Hi Bud,
I bought a complete used MFA Spear on eBay - and by the time it was delivered, the courier had converted it to a flat pack
The wooden cabin sides and screen were all separate and the glass fibre wheelhouse roof was also detached so I will have to rebuild the model when it becomes next on my project list.
As far as I can see everything is there and the parts are complete and at least good enough to re-use - or copy and replace with nice new clean wood (which is probably what I would choose to do.
My Spear has previously been powered by a glow engine and so the inside of the hull needs some serious cleaning and degreasing, but all of the parts that should be glued into place are now loose, so once the cleaning is finished I will probably start again with all new plywood.
Although the temptation is to preserve what is quite a rare model kit (not many were sold), I may take the opportunity to improve the shape of the wheelhouse so that it more closely resembles a full size Spear, and I am hoping that some of our Mayhem readers will have some pictures of some real life Spear's that they may like to share to add to the data base that we have to work from.
As far as I can see, most of the original Spear craft were used for "official" use and patrol duties etc, but some may well have found their way into private ownership (especially in their later years) and may well have enjoyed some subtle refurbishments that could make for an interesting model.
Any pictures would be handy for anyone that has an MFA Spear that they would like to improve - or for any MFA Spearfish owners that fancy a change and would like to convert theirs to a Spear as it should be quite an easy conversion.
The Fairy Spear was quite a commercial looking design that was built for functionality, and whilst it is still not the ugliest boat on the water, it cannot begin to compare with the later Solent Spear that really is a good looking craft.