tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70070222323846440152024-03-05T08:06:01.590-03:00The modeling underdogWelcome to a modeling site versing on stories about plain modeling, dubious means of detailing your kits and absolutely no prejudging reviews of existing or upcoming kits of civilian aircraft in odd occupations and military aircraft not firing a single shot in anger. With the odd tank or submarine every now and then. Enjoy!The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-51851490817150378872021-02-16T21:34:00.001-03:002021-02-16T21:34:42.577-03:00"Diver! Diver! Diver!": Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVc and the V-1 menace.
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The man and the airplane:</span><br />
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Rudolf Frans "Rudy" Burgwal was born September 27th, 1917 in Surabaya, one of the larger cities in the island of Java, then part of the Dutch East Indies. His parents brought him to the Lower Countries in 1933, settling in The Hague. Rudy was a student when the german onslaught brought Holland to its knees five days after the beginning of operations against the country. A year after, in May 1941, he and other four made a daring crossing in a fishing boat and arrived to England. They had a close call on the way out when they ran aground on a sandbank and got spotted by the germans. Things could have ended rather bad for the young lads but, before leaving the germans directed them to make themselves available to the local port authority as soon as the tide changed and the boat got loose. It was only natural for them to disobey but they had to come back for the cover was blown, and as soon as there was a chance and water under the keel they set course for England again on September, 3rd.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w3XoNjfI7aiP-FtIIDpVL7CCNCD3oILJ9hBWifBqcHaF49st96mgzLojfTrxD_rm3NsFRSpx2pM2Qr6O2UMim635Oi3lfJh-hgjd66DlBGhqO_xcL3Og2pBOrgNismfB_Ruj-VI5e9ac/s1600/RudyBurgwal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1095" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w3XoNjfI7aiP-FtIIDpVL7CCNCD3oILJ9hBWifBqcHaF49st96mgzLojfTrxD_rm3NsFRSpx2pM2Qr6O2UMim635Oi3lfJh-hgjd66DlBGhqO_xcL3Og2pBOrgNismfB_Ruj-VI5e9ac/s320/RudyBurgwal.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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After arrival they were greeted by Queen Wilhelmina and narrated their journey on the BBC. In meeting with Prince Bernhard on April, 1942; Rudy had to choose going to the armoured corps or the RAF. He chose the latter. <span class="notranslate">On
November 15, 1941, Burgwal and Waardenburg were sworn in at the
Department of War at Arlington House in front of the Chief of General
Staff.</span> <span class="notranslate"> He then had to follow a 12-week course in Cambridge .</span> <span class="notranslate"> In January 1942 he passed the exam as the best, after which nothing happened again for eight weeks.</span> <span class="notranslate"> Burgwal became impatient and wanted to actively participate in the war.</span> <span class="notranslate"> When Japan became involved in the war, he requested the resignation of the RAF to go to India, but the resignation was refused.</span> <span class="notranslate"> He was transferred to Desford Aerodrome, where he received basic flight training on the Tiger Moth .</span><br />
<span class="notranslate"> </span> <br />
<span class="notranslate"> On the way to New York , an alarm was sounded on Sunday, June 21.</span> <span class="notranslate"> Depth bombs fell and a U-boat was hit.</span> <span class="notranslate"> It was his first confrontation with warfare.</span> <span class="notranslate"> From New York he continued his journey by Pullman train to Canada.</span> <span class="notranslate"> More training awaited, formation flying and aerobatics during the day, and further night flying.</span> <span class="notranslate"> He flew there in Supermarine Spitfires.</span><br />
<span class="notranslate"> </span> <br />
<span class="notranslate"> Burgwal was placed in the 322 Dutch Squadron RAF, flying Siptfire Vs, and made his first solo flight in May 1943.</span> <span class="notranslate"> From January 1, 1944 he was with the '11 Group Fighter Command 'at Dover , with good weather they could see the French coast.</span> <span class="notranslate"> In January 6, 1944 he was allowed to make his first flight above enemy territory.</span> <span class="notranslate"> On January 7 they flew to Cherbourg and a few days later via Le Touquet to St Omer, where they were received with a lot of anti-aircraft guns .</span> <span class="notranslate"> One of the bombers was hit, three of the five crew members managed to escape with the parachute.</span> <span class="notranslate"> Two more were hit, but nobody jumped out.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ImQybxJmM0jiSfT0ZnIGV7I11005KHqVD2Wj5n2OciP9XnQF3l3g7sVKYMDTCfL9HNqH5jtd0KfU3YLlUJfwQJJffncK7tYxZ55x9NPzRP613kNEkaSn5EeZPni633XtkKG1wKxlDsy-/s1600/D8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="700" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ImQybxJmM0jiSfT0ZnIGV7I11005KHqVD2Wj5n2OciP9XnQF3l3g7sVKYMDTCfL9HNqH5jtd0KfU3YLlUJfwQJJffncK7tYxZ55x9NPzRP613kNEkaSn5EeZPni633XtkKG1wKxlDsy-/s320/D8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memebers of the 322 Sqn. perched onto one of the Squadron's Spit XIVs.</td></tr>
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In March of that year the squadron changed their war-weary Spitfire V for the Griffon-powered XIV. And what a change it was! Compared to their Vs, the sheer engine power, superior speed and outstanding maneuverability thoroughly surpassed the increase in "muscle" to fly it, the change in taxiing and the rudder compensation due to the engine turning the opposite way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8C6lzhlR5KNdA61yR3XTfW2nqduo649BUF7lNW_bIz6e-tv2zY-hr9QqWfJE0lXja1msnITzz2ravTxP_RdVRtVa2B9ngtiWOLvZJ8mVlkoN6hCBjN-1axaq134KzOU4Ygdq7hM3Z7bdm/s1600/Burgwal_bij_de_propellor.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1421" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8C6lzhlR5KNdA61yR3XTfW2nqduo649BUF7lNW_bIz6e-tv2zY-hr9QqWfJE0lXja1msnITzz2ravTxP_RdVRtVa2B9ngtiWOLvZJ8mVlkoN6hCBjN-1axaq134KzOU4Ygdq7hM3Z7bdm/s320/Burgwal_bij_de_propellor.JPG" title="By Flip Winckel (vader van Borre) - Borre Winckel, CC BY 3.0 nl, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11597726" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R.F. "Rudy" Burgwal standing by the propeller of one of 322 Sqn.'s Spitfire XIVc.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>It was to prove providential. Come June 13th, 1944, the germans started launching the <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2019/12/summer-bug-fieseler-fi-103.html" target="_blank">V-1 flying bombs</a> from the french and dutch coast against the city of London. While the fastest fighter to counter the rather speedy and low flying menace was the Hawker Tempest, the XIV was fine-tuned to bring every horse power out of the engine. The "Anti-Diver" patrols were rather messy until the different zones were lined out for coastal AA, fighter interception and AA barrage around London.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LGiM7Rtn0VPOuVwAx6xNM98vz1Xz0chWJSdrez7pU2OT-beYjpOI0w2K59-PbvARu6irQiVnl03_JCY4NLd4nMLwMs4j7t4-WDYERIgjefHX0D59xoNQE29LhKTIEtWNxOyAf9295-NI/s1600/322mkxiv.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LGiM7Rtn0VPOuVwAx6xNM98vz1Xz0chWJSdrez7pU2OT-beYjpOI0w2K59-PbvARu6irQiVnl03_JCY4NLd4nMLwMs4j7t4-WDYERIgjefHX0D59xoNQE29LhKTIEtWNxOyAf9295-NI/s320/322mkxiv.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudy standing (left) in front of a Spitfire XIVc, probably the same machine as in the previous photograph.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRFhjzXHo-TyZ0gIhTIrDvNzwR8aOjf2o9UuBhHjp42in1pUS_SOhag9ct8Ia8TyhX7W0u6QKDAsj91ApLmwoaJD3YqAsAV24mkxIlj_oQrv1yz9h8705QPU84QIof6JWUgKyN6eWFklf/s1600/rudolph-frans-burgwal-spitfire-w800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="760" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRFhjzXHo-TyZ0gIhTIrDvNzwR8aOjf2o9UuBhHjp42in1pUS_SOhag9ct8Ia8TyhX7W0u6QKDAsj91ApLmwoaJD3YqAsAV24mkxIlj_oQrv1yz9h8705QPU84QIof6JWUgKyN6eWFklf/s320/rudolph-frans-burgwal-spitfire-w800.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudy in the cockpit. The amount of weathering is noteworthy<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and a clear indication of the hectic activity during "Anti-Diver" patrols.</td></tr>
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</tbody></table><p>It was during one of these interceptions that Flight Officer Rudy
Burgwal was to make his name in history. Taking off from RAF West
Malling in 3W-F (NH649) on July 8th, he managed to shoot down five V-1s
during ninety minutes in a single patrol. Rudy actually became the top
ace when it came to V-1s, for he achieved 19 confirmed kills. others had
higher numbers but they remain a claim or have not been confirmed. The
momentum that followed the normandy landings would see the 322nd Sqn.
going thru some hectic weeks, and the "Anti-Diver" patrols would
ultimately done in a result of 128 flying bombs shot down, adjusted by
the RAF to 110.5. <br />
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Rudy would acompany the squadron's activities until August 12th, when he was shot down and killed by AA fire over France while scorting Lancaster Bombers in Spitfire XIV 3W-L (MH370). During the same mission, he had previously shadowed F/O Jan Jonkers after his Spitfire IX got damaged by AA fire, guarding the crippled machine until it landed and the pilot walked out. Jonkers and his machine were retrieved shortly after by Allied forces. Rudy wouldn't be so lucky. He was twenty-six.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The kit: Fujimi's Spitfire XIVc "V-1 Killer".</span><br />
</p><p>This kit was bought to a gentleman for under 2 U$D, the main airframe and the V-1 already assembled. He had no clear intention of finishing it, perhaps due to the <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2008/07/mitsubishis-hot-rod-spotter-way.html">Fujimi curse</a>; part of which is that the images on that article were lost (Thanks, Photobucket!). One issue was the landing gear, glued in the closed position. So the leg covers were carefully dettached, the wheels ended up being grinded away with a Dremel rotary tool and a round bit since they wouldn't give way and come loose. Thy were replacd by the likes on the MPM FR.XVIII kit, refined from their original shape. Fujimi would have you attach the tail wheel directly to the fuselage, but it's not correct for the XIV since it had a retratctable tail unit. The well was cut and the doors fashioned out of curved plastic card. The cockpit was repainted to the appropiate colours and straps added, these being quite noticeable under the canopy. The scheme was applied using Humbrol's RAF enamel set. Humbrol was also used for the other generic colours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSPhOw8tmHzsPhp9JXfvV9DSXsQOJKASlK9kRyWj6uYwG2ovcRNeR148S2kDjk2CEohE3ZCr23wSuC4gwtgV9psDEM8g079xwFSPIFWjOhU36devmeYrs0Wn6l1ypbIhOdqdjKeLhHw1U/s1600/IMG-20200222-WA0007.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSPhOw8tmHzsPhp9JXfvV9DSXsQOJKASlK9kRyWj6uYwG2ovcRNeR148S2kDjk2CEohE3ZCr23wSuC4gwtgV9psDEM8g079xwFSPIFWjOhU36devmeYrs0Wn6l1ypbIhOdqdjKeLhHw1U/s320/IMG-20200222-WA0007.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-m87gOaQTDP3OZb9eClZQDe868mRmB5_2dqeW5NPl3qAB4TR7wHDYHJSfsGmN5cxTf95Te4AtcPXm7ItafXmuQOr2w6SmOQK2e04nVnKRuKv1l2vB9DPGgAat-WrUNLDUGMbzN9DSqFg/s1600/20200225_170805.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-m87gOaQTDP3OZb9eClZQDe868mRmB5_2dqeW5NPl3qAB4TR7wHDYHJSfsGmN5cxTf95Te4AtcPXm7ItafXmuQOr2w6SmOQK2e04nVnKRuKv1l2vB9DPGgAat-WrUNLDUGMbzN9DSqFg/s320/20200225_170805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p> The model was varnished and polished and decals applied. Unlike your usual Fujimi decals, these ones were printed by a third party for this special issue and fought me all the way. Silvering everywhere. Even some strange doting on one of the fuselage codes. It was literally "bubbling" while drying. What it was, it's beyond my knowledge and comprehension.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58u0e55CPnIzHXpyH7wvClYXQxXb3lXaiOHbn5GCubct91GYk1LeynGQh1fUNIRPKh23onKUtrZTrOsqGHWJ4yLYnW2mDkahq7M0sKTUgjxLj3zFjHf1XLdkBfZFTWgf_wxXyma1TgoID/s1600/20200309_162019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58u0e55CPnIzHXpyH7wvClYXQxXb3lXaiOHbn5GCubct91GYk1LeynGQh1fUNIRPKh23onKUtrZTrOsqGHWJ4yLYnW2mDkahq7M0sKTUgjxLj3zFjHf1XLdkBfZFTWgf_wxXyma1TgoID/s320/20200309_162019.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Weathering came next. Luckily, there's enough material to work with, - both on the internet and books - so an accurate look can be achieved. I used Mig's 7420/7 set for rust, smoke and oil, along craft acrylics for the dirt and grime. Chipping was done via a silver pencil.<br /></div><p>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr_P8rfZhPYp_kQiYYXtIHVDe_ZjoqV0szo1wz2So8C20GnDxxZ5U2tJ3oyDvZh9jFYmS2SKKL6HZuxyexVQhaUMmTu9nI3ay35f2a227IMORnnEFLX_rcgcwesYlYli0YuKZJz0IBdd_/s1600/20200329_154537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr_P8rfZhPYp_kQiYYXtIHVDe_ZjoqV0szo1wz2So8C20GnDxxZ5U2tJ3oyDvZh9jFYmS2SKKL6HZuxyexVQhaUMmTu9nI3ay35f2a227IMORnnEFLX_rcgcwesYlYli0YuKZJz0IBdd_/s320/20200329_154537.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
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</p><p>Here is the finished model:<br />
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</p><p>It doesn't look good. Somehow, the Griffon Spitfire look still manages to elude me. But at least I managed to tell Rudy Burgwal's story, which had always fascinated me. Maybe the third time will be the charm.</p><p>Until then, take care and good luck.</p><p>TMU.<br /></p>The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-10616552434227716362020-11-26T18:20:00.001-03:002020-11-26T18:20:21.547-03:00Korolev's early dreams: The SK-5 "Koktebel" glider.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The glider:</span><br />
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Before being recognized as the father of the soviet space program, Sergei Korolev was already a proficient designer and engineer, whose gliders had achieved considerable success within the Soviet Union. In the time between his early success with the SK-4 and the SK-3 Krasnaya Zvezda high performance aerobatic glider of 1930, which would evolve into the 1938's RP-318 rocket-propelled laboratory, he designed along Sergei Lyushin the SK-5 "Koktebel". It was a high performance glider of impressive layout, with a straight, shoulder-mounted, 17meter long wing of considerable span and tapper using a novel aerodynamic TsAGI profile, its 7,75 meters fuselage being oval in shape and the rudders of the all-moving type. It was a robust machine built of wood and fabric which was refined over the years with an improved, more streamlined nose and cockpit deck cover. It woould land on two wooden skids, the main one being notable for its canvas cover giving it a "cod belly"-likeness when in flight. The "Koktebel" name was a proper homage to the crimean city where the main glider contests took place at the time. Despite being quite heavy for a glider of the time with its full flying weight of 300 kilograms, it had a very respectable performance, with excellent flying characteristics and aerodynamic penetration, its lift to drag ratio being of 25:1 which was the same of the contemporary Akaflieg München Mü3 Kakadu - also of 1929 vintage -, but without the structural flexion and torsion problems which would plague its german counterpart throughout its long and distinguished career.<br />
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The early style of cockpit coaming is clearly visible here, with Korolev standing beside the machine. The amount of leather padding is noteworthy, as is the tape covering the wing and spine union.<br />
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The early colour scheme is said to have been red and yellow, but the reflexion of the lighter fabric parts could also tell-tale an aluminium based coat.<br />
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When the "Koktebel" first appeared, the nose hade a greater tapper and blunt design than the rest of the fuselage. The rear part of the skid cover is visible under the wing root, with its fabric overhang when resting on the ground. The dropped down design of the wingtip's upper surfaces was interesting and aimed to protecting the ailerons while providing a generous surface for the airflow, so no twist of the trailing edge was required as in other machines.<br />
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Here the clean design of the long fuselage is visible, as the broad ailerons and slender all-moving control surfaces.<br />
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A rare view of the "Koktebel" in flight. The cleanness of the design is quite remarcable.<br />
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The great empty weight dictated the use of a towed cart when carrying it to the launching point.<br />
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"Koktebel" Vol.II we might say, the lengthened nose gave it a better aerodynamic and lesser air got trapped by the higher cockpit coaming even if it impaired downward visibility a bit. The double, fabric wrapped air tubes attached to the Badin aerodynamic tube and the fairing for an instrument in front of the pilot made this late version of the glider the one to build. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMQsv6vLmdXFCaYGby9LwbEnqnMySSYLyYpCA5zIIcn-zB-dksvHlTG9xHoEatifSznIbReLc-H0lb4ayVAI8z5eURrR8M4GlM34GWsvwCO3nUX7FPLsfen3O8nJSaj_vknie4BT_HiFa/s1600/SK-5_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="567" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMQsv6vLmdXFCaYGby9LwbEnqnMySSYLyYpCA5zIIcn-zB-dksvHlTG9xHoEatifSznIbReLc-H0lb4ayVAI8z5eURrR8M4GlM34GWsvwCO3nUX7FPLsfen3O8nJSaj_vknie4BT_HiFa/s320/SK-5_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The two Sergeis, Lyushin and Korolev, and Artseulov posing with the SK-5 during a photoshoot. The colour scheme is a mistery, but given the lack of reflection of the lower fuselage, it could be light grey or more likely aluminium, the uppers could be Protective Blue-Grey or Turquoise, the red and yellow (aluminium perhaps) scheme being ruled out for they don't photograph like that in most films of the era.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaUArWmrXFTJT2j5VQsCaOT5Shyphenhyphen4qTrP2FbFDUTJd0NCfuwwH_SxCXcAONglV5BjODSQCypsI_naTyOuzXm2d7PaY00woF29ofcpVd4JhVO2jTqiXy52iQjVTPyfd5dxoTas-8I4x5TzJ/s1600/C0058917-Korolyov_in_Koktebel_glider_cockpit%252C_1930.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="800" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaUArWmrXFTJT2j5VQsCaOT5Shyphenhyphen4qTrP2FbFDUTJd0NCfuwwH_SxCXcAONglV5BjODSQCypsI_naTyOuzXm2d7PaY00woF29ofcpVd4JhVO2jTqiXy52iQjVTPyfd5dxoTas-8I4x5TzJ/s320/C0058917-Korolyov_in_Koktebel_glider_cockpit%252C_1930.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I found this very nice colorization of the previous photograph and had to share it with you. If you happen to know the artist who rendered it, please let me know so I can recognize his work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVtaXIYDdPgUy7Ujhw8sEMT8QPWkJfvIXXAXNdAG8Acm4SdMAiSXWVzA-UL-mVf4ndO0bjyU9f8VG-EaR70_R3GjRnN6bxJYGxbA7OztIJm_ME2uTfFNEK1cG0E94YOsc-jIJd9x_IyOD/s1600/SK-5-colourized.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1000" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVtaXIYDdPgUy7Ujhw8sEMT8QPWkJfvIXXAXNdAG8Acm4SdMAiSXWVzA-UL-mVf4ndO0bjyU9f8VG-EaR70_R3GjRnN6bxJYGxbA7OztIJm_ME2uTfFNEK1cG0E94YOsc-jIJd9x_IyOD/s320/SK-5-colourized.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This plan was scaled to 1/72 and suitably modified to build the later "Koktebel".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOClv6MVI-6LE4djW6edgVnBtE9j7g4NVHDbN2YlsWtUZ5hy2_1D19wgDDhlVP75yN7mhaLUf4OA3DhsTysDpyyWYm_FacXdS8qfagtGAw2w07LrMJDQjCtzIkJvi98bG4o7hnHL1K3n4/s1600/SK-5-72.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1002" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOClv6MVI-6LE4djW6edgVnBtE9j7g4NVHDbN2YlsWtUZ5hy2_1D19wgDDhlVP75yN7mhaLUf4OA3DhsTysDpyyWYm_FacXdS8qfagtGAw2w07LrMJDQjCtzIkJvi98bG4o7hnHL1K3n4/s320/SK-5-72.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The model:</span><br />
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As usual it begins by the fuselage - the cockpit in this case - given the "cod belly" for the skid.<br />
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</p><p>It needs to be a strong but simple structure, so 1,5mm plastic sheet was used. UHU's glue for plastic gives an result bonding the different parts.<br />
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</p><p>There are no pictures of the interior, so it was created basing it on contemporary gliders.<br />
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</p><p>The rest of the fuselage was then cut, shaped and glued fore and aft the cockpit section.<br />
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</p><p>Next, interior painting. It was done with Tamiya XF-15 Flat Flesh as a base, the given the Faber Castell watercolour treatment.<br />
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</p><p>With thatdrying up, the wing's center section was cut and filed to shape out from PVC Foam sheeting. This materia is great since it can be flexed in a given axe, but is very rigid transversally. The all-moving control surfaces were cut from plastic card and sanded to shape.<br />
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</p><p>The fuselage was covered in sections with curved plastic card.<br />
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</p><p>The cockpit covering was done in the same fasion, the innards painted with a light, pinkish, cherry wood - like hue.<br />
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</p><p>Then the grain was applied with Faber Castell regular pencils. They tend to "grab" and work better on glossy surfaces than the watercolour ones.<br />
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</p><p>The outer wing panels were fashioned from the same PVC Foam stock. It's very workable, but a respirator is recommended when sanding by hand or rotary tool. If wet sanded, even better.<br />
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</p><p>Next, the spine. PVC Foam cut roughly to the shape. It will be sanded later.<br />
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</p><p>The wings, almost finished. One word of caution regarding PVC Foam. It's easily dented. So care must be taken not to leave any marks on the surface. That led to some extra puttying and sanding later.<br />
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</p><p>The nose and tail cones were fashioned from a sandwich layering of plastic card, for they will provide protection and strength to the overall structure.<br />
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</p><p>Wings attached and it's starting to look like a glider!<br />
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</p><p>UHU's glue for plastic was used. It sticks the PVC Foam parts almost instantly, melts the joining surface and is easily wet sanded.<br />
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</p><p>The cockpit coaming was attached and it gave some issues due to its multiple angles. Curved at the front, it touches inside the wings and has two flaps whi surround the headrest sides.<br />
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</p><p>Another overall view. The tail surfaces give it a shark-like appearance. <br />
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</p><p>Final step before priming: the wing junction covering straps.<br />
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</p><p>Checking the overall sit of the pieces. Nice.<br />
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</p><p>Primed with an old Molak enamel colour. Try not to spray-can the PVC Foam, for the solvent will most likely attack the surface and melt it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrphuqpyGoZXiZ1_M0PF2Q0b9CvHb6bZbtkd2Kx3KL09fMJh69wadavUgKTXurmVlO59_KF4imXhFnkvaDt5RsyxPTepYTuiP0Na3OHxfnRZ1PWotA8NeM5HFoMoYeV5ILN8jmz3_KgET/s1600/85035268_10221747338016385_7069178176764641280_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrphuqpyGoZXiZ1_M0PF2Q0b9CvHb6bZbtkd2Kx3KL09fMJh69wadavUgKTXurmVlO59_KF4imXhFnkvaDt5RsyxPTepYTuiP0Na3OHxfnRZ1PWotA8NeM5HFoMoYeV5ILN8jmz3_KgET/s320/85035268_10221747338016385_7069178176764641280_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The skid was prematurely given the wood-grain effect treatment and attached to a piece of old air mail letter paper. The nice thing about this kind of paper is, it's light, folds quite well and adheres strongly when soaked in a water / white glue mixture.<br />
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</p><p>Thins strips of air mail paper where attached to the edges of the covering to portray the covered stitching of the original.<br />
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</p><p>Lots of touch ups and sanding there!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_tc4InbQaNLeXUvSEj5TqLo93vpC7BZ3Iu6g-oKFQBcMaPQMYydRl3zwGd-RWRjexJmVvdOXxx4ZSFj-1HurDzEtnVy8c1d6Cy1AxUar90hlfMsePl7OW8yz5HnJohVO2dFp2BDVeeqw/s1600/la+foto+3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_tc4InbQaNLeXUvSEj5TqLo93vpC7BZ3Iu6g-oKFQBcMaPQMYydRl3zwGd-RWRjexJmVvdOXxx4ZSFj-1HurDzEtnVy8c1d6Cy1AxUar90hlfMsePl7OW8yz5HnJohVO2dFp2BDVeeqw/s320/la+foto+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>It replicates fairly well the wavy appearance of the original canvas covering.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aMSotLM5JxqszKIPln8Iv-V4w4NxIvqUzzp_8ZcVTKyVX55oVabRSis6_bn08f5y3wrgUcn6JS4JjsZUwLYabyAlJWE_Xb5FRYrBpQjsg6jbKcaQ0t8tmtJpcUwgirdtV1TXJ6blRPMG/s1600/la+foto+4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aMSotLM5JxqszKIPln8Iv-V4w4NxIvqUzzp_8ZcVTKyVX55oVabRSis6_bn08f5y3wrgUcn6JS4JjsZUwLYabyAlJWE_Xb5FRYrBpQjsg6jbKcaQ0t8tmtJpcUwgirdtV1TXJ6blRPMG/s320/la+foto+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>Onto the main event. Humbrol H-48 Mediterranean Blue fits great the grey scale of the two photos found of the "Koktebel" in its second iteration. Hataka's excellent AII Aluminium was used for the remainder of the structure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kRuFAM3tl2lsg36Kt6mNIfNAXnl9QejJW6SaE3zQ2_aPTqgb_RqlQySRKPDY1THMK-sEGhK_gpXDUzcYTekrwp6b0oDBRlvQ5rw36ofkj5hOI32g690NU1hWq8GIw4pXMaB-y6RVWzCI/s1600/la+foto.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kRuFAM3tl2lsg36Kt6mNIfNAXnl9QejJW6SaE3zQ2_aPTqgb_RqlQySRKPDY1THMK-sEGhK_gpXDUzcYTekrwp6b0oDBRlvQ5rw36ofkj5hOI32g690NU1hWq8GIw4pXMaB-y6RVWzCI/s320/la+foto.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the same time i was building the superb <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2020/06/glider-rocket-flying-laboratory-tsybin.html">Prop & Jet's Tsybin LL-1</a>. It makes for a nice comparison. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIkd1jYN3psL34Ae7qe3Fo8-vvH8vgwBU3RMVV8hzo4xEdO1GBTqT2mPpIFWr1f75XOFKVTeBSWR9dpP9ftxnuAvrZPm8R6cFBxmdgrufOsqspRoUIpONYnKvfuNdspvsvTmJkCpmMrvq/s1600/la+foto%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIkd1jYN3psL34Ae7qe3Fo8-vvH8vgwBU3RMVV8hzo4xEdO1GBTqT2mPpIFWr1f75XOFKVTeBSWR9dpP9ftxnuAvrZPm8R6cFBxmdgrufOsqspRoUIpONYnKvfuNdspvsvTmJkCpmMrvq/s320/la+foto%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>Now we get to the drama part. The black decal strips strated to "bleed" once applied. Don't know what happened there, but even the touch-ups with thinned black acrilyc paint attacked the decals. it was a case of stripping down the fuselage and repainting or letting it be and find another way to do the fuselage striping. "Never reinforce defeat" once said someone. So i stopped fiddling with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzUwPCcc_cCNKKfLQhj5rTyjky2opmCXuEC7qR-TvDizUp25Ptl2svxaLO5ICCYFmMbOzqb0f6K0Vkd1Z7acUHu8Mjqc9zD5ypL9tliAl_sggI3o53Hdg7mBd3-dyk5EYVyEbyGA5D1Af/s1600/IMG-20200217-WA0032.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzUwPCcc_cCNKKfLQhj5rTyjky2opmCXuEC7qR-TvDizUp25Ptl2svxaLO5ICCYFmMbOzqb0f6K0Vkd1Z7acUHu8Mjqc9zD5ypL9tliAl_sggI3o53Hdg7mBd3-dyk5EYVyEbyGA5D1Af/s320/IMG-20200217-WA0032.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The twin Pitot and single Badin feed tubes were made of syringe needles of various dimeters, the twin tubes wrapped around with some air mail paper strip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEXF2oqfJ6dfC-0OALszkC_NfXawQIKm3y73eLQlHePgrso48axnIG1WUgsJsHI-l3yo1PsqARd2BtGr5q4_wYpbvdiAjaLdB9q_hTkKkVY9SvRFv074p87Fc2uL3UJXCutykM2GsQL7D/s1600/IMG-20200217-WA0033.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEXF2oqfJ6dfC-0OALszkC_NfXawQIKm3y73eLQlHePgrso48axnIG1WUgsJsHI-l3yo1PsqARd2BtGr5q4_wYpbvdiAjaLdB9q_hTkKkVY9SvRFv074p87Fc2uL3UJXCutykM2GsQL7D/s320/IMG-20200217-WA0033.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The cockpit leather coaming and headrest where base-coated with Model master's Italian red Brown and then highlighted on the edges with Humbrol's H-186 Leather Brown.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4PqtlhaVuVdwDDsILXqp14RNYKKnL8f_l7MNqfgUBeLhmsan_HYnHwFhG46pzCY6y6MohHnVrFk-X5d4cpjynE0loM4arnYoX8aRqPU8GJHoN8JEQhUyY4sDUTcBHEvQf4Sh3zZ97Euh/s1600/IMG-20200217-WA0035.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4PqtlhaVuVdwDDsILXqp14RNYKKnL8f_l7MNqfgUBeLhmsan_HYnHwFhG46pzCY6y6MohHnVrFk-X5d4cpjynE0loM4arnYoX8aRqPU8GJHoN8JEQhUyY4sDUTcBHEvQf4Sh3zZ97Euh/s320/IMG-20200217-WA0035.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The main skid and canvas covering were given a dusty appearance with acrilycs and a subtle drybrusing. the panel lines were given a light wash with a neutral dark grey mix since they are noticeable on the photos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQkWfh5um9ZcswAhkp67TKMv15GjUh0UGn-CYPXbY15ipTlWkMOuD32kny3QOZ732IJ6KPr2Q5RQsHCA774W0IWCZ7Blk4F_YVadDPkc6RnT6-lqDlyFKa3H2Mb36MGYuTahiPcX7ugTA/s1600/IMG-20200217-WA0036.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQkWfh5um9ZcswAhkp67TKMv15GjUh0UGn-CYPXbY15ipTlWkMOuD32kny3QOZ732IJ6KPr2Q5RQsHCA774W0IWCZ7Blk4F_YVadDPkc6RnT6-lqDlyFKa3H2Mb36MGYuTahiPcX7ugTA/s320/IMG-20200217-WA0036.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>Onto the final result:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAeQ9JZ0WFal4TkA6FR1GQhtBrwpEcQFjGvwcFjwMIDtWJq-QWpSmzagynuqd5tkrR5iV78bqL8HAIXjIApW62fCBxw1sLmmr5m0JJaKSt0lPZwyj6A1Vt-y-eBhLeQvz1QhR7eTWVB3h/s1600/20200218_145658.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAeQ9JZ0WFal4TkA6FR1GQhtBrwpEcQFjGvwcFjwMIDtWJq-QWpSmzagynuqd5tkrR5iV78bqL8HAIXjIApW62fCBxw1sLmmr5m0JJaKSt0lPZwyj6A1Vt-y-eBhLeQvz1QhR7eTWVB3h/s320/20200218_145658.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</p><p>And that's it. Another finished model of a forgotten but significant machine by an important designer, never expected to be seen in kit form, with the added joy of being scratchbuilt.<br /><br />As I'm writing this, my thoughts go to my father. It was his buying a tiny 1/100th scale Heller helicopter that started me down the scale modeling road. He's passed away this last tuesday, November 24th. For all it's worth, thanks Dad.<br /><br />Until our next installment, take care and good luck.<br /><br />TMU.<br /></p>The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-81258692052853947002020-10-04T21:57:00.001-03:002020-10-04T21:57:14.835-03:00Glider. Rocket. Flying laboratory: The Tsybin LL-1. Prop & Jet, 1/72nd.<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The rocket glider:</span><br />
<br />
Pavel Vladimirovich Tsybin was born in 1905. An engineer by education, his first approach to aviation was during the 1920s; design and construction of gliders got him to acquaint with the later famous Oleg Antonov and Sergei Korolev, later becoming one of the engineers working for the VVS. As of 1946 until 1948 his OKB was responsible for designing a small family of rocket gliders that served in the flying laboratory role, these gathering much valuable information on the transonic flight envelope, later used for later designs. He would go on to specialize in rocketry and space technology. Tsybin would die in 1992 but his contribution to the soviet space program was undeniable.<br />
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The LL family of flying laboratories was to have three different wing layouts, all sharing the same fuselage and rocket engine, the solid-fueled Kartukov RPD-1500 II. Designed and built on the basis of a 10m2 area wing, the LL-1 had a straight 3° tappered attack edge. The tail surfaces were all mass balanced by external oval weights. Notable was its all-wood construction, the spars being resin impregnated Delta (of much maligned LaGG fame). it had a water ballast tank, holding up to a ton of fluid for balance and research purposes. <span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Instead
of the usual landing gear, a two-wheeled trolley attached to the ventral ski were
used, along a tail wheel, this one being contoured into the fuselage. All in all, it was a very sleek and graceful desgin if somewhat boxy; specially when compared to the likes of Berezniak-Isayev and Tikhonravov.</span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> Take-off and climb of the LL-1 carried out in tow of the Tu-2.
