the end that would mount to the belly of the BD-5 and attached it with a small sheet metal screw.
The BD-5 Kit Was A Fun Build!
The BD-5 kit by Civilized Models was just what I was looking for. I needed a simple build that I could proudly display. I am no expert by any means but I am happy with the results. Someone with more patience and skills could really complete a top quality display model of this cool piece of aviation history. Learn more about the full size BD-5, it really is interesting!
