Aerocraft Models 1/32nd Miles M.52
By Matt Robeson
I can officially call my speedy silver cigar done!
The Miles M.52 was a proposed British attempt to break the sound barrier more than 3 years before the Bell X-1 would accomplish the feat. The project was cancelled in 1946, and Miles was directed to share their research and data with Bell, who would apply it to their own barrier breaker in 1947.
This kit was Aerocraft's first full kit, as well as my first full 3D printed kit. Bit of a learning curve, to be sure, but a great kit to put together. The only challenge was in the surface finish, since the surface had to be basically glass smooth. Numerous applications of Mr. Surfacer and careful polishing were the order of the day, but eventually, it was smooth enough for the gloss black and Alclad finish. The surface prep was really about 90% of the work time on this build, I had to get it as close to perfect as possible.
Strong coats of Gunze GX2 Black set the stage, and then Alclad High Speed Silver coated the airframe. Select panels were picked out in Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Airframe Aluminium, and Polished Aluminium until I was satisfied with the finish.
The roundel decals were replaced with Eduard units with peelable carrier film, while the serial number, prototype logo, and fin flash were all trimmed to eliminate any extra carrier film.
Aerocraft was nice enough to include printed trestles for the plane to help alleviate strain on the landing gear, and I dealt with one main leg breaking under load. That side is also missing a gear door in certain photos, that was removed to give camera access to the engine bay.
© Matt Robeson 2026
This article was published on Saturday, June 13 2026; Last modified on Saturday, June 13 2026