Immediately after lifting off the ground, the axle-cart with wheels was
dropped. At a height of 5-7 thousand meters, the tow guide was uncoupled and
the test pilot put the LL-1 into a pronounced dive at an angle of 45-60°. When in a steady dive the pilot started the rocket engine. In this way, the speed of the Ts-1 reached 1000-1050 km / h (M =
0.87). </span></span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Its working time was 8-10 seconds. When in horizontal flight it went up to 900 (950) km / h.</span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">
In the few seconds of the sharp dive, the on-board equipment recorded the
flight parameters, photographed the performance envelope, and solved other flight
problems. Quite uniquely, the wing was attached to the fuselage via a dynamometer
suspension coupling (on four dynamographs), which made it possible to determine the flight axis, the pressure distribution over the wing and tail unit when approaching the critical Mach values of the test. The goal was to trace the parameters of stress phenomena. Then, having become
unnecessary at the end of the test flight, a ton of water from the tanks was emptied from the fuselage tank.
The now lightened LL-1 flew like a regular glider and
landed on the fuselage ski. With a starting weight of 2039 kg, the take-off speed of the LL-1 was in the range of 150-160
km/h, and after draining the water, the
landing speed did not exceed 120 km/h.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tests
of the LL-1 began in 1947, the first flight was made by the pilot M.
Ivanov. The subsequent flights on the experimental machine were
performed by the pilots </span></span><a href="https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&pto=aue&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ru&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=https://testpilot.ru/base/2010/05/amet-xan-sultan/&usg=ALkJrhjJgQuMLqieZggYIxHlncC1hGrkDg"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Amet-Khan Sultan</span></span></a><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><a href="https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&pto=aue&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ru&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=https://testpilot.ru/base/2011/01/anoxin-s-n/&usg=ALkJrhiyY0HpwzKTxD3FripQa7oo-iEYTA"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">S.N. Anokhin</span></span></a><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span></span><a href="https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&pto=aue&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ru&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=https://testpilot.ru/base/2012/01/rybko-n-s/&usg=ALkJrhiCBMRLmkYyyl_nUuXgW6-Qj9j9oQ"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">N.S. Rybko</span></span></a><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> and others. About 30 flights were made before moving on to the next stage in testing.</span></span></span></span> </span></span><br />
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The LL-2 with a radical 30° swept wing was not built. The striking-looking LL-3 with its 30° forward swept wing benefitted from the long experience of the soviets designing gliders like the Stakhanovets, but to stay on the safe side of things the wing was built out of aluminium, mated to a wooden fuselage and 40° swept elevators.<br />
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The
flights and studies in the LL-1 and LL-3 variants gave
the scientists unique, first-hand data on the aerodynamic characteristics of
airplanes with different wing designs, the distribution of flow pressure over
the chord and span, the occurrence and movement of shock waves and stall flow zones behind them on critical values near Mach, the dependence of the growth of the hinge moments of the
controls on the flight speed, the features and changes in the parameters
of the boundary layer, etc. In addition to studying the properties of transonic flight modes,
the LL-1 tail surfaces also provided an extremely clean experiment when
comparing various control surface designs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The kit: Prop & Jet's 1/72nd Tsybin LL-1.</span><br />
<br />
I had the pleasure of coming acquainted with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PropJet-475396205882045/" target="_blank">Prop & Jet</a> through its owner on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/luft46/" target="_blank">Luft '46</a> Facebook group run by a friend of mine and myself. He sent some of his newest kits to us for review, and oh, boy! We were in for a treat! So much so the review went like this:<br />
<br />
"It's an excellent kit and can't wait to start building it (Mid-July, 2019). Sharp
detail and very accurate, it looks absolutely the part and makes me
wanna not have sold the other soviet rocket prototypes I had. Comes with
a landing dolly, besides the integral ventral skid. The original didn't
have any mark<span class="text_exposed_show">ings at all, but for the
colours I'd go with AGT-16 light blue grey overall, given the time
frame. Even AMT-11 would do the trick. Actually, I think I'm starting it
this weekend. Looks quite the part. Our friend also produces the
sinister looking, all-black, forward swept LL-3 and it looks a blast as
well.</span> Beautiful casting, an apeealing subject, simple colour scheme and yet eye-catching."<br />
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Extra freebie: You get a box with artwork by Eugeny Knupfer.<br />
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Enough said, right?<br />
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Safety first. When doing resin kits, always wear a face mask and preferably gloves. If you happen to be sensitive to resin, this way you'll be not only protecting your respiratory system but also the exposed skin and prevent any form of skin reaction.<br />
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</p><p>Cutting and sanding the pieces off of their casting blocks was very simple since the attachment surface on the gates is minimal. It only takes patience and a sharp scalpel blade to score on the separation line using minimal force and speed. The secret to deal with resin dust is no secret at all. Unless you're building a truly crapy kit, if you provide for a cut close to the piece and take care, there's only very little waste generated. I tend to cut with a wet blade, use a wet jeweller's file to remove whatever material has been left, and level the cuts and joints with wet sanding paper. To clean them, the tools go to a glass with water to remuve the "sludge" produced. Then it's back to work.<br />
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</p><p>There are few pieces on the kit, and they're very well produced. They make for a simple yet effective cockpit, and there's plenty of room for the super-detailer, if he happens to find pictures of the cockpit. Which I couldn't.<br />
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</p><p>One of the things I learnt while building resin kits is to advance as much of the build as possible before painting. Thus the bulkheads and instrument panel were glued in place. So far so good. The resin doesn't smell when sanded or glued, which is another nice touch.<br />
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</p><p>Humbrol H-27 is a fair and readily available match for A-14, the steel grey used by soviet aeronautics from the mid-1930s. All of the interior was airbrushed with it, the leather head rest being picked with several shades of acrylic red brown to give it volume.<br />
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</p><p>The whole cockpit was then given a wash of highly diluted Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black.<br />
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</p><p>With a q-tip the excess was removed and a gentle drybrushing with H-27 applied to bring out the raised details.<br />
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</p><p>Minimal chipping with a silver pencil was done on the metal parts of the cockpit, namely the seat and rudder pedals. A light blue grey pencil was used to lighten up the upper edges of the seat and cockpit structure.<br />
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</p><p>With that out of the way, attention centered on the flying and control surfaces. With only a few passes of a scalpel they became dettached from their casting blocks, cleaning up was minimal thanks to the notably smooth surface on the parts.<br />
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</p><p>Mating the fuselages halves posed no problem at all. Minimal amounts of superglue are to be used for three reasons. Superglue dries harder than resin as a rule. Any extra sanding can potentially damage the piece while trying to remove the excess CA glue. It's less work for you and less trouble. Also, if applied correctly, CA glue will fill the gap between the pieces, making filler - and more sanding - unnecessary. Whatever little overflow can be wet sanded with a fine grade sanding paper, no need to bring out the 150 coarse monster. Back to the kit. A most perfect fit, requiring only a minimaltouch up with CA glue on the belly behind the skid mount fairing. And I think it was down to my having oversanded the area.<br />
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</p><p>While attaching the wings, the tab and socket arrangement provided a most positive fitting and there was no need to user filler at all, other than a gently rubbing to remove any excess superglue. The fin attaches quite well and was leveled via wet sanding. Always double check your work, you may be missing a spot or two. the nose probe was attached and faired in to the fuselage. Take care with the small balance weights on the rudder and elevators, I managed to break one. The air intake on the fuselage side come pre-drilled, which is very nice.<br />
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</p><p>After priming, the whole aircraft was painted with H-127 US Light ghost Grey. It is a fair match for AMT-11 once it has faded and become greyer.
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</p><p>The nose probe was masked and painted in Hataka's AII Aluminum and Night Black.<br />
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</p><p>The early stages of weathering. After using AII Aluminum for the exhaust nozzle, it was brushed on the exit rim side with graphite powder and then Ammo's black pigment for exhaust heating since it gives a nice brown-black gradient to the metallic finish. A wash was applied to al the recesses and panel lines with Humbrol's H-33 Black, highly diluted. Once dry, it was removed with a q-tip moistened in turpentine. The rudder is shown before the final clean up. Tamiya's XF-52 Flat Earth was used to dirty up a little the rear undersurface since the tail wheel is faired and the attitude of the machine on the ground leave the tail cone very close to dirt and grass.<br />
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</p><p>The take-off dolly is very simple to assemble, the wheels have great detail. Painted in Humbrol H-27, H-33 and Tamiya XF-52.<br />
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</p><p>A friend of mine sent me a cedar-wood base, which was waxed and polished.<br />
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</p><p>Scale flocking of several shades was used to replicate the different colours of grass.<br />
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</p><p>The finished Tsybin LL-1:<br />
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</p><p>All in all, it was a fast and very enjoyable build. This is the kind of kits from which the short run resin kit makers should learn in order to make their products more appealing to the average modeler. Ease of build, nice proportions and layout and sterling presentation. Well done, Prop & Jet. And thank you for such a great kit.<br /><br />Until the next time, take care, stay safe, and good luck.<br /><br />TMU.<br /></p>The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-24418610798016981652020-09-14T15:44:00.006-03:002020-09-14T15:58:13.706-03:00A Hungarian Rhapsody for the Olympics: The Nemere Rotter glider.
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Glider.</span>
Taken from Wikipedia. I hit the "Lazy" button today after the morning temperature hit the 30ª Celsius mark (it was written around December, last year):<br />
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"The ISTUS international soaring demonstration was held at the same time and in the same place as the 1936 Olympics to make the case for gliding's inclusion as an Olympic discipline at later Games. The proposition was accepted and there would have been gliding events at the 1940 Olympics had not World War II intervened. Rotter, using his experience of designing the successful Karakán, was responsible for both designing and flying the Nemere, Hungary's representative. <br />
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The Nemere's progression from the Karakán was most evident in the wing
and its mounting. The modified pedestal mounting to the fuselage had
gone and instead the Nemere had a shoulder wing mounted on a 1,150 mm
(45.3 in) span centre section built as part of the fuselage. The wing
was a cantilever structure, without the earlier lift struts,
continuously tapered in plan from root to tip with no externally
distinct centre section and with 2° of dihedral. There was continuous
taper in wing section also; Rotter returned to Göttingen airfoils using
Gö 646 with a thickness to chord of 19% at the root, varying through Gö
535 to a thinner, less cambered, tip. Like the Karakán, the Nemere had a
plywood covered D-box ahead of the main spar but, with the external
struts absent, plywood covered more of the inner wing back to a diagonal
internal drag strut. The wings were fabric covered aft. Broad chord
ailerons occupied the outer 60% of the wings, which ended in elliptical
tips. <br />
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The fuselage was a ply-covered semi-monocoque, teardrop shaped in
cross-section, which tapered markedly behind the wing. The canopy was a
wood framed multi-transparency unit, similar to that on the Karakán, but
with more panels, which preserved the contours of the upper forward
fuselage back almost to the wing leading edge. The tail was
conventional, with an all-moving tailplane, mostly fabric covered. The
rudder, mounted on a short, narrow fin, was balanced, rounded and full.
The Nemere took off from a small, two-wheeled dolly and landed on a long
skid under the forward fuselage, assisted by s steel tailskid at the
rear. <br />
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The Nemere flew for the first time on 25 July 1936 only a few days
before the demonstrations held at Berlin-Staaken airfield on 4 August.
Sailplanes from Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and
Yugoslavia flew alongside the Nemere. A week later, starting from
Rangsdorf some 24 km (15 mi) south of Berlin, Rotter made a flight to
Kiel where the sailing events of the Games were based. He had nominated
his objective the day before and covered the 326.5 km (202.9 mi) in 3
hrs 53 min. It was the longest glider flight in Europe in 1936 and won
Rotter an ISTUS Gold medal. <br />
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On 13 June 1937 the Nemere was damaged in a bungee-cord launch and was
rebuilt with Göppingen airbrakes, the aileron joint adjusting lever,
previously behind the pilot's head, moved under the instrument panel and
the rear canopy oval side openings replaced with rectangular ones.
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The Nemere continued in use until at least 1943, mostly slope soaring
near its base at Toros, west of Budapest A few long distance
cross-country flights were made, including one of 230 km (143 mi) from
Hármashatár-hegy in Budapest to Ciucea in west Romania, though no more
records were set. Later in World War II it was slightly damaged but was
restored to flying condition. In 1948 it was broken up."<br />
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Rotter seems to have insisted that his glider had been "murdered" by the post-war communist regime. And he didn't seem to be too off on that one, given how things ended up. Rotter devoted his life to working in engineering, ultimately passing in October, 1983. Not everything is lost, for the Nemere is making a comeback through hard work and passion by a group of hungarian enthusiasts. You can visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nemere.eu/" target="_blank">Nemere Project</a> page on Facebook and see for yourself.<br />
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Technical drawings found on the Internet. Martin Simons beatiful 3-view drawing and several from hungarian and french publications.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
<span>The model: scratch-building insanity is our business!</span>
<span>Having thoroughly enjoyed the <a href="http://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2018/02/post-war-vulture-is-1-sep.html" target="_blank">IS-1 Sep</a> build last year, not wanting to "spend" the Bocian and Mucha Standard kits that fast and hooked-up again on gliders - that long, unfulfilled love of mine - I stumbled upon the Nemere while researching for the Stummel Habicht, which a good friend of mine gave away as a gift. It had the three basic requirements for any build I undertake: it was from a country I like, beautiful design and a great story behind.</span><br />
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<span>To refresh one's scratch-building abilities - or lack thereof - is always an exercise in planning and dexterity itself, both mental and physical. I started by profiling the fuselage bulkheads and cutting longitudinal sections secured in place with superglue and bits of plastic, then fine-tuned to make the sections match.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The wing root profile was added as a single piece to each side and reinforced with tabs glued to the transverse bulkheads., since there are some 27cm. (almost 11inches) of wings hanging of it.<br />
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I complicated myself on this one. I think theres seven or eight tiny bits of plastic for the lower cockpit spar. On it will be attached the seat, control column, rudder pedals and instrument panel.<br />
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With such long wings, and still experimenting on the approach to scratching them, it felt best to replicate to a certain degree the original structure of the flying surfaces.<br />
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The double sparred, counter-braced central section of the wing provided a sturdy basis on which to build. The original wing profile was replicated at the root and mid wing, all being glued with UHU plastic glue so it would weld the joints and provide additional strength.<br />
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Before carrying on further with the wing structure, the mid-fuselage was covered so the wing root could be conformed to shape.<br />
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</p><p>With the fuselaje covered, the outer wing structure was continued, flat pieces of plastic were used.<br />
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</p><p>The roots were covered and cut to shape. Important tip, here: Don't use glue of the melting type. The wrinkles on the fuselage were quite a surprise. Use only superglue.<br />
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</p><p>The wingtips were cut to shape and added. Mind I did a mistake on their shape, one being too broad, which I only realised once the model was finished.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXwJevwBdZ0z7hEsFhBLvTfpEPuq8c05QT4k29N7TmPRR-Ki8Ow0ceJMdOcfvfoHhvH-avMH2_S5r6-LHWl0I4o-L6ln7iBuQwWr9037Fl3hcsd5112RpF1vvwlu9yGLtPgf284sxz4WZ/s1600/53584698_10218851441140773_7315781841552670720_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXwJevwBdZ0z7hEsFhBLvTfpEPuq8c05QT4k29N7TmPRR-Ki8Ow0ceJMdOcfvfoHhvH-avMH2_S5r6-LHWl0I4o-L6ln7iBuQwWr9037Fl3hcsd5112RpF1vvwlu9yGLtPgf284sxz4WZ/s400/53584698_10218851441140773_7315781841552670720_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> With that out of the way, the wing covering was tackled. Due to my lack of recent experience I did a counter-covering on the lower fuselage side solidary to the wing. Since these are curved pieces of plastic, they will work against each other and provide aditional strength to the joint.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazv0CVITMmnvlVm7QDaQZnLdb2np0bRlxpaU2VkM_DrVJIiW0uDnoopuCpjw2VPGU3r4l7qBuDopVfKcHqWkiXnIeTZyMpJqGiiU0YcoN6qxeBs55qLWzfDmzrFTAxrvxDi9Nc50AIseY/s1600/53891014_10218851439300727_8189667421246717952_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazv0CVITMmnvlVm7QDaQZnLdb2np0bRlxpaU2VkM_DrVJIiW0uDnoopuCpjw2VPGU3r4l7qBuDopVfKcHqWkiXnIeTZyMpJqGiiU0YcoN6qxeBs55qLWzfDmzrFTAxrvxDi9Nc50AIseY/s400/53891014_10218851439300727_8189667421246717952_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Covering everything was very straight forward, using plastic panels cut and curved to shape.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXh0sDQFUPfjAAodt09m9vHusYl-PN4riYsjznt9cvPnDE-kpY0KK4Kt1o4PaZZYbRyP9BoIH9ShY4tUTjuI3Fps3fyEgpA7ThdqKJbqLa_xP2LgT6DF-g1vuN9dGIdCbjV9oBruLWmMtG/s1600/54349954_10218851441860791_722478494927290368_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXh0sDQFUPfjAAodt09m9vHusYl-PN4riYsjznt9cvPnDE-kpY0KK4Kt1o4PaZZYbRyP9BoIH9ShY4tUTjuI3Fps3fyEgpA7ThdqKJbqLa_xP2LgT6DF-g1vuN9dGIdCbjV9oBruLWmMtG/s400/54349954_10218851441860791_722478494927290368_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>
With everything roughly covered, it was time to adress the cabin. Edges have a forward slant which ends in the forward "lip" were the cabin is secured.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWKTp4iMxtnCc8ZOS_-l4dRK6kJTYjK2gFH920WwsV98FS-sJzoXVbu8HmvdSHS5DYgNVLOF2Ul7whPFdxlqCbO0z96mxj0Dfncpx6wL3ASTKsZHpnvUoYG3Ilqz3L3fxIH-NUT5Ff7In/s1600/54070300_10218864256021137_8618723220914176000_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWKTp4iMxtnCc8ZOS_-l4dRK6kJTYjK2gFH920WwsV98FS-sJzoXVbu8HmvdSHS5DYgNVLOF2Ul7whPFdxlqCbO0z96mxj0Dfncpx6wL3ASTKsZHpnvUoYG3Ilqz3L3fxIH-NUT5Ff7In/s400/54070300_10218864256021137_8618723220914176000_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
Cockpit parts were scratch as per the reference photos, the seat is a three-pieced affair, to reproduce the curved shape of the original.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8rNagX8szCR8zxcLAVD8YYMUBbq24Fm5XEpVJAp9y3CnCgvvCuTATxpM9mbdm6AwwpVXqydoaZzKcEOUX7fySu45UUa53JemFmgPZIvEY6oBplxzIUdbvOTFGfj1lNz7JmfF2PmTMGz3/s1600/54354040_10218864255541125_8648084214350086144_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8rNagX8szCR8zxcLAVD8YYMUBbq24Fm5XEpVJAp9y3CnCgvvCuTATxpM9mbdm6AwwpVXqydoaZzKcEOUX7fySu45UUa53JemFmgPZIvEY6oBplxzIUdbvOTFGfj1lNz7JmfF2PmTMGz3/s400/54354040_10218864255541125_8648084214350086144_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>
Here's a clearer look.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcVvAinI1OoT0IZnD_GOEWGEBL29cXlmlbEZtUgn_pzTRLtqDHDAbLSVj55t9J27BBRKsHSdk4uqu1IXRMuZ0PVzzxdvyNW3GOkcPr5X1ec3_a299H5Qf1lm5F1rTwXySFh8rJ6QVPRRS/s1600/53785468_10218864255821132_3955325087573344256_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcVvAinI1OoT0IZnD_GOEWGEBL29cXlmlbEZtUgn_pzTRLtqDHDAbLSVj55t9J27BBRKsHSdk4uqu1IXRMuZ0PVzzxdvyNW3GOkcPr5X1ec3_a299H5Qf1lm5F1rTwXySFh8rJ6QVPRRS/s400/53785468_10218864255821132_3955325087573344256_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>Sometimes zooming in is not a good idea :P<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Dh1sqgUiUEQfeQgiED0_F-ioIN37Skn64pgiKcECBC4KwkPhnxVUhRgAawxBf9MN6P7r33rVtbfSgTDcLh77H8bzIynh4cwlAMrSksE9RjeGdqciEOlLO41q9k5NxIHLA7lJH5sPFuWL/s1600/53604793_10218864254621102_7782414043804860416_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Dh1sqgUiUEQfeQgiED0_F-ioIN37Skn64pgiKcECBC4KwkPhnxVUhRgAawxBf9MN6P7r33rVtbfSgTDcLh77H8bzIynh4cwlAMrSksE9RjeGdqciEOlLO41q9k5NxIHLA7lJH5sPFuWL/s400/53604793_10218864254621102_7782414043804860416_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>A side shot of the cockpit. Here can be seen the particular shape of the cabin floor, rudder pedals arrangement and seat fixation points. The lower fuselage below the forward wing edge was left uncovered at the time, for i had not find out a way to cover it and replicate the particular shape of that area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQM2b0y_0wp4ae7GLhVlFb0iOLwZx1wEoNnD1Y7kwVLG6TrIjG1ZrBOyQIIw7wXbrZnPnIm7p_ygBlYVNH8djLsj12cqFkhfCrjYxqOnKpqbEtek4wvdSoe7CP3Xnk6UiuMKU-K97OgYFI/s1600/53681227_10218864256061138_447034537063481344_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQM2b0y_0wp4ae7GLhVlFb0iOLwZx1wEoNnD1Y7kwVLG6TrIjG1ZrBOyQIIw7wXbrZnPnIm7p_ygBlYVNH8djLsj12cqFkhfCrjYxqOnKpqbEtek4wvdSoe7CP3Xnk6UiuMKU-K97OgYFI/s400/53681227_10218864256061138_447034537063481344_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>While trying to find out how to deal with the forward wing root, the cockpit was covered with thin plastic strips roughly contoured to shape.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRn4DUQFblx-m-acYSp9vB6-30dv1r3cNmxthyphenhyphenELitStDRRsipeRuKctFchcfOnyKXvH5jM-noQvChQCd7ZVlsGaHMXQbqW854GHojqhNu70-lOXcKnqbPZO5OcDP-aSJ8H1UOnftWjgf/s1600/53832685_10218873848660947_7590804411585134592_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRn4DUQFblx-m-acYSp9vB6-30dv1r3cNmxthyphenhyphenELitStDRRsipeRuKctFchcfOnyKXvH5jM-noQvChQCd7ZVlsGaHMXQbqW854GHojqhNu70-lOXcKnqbPZO5OcDP-aSJ8H1UOnftWjgf/s400/53832685_10218873848660947_7590804411585134592_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>
Which gave a nice inner effect. I had started testing colours for the wood base, as can be seen here. That was Humbrol's H-63 Matt Sand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxKQWpjXz5dlY5cD0Ubb-K1MEsJ33vIRjJqkBufkjm4cIxBC0Lf5OGYxBhOjEME3UK5fPRsx1brUtTldB8VV8BwTsWZQWEiW113gShCR0gz6tXn72c42IsfVYtPSFCpr0rJ1kNkIIo0H5/s1600/53738099_10218873847660922_5449105040855793664_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxKQWpjXz5dlY5cD0Ubb-K1MEsJ33vIRjJqkBufkjm4cIxBC0Lf5OGYxBhOjEME3UK5fPRsx1brUtTldB8VV8BwTsWZQWEiW113gShCR0gz6tXn72c42IsfVYtPSFCpr0rJ1kNkIIo0H5/s400/53738099_10218873847660922_5449105040855793664_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The instrument panel rests on a shelf attached to the removable canopy on the original, so it was added. You have to be careful not to cut the piece too wide, so it can sit nice and tidy and not hinder the fit of the canopy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYiLX3BnoaJqnoKl7iYPw3dpxuZqrQR2rDf3JNPaUZnZCjDxMymrNLf2oz8ahzyKKIzVduVPSz77fLXlY4kgfnRrQxSgWdLyLbYDRQz86j4mjvLJnXBt7d55kQfF85RnkFfQPEXDJSmNQ/s1600/54258234_10218873843740824_7735272538598539264_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYiLX3BnoaJqnoKl7iYPw3dpxuZqrQR2rDf3JNPaUZnZCjDxMymrNLf2oz8ahzyKKIzVduVPSz77fLXlY4kgfnRrQxSgWdLyLbYDRQz86j4mjvLJnXBt7d55kQfF85RnkFfQPEXDJSmNQ/s400/54258234_10218873843740824_7735272538598539264_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>First scratch-built project. And it shows. The covering for the transition between fuselage and wing root was done by cutting small sections of curved plastic stock and attaching one at the time. It's time consuming, but rather amusing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBKBPVVW5PwXS9Ydf1OfdmQS1oP89-JmQQFAES66-KzKBHXHc9KK1lfEwV4GKrlRwkZKsz5PRdZsDyeqrIb8leqQ5-NCYj_gG7YIQFwem9yZ_qLcrBV3nBoFnb0c1MJ7EPowJ8wmZFkRX/s1600/53600207_10218873846940904_5147322745805078528_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBKBPVVW5PwXS9Ydf1OfdmQS1oP89-JmQQFAES66-KzKBHXHc9KK1lfEwV4GKrlRwkZKsz5PRdZsDyeqrIb8leqQ5-NCYj_gG7YIQFwem9yZ_qLcrBV3nBoFnb0c1MJ7EPowJ8wmZFkRX/s400/53600207_10218873846940904_5147322745805078528_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>
Diamond in the rough? Highly unlikely. But the thing was about there. On the left side of the picture you can see the original fuselage shape, and on the right after it was reshaped to make it rounder.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3-yzWbKhxjUrEGcqFTTs9YOC1GfjjgN2NCS9LCIVsZhwCn7RFySf-bciGVtVWrAtHzZwt5OFyF-A0QztsEnvBYHYg5P9WSlqjE8sjA3yteXfWl6VvzdLalBAmNgIiGfpt9WXVJU9W6as/s1600/54518235_10218873848100933_4523831444480458752_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3-yzWbKhxjUrEGcqFTTs9YOC1GfjjgN2NCS9LCIVsZhwCn7RFySf-bciGVtVWrAtHzZwt5OFyF-A0QztsEnvBYHYg5P9WSlqjE8sjA3yteXfWl6VvzdLalBAmNgIiGfpt9WXVJU9W6as/s400/54518235_10218873848100933_4523831444480458752_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>Using an old arts & crafts acrylic paint is very useful for when you have to putty a bazillion seams!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKubMK4EBo3OvlT-W_D-8KOESMt6lQd5oeBWBcCGnIaB2ewJo4hS_b3gzJaOfGqXjNIlcS7WI2sx_D3G9adH0EV4yqTxg9jDxibk9zgkFVhdOqtJlNMtO7N-vl5r5wdhgIMgkNa-lnAQ2/s1600/54236811_10218881334368085_1890580157714923520_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKubMK4EBo3OvlT-W_D-8KOESMt6lQd5oeBWBcCGnIaB2ewJo4hS_b3gzJaOfGqXjNIlcS7WI2sx_D3G9adH0EV4yqTxg9jDxibk9zgkFVhdOqtJlNMtO7N-vl5r5wdhgIMgkNa-lnAQ2/s400/54236811_10218881334368085_1890580157714923520_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> Here's the almost finished fuselage. The recess under the fin was for the tailskid housing, fashioned from round plastic stock and hollowed to take in the skid.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4Z2K0D3teOrfX0kFNTn2bOUBHaoDffSb7oZBFtBTttzB_IWKsi96MaR-azXMsfNLQWRYZ45jlp-xLmsrise7gOyd6hSeOumWbANq04tppMn7oT9Q8woMnMVAY2L8mJ-YgSoQYhXX-Jo3/s1600/54522928_10218896886236872_5168401749509144576_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4Z2K0D3teOrfX0kFNTn2bOUBHaoDffSb7oZBFtBTttzB_IWKsi96MaR-azXMsfNLQWRYZ45jlp-xLmsrise7gOyd6hSeOumWbANq04tppMn7oT9Q8woMnMVAY2L8mJ-YgSoQYhXX-Jo3/s400/54522928_10218896886236872_5168401749509144576_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRtWdom6BcRrYnXvvYLdyIRPC0ZWfk51PJa1pC6L9-c5Kn4Hx6LbOeiD0vZnAca2zPMl1gEsDajWQyiuaB9kpB5WbSzIQs22JULYpiUyrKU9Hjz2g3ajf9wGiuUqy76ugkvJ_rqmtwnQf/s1600/53293078_10218881333368060_976797986858205184_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRtWdom6BcRrYnXvvYLdyIRPC0ZWfk51PJa1pC6L9-c5Kn4Hx6LbOeiD0vZnAca2zPMl1gEsDajWQyiuaB9kpB5WbSzIQs22JULYpiUyrKU9Hjz2g3ajf9wGiuUqy76ugkvJ_rqmtwnQf/s400/53293078_10218881333368060_976797986858205184_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>Now it was time to move on to the smaller details. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0k7Q5qrwEyrzzErtRYtkRQiQXXJcEGwxo6VLhSM1R4mcY7x8pQfgs9Rv_QTB9bioOFHksKXTsnd3la4IWz6IuNiNZgsIzB2fpplYCJdWTONSVRzk446xOPtkChgM3EShicU9mHniN2i5/s1600/55632729_10218896886836887_3973713015093592064_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0k7Q5qrwEyrzzErtRYtkRQiQXXJcEGwxo6VLhSM1R4mcY7x8pQfgs9Rv_QTB9bioOFHksKXTsnd3la4IWz6IuNiNZgsIzB2fpplYCJdWTONSVRzk446xOPtkChgM3EShicU9mHniN2i5/s400/55632729_10218896886836887_3973713015093592064_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>Here can be seen the map folder, instrument panel and dolly minus its wheels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuKW9f4NAQFsfANzN1M-6nYTn_7gwLWd1x8k_FUlU8XlQiXs-4xTpptwA17ebwqhQGyMg15PyEMO2mpascb-bPJV4l29OLSvM8-6RVcAWbP4kP7PA4bv3ZJkEeRgr8iJRsQtkYyhoXju6/s1600/54798511_10218896885556855_1431637664909492224_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuKW9f4NAQFsfANzN1M-6nYTn_7gwLWd1x8k_FUlU8XlQiXs-4xTpptwA17ebwqhQGyMg15PyEMO2mpascb-bPJV4l29OLSvM8-6RVcAWbP4kP7PA4bv3ZJkEeRgr8iJRsQtkYyhoXju6/s400/54798511_10218896885556855_1431637664909492224_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> The tail sirfaces were cut to size and sanded to an aerofoil cross section.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVmtFFRXh75OwQd5tZ02aMcm_vjA-akyGdMFeLZyi-Bi6XUtSsyJjmXIkN4yMCrBAwEbHCDtsTfjBP1Esqvl2055YKif28196wy5fnH1FphgmVKIq6_PJWA5YyTxlf1-2xdWnWKDDQKGc/s1600/54411817_10218881334688093_2418834806973399040_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVmtFFRXh75OwQd5tZ02aMcm_vjA-akyGdMFeLZyi-Bi6XUtSsyJjmXIkN4yMCrBAwEbHCDtsTfjBP1Esqvl2055YKif28196wy5fnH1FphgmVKIq6_PJWA5YyTxlf1-2xdWnWKDDQKGc/s400/54411817_10218881334688093_2418834806973399040_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On to the painting stage. After priming with medium grey and fixing some minor dents and dimples, the overall base colour was applied. Humbrol H-63 seemed too stark, so Model Master's Middle Stone was used instead. The wood grain was applied via Faber Castell pencils. This proves useful because they polished the underlaying base coat as well.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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The different tonalities were reproduced as per the rather extensive photographic resources available on the web.<br />
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The structural lines were drawn on the wings so filling in with woodgrain was easier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFPWpqhXEzjS1FKMbBk-ciL8naHRbsMnrYENncJV5lQHs5JmxziT00DiAzk-GxbzRXqAc1QjzvzXR7o7LzTfMhZK1XE3mOx5Cs-SXralchSSzxVvGJjw67gQp5Ikw7C2fBsa8hBvKaE4E/s1600/54524507_10218909761078735_3177008959781339136_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFPWpqhXEzjS1FKMbBk-ciL8naHRbsMnrYENncJV5lQHs5JmxziT00DiAzk-GxbzRXqAc1QjzvzXR7o7LzTfMhZK1XE3mOx5Cs-SXralchSSzxVvGJjw67gQp5Ikw7C2fBsa8hBvKaE4E/s400/54524507_10218909761078735_3177008959781339136_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>For my first true overall woodgrain effect on a model it wasn't that bad. Things have improved on later scratchbuilt projects which I hope to share soon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUQ4s3XX7bV2PAqV1_-2Zk5-Jn65a9ztq0ELO6DYSrJUmmlW-UO_GZNuj7sbGQ0hCT3Gezkf3HXH9mOM8M-apQ-Yhk6xe8Vh3JbtWKndxZMKSGMGywshK31UyhDCwYry_7gQpb4P8ZanW/s1600/54256914_10218909758118661_8321992679281917952_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUQ4s3XX7bV2PAqV1_-2Zk5-Jn65a9ztq0ELO6DYSrJUmmlW-UO_GZNuj7sbGQ0hCT3Gezkf3HXH9mOM8M-apQ-Yhk6xe8Vh3JbtWKndxZMKSGMGywshK31UyhDCwYry_7gQpb4P8ZanW/s400/54256914_10218909758118661_8321992679281917952_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv0ibA9Ceqqei0n5Zu2WL36KDbLIwv6CikEt_I8uJqAc0qPc4Az1N_8c5n15N4hZ6PrU94WgCjh-nTmywNUobqsS32jxSl8kTvJVmc2I1CJZ0MzXZKXbzCg_l3CoE5MDO6lyOWSJIUtdH/s1600/54521857_10218909750198463_7855666102607544320_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv0ibA9Ceqqei0n5Zu2WL36KDbLIwv6CikEt_I8uJqAc0qPc4Az1N_8c5n15N4hZ6PrU94WgCjh-nTmywNUobqsS32jxSl8kTvJVmc2I1CJZ0MzXZKXbzCg_l3CoE5MDO6lyOWSJIUtdH/s400/54521857_10218909750198463_7855666102607544320_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</p><p>The cockpit had a wash of acrylic burnt sienna to make things stand out, the metal parts picked with humbrol's H-191 Chrome Silver and a wash of H-56 Aluminium.<br />
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</p><p>For the fabric-covered surfaces, H-41 Ivory was used. It gives a more bleached appearance than Linen or Oak colours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYl5jdXcA9gwpPoblo-xlSsFXLdKtHNcG0KAKJ_azOecMvBIpS-o1yKgE7on3iuBc-2ckuQ-idLwJAHSPRDtvywhdW8hULsxJF1JscdUr2SPDAWPc0YlYu0wkWB_zTVM7BxcMwWqhJMjb/s1600/54729335_10218934946268349_7603940487455571968_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYl5jdXcA9gwpPoblo-xlSsFXLdKtHNcG0KAKJ_azOecMvBIpS-o1yKgE7on3iuBc-2ckuQ-idLwJAHSPRDtvywhdW8hULsxJF1JscdUr2SPDAWPc0YlYu0wkWB_zTVM7BxcMwWqhJMjb/s400/54729335_10218934946268349_7603940487455571968_o.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p>Lacking decals for the model, I set to replicate the markings via Letraset dry-transfers.<br />
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</p><p>Not happy. At all.<br />
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</p><p>In the meantime the control panel was attached, in preparation for the smash molded canopy.<br />
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The wing and fuselage markings were rubbed on. Letraset patterns settled down nicely onto de curved surfaces. It just takes time and patience.<br />
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</p><p>The rudder had its woodgrain pattern applied and varnished for protction. Once dry, Humbrol's H-22 Gloss White was sprayed on, and the H-3 Brunswick Green and H-19 Gloss Bright Red. The dolly was painted with Hataka's AII Aluminium and Night colours.<br />
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Final attachment of the separate pieces started, the rudder went on like a charm. Carful preparation prevents the paint coat from fouling the surfaces and provides a better fit of parts.<br />
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</p><p>The "almost there" moment we all experience. Ailerons were carved out of wood since all my attempts to replicate them in plastic failed miserably. <br />
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</p><p>Looking like a charm!<br />
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</p><p>I tried to smash mould a transparent canopy out of clear plastick stock, but after the eighth or ninth attempt I called it quits. The other option was to replicate the original structure. I effed up the shape, making it too squarish, when it should be rather ovoidal in shape. Remember the "almost there" thing? Yeah, a case of those.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5Y30QRl9pfCREkMxOYPxrOZDyIxX6REAfr8zBgHmQiqrhvHB_F2LpQaxMvkOSo7E7uDtOVFHgvXIM0iGK3grzu_SMPZXlxbDpHNk6bS0COP3s8IKd_6pLvmvVj2L1XGq7lRWQGzunOdR/s1600/61665260_10219430275891280_7464057439894110208_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5Y30QRl9pfCREkMxOYPxrOZDyIxX6REAfr8zBgHmQiqrhvHB_F2LpQaxMvkOSo7E7uDtOVFHgvXIM0iGK3grzu_SMPZXlxbDpHNk6bS0COP3s8IKd_6pLvmvVj2L1XGq7lRWQGzunOdR/s400/61665260_10219430275891280_7464057439894110208_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh8G-8_tvmOyXJllD3eguXVfv1JFBsg-hC-xVmQLlu7WKBEWiYufDmeE5vcsk_jkhImRNnwjdXfRBPr4Iwi6spAjiS4uhJAFXrpcljRvw8xMuBXWbeoqTDqZp-dLoBdeme6irb5IKoCn3/s1600/61159340_10219444295761768_4044249645247889408_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh8G-8_tvmOyXJllD3eguXVfv1JFBsg-hC-xVmQLlu7WKBEWiYufDmeE5vcsk_jkhImRNnwjdXfRBPr4Iwi6spAjiS4uhJAFXrpcljRvw8xMuBXWbeoqTDqZp-dLoBdeme6irb5IKoCn3/s400/61159340_10219444295761768_4044249645247889408_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The model was clear coted with Humbrol's Satin Cote varnish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHnYWEOGFsUUuvIDsBZaFlHuwnTk4Lym4KogS7kmgeQABuKK2QLnIihEv0XkPIt3d35N0qrvp7u4KWnbLlT0r5zXAhBNARWlHgEFs8PTFIzvATR3qXceEBm0Tek8b9-iO98JBB8TzvfXl/s1600/61165238_10219444295321757_7584784808761360384_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHnYWEOGFsUUuvIDsBZaFlHuwnTk4Lym4KogS7kmgeQABuKK2QLnIihEv0XkPIt3d35N0qrvp7u4KWnbLlT0r5zXAhBNARWlHgEFs8PTFIzvATR3qXceEBm0Tek8b9-iO98JBB8TzvfXl/s400/61165238_10219444295321757_7584784808761360384_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The olympic rings were painted on using a dremeled tube stamp.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtJ-4INJdCHFbQFX4mf7bwAc6aTVPadydn0x_MCjmgruDV9_OAZy0Cz2e7wakXZsLnfO5qW8y8OWNJP9nnejxKBw3_vlBhoGROpJGecMmHwId8bvgHRyWggm-r6CvYsCxlorWWc0Y0Lc1/s1600/61430882_10219447093671714_8385002980545396736_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtJ-4INJdCHFbQFX4mf7bwAc6aTVPadydn0x_MCjmgruDV9_OAZy0Cz2e7wakXZsLnfO5qW8y8OWNJP9nnejxKBw3_vlBhoGROpJGecMmHwId8bvgHRyWggm-r6CvYsCxlorWWc0Y0Lc1/s400/61430882_10219447093671714_8385002980545396736_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div><p>
Not my best, I reckon. But the effect is there.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZH4S_QLCRSo3mBO3COzg1uP9fFnpHbcpKtORaHEKpGfbhXSbQbjDwjUKUxjhmKFON2vQ34SO8pu8aZcMsPiW2I8dp3bIoZ1PnrGllmjI1O144n-DxoFAFY92kLUJi2Aw36A94nKnB_k9/s1600/61665269_10219447093031698_2241477435314929664_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZH4S_QLCRSo3mBO3COzg1uP9fFnpHbcpKtORaHEKpGfbhXSbQbjDwjUKUxjhmKFON2vQ34SO8pu8aZcMsPiW2I8dp3bIoZ1PnrGllmjI1O144n-DxoFAFY92kLUJi2Aw36A94nKnB_k9/s400/61665269_10219447093031698_2241477435314929664_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The Venturi and Bruhn tubes were fashioned from syringe tube and scraps of plastic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNjAkC6uXqgtP36NF-fmdoIdVVd15lJmos_W-ki8vJS2DdI3snxIiE80XXn63CAqAKB6KJVBCpmrXT4XvqpMzsO2Z57J6HD4-0KhXOIo2H8uypBzKpIj_XbWvDEZOpEMkzlRLLXs0SLPl/s1600/61742356_10219461488351572_2954336887126360064_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNjAkC6uXqgtP36NF-fmdoIdVVd15lJmos_W-ki8vJS2DdI3snxIiE80XXn63CAqAKB6KJVBCpmrXT4XvqpMzsO2Z57J6HD4-0KhXOIo2H8uypBzKpIj_XbWvDEZOpEMkzlRLLXs0SLPl/s400/61742356_10219461488351572_2954336887126360064_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>The letraset name, having sustained damaged, was replaced by a clear decal with the name written on it.<br />
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</p><p>Humbrol's Clearfix was used for most of the windows. It's time consuming but it gives you good results.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuEOn35QTCLR_rEba2KohmwPBakK5h4Hha0kJZTWMaxsG4BvQRIdx086xFpUnpu8ePvAs-TPK3aCWXdWb4yXefjuzVoxo-b5FhoP3i2awENpV697IsOLW6xzf7c-w_ZPXq5svzaMMMBNE/s1600/61708665_10219464324222467_6407599792653860864_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuEOn35QTCLR_rEba2KohmwPBakK5h4Hha0kJZTWMaxsG4BvQRIdx086xFpUnpu8ePvAs-TPK3aCWXdWb4yXefjuzVoxo-b5FhoP3i2awENpV697IsOLW6xzf7c-w_ZPXq5svzaMMMBNE/s400/61708665_10219464324222467_6407599792653860864_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
</p><p>For the rear quarter windows, the best of all the smash molded canopies were selected, cut to pieces and attached to the canopy.<br />
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</p><p>While finishing the Nemere and trying to vent off so many frustrations, I started the second scratchbuilt project, the Akaflieg Darmstadt D-28 Windspiel. I still have to finish the tiny bugger, it's missing its decals.<br />
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</p><p>The dolly was attached to the skid and that was it. Finished.<br />
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</p><p>Some shots in broad daylight.<br />
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</p><p>It's not without its faults - all mine - but I like it. It meant quite an excercise in provisions being made for a kind of build i had not had the chance to practice in many years, and I've learnt a lot from it. It's been a year and a half from when I finished it and the glider family has been furthered expanded: the Windspiel, the Darmstadt D-15 series has two members already built, the "Westpreussen" and "Minister Leuschner", also the <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2020/07/clipped-for-speed-part-ii-short-span.html">8 meter Stummel Habicht</a> and one of Korolev's early gliders, the "Koktebel". Now on the works is Alexander Schleicher's first high performance glider, the "Stadt Frankfurt".<br /><br />Does it mean giving up on military modeling? No. It means walking down two of my favourite paths: researching the forgotten side of aviation and having the pleasure of building what I like, the best way I can.<br /><br />Take care and good luck,<br /><br />TMU.<br /></p>The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-37037015572923672792020-07-02T22:15:00.002-03:002020-07-02T22:15:45.242-03:00Clipped for Speed, Part II: the short span DFS Habicht. Glider, hot rod, rocket.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The Glider:</span><br />
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After building the six-meter, <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2020/01/clipped-for-speed-short-span-dfs.html" target="_blank">short spanned Habicht G</a>, I was left with a pair of eight-meter wings. Short hop into the future. We're in the middle of a pandemic. No essential work, so no income or chance to acquire it. Full quarantine enforced. What do you do, other than watching scale modeling videos, battle crippling depression and watch three months go by without a clear outcome on sight? You build model kits. Not the new ones - Last bought some three years ago -, but the ones on the Shelf of Doom. It can be done. It's feasable. It took a bloody pandemic, though. But it's no small feat, old chaps. It'll make you feel better.<br />
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After clearing the backlog it was time to rumage through the boxes. Wanting to build yet another glider - those articles are yet to be written - and after finding<a href="http://www.yankee-yankee.com/tadd003.htm" target="_blank"> the original italian article</a> to the pictures of the camouflaged 8-meter Stummel Habicht which are commonplace on the Internet, I set about construction. Let's dwell into a bit of history first.<br />
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As the war approached its closing stages, the Northern Italy theater of operations saw the tide of war turn increasingly against the Axis forces. Even if the difficult terrain made the Allied advance slow and difficult, the air war continued, unabated. To the shortages of flight crews and ground personnel, the italians of the ANR, the Aviazione Nazionale Repubblicana - the remnants of the Regia Aeronautica still following Mussolini's regime - found themselves in the unenviable situation, once again, of having to rely on their ever adamant german allies to provide aircraft and armament since their own aviation industry had everything but ceased to exist.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="349" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItKF2RUk97RfZqvIQbvniq9FnD8K4d7V5f06RI_4qeThuYYQla-JMqLAuVKPf5bAV8CYtajqg_1UNQ6sRYbse_0vQZMGxT6WvgACdDjtqQgiEPSRyckojIc0iQUVeRpl42fuTvjB4g1-F/s400/tad023a.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the 8-meter Stummel Habicht F used by the ANR pilots.</td></tr>
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In November 1944 the 1st Fighter Group of the ANR was training at the Luftwaffe airbase in Holzkirchen, Bayern, for conversion to the Bf-109 G-10 after giving up their much used and battered Macchi C.205V Veltros. There the Luftwaffe approached the pilots commanded by major Adriano Visconti with the idea of training them on a new secret weapon. Picking seventeen volunteers from the group's pilots, under captain Giuseppe Robbeto - already an ace, he would finish the war with ten aerial victories -, they were flown to Rangsdorf, near Potsdam. The Me-262, which the italians had believed was the "secret weapon" they were to be trained upon, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they were greeted by the placid stance of Grunau Babies and Habichts. A case of major "Ma che cazzo?" if there ever was one.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwXDJHYwb6cLwMoFMKuylAo6GfWk9ZOZ6N2cx3RFsB_ENNimKMN_0UVwzTGFZ1xs-KUMUcOI2srUzSvnlwrUVCSbgLPbOsG048By496JaMgSw8N8IkoHB2VzQwGik8s_t3s_iIhzanbPV/s1600/tad023b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="349" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwXDJHYwb6cLwMoFMKuylAo6GfWk9ZOZ6N2cx3RFsB_ENNimKMN_0UVwzTGFZ1xs-KUMUcOI2srUzSvnlwrUVCSbgLPbOsG048By496JaMgSw8N8IkoHB2VzQwGik8s_t3s_iIhzanbPV/s400/tad023b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Was it not for this series of photos, there would be no record on camouflaged Stummel Habichts.</td></tr>
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Truth was, the italians had been earmarked for training on the yet secret Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet but not a single word was to be said to them until the very last stages of training. Progressing from the Baby to the standard 13.6-meter Habicht and then to the Stummel Habicht F and Gs, the pilots proved once what was already known to everyone: the superb aerobatic training given to the italians. Even with the extreme loads of the six-meter G model, the pilots would - besides the straight approach and on-spot landings demanded - embark enthusiasticaly in aerobatic maneuvers. Which also comes to prove the quality of construction and inherent strength of the basic Habicht design.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6beS5eSq9l-hSaRG6ctzbyAy8EgBXY970bo5xpQUUdbn4RApLoT9osp1Ns8SvRFf7PdfB1XF0I5smcrVMVbWwO6z-kDNnoxsc1R92q4S29PnPSHR9ErIDRlmqYvt7s86O1U2H-Uy0_bWg/s1600/tad023c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="349" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6beS5eSq9l-hSaRG6ctzbyAy8EgBXY970bo5xpQUUdbn4RApLoT9osp1Ns8SvRFf7PdfB1XF0I5smcrVMVbWwO6z-kDNnoxsc1R92q4S29PnPSHR9ErIDRlmqYvt7s86O1U2H-Uy0_bWg/s400/tad023c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ten. Giuseppe Biron in the cockpit of a hastily camouflaged Stummel Habicht F.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It is only in early 1945 that pilots are eventually made aware of their final steed, the Komet. Despite the overall dire situation and hopeless outcome, the italians are thrilled by the chance of flying the rocket fighter. It was not to be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFxWdrX_BbZq3vkhVagLM9wCaXsZgxhFgsgYoeMZlR5CZ9t-XDTpOvid4uuPGVVrS6Qrpg7QqpovxVU1EA7pHhiGltmSgDscUsAzwAcuKsJP29xisLiJL9wGOD6NUfCSnpi1CHvOJ1qXk/s1600/tad023d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="349" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFxWdrX_BbZq3vkhVagLM9wCaXsZgxhFgsgYoeMZlR5CZ9t-XDTpOvid4uuPGVVrS6Qrpg7QqpovxVU1EA7pHhiGltmSgDscUsAzwAcuKsJP29xisLiJL9wGOD6NUfCSnpi1CHvOJ1qXk/s400/tad023d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1° Gruppo Caccia pilots.</td></tr>
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The program consists in taking off from Sprottau airfield, towed in by a Bf-110 heavy fighter, and after release to perform the same approach on landing already practiced on the Stummel Habichts. The Komet is to be ballasted with water up to the operational take off weight.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmbrlosVoH-irUb6nHJZFeoT7q9dZ7uhqoSma25-xUm27wVgiOsHiw3OpGOHPh2p2rC8HXSUr4Msrfhcx1Kl2ZjfquFyWjj53_8jMgQPyX-1NbfIIbaBdZgSmstROeJ2eB_WgrT2FKKzZ/s1600/tad023e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="349" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmbrlosVoH-irUb6nHJZFeoT7q9dZ7uhqoSma25-xUm27wVgiOsHiw3OpGOHPh2p2rC8HXSUr4Msrfhcx1Kl2ZjfquFyWjj53_8jMgQPyX-1NbfIIbaBdZgSmstROeJ2eB_WgrT2FKKzZ/s400/tad023e.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ten. Mario Zuccarini in another Stummel Habicht F.</td></tr>
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On the day the training is to start, the airfield is cover in snow, rendering take off impossible. And on January 12th the soviet forces cross the Vistula, effectively causing the program to be terminated. The pilots returned to Northern Italy, where activity was minimal but not less in lethality an atrition until the end of the war. The ANR Komet or the italian involvement on the Komet program was rendered eventually stillborn; leaving it to the realm of Luft'46 possibilities to further develop the story.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The kit(bash):</span><br />
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Having the excellent plans by Vincent Cockett, I set to building the fuselage and tail control surfaces for the 8-meter Stummel Habicht. Having already completed several scratchbuilt gliders, I now felt secure enough to face the challenge. I still have to overcome the dreaded "gull-wing fear", though.<br />
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The Warlord wings were... Well, what can I say? Crude is the word. The feeling is much, much worse. Being fortunate enough in that it was only the wings and not the whole kit again, the plastic "excretions" and growths were chopped, filed, cut, you name it. One thing's for sure: "flash", they were not. Further polishing of the outer surfaces was done once the inner ones were thinned enough to match the profile and glued together. <br />
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Last year a friend of mine sent me a small cut out of PVC board. Impressed with the ease of use in a different glider project, I was very happy when the local publicity workshop handed over to me a cut out of a harder grade. The key to PVC board is that it runs stiffer in one axe than the other. For wings the ideal approach is to work the stiffer axe toward the tip, which alse eases the work on creating the wing profile and prevents the wing from bending over time. Regarding to the fuselage, it's the same. You want it to have longitudinal strength but to be easily filed and sanded to shape.<br />
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Taking the Cockett drawings to 1/72nd scale, the fuselage was contoured, the cockpit hollowed out and then the spine fashioned out of a PVC strip, while the lower fin section was a thick, rigid plastic card piece. The wing roots were fashioned out of PVC as well. Mind cutting them longer than they should, to take into account the classic wing fillets of the original design. Everything was puttied and wet-sanded smooth in this first step.<br />
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With the basic fuselage complete, it was time to glue the wings and nose cap. A few dots of CA glue secured the wings in place, then UHU plastic cement was used to attach them securely to their roots. The UHU cement works wonders with this kind of PVC so it can be used securely and provides a strong, durable bond between parts. The nose cap is a simple PVC leftover of proper size which was later filed and wet-sanded to shape.<br />
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Don't mind the putty mess. I'm usually on the heavy side of things when it comes to putty. On with the wet-sanding!<br />
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After some tidying up, the end result looks far better. The tail surfaces were cut and shaped out of 1,5mm plastic card, my usual game in town.<br />
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And now kiddies, a funny fact: Always check your references and plans. Somehow I got in my head that the fin leading edge mated to the stabilizer through a curved transition. Very much like the lower fin section.<br />
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I glued the fin to the fuselage. And it simply looked odd. Continued to add the elevators and rudder. Took me ten minutes to notice the error. But a couple of passes with a file and sandpaper fixed the error. You're never too old to learn, they say. And neither to F##k up. Main thing is to solve it.<br />
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Looking at it now and as i write these words, a month or so since I finished the "kit", its lines have grown to me; I've come to regard it as far more accurate than the original Warlord kit. The rectangular cover over and under the wingroots and the fuselage inspection hatches were marked using a rounded tip scriber.<br />
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The Habicht has some very prominent trim tabs and rudder actuators, so they were fashioned out of plastic card and stretched sprue. Same for the struts and tail skid. All in all, a small but very rewarding detail added.<br />
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With the main build complete, it was time for priming. Monitor's gloss Middle Grey enamel was sprayed on the airframe since it is, to all matters, a fairly indestructible coating material.<br />
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It was here that I found my trusty Humbrol H-41 Ivory tinlet had parted company with the real world, leaving us here to join whatever realm it is that dry and empty tinlets go to when they pass away. After looking for a suitable replacement I came to settle upon arts & crafts acrylics which actually suited the two shades of RLM 05 seen on civilian aircraft and gliders. These are 03 Ivory and 04 Almond by local producer DelArte and higly recomended. Since they're thick, a thinning medium by EQ Arte and 50/50 ratio mix of water and rubbing alcohol were used to bring 03 Ivory to a spray-able dilution. Here you can see 03 (left) and 04 (right) side by side on a small plastic test piece.<br />
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To be honest, I was surprised at how well the paint settled on the model. No pebbling, no runs. It covered every corner and crevice evenly in one single coat. When dry, it was impossible to scratch or dent. Well done, DelArte!<br />
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Onto the camouflage. Studying the photos and doing some comparisons, the only colours that seemed to match the greyscale were RLM 61 Dunkelbraun and 62 Grün. Specially when compared to the absolute dark hues of the Stummel Habicht in the middle on the second and fourth pictures. The mottling infill is a clear giveaway, and I seriously doubt they'd use late war RLMs to camouflage these machines on site. So, off with the ModelMaster range! I've had these colours for about... I don't know. Over a decade. Never used them even having the kits to do so. Life gets in between and kits come and go. You know the drill.<br />
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After careful study, RLM 61 was sprayed first, trying to "weave" the effect as in the pictures.<br />
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The contrast is beyond stark, and for a moment I considered polishing and repainting the whole thing. It just looked odd.<br />
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It was only when the RLM 62 spots were sprayed that the scheme finally came to be.<br />
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Due to my abilities the spots came out a tad larger than I expected, but the end result pleases my eye (Yeah, THE EYE).<br />
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The Bruhn tube was fashioned out of stretched sprue and a syringe needle, cut and polished. You have to check the position according to photographs, from what I've seen it varies depending on the Habicht model and if it was armed or not - that MP-40 folly -. Note aside for the cockpit. I made a control column, seat, leather
coaming, head-rest and instrument panel out of scrap plastic. The I.P.
was painted black, while the cockpit and seat were painted an acrylic
Burnt Sienna and then given a black wash to represent the Kaurit-glued
pieces. Head-rest and coaming were painted Red Leather Brown. <br />
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A wash made of black and dark brown was applied to the panels, and did some gentle rubbing off the camouflage paint to imitate wear and tear before the final clear cote. Humbrol Satin Cote was used for this. Final stages was to add the main skid, fashioned from a strip of plastic and painted with acrylics and water colour pencils to imitate wood. A scrap of clear plastic was cut to size and shape for the windshield and several pieces of dry-transfers used for the markings. Easy-peasy.<br />
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And here it is,in all of it's stubby and oddly coloured glory.<br />
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All in all, it was not a difficult project. Learnt a few more things and fine-tuned some abilities. Not a small thing, these days.<br /><br />Stay safe. And as always, take care and good luck.<br /><br />TMUThe Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-82884955859648429782020-06-30T17:53:00.003-03:002020-07-01T15:03:47.027-03:00New teeth for old dogs: The Polikarpov U-2/Po-2 family. Part II.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-PNVHX4b0CgraHi0N2hwtZa5Ddad0cUq-uyJQ8TjA3jhrd1hnYqIjysbGB5fz5Jimvr-v0L4s2Z5hqkPmF1CCUWLow99cLqYYI7MR0nAGoF_pVlUBHqY1u-jksZ0KuvcWL3cVu-REvLV/s1600/20170412_170607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Plane:</span></div>
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When, in the Summer of 1942, the Germans started their run for the Caucasus and the vast oilfields on the southernmost part of the Soviet Union, the Russians threw every unit they had at hand to stop, and eventually turn, the Wehrmacht operations. More detailed information can be found in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_Blue">Wikipedia</a>.<br /><br />The 763rd Air Regiment was one of such units. In origin a transport regiment equipped with both liaison and sanitary versions of the already venerable Polikarpov U-2, it had made a name for itself thanks to the many risky reconaissance, liaison and medevac missions on the Crimean Front beetween February and June, 1942. When transfered to the Caucasus, the already seasoned pilots found themselves into an even worst case scenario than before.<br /><br />Even if the Crimean Penninsulae was rugged and mountainous, the Caucasus with its high peaks, tiny airfields hastily created on cliffhanging plateaus and thin air presented a totally different challenge to aircrews. Not only the climatic and operational conditions were extreme, also the shortage in personnel and machines was critical. To make up for the losses, many a U-2 was withdrawn from both the military and civilian flying schools in that vast region. Problem was, the schooling U-2s were not fitted with either the blind flying instrumental nor the bomb carriers to perfom their military tasks.<br /><br />Light carriers DER-7 were first fitted under the wings for any ordnance that could be attached to them, mostly light bombs of lower weight than the ubiquitous FAB-50. Wings were not reinforced so the caveat was there, even with the legendary weight-lifting abilities of the U-2. The engines were the original trainer ones, low powered when compared to the later versions. Things started to improve as the first reinforcement kits and "bomber wings" arrived and were fitted to the trainer airframes, allowing to place four carriers and their respective FAB-50s hanging from the undersurface. The latter came with the factory made cutout in the right wing for the bombsight, which before had being unceremoniously cut off in the field on the trainer wings. The bombsight was made true and screwed to the right hand fuselage side.<br /><br />There were blind-flying instrument panel kits sent fo the conversion of the old warriors but their arrival to the unit was far and in-beetween. For the most part, they flew un-armed; that until the VS and later LNB versions started arriving with either DA or ShKAS machine guns. Talk about sacrifice. Thus lightly equipped, the 763rd carried on countless day and night flights, usually bombing pinpointed German positions, when not bringing much needed supplies for the garrisons and carrying wounded to the rear of the front; gliding in the thin air across mountain passes on short breathing engines or using the steep and usually impossible terrain as a defense against the ever present enemy fighter force.<br /><br />Luck struck when researching Option 65 of the humongous South Front Decals sheet on the U-2 for this build, for there was a picture of three of the makeshift 763rd LNBAP bombers on the Internet. It displays white 5 (the subject of this build), 12 and 26 - maybe it is "2b", after the Ciryllic B (Б or б) - flying over a wooded area and an improvised airfield atop a plateau. They're war and weather weary machines. It's plain to see from their paintwork. See the gorge to the right? Not a nice spot to land if the worn out engine quits on you while taking off, bomb-ladden and in the middle of the night.<br /><br />News flash! Months after finishing the kit, I found several pictures on the Internet. An up-close shot, large sized copy of "White 5" and the others shows it didn't have the wing cut-out. It also has a thermometer or barometer afixed to the middle interplane strut. "White 26/2Б" has no remarcable things to speak of and "white 12" is actually in a green-black two tone scheme. Talk about bad luck.<br /><br />The original picture I found:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMjEA2Fe0sAxl_I0EPOOvKHIQy7nDgVepOcflD2ewWmD1vZxYDZvK38Eil2SpFmTIHbJgogaOJtgg0xR7VHEwmbae7WenObSBDHia_EB-X3eJ-z1OfoKoD1-r01GaX8zz8q_P1tfWlKBs/s640/15697527_10211756901621719_4223839156954571276_n.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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A better quality, larger copy. Here "White 12" two-tone scheme is very clear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzu4AUqhsAdrujAv8qiWV4Fwesx7z1sBTjCuQOunF6l2k7yzNGU2dLvjt7RKd2b2IQa8yepFpSc_UvVXiAesXlRq_BiNtp1tw4QB9LcjkF55Gznyw_7I7MjUGIzJN06lV9y6hPkmeZanD/s1600/1415094_cbd4cdfcbc298328f762ee530e19a2fd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzu4AUqhsAdrujAv8qiWV4Fwesx7z1sBTjCuQOunF6l2k7yzNGU2dLvjt7RKd2b2IQa8yepFpSc_UvVXiAesXlRq_BiNtp1tw4QB9LcjkF55Gznyw_7I7MjUGIzJN06lV9y6hPkmeZanD/s640/1415094_cbd4cdfcbc298328f762ee530e19a2fd.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The two other "Raggle-taggle" machines. White 21 and 15.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0idgDxJpx_eUAjjd2xSI6lEe2XsnPUiUdutHJT-TtIjZb-537FJdy5tri9hhyz438bF69PjMKHrtIkcELWtJSJZexlt32I1fPoc1DJ0I76e0jb3m_aA_I-r_c8oo0E0xgEQ94tsEjZtb/s1600/1415095_1c26ee99392642bc4877615f76399319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0idgDxJpx_eUAjjd2xSI6lEe2XsnPUiUdutHJT-TtIjZb-537FJdy5tri9hhyz438bF69PjMKHrtIkcELWtJSJZexlt32I1fPoc1DJ0I76e0jb3m_aA_I-r_c8oo0E0xgEQ94tsEjZtb/s640/1415095_1c26ee99392642bc4877615f76399319.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The replacement upper left wing section, and lower left wing aileron on "White 15" are noteworthy. Early and late AII Green comparison, perhaps? The upper wing marking seems to be painted in the later shade of AII Green. They all look extremely battered, repainted and with some extent of field repairs and patching. Also, the number's typography is noteworthy on this two other machines.<br />
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They all seem to be carrying grain sacks in their rear cockpits. Not at all strange, since the mal-nourished soviet troops would always welcome whatever it was the received for a meal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiTIBjOPIbmghlT86cOVUK7YZGpZpC7YCwM9YRfJ-68HYVNyhOiSi73KbVfx8kgTsKcfZfcMEEO9h4eFTO1cRJYsRlJWHC2GdIvaomdC5IGg5tJWlQx03QLFngRFn9arGHPGCN3gV20iy/s1600/1415096_19490c81e5279022ee0536204762633a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiTIBjOPIbmghlT86cOVUK7YZGpZpC7YCwM9YRfJ-68HYVNyhOiSi73KbVfx8kgTsKcfZfcMEEO9h4eFTO1cRJYsRlJWHC2GdIvaomdC5IGg5tJWlQx03QLFngRFn9arGHPGCN3gV20iy/s640/1415096_19490c81e5279022ee0536204762633a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Kit: Polikarpov U2VS, ICM, 1/72nd.</span><br />
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A close friend of mine got me this and the ambulance version when visiting abroad, so they were a welcome addition to the Kukuruznik saga (Four built as of writing this, and one to go. So many Kukuruznik needed, so little money!). They make for an excellent model, care being taken to address the following issues: The propeller turns the wrong way and the twin exhaust collector for the left and upper cylinders was not added to the sprue. The 1/48th scale of the kit covers these two points of worry, so you can build it as it is. All in all, it's a nice war-time issue model, even a post 1938 model can be done by filling in and deleting some details.<br />
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Build was rather straight forward (I'm writing this some three years after completing the model so bear with me), except for the forward fuselage which required some tweaking and sanding due to the rather strange plastic used, quite vynil-like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-PNVHX4b0CgraHi0N2hwtZa5Ddad0cUq-uyJQ8TjA3jhrd1hnYqIjysbGB5fz5Jimvr-v0L4s2Z5hqkPmF1CCUWLow99cLqYYI7MR0nAGoF_pVlUBHqY1u-jksZ0KuvcWL3cVu-REvLV/s1600/20170412_170607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-PNVHX4b0CgraHi0N2hwtZa5Ddad0cUq-uyJQ8TjA3jhrd1hnYqIjysbGB5fz5Jimvr-v0L4s2Z5hqkPmF1CCUWLow99cLqYYI7MR0nAGoF_pVlUBHqY1u-jksZ0KuvcWL3cVu-REvLV/s640/20170412_170607.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The lower part was bent out of shape so it was talked - cussed - into proper alignement. Flash was not heavy but difficult to sand in places due to the plastic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzLT0jpmfNg8u-yohtnTrsOIRaVhPepOg4d30DKdk8l__IzpDdJ1EHM5gfi-dGgIzguyj-hqkwV2S71KCCF5wDk8K3T4wS1XoOWjZRsUes_b3NnCeg39DVNNgEXmBxrmShGgZL4pX3rxt/s1600/20170412_170627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzLT0jpmfNg8u-yohtnTrsOIRaVhPepOg4d30DKdk8l__IzpDdJ1EHM5gfi-dGgIzguyj-hqkwV2S71KCCF5wDk8K3T4wS1XoOWjZRsUes_b3NnCeg39DVNNgEXmBxrmShGgZL4pX3rxt/s640/20170412_170627.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some putty was required in spots, but I'm very impressed with the quality of the kit. You have to add two small stubs made out of stretched sprue for the elevator horns either side of the fuselage. Otherwise these will stand flush to the surface, preventing the rudder wire from passing beneath them all the way to the forward fuselage.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NxjEdsFyFnO3GMaAuT0rocYI_DLsMeQfHqgygFJSG_MOtUCbISBQr9sd0wZdcZHv9m9qRFKVuzzVgBWOT8U_DSLmWYYr7suL0YMMB7mBKN_BXCKxaNC9oifgmLPbguIZtHR43mJ_6Vur/s1600/18839592_10213380211403449_5520811577194397593_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NxjEdsFyFnO3GMaAuT0rocYI_DLsMeQfHqgygFJSG_MOtUCbISBQr9sd0wZdcZHv9m9qRFKVuzzVgBWOT8U_DSLmWYYr7suL0YMMB7mBKN_BXCKxaNC9oifgmLPbguIZtHR43mJ_6Vur/s640/18839592_10213380211403449_5520811577194397593_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Care must be taken to drill further deep the holes for the struts, these being too shallow. All in all, aligning them is no too much of a nuissance, biplane wise. Just clean them with due care and dry-fit as much as you can.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm9OJH6s8-PVCs9qb4rnq-rDemV-BNNHkxc-f6zB7xw_GHaBAKt_PCnXO6Dbi_aBLmzG_A2lzrfQL5rqZ7AZdZTrJ6czOtlmv9NAgRB8jBQLIzef1qymQ8jK0enlj0R9rXitCzR0WTl-c/s1600/18891564_10213380216843585_6164715188121274722_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm9OJH6s8-PVCs9qb4rnq-rDemV-BNNHkxc-f6zB7xw_GHaBAKt_PCnXO6Dbi_aBLmzG_A2lzrfQL5rqZ7AZdZTrJ6czOtlmv9NAgRB8jBQLIzef1qymQ8jK0enlj0R9rXitCzR0WTl-c/s640/18891564_10213380216843585_6164715188121274722_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The engine is a three piece affair, quite simple and detailed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijb0-JPtsv6i4J8RNwtwLQIXej1VIZ50IZtaz_vnmAbXp_nKqK_bzec19Bcudt2nVBIPVm1XoXGDx838005123iwIsoLlDSFCWdDP2QAiKxvFvOhQYUfNI9rsF7gBkp9g6DKS73tgHqVc3/s1600/18920899_10213380213763508_3420191410058447407_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijb0-JPtsv6i4J8RNwtwLQIXej1VIZ50IZtaz_vnmAbXp_nKqK_bzec19Bcudt2nVBIPVm1XoXGDx838005123iwIsoLlDSFCWdDP2QAiKxvFvOhQYUfNI9rsF7gBkp9g6DKS73tgHqVc3/s640/18920899_10213380213763508_3420191410058447407_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Holes for the rigging were done with a fine 0.5mm drill bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg7ubYSa_uGY48u3Y8VCY02ZEY9AX6hkUdpIwJx-kB6WU3SqU8Ruo3u-wsrks8PSWL1G4sYBe55oI-LTtqM0Z36w0i8MU08sEUUyK4hdfd0ERfWs7M2FqLJpVXg9k8-qQ52Ltihyphenhypheny7KYb/s1600/18922869_10213380204083266_7271797820732243113_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg7ubYSa_uGY48u3Y8VCY02ZEY9AX6hkUdpIwJx-kB6WU3SqU8Ruo3u-wsrks8PSWL1G4sYBe55oI-LTtqM0Z36w0i8MU08sEUUyK4hdfd0ERfWs7M2FqLJpVXg9k8-qQ52Ltihyphenhypheny7KYb/s640/18922869_10213380204083266_7271797820732243113_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Inner colours were Humbrol's H-27 Blue Grey for the A-14 interior grey and H-33 for the panels and sundry bits. Belts were fashioned from wine foil and painted a suitable sandy khaky brown.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeg-2gIqjkXFsGCBOgBGoRuKao3HeL2JVvBxcP47TTQxTAwxkRqVosT771n6sfQD8pg-ef2H25pTYuLta_CU1GgdXIgTxpKH_XZOHxKAbOYjYyWlMaG8lIA8_mzMx1dB4Nt28iXyTRqch/s1600/18953175_10213380214883536_1243341233504455837_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeg-2gIqjkXFsGCBOgBGoRuKao3HeL2JVvBxcP47TTQxTAwxkRqVosT771n6sfQD8pg-ef2H25pTYuLta_CU1GgdXIgTxpKH_XZOHxKAbOYjYyWlMaG8lIA8_mzMx1dB4Nt28iXyTRqch/s640/18953175_10213380214883536_1243341233504455837_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A nice touch by ICM is that the landing gear legs are keyed so they will not be mixed. Careful cleaning and fitting makes for a snug and problem - free attachment.<br />
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Onto painting! Being a pre-war machine, and following the South Front Decals excellent instructions, the scheme was to be AII Green and AII Aluminium. Hataka's beautiful set for early VVS machines was used. I can't stress enough what a beautiful product they are. The tail surfaces were painted sepparate from the fuselage since it makes for an easier paint process and later attachment.<br />
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A truly beautiful, rich green it makes. Mind it's the later, lighter AII Green version Hataka has provided, so machines from an earlier period - before 1938 - need to have it slightly darkened.</div>
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Once the base coat was dry, i mixed some of the AII Green with Nochnoy, "Night" colour from the same brand. It was used as a wash and blended to give the model a weathered look.<br />
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And here disaster struck. What step did this faithful servant of your not observe? Priming. The fuselage's silver paint lifted when the masking tape was pulled off. That's why you prime model kits. to stave off situations like this one. <br />
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Since the area affected was not to have decals on it, I proceded to place them, which settled down nicely. Also, and to take away from the situation, I started my first glider kit from PZW, the <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2018/02/post-war-vulture-is-1-sep.html" target="_blank">IS-1bis "Sep"</a>.<br />
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What to do? Out with the AII Aliminium and Humbrol H-11 Silver and brush paint the offending - offended, actually - areas to replicate a weathered look. Came out rather nice!<br />
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Everything was sealed with Satin Cote and major assembly continued.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij75XmhzecnpACFtHRLwOu_xwQRYGiuHAV-UYopgzHalG7G5VyzYP0Fe5T7K9wsn1mq4NxKJsA9fa2LjNWvrRIVzeHIOL-X4Ow3tdIYNAkgkUXdN0zkD1HFGFfFO6Vq7A9OR9osbeiisAp/s1600/19388367_10213506880850106_7827786383687882553_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij75XmhzecnpACFtHRLwOu_xwQRYGiuHAV-UYopgzHalG7G5VyzYP0Fe5T7K9wsn1mq4NxKJsA9fa2LjNWvrRIVzeHIOL-X4Ow3tdIYNAkgkUXdN0zkD1HFGFfFO6Vq7A9OR9osbeiisAp/s640/19388367_10213506880850106_7827786383687882553_o.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I had forgotten to add the ever present tachometer attached to the middle cabane strut, so it was scratchbuilt from stretched sprue. Aeroclub rigging material was used, although it gave a lot of problems, refusing to attach even when using a new bottle of superglue. I guess is had gone beyond its best use before date.<br />
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While waiting for the little bit of rigging done to cure (and decide how to follow it afterwards), bits like the wheels, engine and armament were taken care of. I would not recommend to anyone to follow some radioactive coloured profiles out there regarding ordnance. Fine information can be found in Massimo Tessitori's forum and website on soviet aviation, instead. I painted my FAB-50 bombs with an old Molak RLM-76 which had turned greyish in hue and quite like the primer used on them.<br />
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The engine was given a black wash and using Rust and Oil effects, some details picked. About the twin cylinder collector, it was scrounged from the <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2016/12/heavenly-slow-speeder-polikarpov-u-2po.html" target="_blank">earlier KP U-2 build</a>.<br />
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With major assembly complete, it started to look like a Kukuruznik in all of its humble glory.<br />
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Further weathering was done to the airframe by lighly spraying it with Humbrol H-119 Matt Light Earth to achieve a dusty appearance.<br />
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H-118 Matt US Tan was then speckled highly diluted to achieve some pin-point dirt gathering on the most walked-on surfaces and on the undersides, collected from the propeller turning. <br />
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Highly diluted black and brown were used to pin wash some areas, oil and fuel spills achieved with Fresh Engine Oil from the Mig 7 set.<br />
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The undersides showing the weathered surface typical of the rough theater of operations where these machines had to fly.<br />
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While Waiting for things to dry, further work was done in ICM's old and venerable Fokker E.IV. An article on the model has long been in the tooth and yet never got the interest to actually complete it. Oh, well.<br />
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Once everything was dry, it was a matter of attaching the final bits and bobs and the second Kukuruznik was finished. Here's the end result.<br />
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And in broad daylight :D</div>
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It was a fine and interesting build for the time. Using some weather techniques I had not tried before. Years have passed ans i'm still learning. I guess we all do. ICM announced the issue of a new 1/72nd kit, issuing the problems of this kit. if you don't want it anymore, this one or the KP kit, send 'em to me. I still have 80 more decal options to go!</div>
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As of this year, The Epic kukuruznik has taken more forward speed.<br />
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Stay safe, and as always, take care and good luck.<br />
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TMU<br />
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The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-16540762760636521712020-04-26T20:02:00.000-03:002020-04-26T20:03:13.761-03:00Mitsubishi's Hot Rods: the reconnaissance way (Part II)<br />
<a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">The airplane:</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aerial reconnaissance has always been one of my passions. Over the years, the growing numbers of kitted reconnoiteurs, spotters and that particular nasty gang of thugs known as assault aircraft has pleased the penchant of building aircraft with a very idiosyncratic design.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Take for instance Mitsubishi's superlative <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Ki-15" target="_blank">Ki-15</a> in each of its different iterations. Record breaking mail plane as the Karigane. Fast reconnaissance for the Imperial Army Command as the Ki-15-I. Then, a light bomber. Gets a new engine and better streamlining on the Ki-15-II version. The Navy casts an eye on it and purchases a handful as the C5M1. Gets delighted by it. Orders a new version in the C5M2. No more than 500 were produced altogether but their impact on the war with China and later in the early stages of the Pacific War were deep. So much so it would only be replaced in frontline duty by the superlative Ki-46 in July, 1941 but still be a worthy asset for the Imperial Army until well into 1942; later to be used as a trainer and several being expended in kamikaze missions by the end of war.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The kit: LS' venerable 1/72nd Ki-15-I:</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">You know you have to show respect for a kit when it's two years your senior, first produced in 1976 (Thank you Scalemates!). The previous owner didn't - specially a cracked canopy, which I couldn't entirely fix - so it was hard work from the very beginning. Since I had already built a grey <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2017/05/lithe-struck-scythe-nakajimas-ki-27a.html" target="_blank">Ki-27</a>, I wanted to display one of the field applied schemes to the Ki-15 during the Sino-japanese War. Several browns and greens were used, either hand-applied or prayed over the airframe. The best references are Ian K. Baker's series of articles dealing with WWII japanese aviation, first published in Scale Aviation Modeller International some twenty years ago; and the excellent blog maintained by Nick Millman, <a href="http://www.aviationofjapan.com/" target="_blank">Aviation of Japan</a>. In looking for the scheme, i came across this one from the 1st Chutai, 15° Hikosentai in the early stages of the conflict in China.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">First things first, the model was stripped from its paint using oven cleaner and then rinsed with tepid, soapy water. It was mostly successful but some paint remained so it was water sanded as much as possible. Parts were carefuly detached from each other. Interior was furnished with a radio, camera and controls, all scratchbuilt. Seats were painted in H-56 Aluminium and got lapbelts made from tin foil, painted a sandy brown. The interior was painted in Humbrol's H-144 Medium Blue, which is a good match for the colour used by the army at the time and given a wash with H-33 to bring out the details. The camera and radio were painted in H-167 RAF Barley Grey. With it finished, the fuselage was closed and when dry, tailplanes, wing and canopy were attached. For the antena, the one from the Ki-27a by ICM was used, and the distinctive tail wheel and pitot tube scratched from various plastic rods and profiles.</span></span>
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Not having markings for the build, and these being very simple; the wings were sprayed H-19 Bright Gloss Red and the rear of the fuselage and rudder in Hataka's Matt White. These were masked over awaiting paint.<br />
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As can be seen from this picture, troughs were filed into the fuselage both for the exhaust collector on the right side and the oil cooler outlet on the left hand side. With the canopy and landing light masked, it was spray time.<br />
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The entire airframe painted Humbrol H-147 Matt Light Grey, which is a good match for the IJAAF colour used at the time.<br />
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Once it dried, it was time for the light brown. For it a very nice hue is ModelMaster's RAF Middlestone. If you happen to have MM paints, cherished them. Some of these colours I've had them for 15 years and still work great. A tribute to the quality of production we seldom see these days.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFuI9GhUYo7XaizGF-0Aujm1nyHDd1TdsP5V9hWss9x0Gh_kb63dx9TtdhRZLoJ9tCJpdHJolTLJJOVeLIWyxwC7s2Yazg1Nw8LD9tRo1n4TqjLGat9Sv0AAQt47R5UPn0PX6-ZZE_cKZ/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFuI9GhUYo7XaizGF-0Aujm1nyHDd1TdsP5V9hWss9x0Gh_kb63dx9TtdhRZLoJ9tCJpdHJolTLJJOVeLIWyxwC7s2Yazg1Nw8LD9tRo1n4TqjLGat9Sv0AAQt47R5UPn0PX6-ZZE_cKZ/s320/9.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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Since I wanted to get a nicely blended colour demarcation, the wing and elevators undersurfaces were masked and Humbrol H-86 Light Olive matt sprayed free-hand for the wrap-around scheme. With it dry, the masking for the markings was taken off and any rough edges carefuly polished with 1200 grit sandpaper. It started to look half-decent, at least.<br />
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The engine, as received, was but a blob of thickly painted plastick, so it was sanded, rescribed and polished along with the propeller and hub.<br />
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The exhaust came from a highly modified Savoia Marchetti S.81 Pipistrello by Italeri and the oil cooler outlet from plastic tubing of a suitable size.<br />
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With that out of the way, the entire engine and hub were painted in Hataka's Night Colour. Cilinder details were picked with a silver pencil and dark grey washes. The propeller and oil cooler were hand painted with Hataka's AII Aluminium for a service-weary look and the red stripes masked and painted in H-19. The exhaust got Humbrol H-70 brick for the basecoat.<br />
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I intended to give the aircraft a worn look, typical of the field conditions you see in front line units of the IJAAF during the late '30s. Having some old 10ml bottles of dried-up Tamiya paints, I poured some high quality Alba white spirit into the XF-13 IJAA Green, X-1 Black and XF-52 Dark Earth. A gentle stir with a stiff plastic rod and thorough shake provided the washes need. A thin black wash was given to the panel lines and surroundings and rubbed with a cotton bud.<br />
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It was followed by the IJA Green on the proper panels, as well.<br />
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The undersides were lightly weathered after taking the below picture with a medium grey wash.<br />
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The engine was glued to the fuselage, along the propeller and hub. The exhaust collector was given a rust and smoke effect with Mig's Aviation Set 7420. The panels near the engine and the oil cooler were given a slight dab of Fresh Engine Oil. While well kept, japanese radial engines were famous for their leaky gaskets and connections. So it's up to you wether you want to oil the engine bay thoroughly or keep it tidy. I went for somewhere in the middle, specially given the small scale of the kit.<br />
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Paint chips and wear were applied with dark, light grey and silver pencils, the mud and dirt replicated with the XF-52 wash.<br />
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A simple base was produced for the Ki-15, couldn't resist taking a few snapshots of it alongside the Ki-27 by ICM.<br />
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All that was left to do was to take the masking of and attach the antenna wire to the mast and the king post on the fin. Then it was attached to the base. And it was done.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> All in all, it was a satisfying build. Though the canopy was only marginally salvageable, the rest went along nicely as befits this kit, a worthy example of a bygone era in modeling. If you can get one, or the Mania/Hasegawa kit, go for it. You won't be disappointed.<br /><br />Took over a yeart to write this simple article. Life got in the middle. And it's o.k. for Life to do so. These are just simple snippets of a hobby. And in these times of worry and generalized bru-ha-ha (Tom Lehrer dixit), take care and good luck. More than ever.<br /><br />TMU.</span></span></div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-74937146413125602242020-01-06T17:20:00.001-03:002020-05-27T17:00:29.434-03:00Clipped for Speed, Part I: the short span DFS Habicht. Glider, hot rod, rocket.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="copyrights">Disclaimer: This website does not promote or comment on Nazism's identification of the swastika symbol.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The glider:</span><br />
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Evolving from the superb Habicht aerobatic glider designed by Hans Jacobs which had been presented for the first time during the 1936 Olympic Games, the short spanned Stummel versions F and G sported an eight meters and six meters wingspans. The idea was to train NSFK pilots for the upcoming Me-163 rocket fighter. The prospective pilots would train on the standard 13.6 meters Habicht and then progress to the 8m and 6m versions so they would get the experience on how to handle a high speed glider during final approach and landing. The reduced wingspan didn't affect badly what was already a superb flying machine, and the excellent control characteristics were maintained, even if a much higher landing speed was achieved, the rugged structure taking the stress without further issues. Some of the normal and clipped Habichts received a 9mm MP-40 sub-machine gun on the nose to give the pilots a basic idea on aerial gunnery. The Habicht program and training ran until the very last stages of the war, when the Komet units were disbanded. Sadly, no Stummel Habicht remains today.<br />
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The 6 meter Habicht under construction. In order to keep the structural strength due to the higher speed requirements, both F and G wings were fully covered in plywood, while keeping the fabric covered ailerons.<br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="478" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwglTVHlGusy_uFSDJMt7iSUXLa17zVUGdokhXTvhYGa2ldTNzKNUWeBkD8iflqsvyi9Z7pCFTF7oIqmGMMqIq2Sh7ypv8yjRDesPrSVnY3-4jNE2lVijiOSFM6ZK_3SgdQR-gdriABAOD/s640/stummel.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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Few schemes are as sober as the customary RLM 05 cream / ivory finish for gliders in use since 1935. The six meter Habicht model G.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUWU2pw-E9DIVFHg4TxmeynBBqeukfJaUR6vqJVo_cMJ8crinKSqT4FkRiBQ3tfHd8QRw-oXJboNhCgv-NiKonirJZ6e381VB6JEVBVks0H_LbT8WroTjoiFN8JSrbV-Vpe0S7CVPY063/s1600/habicht_stummel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="478" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUWU2pw-E9DIVFHg4TxmeynBBqeukfJaUR6vqJVo_cMJ8crinKSqT4FkRiBQ3tfHd8QRw-oXJboNhCgv-NiKonirJZ6e381VB6JEVBVks0H_LbT8WroTjoiFN8JSrbV-Vpe0S7CVPY063/s640/habicht_stummel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The standard blue radiating pattern was kept on the upper horizontal surfaces and the wing roots. Quite strange for the time, the pre-war fin markings were reinstated on these series.<br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="550" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohFUgNjLSsGVStEiAbfDo5W2Ixyv3S-JKed2f2kOs-bdGuvkx30IbvsN1D-gJpENhh0OYlX_bA84roC_ZMCBGStEIqnA2YwjpmVixs6Kxj6RYROeuhLIvm3CnvD9zCF2BQ8xyi3tdDVDF/s640/Stummel-Habicht_01.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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The eight meter Model F.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZLb9yMOefRjKustmklDnB59g_-yj9_oqOHvD7g_-KqdkHlX33QCEWDK2LChP2xOK3KdMslTgrCG8pt-w_c2DPd1miZIFnDPr6-kXfOl7YwJc2fnAG0drhY-cGrni-aRpis7m9oTYT6lo/s1600/Photo-9-DFS-Stummel-Habicht-used-for-Me-163-pilot-training.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZLb9yMOefRjKustmklDnB59g_-yj9_oqOHvD7g_-KqdkHlX33QCEWDK2LChP2xOK3KdMslTgrCG8pt-w_c2DPd1miZIFnDPr6-kXfOl7YwJc2fnAG0drhY-cGrni-aRpis7m9oTYT6lo/s640/Photo-9-DFS-Stummel-Habicht-used-for-Me-163-pilot-training.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As per other gliders near the end of the war, many Stummel Habicht were quickly painted by brush or spray gun with blotches and squiggles of paint and modified markings over the original RLM-05 scheme. Here, two F models in a spray-painted squiggle pattern and what looks like a solid green painted G model in beetween. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-xXo2H_yTqIB4xdElUoU0lwdpjALRqPVOTX27d0deqkK4jZcC9DdncJhKfXgjTGs7G0gwr7PBloNbRM8Bwo6_3o42LA5QKB6vAbEVRVnlo6VaeS_WCtV06Qh6EOUZkTX5Ke0c8gyLrof/s1600/Stummel-Habicht_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="550" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-xXo2H_yTqIB4xdElUoU0lwdpjALRqPVOTX27d0deqkK4jZcC9DdncJhKfXgjTGs7G0gwr7PBloNbRM8Bwo6_3o42LA5QKB6vAbEVRVnlo6VaeS_WCtV06Qh6EOUZkTX5Ke0c8gyLrof/s640/Stummel-Habicht_03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The model: Warlord's Stummel Habicht in 1/72nd. </span><br />
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What is there to be said? A gift from my old friend Raúl Hrubisko, who's RAF collection is famous worldwide, Warlord's only modeling venture that I know of came in a flimsy little box labeled as a 1/48th double kit. It was actually 1/72nd and with the two versions of the Stummel Habicht, it brought the Blohm & Voss BV-40 fighter glider too. It was crude by any standards, and quite similar to the early AZ kits: large injection gates, thick profiles, burrs and flash being the menu of the day. On a personal note, nothing to be troubled about. Not much in the way of detail, but little to be seen as well.<br />
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Work started by thoroughly cleaning the very few pieces on the kit. If you have this kit, attention must be paid to the rather thick wing halves and thin them down quite a bit.<br />
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One of the characteristics of the Habicht are its large rudder and trim tabs actuators. So this were made with stretched sprue and plastic card. The wing roots were very nice, though a bit different in cross section. So that was rectified. Even so, a fair amount of sanding and filling had to be done so the wings could be faired in to the roots.<br />
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The missing tails skid and fairing were added from varius bits of plastic and wire sanded and bent to shape. Work of a moment, joy of a lifetime. And still the wings gave trouble.<br />
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Everything was fixed with superglue </div>
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Another look at the tail section before trimming the stretched sprue.<br />
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Painting was started by the blue flashes in Tamiya X-4 and the fin flash in Humbrol's H-19. when dry, it was all covered in Tamiya masking tape so the entire model could be sprayed with H-41 ivory. Personally, I like this colour over the more common ones used since it's lighter and less yellowish, it doesn't "kill" the model in such a small scale.<br />
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Two coats were required to cover the tiny model, but this colour never lets you down.<br />
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After the first and second coat, there was some damage to be repaired when the mask was pulled. Next time a sunburst pattern has to be undertaken, I will reverse the masking and painting process, for I'm not happy with the result.<br />
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Touch ups to be done. The interior was then painted in H-63 Yellow Ocher, Faber Castell water colors for the wood grain and satin varnish to protect it. Prior to it, a bulkhead was cut to shape and added to attach the headrest in scratch. Simple cutouts from a plastic sheet, that is. But they add to the overall look.</div>
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The Bruhn pitot tube was added, using to sections of stretched sprue and syringe cut to length and shape.<br />
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It's all in the small details, they say. I have to agree. Crappy sanding, worst painting. In spite of that, the added detail to the cockpit and pitot tube raise the kit a bit in term of quality and look. Italian Red Brown by ModelMaster was used for the leather cockpit coaming and headrest.<br />
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The launching and towing hook under the forward nose was cut to shape and installed.<br />
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Not the best...<br />
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The wood grain on the skid was tackled in a different way to the one in the cockpit. Humbrols H63 was used and then an acrylic layer of burnt sienna by local manufacturer Renoir was applied by brush over it in order to give it a grainy, length-wise look with darker and lighter spots.<br />
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Even if the acrylic dries fast, it still gives you time to work on it.<br />
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The almost finished skid. It was then sprayed with Humbrol's H135 Satin Varnish. The prototypical yellowing of it will not affect the looks of the skid, so you can use it without hesitation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2ZgJzF-lZKk16iWZrN5_-Q8DGS_zaH_dDVHdpmpcqEip2mgv88dJt7lNl6vYAkxvfFecDscLyw2K9-BcrC64QvZHU3AaKtgIT0kkvrx4HQBEg8Z_UMBsE9NVUneQn1C5KJ36z78BNION/s1600/53916306_10218844134158103_727680447647055872_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2ZgJzF-lZKk16iWZrN5_-Q8DGS_zaH_dDVHdpmpcqEip2mgv88dJt7lNl6vYAkxvfFecDscLyw2K9-BcrC64QvZHU3AaKtgIT0kkvrx4HQBEg8Z_UMBsE9NVUneQn1C5KJ36z78BNION/s640/53916306_10218844134158103_727680447647055872_o.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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With the skid attached, a light wash was given to all the crevasses with highly diluted Humbrol's H-27 Blue Grey.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3PoiEDkq8iqWLqHFisARdDRqK-g4xDGpcT8w2xEyHwbMRyIlXcw9D4uBaBUuB7OTntsFFcQkJs4yMR2vyQmVDAkhVwRfK_oZLcJfnBVQjARP6OPih8Za7vguurVRQT4J42asL4ZSdozH/s1600/54239224_10218851404179849_2323565384306786304_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3PoiEDkq8iqWLqHFisARdDRqK-g4xDGpcT8w2xEyHwbMRyIlXcw9D4uBaBUuB7OTntsFFcQkJs4yMR2vyQmVDAkhVwRfK_oZLcJfnBVQjARP6OPih8Za7vguurVRQT4J42asL4ZSdozH/s640/54239224_10218851404179849_2323565384306786304_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some dirt was applied by drybrushing to the rear fuselage, with H-118 Light Earth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWhDAohvzIHj36BGfyNfNgpcpWaFc2wScISWkJnsn-B177TCI7FRqrWxERbLdDGFq_dGlRROWXJNb6o3-SH-QLimIRF9d7p0VX8FaJm8yk7Qmyf9vJrPCNhp2WQhqVsQGg2uRglBI9gg2/s1600/53671996_10218851404539858_7974254212689166336_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWhDAohvzIHj36BGfyNfNgpcpWaFc2wScISWkJnsn-B177TCI7FRqrWxERbLdDGFq_dGlRROWXJNb6o3-SH-QLimIRF9d7p0VX8FaJm8yk7Qmyf9vJrPCNhp2WQhqVsQGg2uRglBI9gg2/s640/53671996_10218851404539858_7974254212689166336_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The decals were not that few. Since the kit was made in Germany, the cross on the vertical surfaces was split in four "L" shaped pieces. Tiny pieces to say the least. When the white disc applied, the underlying red bled through the white decal... Yes, I sweared a lot at the time. At least I got one of the crosses right. The other one looks like it was run over by a truck in the australian outback. Then Humbrol's superb Satin Cote was airbrushed over the airframe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzlso_QUK6dpmGB015mtcelvn4fLhCXALPeaa4DUVYb__lkN239_IMs0DW5QqSIpigCpKSd0T7LvKQGVViZNpWuB1-j25vtjLAUik55Aek-vLul13nHvGI61rgKtmEq-b9z8LQnf5TDHH/s1600/53592165_10218851404739863_8374768923882553344_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzlso_QUK6dpmGB015mtcelvn4fLhCXALPeaa4DUVYb__lkN239_IMs0DW5QqSIpigCpKSd0T7LvKQGVViZNpWuB1-j25vtjLAUik55Aek-vLul13nHvGI61rgKtmEq-b9z8LQnf5TDHH/s640/53592165_10218851404739863_8374768923882553344_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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With all that out of the way a tiny windshield was cut to shape out of clear plastic sheet and attached with Clearfix.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLg87wWOYhM3byYDemaAYZ4Ho4JlvNfUqdODNIX6gvA7ntB6XzThUzHGs2v7AnxgANA38LEPUtlgdKOghLqlSgkEZJjBmYXC3lxcbyBBu5G-XmfnrGS4rXZjKRhCz-VD0-SlG8jNN1YTV/s1600/53896967_10218851405019870_3560166793303556096_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLg87wWOYhM3byYDemaAYZ4Ho4JlvNfUqdODNIX6gvA7ntB6XzThUzHGs2v7AnxgANA38LEPUtlgdKOghLqlSgkEZJjBmYXC3lxcbyBBu5G-XmfnrGS4rXZjKRhCz-VD0-SlG8jNN1YTV/s640/53896967_10218851405019870_3560166793303556096_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here's the finished model.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfUH6sKnGsi4WFd64Z_PhWtV9ccVx5fwhwi-msIXVBKMtJNCnHdpbklItMxH42zsiJcCer1yHdVpzE-HishmMGm6Ip_mJoYsqCU5NsRL5psx1pJsVMGOqk0-9j5OCQ_eVI9Hit0PNDtld/s1600/54220432_10218864405384871_5857180393433726976_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfUH6sKnGsi4WFd64Z_PhWtV9ccVx5fwhwi-msIXVBKMtJNCnHdpbklItMxH42zsiJcCer1yHdVpzE-HishmMGm6Ip_mJoYsqCU5NsRL5psx1pJsVMGOqk0-9j5OCQ_eVI9Hit0PNDtld/s640/54220432_10218864405384871_5857180393433726976_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CW42Vk9TTWR4oR-Qawm0OFjgOl95094nzBUtMPy2hr4K5Y7mVvpaDcIsqL3y-8eePCSYuRIsPoFPbLaZhzT1OT8UALoLHu4YCVaepaeWJiHjXHaTEsIAXRna9SynFoIkHfJl-0qzuQP2/s1600/53808743_10218864407464923_8022286086090784768_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CW42Vk9TTWR4oR-Qawm0OFjgOl95094nzBUtMPy2hr4K5Y7mVvpaDcIsqL3y-8eePCSYuRIsPoFPbLaZhzT1OT8UALoLHu4YCVaepaeWJiHjXHaTEsIAXRna9SynFoIkHfJl-0qzuQP2/s640/53808743_10218864407464923_8022286086090784768_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nNYELuOJNnrD4bgjmScM8MhVjXeeA-CzTyWcPIMK3AFrM3YrEh-w1K_79Lzmi8uwrq4Bt8K9S1FVCoeVNCCHNdwCtCDcwhtgQOiBtEOSM9YN3WLIfqSU2E0pT0okKr9zZQQT2BzZnrzZ/s1600/53817005_10218864403904834_4601793050887323648_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nNYELuOJNnrD4bgjmScM8MhVjXeeA-CzTyWcPIMK3AFrM3YrEh-w1K_79Lzmi8uwrq4Bt8K9S1FVCoeVNCCHNdwCtCDcwhtgQOiBtEOSM9YN3WLIfqSU2E0pT0okKr9zZQQT2BzZnrzZ/s640/53817005_10218864403904834_4601793050887323648_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not one of my best, I reckon. Sometimes the need to kick a kit out of the way is stronger than the will to fix all the tiny flaws of it. And it's alright. I still have the 8 meter wings, so there may be a scratch-building project in the future for a camouflaged machine.</div>
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In the meantime, have a great start this 2020.<br />
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Take care and good luck,<br />
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TMUThe Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-27176796466111822222019-12-03T18:33:00.001-03:002019-12-09T15:32:35.527-03:00Summer bug: The Fieseler Fi-103.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">The plane (or the bomb):</span><br />
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There's no need to introduce the Fieseler Fi-103 flying bomb. Through its different names it can mean nothing at all or everything. Though the bombing campaign in which it starred was less far flung than the 1940 "Blitz", the sheer terror it spawned gave way to an improved defence scheme into which AA and several types of fighter intertwined in several "killing zones" that, after the initial shock and difficulties to intercept the machine, gave sterling results to the british defeders, thus curtailing much of the V-1 menace. Equally important became the efforts to eliminate the launching pads for the V-1, leading to a renewed bombing campaign across the Netherlands and Germany, and as the german forces withdrew from the conquered territories, the effectiveness of the bomb suffered accordingly in range and accuracy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwP7YTXG7pzPRWMoKfthyphenhyphenELEI5ljw2JK_zORkOJf9zW0SWEThd2F-VoHqSat4NDEB1yOaSVdoac83J3i9x9z497CelVSg-z6saQXAlyyj9jCzFM2UqxCkFB-hY1AF_s5cowkhnPRSRiel/s1600/Fieseler_Fi103_debajo_de_un_Heinkel_111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwP7YTXG7pzPRWMoKfthyphenhyphenELEI5ljw2JK_zORkOJf9zW0SWEThd2F-VoHqSat4NDEB1yOaSVdoac83J3i9x9z497CelVSg-z6saQXAlyyj9jCzFM2UqxCkFB-hY1AF_s5cowkhnPRSRiel/s320/Fieseler_Fi103_debajo_de_un_Heinkel_111.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The model: Dragon's V-1 in 1/72nd.</span><br />
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About a year ago, a gentleman posted the Fujimi Spitfire XIVc in "V-1 killer" markings. Since having built several V-1 for friends and having thoroughly enjoyed building the Dragon kit, I decided to purchase the double kit box. Both Spit and V-1 were already built for the most part but the price was more than affordable and no great hindrance came from the previous owner's build except for the in-flight landing gear. The V-1 only needed some sanding and filling in a couple of places before painting.<br />
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Looking for a suitable painting scheme, I settled on the one used for the V83 prototype. The overall RLM-02 scheme had been darkened on the under surfaces by applying a coat of black and the heavy mottled spraying was given to the Argus pulse-jet. Conversely, the intake ring was natural metal. ModelMaster 02 was used for the overall coating, then Hataka's superb Acrilyc paint range came to help with AII silver and Night colours. Night was chosen for it is considerably lighter than straight black and it has a dark, bluish tone which goes fairly well with the 02 uppers. Some chipping was done to the night colour to show the 02 underneath and a silver pencil to chip the acces panels, a light wash of Night and black being run down the panel lines and crevices to make them stand out.<br />
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These machines were not man handled enough to further weather the model other than the engine combustion chamber and exhaust which got severe heat-burnt while testing the engine prior to the flight. It was achieved by dry brushing and washing with Mig's aviation set rust and exhaust black pigments. All was sealed with a coat of Humbrol's Matt Cote and that was it.<br />
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Here's the finished model, the cart being supplied by a dear friend of mine (thank you, Tito!).<br />
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It's a very simple and enjoyable build, with a myriad colour schemes
and a sound basic kit to display them. Go, build one. Or several. You
won't be disappointed.<br />
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As always, take care and good luck.<br />
<br />
TMUThe Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-15536993078170055422019-07-17T15:07:00.001-03:002019-07-17T15:07:14.008-03:00On writing and modeling.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The last days I took to my heart trying to ramp up the modeling production. There were many a reason for doing so. First and foremost, being jobless gets to your nerves and while having a thick skin is to one's advantage, the constant interview - rejection - interview - rejection conundrum eventually takes a toll on your mindset. So, I got the scale models out to clean them and take a few pictures. The first couple Kukuruzniks from the huge South Front decal sheet. The first series, <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2016/12/heavenly-slow-speeder-polikarpov-u-2po.html" target="_blank">1932-33 vintage Polikarpov U2</a>, built from the KP offering; and the ICM kit for the converted U-2 trainer bomber from 1942. Spare the saggy rigging. I believe the Aeroclub material gave way with time...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some people give into the usual vices. Substance abuse is pretty much the easiest and straightforward punishment of choice for too many a person. Having to apply a methodical "economy of war" on a daily basis, things like booze and tobacco have taken a rather luxurious sheen to them. Other substances - mostly illegal - are not up to my taste; so I'm saving a hefty amount of money. Have you ever wondered how some people do to indulge in dubious pleasures and never see them working? Indeed, so have I put my limited reasoning abilities to the test trying to figure it out. Never liked the answer, though. Call me adamant, but maybe due to a few near personal experiences I can't stand druggies. Never judge them, but I rather be somewhere else. And I do.<br /><br />The thing with not having a job is that, even having a lot of free time, you don't feel it that way. It's not a quality time. Maybe it's because those hours don't feel earned. They just march on one after the other. Void of significance, the natural thing to do - as I feel it - is to put a meaning to them. So, I build model kits. Even took to two of my old loves. Scratchbuilding and gliders. It has helped me cope with the inner, barren desolation that creeps out of desperation every couple of days to almost paralyze what i considered until a year or so a rather solid and powerful personality.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday night, I started two more Kukuruzniks to speed up thing. One from the paramilitary organization, the Osoaviakhim, in 1935. The other is a sanitary plane, pretty in winter distemper, skis and the over-wing Bakshaev cassettes. Again, the KP kit for the pre-war machine and the ICM one for the war-period U-2.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">You see... Scale modeling saves lives. See it everyday when entering modeling groups from the USA and other countries. I'm nowhere near as afflicted as those poor lads are by mental exhaustion and attrition, but I find it highly therapeutic to seat for a couple of hours and research for my projects or stand at the table and build a glider or a kit. It gives purpose and direction to your mind. It helps to establish levels of commitment, enables the brain to go through a rather complex process over something we think of as everyday information: following the kits instructions or maybe even settle for your own building and painting sequence</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">For those of you who are not into scale modeling, you can take up any hobby you like. I sing like a thousand squeaking pigs, but it helps venting a bit of pressure if I'm away from what is my main past-time. Take up cooking. Knitting. Reading. Go for a walk. See a friend. There's one truth behind all that. It will help you move forward. It might even help a friend or somebody else to go on, making yourself present and talk about a myriad things.<br /><br />While not being a "Renaissance Man", playing musical instruments was one of my most cherished hobbies. Special mention is to be given to - and rightfully so - my mandolin. Had it for ten years. A former romantic interest took it as down payment for my separation from her. That and a lot of books and stuff I've lost forever.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It scars you. You're left with the feeling that no matter what you do, you've lost something irreplaceable for you. And it is. But not quite so. You're actually missing the good memories that object granted you. The trick is not to forget what stories you went through with it, but let go the feeling of ownership. For we only own our very lives, their moments, happy or sad, and a fleeting grasp of happiness we must cup in our heart or it'll fade as if it never existed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But. There's your family. There's your friends and acquaintances. There's therapy. There's several ways out of that quagmire you find yourself immersed into. Even the little things help. Just for the sake of giggles, I put all the gliders together yesterday and photograph them.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisvUD3OumSnKc80EvJcsALqVkPDHjCaideJdQjp_ZrDN5DuDkwvrykF5XJOmdKrIS8Mfln_wETbkyqZW8jn7QTHpqMFL2LXKP6N-ahUASFg_SqxyVTEmVWUNSQJI81J7Idh588bn15lzx/s1600/67413047_10219867191733903_5712112710460637184_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisvUD3OumSnKc80EvJcsALqVkPDHjCaideJdQjp_ZrDN5DuDkwvrykF5XJOmdKrIS8Mfln_wETbkyqZW8jn7QTHpqMFL2LXKP6N-ahUASFg_SqxyVTEmVWUNSQJI81J7Idh588bn15lzx/s400/67413047_10219867191733903_5712112710460637184_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise: Rotter Nemere (Scratch), Stummel Habicht (Warlord), <a href="https://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com/2018/02/post-war-vulture-is-1-sep.html" target="_blank">IS-1 Sep (PZW)</a>, Darmstadt D.28 Windspiel (Scratch, to be finished), and the Darmstadt D.15 "Minister Leuschner" (Scratch).</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I like the way they look next to the other. The different approaches taken in their design and construction. Their different colours and markings. It talks to you about different ways to do things, in order to achieve different goals. It's life-like, in a nutshell. Never forget it. You're not truly alone. Not in the darkest of times. There's a song which has become a favorite of mine. It's by the german band Lord of the Lost. "The broken ones" is the title. I highly recommend it to you. It will uplift you and make you grin in defiance to Depression, Anxiety, Loneliness and the other buggers on that ugly lot.</span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OpzL8bWkFFw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OpzL8bWkFFw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sing along lyrics:<br /></span><span>"Arise my friend, we're nearly late</span><br />
<div>
<span>Still drunk as lords at ten past eight</span><br /><span>Since fortune fled we're creeping back</span><br /><span>To skies that we once knew</span><br /><span>From blue to black</span><br /><span>From blue to black</span></div>
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<span> </span></div>
<div class="secrsf">
<span>Through damnation we run</span><br /><span>With two broken legs</span><br /><span>And we find a refuge in our halo's crack</span><br /><span>Trying to change the whole world</span><br /><span>Hearts replaced with stones</span><br /><span>We're not the heroes, my friend</span><br /><span>We are the broken ones</span></div>
<div class="secrsf">
<span>Get up my friend, it's not too late</span><br /><span>We have a cause, we can control our fate</span><br /><span>Wipe off the dirt and feign a smile</span><br /><span>At least just for a while, just for a while</span></div>
<div class="secrsf">
<span> </span></div>
<div class="secrsf">
<span>Through damnation we run</span><br /><span>With two broken legs</span><br /><span>And we find a refuge in our halo's crack</span><br /><span>Trying to change the whole world</span><br /><span>Hearts replaced with stones</span><br /><span>We're not the heroes, my friend</span><br /><span>We are the broken ones</span></div>
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<span> </span></div>
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<span>Run, run, it's not too late</span><br /><span>Run, run, control your fate</span><br /><span>Run, run, it's not too late</span><br /><span>Run, run, the wise don't wait</span></div>
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<span>My love, you know what we fight for</span><br /><span>Take a run at bastards all</span><br /><span>With words they hope will break your bones</span><br /><span>Never forget</span><br /><span>We are the broken ones</span><br /><span>We are the broken ones</span></div>
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<span> </span></div>
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<span>Through damnation we run</span><br /><span>With two broken legs</span><br /><span>And we find a refuge in our halo's crack</span><br /><span>Trying to change the whole world</span><br /><span>Hearts replaced with stones</span><br /><span>We're not the heroes, my friend</span></div>
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<span> </span></div>
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<span>For our dreams I would fight</span><br /><span>With two broken arms</span><br /><span>Still believing our life</span><br /><span>Has the chance to charm</span><br /><span>We can change this cruel world</span><br /><span>Maybe one fine day</span><br /><span>We'll walk as heroes, my friend</span><br /><span>But not today"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Did I mention I love writing? Cheap trick. It's been several months since I wrote anything worth reading. So this little entry is very much like a declaration of principles and a hand given to the needed. Smile. Build something. Or simply be there.<br /><br />Until our next installment, take care and good luck.<br /><br />TMU</span>The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-82382198902261204032019-05-07T13:40:00.000-03:002019-05-07T13:40:52.923-03:00Taking a stand.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">A brief overview.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In the early days of underdogging, you were left with two choices for uploading images to a blog. One, you encoded and directed to your local server. Two, you opened an account with an image hosting company. It wasn't always perfect and took a lot of tweaking and honing but was easier than encoding your images into the page.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After twelve years, I've decided to close my Photobucket account for good. The ever increasing lack of tech support has driven the site to a plague of glitches and bugs. And also, they provide no positive feedback on any issue there might be. The cherry of the cake, as we say over here, is that they have now limited the bandwidth for free users to only 25Mb per month. If you go over it, images appear blurred and watermarked to the visitor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Unless you pay, of course. That's in fact an arm-twisting tactic to force you into a payed account. I understand that big companies are here to make money. But no that ridiculously, excusing themselves behind a miserable traffic quota. So, I say no. Nobody's getting money out of what I consider a labour of love and for which I've never asked any reward other than people enjoying the modeling articles and perhaps - just perhaps - feel encouraged to start down a new modeling road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After May 9th any old article here on TMU will have it's images deleted. It will be a lengthy but worthwhile undertake to upload in a more friendly way all the reference and building material. So bear with me (if you will), for all the older articles will be renewed for an improved visibility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In the meantime, take care and as a funny but rather accurate crossover would have put it mildly:</span><br />
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<br />The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-12658864790824010872018-10-03T04:41:00.001-03:002018-10-03T04:46:34.904-03:00A german in the land of the Ottomans: DFS Habicht in turkish service. Part I.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Fear not and don't be dismayed<br />
This crimson flag shall never fade<br />
I know it will always shine<br />
My Nation's star and it is mine<br />
It will always shine"</i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Türkiye - Laibach) </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The glider:</b></span><br />
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Conceived for the German Institute for Glider Research as the DFS 108-53E by one of the great german soaring designers, Hans Jacobs, the Habicht was a high performance machine, capable both of demanding aerobatics and long distance flights, becoming indeed one of the best known all-round prewar gliders in the world with its classic and yet advanced lines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL65XDgoWxImfmXDc0r9jfAHVXEsATjMMdqg-snKI4wnb7ImM5R3CdrTnuVT4hIqjeraxx9Rq2ZjPcgVnO6diNeHsCI_Wha5vCT-CMePqw1rmwdoZVEFwKcCAF11jhsW26wXS5UQuFs64q/s1600/habicht_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="478" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL65XDgoWxImfmXDc0r9jfAHVXEsATjMMdqg-snKI4wnb7ImM5R3CdrTnuVT4hIqjeraxx9Rq2ZjPcgVnO6diNeHsCI_Wha5vCT-CMePqw1rmwdoZVEFwKcCAF11jhsW26wXS5UQuFs64q/s640/habicht_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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First produced by Schweyer, the following machines were modified and delivered by Wolf Hirth with a different canopy cover, longer fuselage, broader fin and air-brake equipped wings. This fine plan clarifies the many subtle and yet key differences between Schweyer and Wolf Hirth Machines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWa9LChKPbo6QdHWlNq43nHloTdq3Bskt1766kPqHlhWl0F592pQTsHgfOpcK1s9k36nfaFboYc2wKCy5ErP4DlzWkGz7vyQlf7etxL5rw3Lz-Ngfse1HhMVgm0i3fpP82rUNsYKVOnHNa/s1600/Habicht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1600" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWa9LChKPbo6QdHWlNq43nHloTdq3Bskt1766kPqHlhWl0F592pQTsHgfOpcK1s9k36nfaFboYc2wKCy5ErP4DlzWkGz7vyQlf7etxL5rw3Lz-Ngfse1HhMVgm0i3fpP82rUNsYKVOnHNa/s640/Habicht.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In 1936 four machines were made available for chosen german pilots to perform a special display at the opening of the 1936 Summer Olympics, which at first was arranged to take place above the Stadium and soon moved <i>inside</i> the building's oval limits much to the amazement of the general public and government officials. The following video of a Habicht performing aerobatics hints to its unbelievable agility and control:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gK3oS4EU1Lk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gK3oS4EU1Lk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Habicht D-4-1209, depicted in the above video, is also one of the colour choices for the CMR kit, striking with its cream and blue striped wings and stabiliser. An interesting note of sorts, while belonging to the Wolf Hirth production series it sports an enclosed cockpit which is not included in CMR's kit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZDZpp4xYB5E5yDlNRDRRx8r2Yl6xKuVvk-WzOSJJZ7IwEUdIq4ROUjMp7bhBUhhsTNnfpG4tis1Bv-8N_VMSiQ4e9i-wGXw90Ay14E9PuILl3w6-1FDskwxog6kx3FuafQC_QaFObEmW/s1600/CMR-Habicht-Schemes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZDZpp4xYB5E5yDlNRDRRx8r2Yl6xKuVvk-WzOSJJZ7IwEUdIq4ROUjMp7bhBUhhsTNnfpG4tis1Bv-8N_VMSiQ4e9i-wGXw90Ay14E9PuILl3w6-1FDskwxog6kx3FuafQC_QaFObEmW/s640/CMR-Habicht-Schemes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THK-3, the Turkish connection:</b></span><br />
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An original Schweyer-built (Bu.N.152) arrived in late 1939 / early 1940, which can be seen in these photos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r-OH27bfVgMyBXWAI2OIgM9j4s5QQzn6x4q6hTOAlAaTB7Ojbpdl6KWvJL4E9On6cbkVTpznwL4FVrMG4G7yM41bI7D2lbF7UEhWNkEhP7VZuPpr_zCBSyr8-awp9OtJth0mAroqG-bT/s1600/schweyerhabicht2.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r-OH27bfVgMyBXWAI2OIgM9j4s5QQzn6x4q6hTOAlAaTB7Ojbpdl6KWvJL4E9On6cbkVTpznwL4FVrMG4G7yM41bI7D2lbF7UEhWNkEhP7VZuPpr_zCBSyr8-awp9OtJth0mAroqG-bT/s640/schweyerhabicht2.jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's very interesting to see the sort of stencilling applied to these inter-war gliders. It states not only the manufacturer, also the weights and limits. The serial number is applied to the centre of the stabiliser and adjacent to the aileron hinge line on both sides of it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPG2I6VY9w023rz7z1L6_f4ZLb4Jk1dAEAreuORPJL5gxVu4e1-FBvxR0ou0wQbPRIHPGIRYN0r1638DJfOPizrIIXYvDwsQOEJJCekPcJNqofBnxMP51NbXg-N-wTngD1NqZVGNJhw7g/s1600/schweyerhabicht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPG2I6VY9w023rz7z1L6_f4ZLb4Jk1dAEAreuORPJL5gxVu4e1-FBvxR0ou0wQbPRIHPGIRYN0r1638DJfOPizrIIXYvDwsQOEJJCekPcJNqofBnxMP51NbXg-N-wTngD1NqZVGNJhw7g/s640/schweyerhabicht.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This single German Habicht glider was used for training but due to the long periods of intensive flying and hangar storage, there came a time when aerobatics were no longer allowed. What to do? Well, you extrapolate your own Turkish Hawk out of the original german one!<br />
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The Habicht came to reside in the workshop of the Turkish Aeronautical Association (Türk Hava Kurumu or THK), which had very competent engineers and personnel - mainly trained by the lads of the polish PZL firm, which had an agreement with KTF for the P.24 fighter - whose main goal was to produce an exact copy of the Habicht. Following the careful study of the structure and a static resistance test according to the German legislation, the series production was authorised under the designation THK-3.<br />
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You have to admire these people: the original test description, including the given weights and their distribution, was found in a German technical magazine. At first attempt, it was seen that the fuselage attachment points for the control mechanisms had cracked at partial load. They couldn't allow that to happen. After this part was strengthened, it was suitable for the glider's aerobatic performance.<br />
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But, an important and dangerous error occurred during the drawing stage. The control mechanisms of the Habicht were made of welded magnesium - aluminium alloy, which was introduced in Germany just before the war, and unknown to the PZL personnel. Since aluminium was widely known in Poland as a light alloy, the controls were made of sheet and pipes without considering the control mechanisms' durability. And so it happened that during the first flight the handle of the control column bent and the pilot landed with the unstable and unbalanced column firmly gripped in order to bring the ailerons and rudder to the neutral position. It was a dead-stick, endless landing for test pilot Yildiz Ali. After that the control column was replaced by a slanted one, to take the effort.<br />
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There's a website where the first THK-3's Register Entry is available. A notable feat by THK to have kept such high standards as noted in the entry. it's quite notable that the length measurement and fin design correspond fully to the Schweyer design they were copying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchEiYBP_M-evybCGnorqzSHw1EBPt3RBPGFkQKIT3skDoG2w0y_H00BQ_3U67dzt8cSrlBNis1XBOgawRwgA8VQCrw56JNLUExlwQfH6yA_B57qyeX6xVPj_IFg9geuClIPMVyUK_nHsJ/s1600/THK300001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="400" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchEiYBP_M-evybCGnorqzSHw1EBPt3RBPGFkQKIT3skDoG2w0y_H00BQ_3U67dzt8cSrlBNis1XBOgawRwgA8VQCrw56JNLUExlwQfH6yA_B57qyeX6xVPj_IFg9geuClIPMVyUK_nHsJ/s640/THK300001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPGFQ71LR3vN4teXry3KlNjltgucRsrUAuwKYNsIzD7s5zdPfLyeNcp-2qYRZGmN0cjJ9GJt9Z648ALBhb2w6YFVd_byVMK9yVDUDil7WtoBFocbvc7gFA0zbEc9FL0jaXNb7_ja675-1/s1600/THK3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="400" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPGFQ71LR3vN4teXry3KlNjltgucRsrUAuwKYNsIzD7s5zdPfLyeNcp-2qYRZGmN0cjJ9GJt9Z648ALBhb2w6YFVd_byVMK9yVDUDil7WtoBFocbvc7gFA0zbEc9FL0jaXNb7_ja675-1/s640/THK3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZjthVZQ6tgn8aWwLnl_4QolrL3ilo18kc9draqjId5ArGTU8Nn83w0L6MARwkG73zybdxRrZl21Gyp2yyJmyWcSYw__mu9O7vL412TusGMW3Sb7QcfiUeSpe8zRdHzQhcA6HrsZJg_G3/s1600/THK300002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="400" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZjthVZQ6tgn8aWwLnl_4QolrL3ilo18kc9draqjId5ArGTU8Nn83w0L6MARwkG73zybdxRrZl21Gyp2yyJmyWcSYw__mu9O7vL412TusGMW3Sb7QcfiUeSpe8zRdHzQhcA6HrsZJg_G3/s640/THK300002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also, the colour scheme in White - Red Sunburst must have been striking. Maybe Cream was an option, but personally I'd gor for White. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBlIBcgwXmxe-fUvX0GZsqaOHODrQ91nE68AQ7D7x5fi0dfgtMS1qzPlTKgk4iggqBkJ8DLW0W4QTIxA9b4ZsE7fLnMelCIV9II8a9YTVxa4UhygdSte-aeJ5Cn15xhVNAhfzFKqk6buQ/s1600/THK300003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="400" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBlIBcgwXmxe-fUvX0GZsqaOHODrQ91nE68AQ7D7x5fi0dfgtMS1qzPlTKgk4iggqBkJ8DLW0W4QTIxA9b4ZsE7fLnMelCIV9II8a9YTVxa4UhygdSte-aeJ5Cn15xhVNAhfzFKqk6buQ/s640/THK300003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Six THK-3s were built during 1945-46. At first identified with a black number on the rear fuselage, they soon got their civilian lettering and enjoyed many years of soaring until replaced by far more advanced and readily available gliders.<br />
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Their registration was as follows:<br />
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TC-PAL 002 <br />
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TC-PAM 003 <br />
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TC-PAU 006 <br />
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TC-PAV 005 <br />
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TC-PAY 004 <br />
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TC-PAZ 001<br />
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The following are pictures from the web, showing the different aspects of the Turkish Habicht in all of its glory. They look to have been built to the highest quality grade possible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6qF84kDi5KEy1iwHiFWdRM-xNOkwtL_raJDwRjiSxNxV1AS3UhVDYVUKPg6ko85skQDDRSfDpAF5kr6XKlxpyhhC6At_lKgqq-dZhtAilQ1UmzRRBRv13lsh80D4HUv0C0Rvg3ElO1Zz/s1600/thk3-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6qF84kDi5KEy1iwHiFWdRM-xNOkwtL_raJDwRjiSxNxV1AS3UhVDYVUKPg6ko85skQDDRSfDpAF5kr6XKlxpyhhC6At_lKgqq-dZhtAilQ1UmzRRBRv13lsh80D4HUv0C0Rvg3ElO1Zz/s640/thk3-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYSHm_LxocTtTT1wQCiZrJswSOzJTR9XTMcPKMUFM_ql4-VTCuQDBvLUyouyqFvHWieR6S7Bld25bhHlwf-mPaYYVCc4RxdFPXWTqS2xO60jsdLY-O2lNe34L7zY8LRn7O9empQr9v423/s1600/THK3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="799" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYSHm_LxocTtTT1wQCiZrJswSOzJTR9XTMcPKMUFM_ql4-VTCuQDBvLUyouyqFvHWieR6S7Bld25bhHlwf-mPaYYVCc4RxdFPXWTqS2xO60jsdLY-O2lNe34L7zY8LRn7O9empQr9v423/s640/THK3-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIRTj3wRQ3LmZOGpmRuyz5SCA-O3qFEoxsqwryZZUeupRVL5H6Qw58J2_dJGnWkDC-p41KUr4Hh5IWcz58TbtL5SsQQeMUtlYkSoNO_SkN8NWj8NH45y2LLrQXBm-VWS2nMlYqdbdvpEj/s1600/thk-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="399" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIRTj3wRQ3LmZOGpmRuyz5SCA-O3qFEoxsqwryZZUeupRVL5H6Qw58J2_dJGnWkDC-p41KUr4Hh5IWcz58TbtL5SsQQeMUtlYkSoNO_SkN8NWj8NH45y2LLrQXBm-VWS2nMlYqdbdvpEj/s640/thk-31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH20rGT6BohB27PimuKHkqeciVfGyj9a9SDEne1YW6hpQ6zmMKHoTBOPo2kFIgFqr53dEl1M5yIhnwDj7FmO86kOTUfek7PSm89pELS7Nkgi3MlD5eyWW3jmSssjerdfM7EQ6AkYr1o4BZ/s1600/th3-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="799" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH20rGT6BohB27PimuKHkqeciVfGyj9a9SDEne1YW6hpQ6zmMKHoTBOPo2kFIgFqr53dEl1M5yIhnwDj7FmO86kOTUfek7PSm89pELS7Nkgi3MlD5eyWW3jmSssjerdfM7EQ6AkYr1o4BZ/s640/th3-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Why write an article about a turkish knock-off of a relatively unknown german glider. Why. The answer is because. Because I liked the story behind the glider. Because I liked that spark of ingenuity which prompted the engineers to say "Yes, we can". Because i like gliders and their many iterations. Because it pleases me to write about it.<br />
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And I have some 1/72nd Warlord Habicht left to fool around and relax from all that 100 octane fuel and aviation creepies I like.<br />
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Till our next instalment, "<span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms";">Hoçca kalın".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms";">TMU </span>The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-81461747849865456602018-08-25T23:30:00.001-03:002020-02-29T19:20:14.549-03:00Middle East Fight Club Part I: Supermarine Spitfire FR.XVIII in RAF service.<h3>
</h3>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Aircraft:</span></b><br />
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The last war-time iteration as a fighter of the celebrated Spitfire - Mk-21s were already in service - and going per Wikipedia, "the Mk XVIII was a refinement of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire_(Griffon-powered_variants)#Mk_XIV_(type_379)" target="_blank">Mk XIV.</a> It was identical in most
respects including engine (the Griffon 65) and cockpit enhancements, but
it carried extra fuel and had a revised, stronger wing structure. Its
handling was also nearly identical and so it was not put through any
performance tests. Like the Mk XIV there were fighter and fighter
reconnaissance variants built. The Mk 18 missed the war. Some 300 F Mk 18s and FR Mk 18s
were built, before production ended in early 1946". While larger, heavier, and considerably more powerful that their Merlin brethren, the XVIIIs were unruly beasts on the ground and a pleasant aircraft to fly and fight in the air.<br />
<br />
Post-war service was reduced to four squadrons, two in the Far East and ohter two in the Middle East. About the last ones, the 32nd and 208th had the unenviable task of going against the newly created Israeli Air Force during the so called "Palestinian War" of 1948-49; along their Tempest VI-equipped sibling, the 6th. More on this can be found <a href="http://www.spyflight.co.uk/iafvraf.htm" target="_blank">here</a>, with plenty of data, photographs and maps. A very good and interesting reading.<br />
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To give you an idea of what a formidable aircraft it was, the following
excerpt by IAF pilot Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin, also ex-RCAF and a
former U.S. Navy and Bell X-1 test pilot recalled his combat against a
208th Sq. FR.XVIII flown by Flight Officer Cooper:<br />
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"I could not gain close proximity to the Spit 18 due to the lesser power
in my Spit 9. At about 16,000’ the Spit 18 rolled over and dived back
towards me at an impossible deflection angle, with machine-guns blazing
and exhaust smoke rolling out under both wings... I only recognized the RAF roundels after the Spit 18 had fired on me,
when we were in the scissors engagement and I had no alternative but to
fight back to save my own bacon”. Cooper got shot down but eventually managed to evade.<br />
<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The kit: MPM's Spitfire FR.XVIII (C72026):</span></b><br />
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First things first. This is an old kit. 1993 vintage. MPM "extrapolated" the XVIII from their previous XIX. I got it at a Facebook swap/sale group and while its, uh... how to say it... contents? Hum... no, nevermind. There's a crude plastic sprue with fine, crisp scribed detail, the usual PE fret (much appreciated!) and a clear vac canopy, which in my case was replaced with a Revell Spit XIV canopy by the seller. More on this later.<br />
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Kind music to listen for a build "trés mouvementeé". <br />
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Always craving for the unusual, and having a penchant for the Israeli War of Independence, GZ-?/TP448 was the scheme of choice. Built at Aldermaston factory with a Griffon 67 engine, it saw the following asignements: <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>33MU 16-1-46 </li>
<li>St.Mawgan 15-6-46</li>
<li>MED(ME) Fayid 1-8-46</li>
<li>109MU 25-3-48</li>
<li>Ramat-David 5-48</li>
<li>Struck Off Charge 26-8-48 </li>
</ul>
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I managed to find a picture of TP448 on the Internet, scorting an Avro, while another one is in a book which shows this very machine tipped over its main wheels and a propeller tip which very much grace and non-chalance. Obviously, a minor incident but clear about the Griffon's torque menace.<br />
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Building the XVIII, two things come to mind. First one, this is a '93/94 vintage short run kit and deserves some respect. The second stems from taking a hard, long look at the pieces and it says "Oh, boy. You're out of your depth, old cock". Then you come to terms with it and the hefty numbers of crappy... I mean, delightful short run kits under your belt. You're in for a fight. But the crisp and classic MPM panelling is there, the potential for a nice kit as well. Only true nagging: the exhausts and prop angle seem a bit overdone when compared to photos of the real beast. Since it would require major surgery, I let it be for sake of speed and mental health.<br />
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So, parts were cut off and savagely sanded into submission and something resembling a close fit as I could get them to. Pebbles and flash obliterated by vivaciuos trimming and polishing, camera ports were drilled at this time, minding to bevel down the inner
rim so as to provide a correct thickness for Clearfix to be applied, as were the gun ports.<br />
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Mind it has the E wing, so you only need two per wing, outboard and inboard, cannon and MG wise. Also, a light "X-Acto" pass was given to the forward edges of the moving surfaces, in order to visually separate them from the mainframe.<br />
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When putting it all together, mind the PE fret is both old and thin. So it deserves some careful clean-up and folding. The whole was painted in Humbrol's Cockpit Green H-78 and H-33 Black. <br />
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After some dry fitting, the fuselage halves were glued. Mind the cockpit is slightly wider, so its sides have to be trimmed for it to fit leveled. Further sanding revealed that mating the fuselage to he wing was to have its fair share of coertion, cursing and kind mortification. Look at that beautiful intake step.<br />
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When cleaning up the propeller, be careful not to bend the blades and since they have reef-like "outcrops", some reshaping is in order. The back plate needs some clean-up as well. Radiators are a fairly easy task to tidy up, some attention is to be had with the PE faces, since they're slightly larger than their sockets. Stabilizators are a traight deal, with minor clean-up. Thorough cleanup of the lower joints took up considerable time. Special care was taken not to botch-up the cammera holes, since they're in the middle of the fuselage.<br />
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The upper cockpit fairing was added and the upper joints faired in as well. Joints filled and sanded, the nose section was the most problematic of the entire build. Careful lining up was taken so as not to flatten the wings dyhedral, commonly seen in short run Spitfires whose owners haven't taken the time to trim the wings and fuselage so they fit effortlessly.<br />
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The upper fairing got the armoured headrest and a small piece of stretched sprue was used for its bracing. To the left of it, you have to add the fuel tank filler cap, achieved with two differently sized pieces of sprue. A plastic square and a clear lense were used to replicate the Mk.II gunsight. As can be seen, parts fit is far from ideal, but with some cyano and filler they can be made to fit well.<br />
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Cannons and MGs were added, from the kit the aforementioned cannons and after some thorough cleaning; the later were round-sectioned resin stubs which fit perfectly since the kit parts were too distorted to be used. The canopy was then attached, some minor adjustment required since it was intended for a much older kit. <br />
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The colour scheme was applied in the following order: Humbrol's H-90 Sky for the fuselage band and H-154 Lufthansa Yellow for the wing stripes and propeller tips, H-167 Barley Grey for the underside, H-30 RAF Dark Green and Monitor's 19B Dark Grey for the upper side. H-33 Black and H-19 were used for the blades and cone, respectively.<br />
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The windshield was painted H-33 Black and the canopy itself H-78 RAF Cockpit Green, as per photographs.<br />
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First to be applied were the H-90 and H-154. Some other work got the table treatment while waiting for it to dry. The spanish Bulldog was further advanced in its building process, while the Letov S.16 got disarmed and dismembered for another project.<br />
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Once the painting process was over, the entire airframe was sprayed with Humbrol's Gloss Cote and left to dry. Did I mention the decals? Horrible, thin, murderous contraptions printed by my beloved Propagteam folks. None of them settled well, no matter how much lukewarm water, proverbial spit and prayers to Joe Pesci (Come back, old Georgie, we apologize for everything). They curled, ripped or exploded at the bare sight of the kit. <br />
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Around that time, and without proper replacements at hand, I was faced with a philosophycal predicament. Wether to carry on with the build and finish it or take leave of my senses and scavenge for new decals.<br />
<br />
It's midst of February, a scorching 30ºC in average, working 14 hours a day just to stay above water and my fiancée is driving me nuts right down to a splitting personality or parting ways situation. WWJPD? comes to my beleaguered mind. What would Joe Pesci do? And, there it was. Lethal Weapon 2. The answer: " I'm Leo Getz, and whatever you want, Leo gets". Me? I want out. Out of this build, at least. So I had to let it be. Enough trouble. Enough of those dreadful decals.<br />
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The landing gear was glued on, and mind the scissor links for it go on the outside or forward position. The kit wheels were so out of shape that a similar four spoke wheel set was taken from a derelict Heller Hurricane Mk.I. So I varnished the whole thing in Matt Cote, before attaching the propeller and the antennae, made from stretched silver sprue. Some dusting with H-118 Light Earth; Oil, Rust and Smoke from Mig set #7, and a light chiping with a silver pencil and I called it "quits".<br />
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The finished quagmire:<br />
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<br />
And it was done. It fought me every step of the way. I could cope with a troublesome building process, but the decal joke was the killing one. It absolutely anihilated any desire to fix the thing and put me off for a whole month before I got back to the bench. Predictably, it was the last kit built at my old apartment, since shortly after completion I called quits on my relationship as well. You have to preserve some sanity for yourself if at all possible, for no one is going to save it for you.<br />
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And you know, "What you want, Leo gets".<br />
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In the end, I got.<br />
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Till our next installment, take care and good luck.<br />
<br />
TMU.The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-91637652036823913962018-03-28T02:09:00.004-03:002018-03-28T02:14:59.942-03:00Heavy Duty Fighter: ICM's Yak-9<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The plane:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">For an insight on the Yak-9, you can go to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakovlev_Yak-9" target="_blank">its Wikipedia page</a>, since its development is very intricate. Suffice to say that, along with their radial Lavochkin counterparts, they and their pilots managed to turn the tide on the ever changing game that was the air war on the Eastern Front (Western naturally, for our russian friends), garnering no small appreciation to a people not used to have other heroes than the ones dictated by the Kremlin.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Yak-9 had so many variants it is impossible to list here. As an incremental design based on the former Yak-7 family of trainer/fighters, it was tough and maneuverable, cleaner and faster, with a lighter punch than the 7 pound by pound, but still a valuable and dangerous opponent to any Luftwaffe pilot. The best correlation to both designs is to say, I believe, they were sort of Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko on wings.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stemming from the harsh conditions on the Stalingrad battle in 1942, the 9 kept on soldiering, every time finer, faster and deadlier untill the Korean War saw it and its Lavochkin counterpart - always Semyon there, lurking in the back of Aleksander's neck - being relegated to secondary tasks by the early winner and then loser of the Great Patriotic War: Mikoyan Gurevitch. The jet age had not yet rendered obsolete the piston engine, but it whistled a very different tune, full of promises.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The man:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Ivan Ivanovitch Kleshchev in front of his Yak-7b fighter, displaying 14 victories behind the cockpit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Excerpts from russian Wikipedia: Major Ivan Ivanovitch Kleshchev <span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Родился 26 января 1918 года в селе Курячовка (ныне — Марковского района Луганской области Украины) в семье рабочего.">was born on January 26, 1918 in the village of Kuryachivka (now -
Markovsky district, Lugansk region of Ukraine) in the family of a
worker. </span><span title="Украинец.
">Ukrainian.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="В 1933 году окончил 1 курс педагогического техникума в Ворошиловграде.
">In 1933 he graduated from the first year of a pedagogical technical school in Voroshilovgrad. </span><span title="Работал слесарем на паровозостроительном заводе в г. Новочеркасске (ныне Новочеркасский электровозостроительный завод)[1].
">He worked as a locksmith at the locomotive plant in Novocherkassk (now the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant).</span><span title="С детства мечтал стать лётчиком и вступил в ростовский аэроклуб."> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="С детства мечтал стать лётчиком и вступил в ростовский аэроклуб.">As a child, he dreamed of becoming a pilot and joined the Rostov flying club. </span><span title="Окончил Борисоглебскую военную авиационную школу лётчиков.
">He graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School of Pilots. </span><span title="В Красной Армии с 1937 года.">In the Red Army since 1937, he</span><span title="Окончил военную школу лётчиков-истребителей."> graduated from the military school of fighter pilots. </span><span title="Участник боёв на реке Халхин-Гол (Монголия) в 1939 году.">A battle hardened pilot since the massive aerialfights on the river Khalkhin-Gol (Mongolia) in 1938/39, he was involved in fighter operations since the very beginning of </span><span title="Участник Великой Отечественной войны с июня 1941 года.
">the Great Patriotic War in June 1941.</span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Командир эскадрильи истребительного авиационного полка майор Иван Клещёв к середине марта 1942 года совершил 220 боевых вылетов, в 30 воздушных боях сбил лично 6 и в составе группы — 13 самолётов противника.
"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Командир эскадрильи истребительного авиационного полка майор Иван Клещёв к середине марта 1942 года совершил 220 боевых вылетов, в 30 воздушных боях сбил лично 6 и в составе группы — 13 самолётов противника.
"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Командир эскадрильи истребительного авиационного полка майор Иван Клещёв к середине марта 1942 года совершил 220 боевых вылетов, в 30 воздушных боях сбил лично 6 и в составе группы — 13 самолётов противника.
"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Командир эскадрильи истребительного авиационного полка майор Иван Клещёв к середине марта 1942 года совершил 220 боевых вылетов, в 30 воздушных боях сбил лично 6 и в составе группы — 13 самолётов противника.
">By the middle of March 1942 as com</span></span>mander of a Fighter Aviation Regiment, Kleshchev had logged 220 sorties,
personally shooting down 6 airplanes and 13 group - achieved victories.</span><span title="Иван Клёщёв возле своего самолёта Як-7Б, июль 1942 года
"></span><span title="Указом Президиума Верховного Совета СССР от 5 мая 1942 года за образцовое выполнение боевых заданий командования на фронте борьбы с немецко-фашистским захватчиками и проявленные при этом мужество и героизм майору Клещёву Ивану Ивановичу присвоено звание Героя Советского Союза.
"> In May 5, 1942, for the exemplary fulfillment of the combat assignments of
the commander at the front against the German fascist invaders and the
courage and heroism shown, he was awarded the
title of Hero of the Soviet Union.</span><span title="В мае 1942 года Клещёв был назначен командиром особого 434-го истребительного авиационного полка (ИАП)."> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="В мае 1942 года Клещёв был назначен командиром особого 434-го истребительного авиационного полка (ИАП).">In May 1942, Kleschev was appointed commander to the 434th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP). </span><span title="В состав полка вошли специально подобранные лётчики с большим боевым опытом.">The regiment included specially selected pilots with great combat experience. </span><span title="Полк курировал лично Василий Сталин, с которым Клещёв находился в дружеских отношениях.">The regiment was personally supervised by Vasily Stalin, with whom Kleshchev was on friendly terms. </span><span title="С 13 июня по 6 июля 1942 года лётчики полка вели напряжённые воздушные бои на Юго-Западном фронте.">From June 13 to July 6, 1942, the pilots of the regiment conducted intense air battles on the South-Western Front.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="С июля по октябрь 1942 года 434-й ИАП воевал под Сталинградом."></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="С июля по октябрь 1942 года 434-й ИАП воевал под Сталинградом."></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="С июля по октябрь 1942 года 434-й ИАП воевал под Сталинградом.">From July to October 1942, the 434th IAP fought at Stalingrad. </span><span title="19 сентября 1942 года, в ходе воздушного боя, самолёт Клещёва был подожжён.">September 19, 1942, during a battle, Kleshchev's plane was set on fire. </span><span title="Лётчик выбросился с парашютом.">The pilot jumped with a parachute. </span><span title="Сильно обгоревшего, его отправили в госпиталь.">Strongly burned, he was sent to the hospital. </span><span title="После выздоровления, с ноября 1942 года, проходил службу в Инспекции ВВС РККА и в управлении 269-й истребительной авиационной дивизии резерва Ставки ВГК.
">For that, he would lose his prized Gold Star, which had been awarded to him only a few weeks before. After recovering, from November 1942, he served in the Inspectorate of
the Air Force of the Red Army and in the management of the 269th
Fighter Aviation Division of the Stavka Reserve.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="После выздоровления, с ноября 1942 года, проходил службу в Инспекции ВВС РККА и в управлении 269-й истребительной авиационной дивизии резерва Ставки ВГК.
"></span><span title="Служебные дела в декабре 1942 года привели Ивана Клещёва на аэродром г. Рассказова, где базировался 6-й запасной авиационный полк (ЗАП)."></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Служебные дела в декабре 1942 года привели Ивана Клещёва на аэродром г. Рассказова, где базировался 6-й запасной авиационный полк (ЗАП)."></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Служебные дела в декабре 1942 года привели Ивана Клещёва на аэродром г. Рассказова, где базировался 6-й запасной авиационный полк (ЗАП).">Official
affairs in December 1942 led Ivan Kleshchev to the airfield of the town
of Rasskazov, where the 6th Reserve Aviation Regiment (ZAP) was based. </span><span title="Основная деятельность полка была направлена на восстановление боеспособности выводимых с фронта обескровленных частей, их доукомплектование и подготовку к боям.
">The main activity of the regiment was aimed at restoring the fighting
capacity of the drained units from the front, their completion and
preparation for battles.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Погиб 31 декабря 1942 года при посадке на аэродром Рассказово (Тамбовская область) в неблагоприятных метеоусловиях.
">He died December 31, 1942 when landing at the airfield Rasskazovo (Tambov region) in adverse weather conditions. He was buried at the local cemetery.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Погиб 31 декабря 1942 года при посадке на аэродром Рассказово (Тамбовская область) в неблагоприятных метеоусловиях.
"><br /></span><span title="К моменту своей гибели Иван Иванович Клещев совершил 380 боевых вылетов, сбил лично и в составе группы около 50 самолётов противника.">By
the time of his death Ivan Kleshchev had made 380 sorties, and shot
down personally and collaboratively about 50 enemy aircraft. </span><span title="В источниках число побед Клещева разнится, приводятся различные данные — от 35 до 54 самолётов.">In the sources, the number of Kleschev's victories differs, and various data are given - from 35 to 54 aircraft. </span><span title="Наиболее часто встречаются цифры — 16 самолётов противника лично и 32 — в группе.
">The most common figures are 16 enemy airplanes personally and 32 in collaboration, making a grand total of 48.</span><span title="Похоронен в городе Рассказово Тамбовской области[2]."></span><span title=""></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The kit: ICM's Yak-9 #72023</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When ICM kits arrived to Argentina in the late 90's, it was a real shock to the devotee of lesser known aircraft. Not that the Yak-9 was one of those, but to have a nice kit of the Polikarpov I-15bis with a plethora of markings and the Il-400b with some incredible corrugated detail was beyond what the average modeler was used to when it came to Eastern Block kits from Poland, East Germany, Russia and the likes. Crude was the name of the game and ICM topled the table with such kits. Mind me, some of them were not easy to build or finish (more on that later) but they were a major step forward in that direction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This kit had 5 different versions, two fuselages - standard for fighter, B bombing and R recce versions and with the cockpit further back for the large gauge cannon armed T and K variants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A casual run into a friend, Gustavo Machado, brought the opportunity to have a coffee at his home and to peruse (rumage?) through his kits. He said to me that a common acquaintance of us was giving up modeling due to his poor health and Gustavo had several of his half-built kits there. One of them was ICM's Yak-9. He refused to accept any money, just to have them built so they would not sit on a shelf for years. I accepted gladly and so begun my journey with this kit.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbZ9XFnjc0LqAopXnFjVGsFr-64KHI9NTwf0WzPZhi8Hy6xbb60NgiDQJOKUjCmTYmfHdTPymxbcAjGGv2KZwJev7FGmdCV7fMU8iaRXCzrhfh0NoZ0mTdhwYKho3mEWCnKBF7iXevi_m/s1600/20161111_160442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbZ9XFnjc0LqAopXnFjVGsFr-64KHI9NTwf0WzPZhi8Hy6xbb60NgiDQJOKUjCmTYmfHdTPymxbcAjGGv2KZwJev7FGmdCV7fMU8iaRXCzrhfh0NoZ0mTdhwYKho3mEWCnKBF7iXevi_m/s640/20161111_160442.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First thing to do was to sand and polish all the seams, this kit being famous for its - punch line here - infamous nose fitting. One of the most ofendig sections is the lower cooler and forward cover. It was vigorously sanded into shape and sumission after several applications of superglue. The rear flap for the oil cooler was cut since it was beyond reshaping and a folded tab of plastic card took its place. Look better now. The upper nose was less problematic but still a nuisance. Take care to keep an even profile, for the fuselage halves are not exactly the same size and can play havoc when fitting the windshield.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_7wf_3sj9ffBI8F2m25irlFeGy-bjNF3O-eglrdvzW26zFNFd3DvCPiopzamBoEi6jcJ1GFFhcnxOGzReSDDu3GEov15DuP04MrzY4JdKpP7xVJdnYmCkFbEovcmJyXhP0HGaEHDUQlj/s1600/20161113_171219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_7wf_3sj9ffBI8F2m25irlFeGy-bjNF3O-eglrdvzW26zFNFd3DvCPiopzamBoEi6jcJ1GFFhcnxOGzReSDDu3GEov15DuP04MrzY4JdKpP7xVJdnYmCkFbEovcmJyXhP0HGaEHDUQlj/s640/20161113_171219.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another point of conflict is the lower side. The wing underside fits in a slot surrounded by the flaps and radiator position. Luckily, it come as a separate part. After some hideous sanding and filling, a large triangular piece of plastic card was fitted upon the right hand lower fuselage join, plastered with UHU plastic cement and left to dry. Once it was thouroughly sanded, it was time to polish somewhat the join to further even the area where the rear of the radiatior sits. With the piece glued, it was contoured with some superglue and a new radiator flap added, following photos found on the web. It look better that way to my non-nitpicking eye.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHWt-5ZcU0oCyzsEqAY7SCweJ_LcEQgDElbe6M1esvE94_g50Ykjk1754EE4owbcl5bff6uU-rPfB7Yaq01_f8ZBB1VAIXi2Rx1BWkolhfmKpkPJo_g_rhvGL7VgNjyNzwI-Dsjzfhsoj/s1600/20161113_171156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHWt-5ZcU0oCyzsEqAY7SCweJ_LcEQgDElbe6M1esvE94_g50Ykjk1754EE4owbcl5bff6uU-rPfB7Yaq01_f8ZBB1VAIXi2Rx1BWkolhfmKpkPJo_g_rhvGL7VgNjyNzwI-Dsjzfhsoj/s640/20161113_171156.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also the tailplanes received some attention, since they need to be, if not neatly contoured, positively level with their root fairings. At this points I beveled the fuel cap covers further out the wing and drilled the recesses for the fuel gauges near the root. They are very visible and add a bit more of detail without needing great work to achieve them. The canopy was carefully beveled at the edges to improve its sit when attached. Before that, a light wash was given with H-33 Matt Black to the already painted interior, the gunsight was glued into place after painting with H-167 Light Grey and H-33. A small rectangle of clear plastic was used for the glass and attached with Clearfix. Finally, some seatbelts were fashioned from lead foil and panited a combination of Light Buff and H-11.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsX0A1SqsYHFI6xwM48KVrzStq3l4w-5ip4IuvX1fvxnXn6VMfpP-Tb3MVII9eo_pUG4_53duhFcjKfNcxx2AGVR5_woSXlDriysRXK9f3Tm5jS107cUmmJTTVjAsF3ED1Al4_MR-8JF-/s1600/Foto2170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsX0A1SqsYHFI6xwM48KVrzStq3l4w-5ip4IuvX1fvxnXn6VMfpP-Tb3MVII9eo_pUG4_53duhFcjKfNcxx2AGVR5_woSXlDriysRXK9f3Tm5jS107cUmmJTTVjAsF3ED1Al4_MR-8JF-/s640/Foto2170.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At this point, with the cabin, antena and pitot tube attached, it was time to start painting. I had the immense joy of being presented by a dear friend with <a href="http://hataka-hobby.com/products/early-ww2-soviet-air-force-paint-set/" target="_blank">Hataka's </a></span><a href="http://hataka-hobby.com/products/early-ww2-soviet-air-force-paint-set/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">HTK-AS33 Early WW2 Soviet Air Force paint set</span></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">, a polish brand which has, as for the moment I'm writing these words, garnered respect across the modeling community for its superb range of specific colour sets.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCsMnA4u12Qk46-nDu_QdhwPNAjYd_COxhkgAXHyr8DMoqPndplwzeFDYBpnaLt88HyvxcKhsHK8JY6f_MnkSO9v7od6v6HARb4CAnnfh2qBQ46y3EE7SzgV0gqAwc99vobcEUMIDrTw_/s1600/Foto2171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCsMnA4u12Qk46-nDu_QdhwPNAjYd_COxhkgAXHyr8DMoqPndplwzeFDYBpnaLt88HyvxcKhsHK8JY6f_MnkSO9v7od6v6HARb4CAnnfh2qBQ46y3EE7SzgV0gqAwc99vobcEUMIDrTw_/s640/Foto2171.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This particular set contains eight acrylic paints for the 1937-42 period. These are AII (Aluminium), AE-9 Light Grey, AIIz (Protective Green), AIIg Light Blue, AMT-6 Black (It also says "Night", "Nochnoy" was a similar colour), AMT-4 Green, AMT-7 Light Blue and MK-7 Temporary White Distemper. All the colours are made to a very high standard, the Black being specially nice, since there's a hint of dark greyish blue to it that works very well in 1/72nd scale. As the Yak-9 entered service in late 1942, Kleshchev's machine had the attractive of being an early production machine painted in AMT-4/12 over AMT-7, with black bordered stars and a sober inscription below the cockpit seal reading "Airplane of the Hero of the Soviet Union Kleshchev" along with a string of victory stars.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtryRMwAc0ZpfPEeBq2DZ_nnA6zQzXpJ6sVCDF_iZUq7pU7lBXLbJ8V9QD-TS-OLydH4_hSYAEjcrIzb6GpMuGu-hDkTXGdikUs-8I8KB9VFUgZyphK0xIB7UycAOCzViyqnw3EqxgirEB/s1600/Foto2173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtryRMwAc0ZpfPEeBq2DZ_nnA6zQzXpJ6sVCDF_iZUq7pU7lBXLbJ8V9QD-TS-OLydH4_hSYAEjcrIzb6GpMuGu-hDkTXGdikUs-8I8KB9VFUgZyphK0xIB7UycAOCzViyqnw3EqxgirEB/s640/Foto2173.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A little "heads up" about these paints. They come with a plastic or metal bearing inside, so be enthusiastic when shaking the bottle in order to blend the medium and the pigment. Also, you can use tap water to dillute them, ever so slightly mixed with alcohol to break the surface tension. Best results are achieved with Hataka's or Ammo's thinner. A thin layer of AMT-4 Green was given to the upper surfaces to test the colour. It starts looking Chernobyl Green, and then it settles on a nice Bright Green not at all unlike Eric Pilawskii's wet dreams about Fluorescent Greens and Cherenkov Blues. Remember, it's the first layer. It settles. And looks promising.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxqyMGHS35tSwKJKtOmD3kD0q-4X9zac1eYYgxhBmJ6FOhJCaB7QorD2mDHL7qL1dsrL8bjpjP-2hXCQBV1_ejovtPh4hnH4h9EPCCCNuGRaQF1oGQ6KDdWm1gvsjTSd3fq0wkqNDyJ_D/s1600/Foto2177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxqyMGHS35tSwKJKtOmD3kD0q-4X9zac1eYYgxhBmJ6FOhJCaB7QorD2mDHL7qL1dsrL8bjpjP-2hXCQBV1_ejovtPh4hnH4h9EPCCCNuGRaQF1oGQ6KDdWm1gvsjTSd3fq0wkqNDyJ_D/s640/Foto2177.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With a second layer, less dilluted, things started to look even more promising. What a great coverage. Well done, Hataka! All crevasses covered, the ribbing effect in the sides and moving surfaces was visible, and more important, there were no seams visible. Now, for the AMT-12/"Nochnoy" Black.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwvZx0VAUbecj4bawOwov5nuQdHKyi8c3GwijaIXzNZrhRfdH2vRYCQumYrJIstkYDTPDwRtlpUkO5vFazrqZvH9vkIuu5YUOGZRovF50wPGWR8qXqr7fUk1mGsmu9jTfohtDYFn8CGZq/s1600/Foto2179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwvZx0VAUbecj4bawOwov5nuQdHKyi8c3GwijaIXzNZrhRfdH2vRYCQumYrJIstkYDTPDwRtlpUkO5vFazrqZvH9vkIuu5YUOGZRovF50wPGWR8qXqr7fUk1mGsmu9jTfohtDYFn8CGZq/s640/Foto2179.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I said before, the black has a distinctive blue-grey hue when you first mix it and paint. It eventually settles to a sort of "black, ma non troppo" kind of colour which looks awesome.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi670BkJTMwbIqxd9UmFiE00vKElbALHF9DrochPxEyt0ydAXbHQtYd4yrn9dmnCq_Y8D3ucvF7fu2SdNgSvZyn45WLqjijt-umSQY0sy1eFx5Xhfl1J72LpIAgydSOA32JY2bIRcSoeFR7/s1600/Foto2183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi670BkJTMwbIqxd9UmFiE00vKElbALHF9DrochPxEyt0ydAXbHQtYd4yrn9dmnCq_Y8D3ucvF7fu2SdNgSvZyn45WLqjijt-umSQY0sy1eFx5Xhfl1J72LpIAgydSOA32JY2bIRcSoeFR7/s640/Foto2183.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then, AMT-7 Light Blue was applied in two separate layers. It is very deep and rich, quite similar to the original. A funny thing that happened to me is that the kit had no wheels, landing gear covers or propeller. So the covers were fashioned from plastic card and painted. They look the part, I can pride myself on that one for a change.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhqlhY_OFF8Y8M0hneFGwDN1qtrwLkZImV2Ern5iVo0f8HVRa1cFI5i6AQ4Ij4OaQD8LQMFTTcpH7Tvymsa6g3-TmP6wRLcf3XU56u3cs60bqwMHdL-bjl7RBvinz4Pj_VL9KKRILcnLZ/s1600/Foto2191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhqlhY_OFF8Y8M0hneFGwDN1qtrwLkZImV2Ern5iVo0f8HVRa1cFI5i6AQ4Ij4OaQD8LQMFTTcpH7Tvymsa6g3-TmP6wRLcf3XU56u3cs60bqwMHdL-bjl7RBvinz4Pj_VL9KKRILcnLZ/s640/Foto2191.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With some flash, the rich hue of AMT-7 jumps immediately to sight.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAqvkD90gwGoHQFP2fpb3eAw5fywY0TKEgR94qdAGAQye3DjUqJtDzEl3RsGUnw7WcoxiRqo87TkKIQVNPQeLL3rfqvnzdkvCSygkF3vQkb4i_XKynWIjJbV1soYe-GeE3R3SH1JHXJkW/s1600/Foto2193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAqvkD90gwGoHQFP2fpb3eAw5fywY0TKEgR94qdAGAQye3DjUqJtDzEl3RsGUnw7WcoxiRqo87TkKIQVNPQeLL3rfqvnzdkvCSygkF3vQkb4i_XKynWIjJbV1soYe-GeE3R3SH1JHXJkW/s640/Foto2193.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The decaling process was rather fast. I've always had my "love to hate you" affair with ICM's decals. They may not be the most defined decals in the world sometimes, and you have to trim their carrier film right down to the very edge of the colour image, but the older ones are the best to work with. Sometimes they don't even silver at all and look as painted on as they can get. <a href="http://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com.ar/2008/09/high-hopes-amazing-polikarpov-il-400b.html" target="_blank">Take the Il-400b I built years ago. Zero silvering or carrier.</a> On this occasion I glossed the surface with Humbrol's Gloss Cote. Yes, Hataka paints also handle enamel varnish. When first applied...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrXJThwlOpv2XA7zbpitWtmQ7Juv4F7LYbxuX_ikShO1bD9rHFVgSgmoEW2gHLIQkLm3i4eKYNMP4W7gNFOer0njdtLnqAR1NtkDuS-I418ZKptZEyQhBuDAV4xuyIusBty3CxjrAlpIK/s1600/20170201_125516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrXJThwlOpv2XA7zbpitWtmQ7Juv4F7LYbxuX_ikShO1bD9rHFVgSgmoEW2gHLIQkLm3i4eKYNMP4W7gNFOer0njdtLnqAR1NtkDuS-I418ZKptZEyQhBuDAV4xuyIusBty3CxjrAlpIK/s640/20170201_125516.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And after drying up thouroughly.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf9KT_fkRTNecRk-nS4m5XOb1Fu03CBAlZ8t4S1L0ttPhY_KPFNVHzOuJArOwHtd-1RNQFlRYYVqChBq4z4xvU1AmDzvec52O9a_8XlKqIxR-Q3dWY3gG6gSJET8BRJo75wcPA0aFuT9D/s1600/20170201_125603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf9KT_fkRTNecRk-nS4m5XOb1Fu03CBAlZ8t4S1L0ttPhY_KPFNVHzOuJArOwHtd-1RNQFlRYYVqChBq4z4xvU1AmDzvec52O9a_8XlKqIxR-Q3dWY3gG6gSJET8BRJo75wcPA0aFuT9D/s640/20170201_125603.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Onto the decals, comrades! Davai!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCigcMsNyXVz9S6GqxZsmJV9cu-Krd_zDG2Dx0SfmZ2ry5q2u5tuMTTLu9jQiCWBU3ibWFcJCWRDSErls_Sn3ZeZOtMCj_tFWhtsbFu6la8LI2dwXPFbauTugjffQUKa_pZ_SC7wbRg7z/s1600/Foto2202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCigcMsNyXVz9S6GqxZsmJV9cu-Krd_zDG2Dx0SfmZ2ry5q2u5tuMTTLu9jQiCWBU3ibWFcJCWRDSErls_Sn3ZeZOtMCj_tFWhtsbFu6la8LI2dwXPFbauTugjffQUKa_pZ_SC7wbRg7z/s640/Foto2202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These decals were hard, but not britle. Trimmed to the minimum, they held their shape nicely. Even the tiny red tech notices for the intrados and fuselage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the photos the recesses for the fuel gauges, the wearing of the area around the fuel caps and where the landing gear indicators go are clearly visible.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZCCa4PU-qbVQXhQpYUDaxNIJe7gIVURP48KJvKACJKyHudFS9DGTH5Q2dWKgcxDHeHzlr5qalckYRYmSTIBW8AuN2HyUDSLHuRTyxaxdOXfz5rdwjD0PZksFv8cWcZOMt8oUdlLSdSZL/s1600/Foto2205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZCCa4PU-qbVQXhQpYUDaxNIJe7gIVURP48KJvKACJKyHudFS9DGTH5Q2dWKgcxDHeHzlr5qalckYRYmSTIBW8AuN2HyUDSLHuRTyxaxdOXfz5rdwjD0PZksFv8cWcZOMt8oUdlLSdSZL/s640/Foto2205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ealr production Yak-9s had a wavy demarcation line beetween upper and lower colours that was very appealing to me, besides the wavy green and black pattern.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-dTm9FgCvsJkpR0tFI2GRv1p7yfeCOC2OGHesc8MWMtAOHKYezXc2t8y7mlYA4UlxNxjCfb4JBwLCqnF5YdXHK72JjKV_1q8OMnWxSM7HTuk7m7uLoUNUoEqg0w5nHHYB8PH6KaA4Ico/s1600/Foto2206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-dTm9FgCvsJkpR0tFI2GRv1p7yfeCOC2OGHesc8MWMtAOHKYezXc2t8y7mlYA4UlxNxjCfb4JBwLCqnF5YdXHK72JjKV_1q8OMnWxSM7HTuk7m7uLoUNUoEqg0w5nHHYB8PH6KaA4Ico/s640/Foto2206.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With all the decaling out of the way, the kit was sprayed with Humbrol's Satin Cote. Being a small aircraft in a small scale, I didn't want it to be too dull but to keep a slight sheen, given they were fresh machines thrown into... the living hell of Stalingrad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once the Stain Cote was dry, the sheen is there, but ever so subtle. The red indicators for the landing gear were glued to the extrados, and the landing gear attached. The scissor retraction links were made with stretched sprue and the wheels scavenged from an old Aviation USK I-15bis certainly looked the part.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The propeller and its hub had been assembled and painted at the same time that the fuselage. The prop came from an old Spitfire kit, the blades cut and reshaped to resemble the ViSh-61 propeller of the original.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Weathering was done by using AMMO-Mig's set nro.7 for aircraft, containing Engine Fuel and Oil, Exhaust Black and Exhaust Rust for panelling, spills, exhausts and gun smoke. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last step was to paint the early type of fuel indicator on the wings and run a silver Faber Castell pencil along the metal forward panels, screw holes and latches. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Final weathering was achieved with washes and dry brushing of the lower areas with some H-118 Light Earth to achieve a dust effect. It was here that I realised I had not installed the armoured glass plate behind the pilot's seat. Minimal cursing threw cigarette consumption two notches up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">While building the Yak, I was also entangled with another ICM kit, the <a href="http://themodelingunderdog.blogspot.com.ar/2017/05/lithe-struck-scythe-nakajimas-ki-27a.html" target="_blank">Nakajima Ki-27a</a>. What a beatiful aircraft, and what a work it took to finish. Just now, I'm falling for the fact that Kleshchev would have been fighting this very machine over the Nomonhan plateau in 1939. As usual, a True Modeling Underdog occurrence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The finished project.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have a lot of mixed feelings when I stare at this Yak-9. On one hand, the inevitability of human decay and illness </span><span style="font-size: large;"> that prevent us from "</span><span style="font-size: large;">Like every night... we are building our dreams" as the Poznan Modeling Club put it in their social media page. The other, that more often than not we are building machines of war and death, or at least their scale, plastic, almost harmless reproduction. Some as a snare drumming of a bygone era. Others as a warning that "there be dragons".</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Me, as a reminder that Gustavo Machado, the friendly gentleman who gave me this kit as a gift - as a chance for the kit not to be stashed - parted company with this world in November of 2016, all of a sudden, an abrupt heart attack and the fine modeller of iraqi and arab aviation was gone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Abrupt. What a word. Ambrose Bierce said about it "</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sudden, without ceremony, like the arrival of a cannon- shot and the
departure of the soldier whose interests are most affected by it. Dr.
Samuel Johnson beautifully said of another author's ideas that they were
"concatenated without abruption.""<br /><br />I hope that, wherever you are now, Gus, you'll be enjoying these words for you and our friendship. Hopefully, words that are concatenated without abruption.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take care and until our next installment,<br /><br />TMU</span></div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-19118293565876932692018-03-20T00:52:00.001-03:002018-03-20T00:52:18.795-03:00Bombing the B: Basque Bristol Bulldogs in Spanish Civil War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The plane:</span><br />
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The Bristol Bulldog needs no introduction. The mainstay of early 30s RAF fighter squadrons, it soldiered for years on Home and overseas service, eventually becoming a moderate export success both to the Commonwealth and baltic states, ranging so far as have a handful see service with Thailand. Slow, somewhat treacherous if sloppy handled but highly manouverable, it made everyone cheer the RAF pilots flying them at any aerial meeting they atended.<br />
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While the Spanish Civil War was raging in more southerner skies, the Basque Country found itself devoided of proper air defense against the Nationalist forces steamrolling through the country, while the Legión Condor and Aviazione Legionaria mounted ever more murderous raids against any major military or civilian target, the Aeronáutica Militar not having any defense against them but some elderly military machines (Vildebeest and Br.XIX) or converted civilian airplanes. The few Polikarpov I-15s were preciously guarded since even then their supply was scarce.<br />
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There entered a shady third hand Czech company which purchased eight Bristol Bulldogs and an equal number of Potez XXV from the stonians amongst sundry other military items. In June 1937 they arrived to their new home, a rag-tag collection dubbed the "Circo Krone" for its "bit of everything under the sun" formation. The pugnacious looking little fighter was long passed its prime for frontline service, barely able to withstand its ground against more modern fighters like the Cr.32 and Bf-109. It was sent anyway into combat as quickly as posible and almost immediately devoted - demoted- to ground attack, where it proved itself a steady strafer, if somewhat limited by its ability to carry only four 12,5 kgs Hispania A-5 bombs.<br />
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The bitter fight saw them retreat after each National push and came to an end for the basque Bulldogs during the Battle of Santander, where according to <a href="http://elhangardetj.blogspot.com.ar/2018/03/por-fin-exclusiva-mundial-bristol.html?m=1" target="_blank">El hangar de TJ</a> this picture was taken by the victorius after they cut the republican territory in two, smashing the Northern Army's asturian, basque and cantabrian forces. No Bulldog was left after one example (perhaps this very same machine) was displayed at the Gran Kursaal in San Sebastian, propelling the aircraft into a fame beyond its actual reach.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkn5fVeGmEtYxjECVgLzR2XNkuilxff8B4RUkWW-RwZZKxSjvtbzi5GdgLN3STF4Z6rg614W0TA-Zoz5vbsrvYX6SkdM3RDqN1gbbgWC0HTtMcgBcQnqbJiTXzwrhpi9TJ8Ogy7jDUSX2/s1600/LC+BRISTOL+BULLDOG+124+LLANES+SEGUN+VENDEDOR+QUIZAS+SANTANDER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1424" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkn5fVeGmEtYxjECVgLzR2XNkuilxff8B4RUkWW-RwZZKxSjvtbzi5GdgLN3STF4Z6rg614W0TA-Zoz5vbsrvYX6SkdM3RDqN1gbbgWC0HTtMcgBcQnqbJiTXzwrhpi9TJ8Ogy7jDUSX2/s400/LC+BRISTOL+BULLDOG+124+LLANES+SEGUN+VENDEDOR+QUIZAS+SANTANDER.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The kit: Airfix' 1/72nd Bristol Bulldog Mk.IIa:</span><br />
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In the late '60s the british company released this kit, devoided of an interior other than a seat, but with a beautiful Bristol Jupiter engine, nice external details and proportions; which are still visible today despite the several reboxings. Mine is from 1993, with markings for two machines: a Mk.IIa from 56 Sq. RAF and a J8 from swedish F1.</div>
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It was started some 20 years ago, way back after seeing this profile in an italian book. I had to have it. It's interwar. It's SCW. And has "defeat" written all over it. Once built, it stayed in a box for years, waiting to be rigged. Until one day I opened the box - a small sad cardboard box - and found the bulldog totally squashed. Struts were loose, so were the wheels and engine. The upper wing was nowhere to be found. Another box containing a Zlin-226A by Miku suffered a simmilar fate. I had a clear case of family going gremlin on my kits. Or gremlins going family like, for what it was worth...</div>
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Until recently, I had no chance in finding a replacement upper wing, until a good acquaintance of mine swapped a whole, built, Bulldog for an M-60. Things people do when they build COIN choppers (Thank you Diego!!!).</div>
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The "reverse cannibalizing" began by gently sanding away the paint and decals from the donnor kit's wing, and sealing some gaps with cyano and UHU plastic glue. Once it was all dry, seams were smoothed and wing painted with the original colours I had envisaged for it, Humbrol's H-63 Matt Ochre and H-163 Satin Dark Green (the latter applied first) over H-11 Silver. Bands were painted with H-19 Bright Red. While the original was spray painted I decided to don a brush paintwork to the upper wing, for the sake of artistic license.</div>
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On the back you can see MPM's Spitfire Mk.XVIII (my latest foiled atempt at Spitfiring), a Letov S-16 about to get the chop and the donnor kit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsXVAh6ePA6Yp-N0XhiqltkNB_ESHJNBNr1rJnOsxg9CP6xLTwQloOADjBsZiqfeCYiu9ZXNQJve1i4rduXH_K0UiIxbwbzuzS-74klrGg-HJfiQCfikpfbu4F5uohUwnpDJM066baifW/s1600/25074946_10215131791591859_9165995795186313992_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsXVAh6ePA6Yp-N0XhiqltkNB_ESHJNBNr1rJnOsxg9CP6xLTwQloOADjBsZiqfeCYiu9ZXNQJve1i4rduXH_K0UiIxbwbzuzS-74klrGg-HJfiQCfikpfbu4F5uohUwnpDJM066baifW/s400/25074946_10215131791591859_9165995795186313992_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here it is, half way down the vamping up. The engine is, still today, very good. The rack for the Cooper bombs was rebuilt with the two original pieces and two thin plastic strips. Aeroclub material was used for the wing to fuselage outriggers. The Aldis sight was scratched from resin bits, as the auxiliary bead sight forward of it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnoVNNYcfwvFao6LGWrAU_WUnzENqW-J9xNBBq3OiF3f9Az-ziuIVoz3a-UDg6UZH2qJq9kFPRBL8wV-AI8UUwW6lr5v_kz1Go8oE5R0DDa8trRM1MssneDBYgHHCdbIkElVegnpLVWiC/s1600/25734247_10215208487749215_392381520143642505_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnoVNNYcfwvFao6LGWrAU_WUnzENqW-J9xNBBq3OiF3f9Az-ziuIVoz3a-UDg6UZH2qJq9kFPRBL8wV-AI8UUwW6lr5v_kz1Go8oE5R0DDa8trRM1MssneDBYgHHCdbIkElVegnpLVWiC/s400/25734247_10215208487749215_392381520143642505_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Assembly was quite straight forward. The tail skid was sourced from a Letov S.231 (You can bet I like czech interwar planes) which sadly never made it out of the assembly line. No guilty feelings about it, I made a total mess of it. The Pantoff bombs came from the aforementioned S.16 and suitably modified all four of them to resemble their Hispania A-5 brethren. Fiddly little bits, but look the part. The wind driven generator was improved, changing the propeller for a scratchbuilt unit closer to the original, a thin stretch of plastic being used for the connecting wire to the plug box on the wing. Holt flare brackets were added below the wing - one from my Bulldog and one from Diego's - but the upper wing lights had to be scratchbuilt from plastic rod.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2ILCX41-Q_E0gFOsHn1rhYienC0d3NrrcStAlAaGbpXbmAxzUtXTJ36cphPRvOdOpEuHlfACLOsNoBVAYlTpEw0ihfJYOeBKJjr9AaCc5Y9SfWyFEotVJ5rVtLUzGECDQA5CV5_Au1l4/s1600/27355986_10215616214822137_2818948077849543522_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2ILCX41-Q_E0gFOsHn1rhYienC0d3NrrcStAlAaGbpXbmAxzUtXTJ36cphPRvOdOpEuHlfACLOsNoBVAYlTpEw0ihfJYOeBKJjr9AaCc5Y9SfWyFEotVJ5rVtLUzGECDQA5CV5_Au1l4/s400/27355986_10215616214822137_2818948077849543522_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The whole kit was then given a dusting with H-119 Light Earth in the right places, with a light H-33 Black wash, and some Mig Exhaust Black for the MG vents.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaZoR6NarWcLKIT1kj5YX2BwiLJiJ-OUrfiYA4wM8ee2GrUvXVgJ3tKUFoD-56KAY-XnMujJZf_mYswzPDeKmfIn8HfUiWlqwSBBEAMbjH8cq3WdqESkBK5ixT1KNLreXdnFoy8DFbXe4/s1600/27503449_10215616214982141_5563543327086569159_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaZoR6NarWcLKIT1kj5YX2BwiLJiJ-OUrfiYA4wM8ee2GrUvXVgJ3tKUFoD-56KAY-XnMujJZf_mYswzPDeKmfIn8HfUiWlqwSBBEAMbjH8cq3WdqESkBK5ixT1KNLreXdnFoy8DFbXe4/s400/27503449_10215616214982141_5563543327086569159_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The propeller hub had been cut down and a new nut fashioned from plastic shims, since I liked the profile it gave to the Watts propeller. Not a very tidy paint job, since my pulse has worsened these days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYzUAAveoBOImp7tkzU-XRYNz9V78Cgd1FXa5QJZ3YoNTY_jSVJcshPyei2JY8vOQT9Dm243E0CguzMMDaRF_tiWa3-U9a_1tj34DubXTxJIhH-Nfc2irIV6RoP8hKJH9zGHrZOF9vh-c/s1600/27504091_10215616209702009_8801054070731034188_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYzUAAveoBOImp7tkzU-XRYNz9V78Cgd1FXa5QJZ3YoNTY_jSVJcshPyei2JY8vOQT9Dm243E0CguzMMDaRF_tiWa3-U9a_1tj34DubXTxJIhH-Nfc2irIV6RoP8hKJH9zGHrZOF9vh-c/s400/27504091_10215616209702009_8801054070731034188_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The engine was originally painted with H-53 Gunmetal and Monitor's Gold, but the latter started to "bronze up the green way" with age, so after a quick rubbing of Revell's 94 Gold and a wash with Mig's Rust and Exhaust Black, I called it finished. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP0Ke2JMFtuBs6N6bXCNOE7WmE3qcSoYFar5TgBjJ34UYBKx5xfsP3td3WBYVJo0wH50CD_2FB1RO9hQPXwIkYHSTnlzUanSu5lNmZnTDZjrXQSQgL33sJbfF12y7B9jHya9jXT_gON71/s1600/27709766_10215616214942140_8147892122219996340_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP0Ke2JMFtuBs6N6bXCNOE7WmE3qcSoYFar5TgBjJ34UYBKx5xfsP3td3WBYVJo0wH50CD_2FB1RO9hQPXwIkYHSTnlzUanSu5lNmZnTDZjrXQSQgL33sJbfF12y7B9jHya9jXT_gON71/s400/27709766_10215616214942140_8147892122219996340_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, here it is. It only lacks rigging (oh, the dread, once again...). Since I took these pictures, a small number 2 from Mirage Hobby's 1/400 Typ IIa U-Boot was added each side of the fin, as per the profile drawing. A very thin and fine decal. It was later varnished with Matt Cote and left to dry.<br />
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I will rig it. I promess. In the meantime it looks oddly, savagely colourful, with its republican Aeronáutica Militar markings and unwanted new job. A true Underdog from head to tail.<br />
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Only thing, now I need another upper wing for the incomplete Bulldog, since there's a nice little<a href="http://www.hyperscale.com/2011/reviews/decals/ma48157decalrevierk_1.htm" target="_blank"> decal sheet by Model Alliance</a> portraying a Mk.II with an upper wing Hythe gun camera!<br />
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Take care and until our next installment,<br /><br />TMUThe Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-80303020002106240652018-02-21T23:23:00.000-03:002018-10-03T00:56:08.981-03:00Post-war vulture: the IS-1 Sep.<br />
<a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">The glider.</span></b><br />
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The IS-1 Sep (Vulture) was a high performance glider series built by the Gliding Institute in 1947 as a kickstarter after the end of WWII. Much to its designers delight, the glider was not only a success with its pilots, it also went on to achieve many records in its home country and Europe. More information is available here:</div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IS-1_S%C4%99p">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IS-1_S%C4%99p</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.piotrp.de/SZYBOWCE/pis1.htm">http://www.piotrp.de/SZYBOWCE/pis1.htm</a></div>
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I've always had an unfullfilled desire to have gliders in my collection. Hard to come by or right down beyond price range, it came to me as a nice surprise when a fellow modeler posted the Sep for sale in a Facebook group, along with a Mucha Standard and a Bocian twin seater for a few bucks. PZW (and its ZTS, brethren) has issued many a kit in its lifespan, such as the PZL P-7 and P-11, RWD-8 and a glider series including the aforementioned ones. With a little work and checking the decal quality, they can be made into very nice replicas.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The kit. PZW's 1/72nd IS-1.</b></span></div>
<br />It comes in the usual PZW white plastic, nice to work and plentiful of flash, though it's easy to remove due to the high plastic quality. The cockpit was painted Humbrol's H-127, with the seat in ModelMaster's Italian Red Brown, details picked in Black H-33 and harness straps in Monitor's Buff. You have to be careful when attaching the wings and the following sanding has to be done with wet & dry. After attaching the stabilizators, its time to paint the model.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEget2l19ejGz8zap6Db1IKa_2V38F_ayaYSbkpgvDUR5nVrXXg4gW9cCx9hi8NNq1lJXknUMVblvM3VkRmmTcY4L6ca3dAH48UXitzGYspjInaQKMT04S-LAvXn4bue_OJR79yZvNm0SMwW/s1600/20045732_10213829825563522_3173089199686950353_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEget2l19ejGz8zap6Db1IKa_2V38F_ayaYSbkpgvDUR5nVrXXg4gW9cCx9hi8NNq1lJXknUMVblvM3VkRmmTcY4L6ca3dAH48UXitzGYspjInaQKMT04S-LAvXn4bue_OJR79yZvNm0SMwW/s400/20045732_10213829825563522_3173089199686950353_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The best colour for the airframe is Humbrol's H-41 Ivory. Provided you mist it in several layers, the finish should be glossy and very smooth. There's no point in going all thick and smudgy with the spraying. After all the original was built to a high standard with very smooth finish. Also, let the model dry thoroughly with this kind of gloss colours, it will improve the looks of it and prevents tacky fingers of playing havoc with the paint work. To hurry is to harry, so to speak.<br />
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The gloss surface works well for decalling most of times. I was very much worried about the decal quality in the kit, so I tried a small piece of it on the glossed surface and it worked very well. I guess it was one of those "who would have guessed it" kind of situation. The wing registration has to be cut in half as per photographs onw wing carried the country registry and the other an ID number. Decals actually settled down without silvering at all. The only bummer was my undoing when I pierced through the upper wing hyphen with a scalpel, but the old, trusty Letraset dry transfer came to the rescue. Satin Cote was sprayed afterwards to seal it all.<br />
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Last bits to attach where the venturi / drift indicator and skid, both painted in black. The original canopy is brutally cloudy and irreparable, so it was used as a mold for a new one. When elongated and widened at its lower point, since it seats too low and too inward on the cockpit seal, a smash moulded canopy was cast upon it. Tamiya masking tape was used to paint the canopy structure, the colour chosen, Humbrol's H-11 and the canopy attached with Clearfix. A thin wash of Mig's Smoke was applied to the crevasses.<br />
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Well, it's a nice addition to the shelf. And finally, after so many years, I have a sports glider! Given care and patience, it's a very simple and elegant kit you can produce of a significant sailplane. If you can find it, give it a try.<br />
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Until out next installment.<br />
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Take care and good luck.The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-81408629886099547422017-05-15T22:35:00.000-03:002017-05-15T22:35:45.201-03:00"Lithe struck the scythe": Nakajima's Ki-27a over Nomonhan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The plane:</span></b></div>
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Through a lengthy process of incremental development, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force came to adopt its first monoplane fighter in 1937 with the adoption of the Ki-27. Lightweight both structurally, in armament and specially in its handling, the aircraft met both enthusiasm and criticism from the Army pilots. As early as March 1938 in China, it was already noted that the pair of .303 machine guns was limited on its damaging power, who also used to remove the sliding canopy from its planes in order to improve visibility. Notwithstanding that, the aircraft was given great praise for its outstanding manouverability and fire accuracy. </div>
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Early combats also showed that lacking armour, it was very vulnerable to enemy fire. That was partially solved by improving pilot's training and by the time the first phase of the Nomonhan (Khalkhin Gol) Incident took place, japanese pilots were flying a mount which proved equal or superior to its soviet counterparts. Things started to go awry when the cannon armed I-16 Typ 17 reached IAPs and the russian tactics changed to a more energy-driven oriented kind of attack.</div>
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By the time WWII started, the basic design had been surpassed by more modern western designs but the aircraft soldiered on as a front line fighter for the first months of the Pacific War until replaced by the briefly more modern Ki-43 in 1942. The three last years of the war saw the Ki-27 serve as a trainer and later "special mission" suicide bomber. Today, only one survives at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum, while a very nice "war weary" replica sits at the Tokorozawa Aviation Museum.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Kit: ICM's Nakajima Ki-27a (#72201)</span></b></div>
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This kit is not new by any standards today, but it makes a welcomed replacement for the old and still noble Mania kit boxed by Hasegawa. It has an extremely fine interior with a complete cockpit and engine. ICM instructions are nice but the CAD type of illustration makes it hard sometimes to pinpoint the exact location of parts.</div>
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Fitting and more fitting is the keyword here. Still, you'll have to trim and shave to get a decent fit. Not that it's bad, but the kit comes from Eastern Europe and requires some TLC to get there. Oh, the surface detail is staggering.<br />
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The cockpit was painted Humbrol's H144 Medium Blue, with a light black wash to highlight the structure. Remember to add lap belts only, since at that time IJAAF fighters carried only those. Some black eyes and bashed skulls later, they learned better and adopted a more modern belt sistem.<br />
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Seat and engine were given their proper colours and the oil cooler ring painted in H-55 and H-11. Exhaust collectors were painted H-70 and then Mig Gimenez' Rust; all the work being sadly lost to the aerodinamic profile of the nose.<br />
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After mating all the main components and test fitting the propeller, it was time for painting. Canopy was glued via ClearCote and it provided a sturdy bond. H-144 was also used for it and the ailerons deflected as per photos of the original.<br />
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Humbrol's H-147 was used as base for the decals and it gives a nice rendition of the grey used by the IJAAF at the time.</div>
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The 59th Sentai machine was chosen since it gives a nice counterpoint between colours without being too showy. The decaling process is very straight forward but ICM decals can play havoc on your project and they did to some extent in this case. With extreme care and matching pieces of the same sheet the scheme was saved, but only so. I recommend to get new decals or have the utmost patience until ICM gets it right. Which it does from time to time, but it's kind of a russian roullette so better play it safe.<br />
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After the decaling process was over and Satin Cote applied, it was time for some weathering. I like to keep my models rather clean, so I went through archive photos on the Internet to get the feeling of a well used K-27 and most of the grime and tear seems to be focused on the engine and surrounding areas. Japanese engines were famous for being natural oil leakers, but their ground crews were also famous for keeping them spotless unless under heavy combat conditions.<br />
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Ammo's Aviation Oil and Exhaust set was used to replicate what was seen in period photos of Ki-27s at the Nomonhan Battle. A Silver Faber Castell pencil provided the slight chipping where necessary.<br />
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To end construction, both the propeller and gunsight were fitted to the airframe. All in all a most enjoyable build.<br />
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The Ki-27a was finished at the same time a Yak-9 Early Series, a much earlier release also by ICM and equally enjoyable in terms of modeling work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6IoffJ3nP2a1enhkyQjHX8am1EoYZdmuljGzUv72HbSghPWRyZht9_kze11FFHrk-ESup992aojOmypXlqhdsfpgOlo-U_qSM_Syb1HvYaRr2xFw45bbwFdCb-f8W5hwMapFRWeMkWdN/s1600/20170316_005938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6IoffJ3nP2a1enhkyQjHX8am1EoYZdmuljGzUv72HbSghPWRyZht9_kze11FFHrk-ESup992aojOmypXlqhdsfpgOlo-U_qSM_Syb1HvYaRr2xFw45bbwFdCb-f8W5hwMapFRWeMkWdN/s320/20170316_005938.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The base is a simple square of MDF with its edges bevelled, painted matt white and then given some red lines with a Faber Castell pencil. It was weathered lightly for sake of congruence with the kit.<br />
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The final product, a Nakajima Ki-27a belonging to the 59th Sentai, 2nd Tutai, at the thick of the Nomonhan Plateau Battle in June, 1939. Bear in mind how lighting plays with colours depending on the use of flash or other conditions.<br />
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After some time, this little plane has grown to me with its ellegance, bearing whitness to the sheer ingenuity of its designers, who provided the IJAAF with what it needed; even if it was a concept so narrow in perspective that as superb as it seemed at the beginning, it spawned two pendular designs - the Ki-43 and the Ki-44 - going from un-armoured extreme manouverability to a plane that went like a rocket and hit like a boxer but didn't turn much. The ultimate fighter from Nakajima, the superb Ki-84, was yet sometime to appear on the horizon.</div>
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Until our next installment, take care and good luck.</div>
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The Modeling Underdog.</div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-21523142848745267742017-05-09T19:33:00.002-03:002020-09-22T17:49:27.620-03:00Brought about Shturmovik: Rocket totin' I-15 bis on the Karelian front.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><b>The plane:</b><br />
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Intended as a replacement for its forerunner, the I-15; the I-15bis brought some very differentiating changes to the basic airframe. While retaining the M-25 engine and PV-1 machine guns, it sported a straight wing and revised cowling in an effort to improve further its speed, manouverability and all-round vision. Things didn't turn out that way. Very much maligned after its poorer handling characteristics and not so great top speed, it provided a very much needed fighter-bomber and assault plane on the first year of the Great Patriotic War. Fitted with FAB bombs or RS rockets, it was an easy way out at a moment where Il-2s were needed everywhere and fell short-stocked in Assault Regiments. The ensuing onslaught forced to muster the ever dwindling numbers of I-15bis from unit to unit, the battered aircraft falling to the brutal nature of assault missions, AAA and enemy aircraft. One such unit was the 65 ShAP (later renumbered as the 17 GvShAP) in Leningrad, which kept every Polikarpov fighter flying combat missions over the Karelian Front it could gather together to stop the Axis from advancing any further for the remainder of 1941 and early 1942, before receiving Hurricanes and the Guards distinction.</div>
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<b>The kit: Aviation USK Polikarpov I-15bis, 1/72nd.</b></div>
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This kit came to me as a swap some twenty years ago. It was crude by any standards but the plastic was nice to work with. And though Aviation Usk has parted ways with this world, its decals were superb. Before the ICM kit was available, this little critter was the only game in town. The kit was built some seventeen years ago and then got its place on the Shelf of Doom, minus its wheels, tailskid and propeller. It was last March that I got enough wind so as to finish it, following an ICM Yak-9 for which I had received the <a href="http://hataka-hobby.com/products/early-ww2-soviet-air-force-paint-set/" target="_blank">Hataka set of soviet colours 1937-1943</a>. More on this later.</div>
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The basic colours were Humbrol H145 Light Grey for the interior and, according to the knowledge of that time, H-114/115 for the camouflage, receiving its decals at the time of build. Thanks to the work of recent years, now we know better. But the kit grew on me so it was left to be finished. Which is no small thing in these days of half-built kits and Shelf Queens.</div>
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The kit was given a coat of Humbrol's Satin-Cote some seventeen years after painting and decaling, so well done Aviation USK with that decal printing. Tough little sheets they were. The original wheels were painted and glued to the kit, while a new propeller was scrounged from the spare box, which resembles better the original type. The windscreen came from ICM and the rockets and its rails are from unknown origin. There's no accord so as to what colour the bort number and fin top were, but the combination of blue and red looks nice to me.<br />
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Since I wanted to give a try to Hataka's AII Aluminum and AIIz green, the cowling's retaining steel rings, rocket rails and bodies were painted with the former and warheads with the later. Even by hand the medium and colour quality of these polish produced paints is excellent and encourage everyone to give them a try and ordder them at <a href="http://hataka-hobby.com/" target="_blank">Hataka Hobby Paints</a>.<br />
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The final touches were given with some light dusting and oiling taking advantage of Mig Gimenez' Aviation Set for Oil, Rust, and Soot.<br />
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And it was done. Took me a teenager's and a grown man's life to complete, but now it seats among its soviet brethren, squatty, rocket armed and hopelessly tied to one of the darkest moments of history, looking ready to show its tiny teeth and challenge the fact it belonged to a by-gone era.<br />
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Until our next installment, take care and good luck,<br />
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The Modeling Underdog.</div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-71453817000413522122016-12-20T16:21:00.001-03:002016-12-22T00:37:24.739-03:00Heavenly slow speeder: The Polikarpov U-2/Po-2 family. Part I.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The kit. KP’ s 1/72nd Po-2.</span><br />
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Going back to the early nineties, KP kits started flowing into Argentina’s modelling market as the spearhead of later Czech brands. Its range went from obscure, lesser known fighters and bombers from the interwar period to a very complete saga of soviet aerial equipment. At a point being, KP was the only game in town in terms of price and accuracy. Whilst the soft, shiny white plastic was easy to work with, flash was an issue and mismatched wheel sets were commonplace. On the other hand their basic interiors were a nice starting point, but new decals and sometimes clear parts had to be scrounged for. The Po-2 kit is nice but lacking a defined version. Both liaison and LNB versions can be built but the lower right wing lacks the cutout at its root and the machine gun looks like a mixture between a DA and a ShKas. The engine looks a tad small but the propeller is ok for a mid to end of the line machine. The new ICM kits are beautiful but they lack the twin upper exhaust and the prewar type of propeller turns in the wrong way. By fixing these errors and mixing and matching propellers and cutouts you can build pretty much every two-seater version of the Kukuruznik.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The South Front Decals joyride.</span></div>
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For many a long time I wanted to build a host of Kukuruznik because of their pre war deeds as civilian trainers, aerial ambulances and special flights such as cropdusting or polar rescue parties. But with decals lacking it put me off till I found South Front Decals massive selection of machines, both civilian and military. Seeing and buying was all but one matter of fact. You get seventy five colour options with eight bonus ones, for a grand total of eighty-three trainers, bombers, liaisons, ambulances, limousines and sundry, drab coloured, slug slow biplanes. Three big decal sheets and two small addendums are included in the bag and their execution is superb, as we all have come to expect from Begemot. Bright reds, nice yellows and even silver edged badges are included besides a vast host of different styles of stars, numbers and one and a half sheets of black and white letters and numbers. The carrier is glossy and soft but more on that later. All in all, a win-win situation.</div>
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I was lucky enough to find on the Internet pictures of option 52, that of CCCP-C138, one of the first U-2 produced at GAZ-23 in Leningrad, first introduced to duties in Gatchina airfield during 1932-1933 while the phase out of the venerable U-1 Avrushka took place. The early series U-2 had some external and internal differences with their latter, more standardized brethren and we'll see to them properly on the following paragraph.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Building an early series U-2.</span></div>
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The most important features of early machines were a rounded exhaust collector and a two-piece, V shaped windscreen for each cockpit. Two large Venturi tubes are to be added to the right side of the fuselage and a gauge to the left hand vertical cabane strut. Painting of the interior for the period was achieved by a base coat of Humbrol’s H-63 Yellow Ochre followed by a wood effect by streaking with Faber Castell’s brown pencils and satin Revell varnish. Later on the production run interiors were coated with silver paint until the introduction of grey cockpit lackers in the middle thirties. Instrument panels, seats and controls were painted gloss black and picked out with H-27 Blue Gray for a slightly used look. Fit of the fuselage was made good by gently fitting both halves around the fuselage floor and using small clamps until the glue set. You have to be careful with the lower wing to fuselage joint since the latter sits on top of the center surface of the one piece wing. Once sanding and filling of all the seams is completed – and not really a hard work despite the mold’s age – the undercarriage was tackled next. The rounded, open fittings for the spread bar were filed and sanded to a minimum since the original strutting sat on the axle. Once you've glued and made true the undercarriage it eases a lot handling the model and checking the way the wing struts and stabilizers seat against their sockets. The one piece stabilizer rests against the cutout atop the rear fuselage and should not be filled since it could be trimmed both in flight and on the ground. Glue the rudder to the fin after carefully cleaning the piece so as to keep the shape of it and move over to the upper wing and cabane struts. KP provides generous sockets into the pieces so it's fairly easy to settle the upper wing. An advisory word on the latter: some central sections come with a little extra plastic flash on the upper surface so you should take care of it by slowly scoring away the excess and sanding with a fine grit paper. Glue the cabane struts to the fuselage. The gauge attached to the left side strut was cut from different lengths of stretched sprue and metal foil. Attach all of the action arms to the flying surfaces and fuselage since you're to achieve a better bonding prior to painting. A few holes are to be drilled for the flying wires. Leave the upper wing, engine and sundry little bits apart to ease painting.</div>
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Early Polikarpov U-2s carried on the colour scheme of their forerunners, the U-1 built on the base of the Avro 504. Early Russian and Soviet aviation colours may seem troubling to pinpoint but thanks to Massimo Tessitori’s web site on Soviet aviation there's a fair idea on what they looked like. Humbrol’s aptly named Russian Dark Green (114) and Blue Grey (115) are excellent matches for the colours used before 1937. They were brushed on in several thin layers and worked quite well.</div>
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South Front decals worked remarkably well over and under Humbrol's Gloss and Satin Coats. They weren't treated with setting solutions at all but it might be useful with some more convoluted schemes.<br />
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The base was built following the last picture of C138 being tugged out of a hangar.<br />
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MiG's Smoke, Rust and Fresh Engine Oil were used for the Shvetsov M-11 and sundry worn paint and stains effects. A silver Faber-Castell pencil provided a very controlable way of chipping any metal areas. Wiring was done with Aeroclub's monofilament. After that, the U-2 was glued to the base and that was it. Here's the finished thing.<br />
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After some three years and two months, I finally managed to finish an article. And a model kit. More over, of a subject very dear to me at that. With a little luck and provided fair winds keep blowing this way, it won't take that long for the next installment. Always remember the main aim of this hobby: to relax and have a nice time. Life can give you some bitter oranges to chew upon sometimes, but it's up to one how many of them do we stand before moving onto the sweet ones. You never know, maybe they even got cropdusted by a Kukuruznik.<br />
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Until the next time, good luck and Merry Christmas.<br />
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The Modeling Underdog.The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-54476485926700248592013-10-07T23:30:00.003-03:002016-04-07T07:06:11.094-03:00Behind the wheel.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a>It's been over a year since I last updated this blog. A difficult year, taking into account the economical unrest. It certainly clips your modeling wings, and thus it is that I have tried to build models whenever possible. Right now, there are five projects on the table. Four submarines and an airplane. Two of the submarines are scratchbuilt, another a conversion and the last one almost straight from the box. The plane will get bits & things added along the way.<br />
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The first one is R.3, one of the Royal Navy's R Class boats, built as hunter-killers at the end of 1917.<br />
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Second is Hajen (Shark), the first swedish submarine in service and preserved today at the Nava Museum of the Royal Swedish Navy in Karlskrona.<br />
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They will be both built in 1/350 scale, with a wooden hull, and plastic bows, fins, sails and a plethora of other small appendices.<br /><br />Third in the series is the Crichton-Vulcan CV707 Vesikko. The prototype of the Typ II u-boote, it saw considerable use by the finnish navy during both the Winter and Continuation Wars and part today of the Museum Complex at Suomenlinna. The kit used is Mirage's Typ-IIa, suitably modified.<br /><br />
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Last, but not least, is the ORP Orzeł, a dutch-built polish submarine famous for scaping from the Baltic Sea to the U.K. and then misteriously disappearing in the Northern Sea during 1940. The Mirage kit in 1/400 is rather nice, but requires some putty and sanding.<br />
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<br /><br />So, it is back to one of my first passions, submarines. Oh, and just to keep things balanced, a 1/72 ICM Fokker E.IV Eindecker. Not the best of 'em - Eindecker wise -, but rather the more quirky looking.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In time, they'll get finished.<br /><br />Take care and good luck,<br /><br />TMU.</div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-63756921095602606932012-09-28T18:15:00.000-03:002019-06-28T23:59:20.429-03:00Balkan Manowar: Bristol Blenheim in yugoslav service<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Bristol (Ikarus) Blenheim Mk.I</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When you talk about the Bristol Blenheim Mk.I/IV with other modelers, all that is remembered are images of the airplane falling in flames from the sky, whiped out by enemy fighters all over the continents in which W.W.II was carried on. And that image is quite correct. As a pre-war light bomber from 1937, armed with a couple of rifle caliber machine guns and a top speed that by 1940 was rather mediocre, it had virtually no defence against fighters, specially those armed with cannons. Not even the fighter versions, fitted with special gun packs in their bellies were out of harm's way. But, it was solidly built, pleasant to fly and always there when needed. That is, until it came to be quite obvious that the development of bombing tactics was moving on to more powerful, capable airplanes. From that moment on, more and more Blenheims were used for training crews and by 1944 it had been officially retired from active service in the U.K. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last, but not least, it has always had a place in my heart, as a true underdog deserves. Several versions, in service with many countries. Stories of war and peace, mostly on the losing side. Simply irresistible to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of those stories centers on Yugoslavia's Vazduhoplovstvo Vojno (Air Arm) use of the Bristol Blenheim in light bombing duties during the short war against Germany in the Spring of 1941, serving in the 1st and 8th Bombing Regiments and the 11th Independent Group. Despite the bitter conditions of the campaign and with some of them destroyed on the ground by the Luftwaffe, the Blenheims and their crews carried on a valiant array of duties such as bombing armour and infantry columns in a close support role and just a few, very brave and dangerous raids against targets as far as Hungary, Austria and the bulgarian border from where the germans launched their offensive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first Blenheims to reach Yugoslavia were L160 and 161 (pattern machines numbers 8814 and 8815) in 1938. The first Ikarus built machine flew in March, 1939 followed by another 15 of the type. So Yugoslavia became the second country to license produce the Blenheim, after Finland's State Aircraft Factory. The british Royal Air Force transfered 20 Blenheims to the V.V. from its stocks in early 1940.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the time of surrender, a total of 24 Blenheims were in various degrees of completion at Ikarus plant located in the town of Zemun. Yugoslav partisans sabotaged the production lines, thus preventing the use of the airframes by the germans. The few examples that survived the Blitz were transfered after overhauling to the newly created Croatian Air Force, wich used them for anti-partisan duties.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">The kit - Bristol Blenheim Mk.I, MPM 1/72</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">MPM released their Blenheim series some years ago and while you don't see them very often, they're quite fun to work and a remarkable option to Airfix and Frog's respectfuly old offerings. The one presented here was built in 2006 and is one of the options given in MPM's nice decal sheet, along with a pre-war british and a 1942 finnish examples. Specially the Ksovsky Krist's (Cross of Kosovo, the yugoslavian A.F. insignia) is a lovely rendition of the originial. The plastic is soft but very workable, the resin and photoetched parts are first rate. Wether you build this kit from the box or adding some extra detail to beef it up, you'll get an excellent rendition of this classic bomber.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The only additions were a scratchbuilt seat for the gunner, a couple of levers in the cockpit and the scratch-built Darne 7.92mm machine gun in the Bristol B.I turret. This gun was used </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">sometimes </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">instead of the Browning FN. The landing lights were also scratch built, but I failed to make a convincing replica of the curved plastic cover. After many failed attempts, I just had to let it be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Paints were ModelMaster's RAF Dark Earth, RAF Stone and RLM 80 for the uppers and MM's RAF Sky for the undersides. The RLM color was used for it gave me a better impresion about the Olive Green used in these airplanes than the commonplace RAF Dark Green. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some
weathering was given to the plane such as oil stains and paint flaking
with black washes and some Humbrol 191. You have to remember these
planes were well mantained and kept clean until the war broke out, so
focus only on "operational areas" such as the upperside of the fuselage,
bomb bay and landing gears, leading edges, etc, etc.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And there you have it, a Yugoslavian Blenheim... If MPM would just release the Mk.I again, with decals for the other operators of this aircraft (Turkey, Romania, Croatia, etc.) we'd certainly appreciate it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Final, "professional " photos:<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks go to the great Srecko Bradic for maintaining his superb site <a href="http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/" target="_blank">Letletlet Warplanes</a> on yugoslav and general aviation. The Forums there are teeming with great people!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Till our next installment, take care and good luck,<br />
<br />
The Modeling Underdog.</div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-79407484465980401502012-09-18T23:44:00.000-03:002019-06-29T01:29:06.409-03:00Farewell, Motherland! Russian submarines from WWII: success and tribulations. Part I.<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The "Malyutka" or M Class.</b></span><br />
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These small submarines of the coastal type were one of the several vessels used by the Soviet Navy in its fleets and flotillas around and within the mainland. Built from 1932 onwards and up to 1948 in four series, the VI, VI-bis, XII and XV, the Malyutka was affordable, small enough to ferry by railway beetween naval bases throughout the Soviet Union, handled well in the shallow waters of the Baltic and Caspian Seas, while was still able to master the wide expanses of the Arctic, Black Sea and the Pacific. One of the first submarines to be of the fully welded hull kind in the world, it had some shortcomings to cope with: the extremely short range of the first two series - some 800 nautical miles - and the limited armament up to the XII series vessels, comprising two 533 mm torpedos of the 53-38 or AT-80 types in their launching tubes with no spare torpedos and a single 45mm, 21k model, semi-automatic gun on deck for anti-aircraft and anti-shipping duties.<br />
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What's even more interesting is that despite being a single class, its series were developed by different design bureaus, with production centered around the Gorky Shipyard on the Volga River. Then, they were sent to Leningrad by railroad for final assembly and operational trials. The VI and VI bis from the A. N. Asafov engineering team were almost identical 37,5 m long vessels, displacing some 200 tons while submerged, except for the VI-bis having a more hydrodinamic sail and no stepped deck over the stern of the ship. Their hulls were built in four sections, 30 of the VI during 1932-34 and 19 of the VI-bis during 1934-36. The XII series was larger, measuring some 44.5 m and displacing 258 tons, this six-section design stemmed from the same tactical requirements than the earlier series and made for a more capable coastal submarine. P. I. Serdyuk was the chief designer and starting in 1936, some 45 were built until 1941. They had a more regular sail and conning tower, resembling the one found on the Dekabrist type of medium submarines with a closed bridge and an open, wide observation deck at the rear. M-171 started life as a regular XII series boat but later in its life two saddle type mine containers were added amidships for mine laying duties. With eleven ships laid and only four completed during the war, the XV series submarines designed by F. F. Polushkin were the last of these coastal vessels to be put into service. Armed with four torpedo tubes and the ubiquitous 45mm 21k deck gun, their length had grown to 53 m in order to accomodate two engines with their gears and propellers instead of one, displacement rose to 351 tons and range now spanned some very respectable 3400 nautical miles. A new feature for the XV series were the 2 ballast saddle tanks on the outside of its hull. After the war an additional 53 were built to boast the number of submarines in the Soviet Navy.<br />
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These boats were very active during the W.W.II and while a basic sound design, their success was somewhat moderate if we take into account the number built, 111, and their heavy loss rate of 33 vessels for some 61 enemy ships sunk and 8 damaged. But, as the rest of the submarine force, they provided a sterling service in keeping the pressure on german submarine bases, minefields and shipping lanes. It's no wonder that they were affectionately called "Malyutka", russian for "tiny" or "baby" by their crews. They also proved to be very good in the training role and quite a number of reknown submarine captains made their first combat stints in Malyutkas, such as Alexander Marinesko, who was appointed commander of Malyutka M-96, a XII series boat, in 1940 and later rose to fame and misfortune while commanding the Srednaya class submarine S-13.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The kit - Malyutka M-200 "Mest" ("Revenge"), Maquette 1/400</b></span><br />
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While it is boxed by Maquette, this and several other Great Patriotic War submarines were in fact first produced years ago by a company called Polytechnika Ltd. to the order of a small modeling club in Rostov, by the Don river. As far as I can recall and what Maquette re-issued, the submarines developed were the Malyutka, Shchuka, Srednaya (also refered to as Stalinets), Dekabrist and Leninets classes, all in 1/400 scale. I bought them all, of course.<br />
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While quite a little bit on the rough side of injection standards for today, they were the only game in town until more recent issues and additions by AMP with their nice meduim submarines Stalinets Series IX/IXbis in one boxing and a Shchuka of the III Series, while Micro Mir came to the fore with its remarcable and large K Class.<br />
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I've found that Maquette made two major errors when boxing the Malyutka and the Shchuka. The first one is labeled as "M-200", while in fact the kit is a Series XII boat and not the larger Series XV to which the M-200 actually belonged. The case of the Shchuka is similar. Where Maquette markets the Series V-bis 2 "Shch-311", what you get in the box is rather a Series X vessel with different sail and details. Actually, while the Malyutka is rather crude, the Shchuka came very well moulded and with some awesome detail on the main deck planks and 45mm guns.<br />
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I wanted to build the Malyutka first for the last ship I ever built was in the early nineties. But the model and descrption are not the same. So, what to do? If there is one sound, helpful resource about submarines in the Internet, that is Uboat.net. It has a lot of information not only on german submarines, but also on the Allied types which in the end came handy for this project. Also, there are many good russian books about soviet submarines which can be checked for information. I wanted to do a Northern Fleet boat, with their dark camouflage of black green, and one that called my attention was M-174. A series XII boat on active war duty in the Northern Fleet since September, 1941, it carried several failed attacks against enemy ships in its career. On March 24th, 1943, M-174 was patroling the Varangerfjord when it hit a mine. The explosion tore off the bow of the submarine, but the crew managed to bring the heavily damaged boat back to port for repairs. M-174 was lost with all hands on board on October 1943 while trying to go across a mine field. Once again, off the Varangerfjord.<br />
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The Varangerfjord was one of the best defended areas on the northern coast of Norway, due to its strategic position, and many a soviet submarine was sunk due to mines or naval action while trying to check any enemy activity in the area. The following pictures, showing the damage sustained by the M-174, suggest that with a single hull design, it should have been prone to sink rather quickly if damaged by cannon fire, depth charges or mines, but some boats proved to be tough little tin cans, like the M-113 or the M-174, both of which made it back to base after hitting mines.<br />
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Onto modeling itself. After a thorough cleanup of the four pieces which make for the hull and conning tower, the best way to deal with it is as a whole so it was all glued together. The rudder, rudder post and strake piece was also glued to the bottom of the stern and the whole thing given the super glue, putty and sanding treatment. The hull has some sink holes where the locating pins are, so they were filled with super glue and sanded smooth.<br />
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After the general cleaning up, the foreplanes, aft planes and periscope's base were attached to the hull and conning tower. Also, the 45mm gun was glued to the deck. Its barrel, and the periscopes, were all replaced with syringe tubing cut to the proper size. The propeller was left out till the model was finished. Holes were drilled on deck for the antennae stubs and lifeline posts. The latter were attached, using steel wire to replicate them.<br />
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On the painting stage, the colour directions given on the Dekabrist instructions state the different schemes worn by submarines in service with the fleets. This scan gives a simple and effective colour table for the Baltic, Black Sea and Northern Fleets.<br />
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The whole boat was sprayed twice with Humbrol's HF-1 Khaki. The tin is a very old offering by Humbrol, but after some 25(?) years the pigment and medium are still in perfect condition. After that, the Malyutka was dry brushed with H-150 Forest Green. The dry brushing was heavier over the floatation line, to make it stand out from the bottom, less prone to weathering. Deck was painted with H-33 Matt Black and left to dry. Washes where done over the entire hull and conning tower with a mixture of HF-1, H-33, H-70 Brick Red and H-186 Leather Brown. Because it's been years since I weathered a model ship for the last time, washes were brushed on in very diluted way, so as to add layer over layer till the effect was complete. I wanted a boat with a distinctive look over such an odd scheme - notwithstanding that some italian submarines had some pretty gaudy ones, this is dull but striking - not overly beaten by the sea and not too clean. I think the effect of the washes was good enough.<br />
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On this last picture, we have the Malyutka having already received the last washes on the upper part of the hull and waiting for it to dry. To the right, the uppermost boat is the Shchuka, X series with its hull and conning towere halves already glued and drying. Since decals didn't match the series, it was to be done portraying the Shch-214. The large submarine right in front of it is of the Dekabrist class. It has the later, shorter style of conning tower with the gun placed on the main deck. The decals call for the D-6 to be done, but since the original had the earlier conning tower - with the main gun over an to the front of it <i>a la</i> british L series of World War One style - it was the D-2 that was chosen. The original still graces a museum complex in Saint Petersburg. The kit was heading for the sanding and polishing phase at this time. Heavy sanding and polishin, that is. But to be honest, the plastic behaved quite well and took the punding without cracking, peeling and such annoying treats that east european modeling companies have for us in stash. Sometimes.<br />
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Then, the fire took place. And all of it was lost. To tell the truth, these were challenging little kits. But, quite rewarding up to the extent I was able to build them. You won't see these boats marketed by a major company for a long, long time and this Maquette / Aga / Eastern Express re-issues are the only game in town. Pick the Maquette offerings if you can. They have great decals and better injection.<br />
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Go for these kits, let them take you to the depths of the Great Patriotic War and the insight on soviet submarine warfare. They won't let you down.<br />
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Till our next installment, take care and good luck.<br />
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The Modeling Underdog.</div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-5818603210222795302012-08-23T20:06:00.002-03:002020-09-22T17:51:30.074-03:00Close calls and looking into the future.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Two weeks ago, there was a fire in my bedroom, where I keep all my model kits. I believe the source to have been the electrical system, which is some 35 years old on that part of the house. The resulting sparks, along with some molten plastic wire wrapping falling in flames from the ceiling set some of the magazines seating on top of a drawer on fire, which later went on to devour the cardboard boxes where the models are kept. The cardboard used was rather sturdy, but the bubble wraping, plastic bags and tissue paper used for stuffing the boxes and secure the little planes inside caught fire rather quickly.<br />
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Using a fire extinguisher I managed to put down the fire, and move away my mandolins from the smouldering heat. Never thought that some burning plastic mixed with paper could deliver such a hot, lung tearing, smoke. The guitar bag got a little charred on one side, but the ones for the mandolins got away without any signs of damage. Some clothes got light burns as well when some burning ashes fell upon them.</div>
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The magazines, I can live without them. But the work of the last five or six years is gone up in smoke forever.</div>
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The Heja II, the Waco, the Junkers F.13 and most of the models you've seen here and all the ones I had finished but not uploaded are nothing but a heap of ashes or badly burnt plastic lumps. Even the old militaria and the little submarines are gone. I still thank the modeling gods for not taking me away along with my model kits in the fire, but the sole thought of having lost a great share of my model kits sends shivers down my spine.</div>
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I will start over, there's no doubt about it. I don't know for sure if some of the model kits will be built once again. Most probably not. Couldn't replace the fond - and sometimes agonizing - memories of building and painting those little critters even if I wanted to.</div>
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Still, there's hope to be seen in every disaster. Even if you, just like me, are a hands down pessimistic whose relentless way of being has left you with barely any friends at all. Sometimes, it's for the best.</div>
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<div>Model kits will be built again. And as the immortal Monthy Python used to say, always look on the bright side of life. </div>
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Take care and till our next installment.
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The Modeling Underdog.</div>
The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-32096694622739716252012-02-17T20:38:00.006-03:002020-09-22T17:39:51.063-03:00Any given warrior: the Waco CSO/-240 in brazilian skies. Part II.<br />
<a name='more'></a>I 've always been a fan of Waco airplanes. Their purity of lines have always intrigued the modeling ghosts that haunt me (borrowing the title from a Crash Test Dummies' album), the rounded surfaces and armonic designs pleased my eye since I first got to know them in a movie some 25 years ago. Multitude of engines, variants, open and closed cockpits, militarized versions, skis, floats and wheels. Not to forget the huge number of colour schemes and that funny designation system.<br />
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Sadly enough, there are not many Waco kits out there. Perhaps the oldest one is Italeri's Waco CG-4 glider of WWII fame. There are a handful of resin and vaccuformed kits as well, of varying quality. I recall Khee-kha's YKS, Dujin´s ZQC cabin biplanes and the S3HD from uruguayan kitmaker Alfatango. So, I was surprised when walking by a hobby shop in downtown Buenos Aires I saw a couple of boxes in the window, from an unknown kit maker called Commando5. Intrigued, I walked in and asked for them. The stack pile comprehended a Waco CSO, Vultee V-11, Fw-58 Weihe and Meteor T.7. I bought the Waco and the Vultee, those being 2 of my favourite aircraft companies, the CSO being such a cute little biplane and the V-11 is a real underdog on its own right.<br />
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Commando5's Waco CSO comes in a small cardboard box with several small plastic bags, within a larger bubblewrap sleeve. Clever thought that some bigger companies should follow. First things first, so all the resin parts got a thorough cleaning in tepid, soapy water. I was very pleased with how thin was the vaccuformed windshield and the decal definition, though the method to apply the latter seemed a little awkward to me. More on this later.<br />
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All the major components were cut off from their pouring blocks with an X-acto blade. Small items like struts, Venturi, wheels, landing gear and cockpit interior were left in their blocks to forsake any damage or loss. The fuselage looked weird to me, and it turned out to be bent to the left. That kind of thing happens with resin parts sometimes and the solution is quite simple, guaranteed the resin itself is not too brittle or the piece too thin. You heat some water and dip the part for some time, depending on the thickness and kind of resin you're working with. You take it out off the water and start pulling to the other side really gentle. Follow suit, you repeat the process as many times as necessary. It got straightened enough in the end but being a solid resin block it took more time and hot water than I expected.<br />
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The lower wing was super glued to the corrected fuselage after its fuselage recess was sanded and imperfections eliminated. There were several, both tiny and medium sized bubble holes on the underside of the fuselage. While putty can be used for smoothing the surface, I tend to use super glue in this cases, besides the all the usual super gluing work that resin kits need. The reasons is simple, most puttys seem to be softer than resin itself, doubling the work needed to smooth a surface. After covering all the blemishes, the underside was water sanded, holes and dimples smooth out.<br />
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With that out of the way, the cockpit parts were taken off their blocks and cleaned up. The tiny instrument panel has some remarkable detail. The dial faces even have indicators on them. The seat presents the modeller with some fine detail work and harness representation. All of the interior was painted with Humbrol paints. H-56 Alluminium for the cockpit and H-33 Matt Black washes to bring out the detail. On the instrument panel the process was the opposite, H-33 then H-56 dry brushed on it; glossing the dial faces with Revell's 1 (Gloss Varnish). The seat had its leather upholstry painted in ModelMaster's Italian Red Brown and then dry brushed with H-186 Red Brown. The harness was picked in H-74 Linen and the seat metal structure in H-191 Chrome Silver. When all was thoroughly dry, a light wash with H-33 followed to bring out the detail cast on the resin.<br />
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Once everything was in place the upper coaming was glued into place. Not a great fit, specially at the rear end but nothing that some superglue and careful wet sanding wouldn't fix. The lovely little engine was fitted and the front end sanded into shape.</div>
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The starboard side view. Obviously, a lot of work was needed, but I enjoyed fairing in the upper coaming. The elevators had been deflected with a careful pass of an X-acto blade, but one of them came off. So I cut them all the way and superglued them just to have a tight bond beetween them and the stabilizator. The fin was glued at this time. Resin for this was gum like, so I "painted" the piece with some slow action superglue, to give it more strength. Still kind of wobbly but better than anything.</div>
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Next attached were the undercarriage and cabane struts. It required some minor trimming of the resin parts to make them fit. The rear struts are to be provided, so two lengths of Aeroclub material of a suitable size was cut and attached. Also, 4 small lenghts of stretched sprue are to be glued on the upper end of the hydraulic shock absorbers.</div>
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To finish main construction, the upper wing was attached. Funny thing, the casting block had "Original" written in pencil on its side. May be the manufacturer misplaced this piece and ended up in a production kit. Feel kind of guilty about it sometimes. Anyway, the only thing left to do was to glue the main struts. Since the resin ones were kind of flimsy (remember that soft resin issue I wrote a few paragraphs before?), the were exchanged by Aeroclub material of the right thickness. The aileron actuators were done with stretched sprue, and that was it.</div>
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Onto the painting stage. The whole of the model was painted with Humbrol's H-22, Gloss White. After a second, thorough coat was left to dry. All of it was painted in H-19, Bright Red. It was followed by a second coat and left to dry thoroughly. Taking advantage of the glossy, smooth finish, the decaling process began.</div>
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Commando5 decals use the same system that FCM provides with theirs. That is, a continous film from which you cut the images, soak them in water and place them on your model as usual. The trick is that once dry, you peel the upper carrier, leaving only the decal itself. Try it as it may with a chinese decal option, it didn't work. So I trimmed the excess carrier from the brazilian ones and applied them to the model as if they were the usual, less troublesome decals I'm used to. It worked. So, after painting and gluing all the remaining bits and ends here it is, finished at last.</div>
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Minor bits include the rudder, painted in suitable colors from the Tamiya and humbrol ranges.</div>
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Nice outline for a classic biplane, isn't it?</div>
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Rigging was done with an "e" guitar string, which now I feel is kind of thick. Next time, will try mandolin strings for this kind of petit biplane.</div>
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Aeroclub rigging material was used fot the stabilizator flying wires, and it looks nicer than my overgrown musical wiring.</div>
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The tailskid provided with the kit proved to be very flimsy, but it also flew out off my tweezers and into oblivion while cleaning it up. So, it was replaced by two lengths of guitar string and painted H-56 Aluminum.</div>
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The bombs were cleaned up. No easy task, since they had crumbles of resin all over them. But after some work, they passed my not so rigorous exam. Painted in H-86 Light Olive Green and with their detonators and shackles picked out in H-191, they were glued to the model.</div>
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A subtle wash of H-33 Flat Black was given to the moving surfaces and the fuselage hatch to make them stand out.</div>
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The windshield was carefuly cut from its backing and ruined. So, thanks go to Commando 5 for providing a spare! It was glued to the fuselage with Cristal Clear from Humbrol. The small Venturi was salvageable after some careful wet sanding. Painted H-53 Gun Metal, it was placed on the fuselage.</div>
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Machine guns were a little gem, but too brittle to be hollowed out. Painted Gun Metal as well, they make the CSO look like a W.W.I fighter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div>
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The lovely engine was painted after the main scheme was applied. Cilynders picked up in H-53 and then dry brushed in H-56 Aluminum, their collector ring and exhaust were painted in H-191 Chrome Silver. The engine's crank case face was painted in H-53, dry brushed in H-56 and then a dry pass of 191. A light wash with H-33 finished that part.</div>
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The cowling and propeller were fitted next. The resin prop was very
gummy like, so a two bladed propeller from the old Revell Ford Tri-motor
was used. Same diameter, same pitch, same blades, but a better product
altogether. Both items were painted in H-191 and the propeller nut
picked in H-53, dry brushed woth H-56 and washed with H-33 to a nice
effect. Wheel hubs painted in H-191 and their bolts picked in H-33 via a
light wash. Tyres are a mix of H-33 and H-27 Dark Blue Grey, dry
brushed with H-118 Light Earth for the dusted up appearance.</div>
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And so concludes another chapter in this belated modeling connundrum, the first article of the year and a rather enjoyable one. The experience was refreshing after so many years of not building a resin kit. I love Wacos, there's no secret to it, and having the chance to build one of the lesser known versions in such an interesting and lovely scheme added a plus to the experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_nXypPzgYc9K1RTdqClmzH1wKJnm6EzI1Y-6qMebYIDpbi92CKieyTRnK0Nb_UqHCogi3eZOR1sHvwCI1DjAehrzb_0eA2A3IRcf8sJRJ9qCzZC1mxb5OiZGK7yklc0KlFAl1Z4dzmmh/s799/2011-12-22_11-21-13_325.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_nXypPzgYc9K1RTdqClmzH1wKJnm6EzI1Y-6qMebYIDpbi92CKieyTRnK0Nb_UqHCogi3eZOR1sHvwCI1DjAehrzb_0eA2A3IRcf8sJRJ9qCzZC1mxb5OiZGK7yklc0KlFAl1Z4dzmmh/s320/2011-12-22_11-21-13_325.JPG" /></a></div></div>
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Till our next installment, take care and good luck,</div>
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The Modeling Underdog.</div>The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7007022232384644015.post-78156797269693728292011-10-14T19:30:00.001-03:002020-09-22T15:29:45.356-03:00Eagles under a royal flag: the Arado Ar-65 in bulgarian service. Part.III<br />
<a name='more'></a>After a long, long time I set around April this year to finish this great kit from RS. It only had to have its final clear coating, using Revell's 1 gloss varnish, rigging and final bits. I used Aeroclub rigging material, which for some reason failed to glue to the kit with my usual cyano. After some intensive use of coarse language and chain smoking, the rigging was done. And here's where things get funny: I set it some 4 feet away from the kitchen fire to tighten the rigging several times. Since it didn't work, I went down to 3 feet. The rigging snapped, a pushing rod for the starboard aileron deformed badly, and the same did the tail strut from the same side. A cabane strut wrinkled crazily. Not to mention the mess I made of the undercarriage legs. Laid the kit in a box and put it away, not wanting to "warp six" the critter when doing stupid things came down to me...<br />
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Flash forward to early October. Taking advantage of a few days off the hook, took the Arado to the working bench, decided to finish it. After removing the wrinkled rigging and offending struts and actuator, I measured some Aeroclub profiles of the same size, cut them and glued them to the kit. Cracked open Modelmaster's RLM 02 and brush painted the replacements. Turned out ok.Then came the underdarriage. Took a long look at it and decided to let it be. Too many things could go wrong when remaking the undercarriage, so I'll have to live with it. Not that it tortures me in the night, though.<br />
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With that out of the way, and using stretched sprue, I replaced all of the rigging. To tighten it up I followed the advise of a friend and used a hair dryer. Sadly, it was not powerful enough for the task. So, after a while of blowing hot air on the rigging with no results (and reckoning the strength of the biplane airframe glued with Revell's Contacta) I resorted to lighting up a bit of a pyrethrum spiral. Utter fail: didn't tighten some of the rigging and snapped the remaining strands. I reached out for some old guitar strings and picked a metal e' string which would do the job. After removing the rigging for a second time and not happy about it, lengths of string were measured, cut and glued into their holes. It was also used on the aileron pushrods going from the fuselage to the upper wing, next to the cabane struts. They were all painted in RLM 02, since they look light colored in the few pictures available.<br />
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Final bits were glued to the airframe: the finished propeller, wheels and windshield. The tailskid was made with a piece of wire bent to a V shape and glued against a small lenght of guitar string. A bit of plastic sanded to shape was used for the skid itself. Some drybrushing with Humbrol H-33 was used to replicate the very particular BMW exhaust stubs discharge pattern.<br />
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Frontal shot, showing to good avail the propeller and radiator.
And the pugnacious nose lines of almost every BMW VI equipped aircraft.<br />
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Classical 1930s shape and oultlook for a very nice modeling project.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14844EUA_OryfYiplw_NoAbpS9knJK8JZi7PgwG9ScN7PKfhnfE6d7BD_Mxh43ksWMThGpa2Kkql5AtjJBMMxNFfWjXXFuxqzYNhMqMlrcCjjdJ23OEsZZdt5928ey9mkbesDKD9d-0dL/s799/2011-10-14_16-53-14_463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14844EUA_OryfYiplw_NoAbpS9knJK8JZi7PgwG9ScN7PKfhnfE6d7BD_Mxh43ksWMThGpa2Kkql5AtjJBMMxNFfWjXXFuxqzYNhMqMlrcCjjdJ23OEsZZdt5928ey9mkbesDKD9d-0dL/s320/2011-10-14_16-53-14_463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9A3u8wNjwRFcJv3SLB6PWRgs4aCGmRVQsDT0Zo5jSkU74SxEwqIpDBtjNppsyGUr06XUidNP_fO02tQs_KhmfpohiMUTmSV9bMsLAcWUUsCwlTog0ViSTYLuzXgz2vhVjUZqlP3xhluT/s799/2011-10-14_16-53-55_943.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9A3u8wNjwRFcJv3SLB6PWRgs4aCGmRVQsDT0Zo5jSkU74SxEwqIpDBtjNppsyGUr06XUidNP_fO02tQs_KhmfpohiMUTmSV9bMsLAcWUUsCwlTog0ViSTYLuzXgz2vhVjUZqlP3xhluT/s320/2011-10-14_16-53-55_943.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p> Undoubtedly the fuselage is the centerpoint of the model, with the red cheatline, Tsar Boris cypher and bulgarian V.V. badge
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyTBWt4pmb7l7dkxfBRakAANNJ5Yr8Kk5MD1FGjLPYz-Tc6y98EQo2SPbg5JrEoHNztFvXwnrLfyXZeifIfY9RsNIap85GexW_zRk4uoZVbk19C4wZscddXyy7phHvKS9lUh8bjTnmYmQ/s799/2011-10-14_16-52-57_440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyTBWt4pmb7l7dkxfBRakAANNJ5Yr8Kk5MD1FGjLPYz-Tc6y98EQo2SPbg5JrEoHNztFvXwnrLfyXZeifIfY9RsNIap85GexW_zRk4uoZVbk19C4wZscddXyy7phHvKS9lUh8bjTnmYmQ/s320/2011-10-14_16-52-57_440.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
View from the rear.<br />
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJMUgY9Q9m7zyOe3hlHJIcjxddWm5qdSgMtc7MHGVFd4s97a6bDOIv7Aflkoa3r51tGNYCiYndp2vtYaEynDf9ZX4kkMZ-MbmnIdbsvX-52PnshDohmB6-fXQT1YCW12d7LDjx7Xgwh_J/s799/2011-10-14_16-53-38_268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJMUgY9Q9m7zyOe3hlHJIcjxddWm5qdSgMtc7MHGVFd4s97a6bDOIv7Aflkoa3r51tGNYCiYndp2vtYaEynDf9ZX4kkMZ-MbmnIdbsvX-52PnshDohmB6-fXQT1YCW12d7LDjx7Xgwh_J/s320/2011-10-14_16-53-38_268.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p> Now, the starboard side
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnh-lq0cvSffBeSEJqpaJDmYP74vMtnFSIZ_oG78vXpLmclYpQrI4xH7UhJfXvEs4pn6oDIPaL12kUqZEgxvFMKR4J393WrPDfLZP5ORIOSQYheWUghBmSMCuZ64wERD7bgJQWjEYpTyo/s799/2011-10-14_16-54-23_607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnh-lq0cvSffBeSEJqpaJDmYP74vMtnFSIZ_oG78vXpLmclYpQrI4xH7UhJfXvEs4pn6oDIPaL12kUqZEgxvFMKR4J393WrPDfLZP5ORIOSQYheWUghBmSMCuZ64wERD7bgJQWjEYpTyo/s320/2011-10-14_16-54-23_607.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Looks like a carnival with all that color, and would be instrumental in the development of the Ar-68, the last biplane fighter of the Luftwaffe. To close this submission, two overhead shots showing the proportionate and graceful lines of the machine, accurately rendered by RS.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi1cbYWQcXjx2ZOPOd5Hxfxid42BZGQQGQXoW1wRNhNOFDECGQBXonAwqG3s8pnQWVyDB-WTH_PXMb2UdrXnezZM3YKs-C2eNhfghX1aY5_Nb7l2rvad_DFs4hgpArsEKh_9AvgWjvRUF/s799/2011-10-14_16-56-13_713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi1cbYWQcXjx2ZOPOd5Hxfxid42BZGQQGQXoW1wRNhNOFDECGQBXonAwqG3s8pnQWVyDB-WTH_PXMb2UdrXnezZM3YKs-C2eNhfghX1aY5_Nb7l2rvad_DFs4hgpArsEKh_9AvgWjvRUF/s320/2011-10-14_16-56-13_713.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So, now that it's done, after a three-year stint on and off the kit, some other "Immortals" like Fujimi's F1M and Commando5's Waco CSO might be finished. The kit is great, with lots of space in the cockpit for super detailing, easy to build and RS has three boxings of it. All with very different and distinctive color schemes. Worth the money you spend on it of course, but (and there's always a but) not to be rushed by being impulsive, like I did. Food for thought.<br />
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Until our next installment, take care and good luck,<br />
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The Modeling Underdog.The Modeling Underdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951487562243036634noreply@blogger.com0