Size isn't everything Pt 2

People say that until they actually see the size. Not that the Vought A-7 is a huge aircraft, even in 1/32 scale such as this one. But it certainly has a presence. Trumpeter issued the Vought A-7E Corsair back in 2005. Although it was a confirmed favourite of mine, I had not had a chance to build it until now.

When the box arrived ( a BIG box) it wasn't the scale of the parts I enjoyed so much as the sheer number of them. And the ordnance! It comprises a pair of fuel tanks, 2 GBU-8, 2 GBU-10, 2 AGM-6, 12 Mk 82 retarded, 12 MK 82 slicks, 6 M117 and a pair of side winders. Oh yes, and a FLIR pod. Here's a photo of the entire haul in case I missed anything.


It's gone very well so far. I've spent around ten hours to achieve what you see here. The painting process is about to begin. Of course, there'll be more photos of this through to its conclusion.

Arado 234 'Blitzed'

This must be one of this year's most demanding projects. The AR 234 Nightfighter came in at just under seventy hours work for me - unusually intense for a 1/48 scale model. To build it straight from the box would have produced a nice very presentable result, but this one came to me with a number of lovely add-ons to bring it up several notches. The Aires cockpit and landing gear bay, a Verlinden detail set and an Eduard detail set gave me an excellent choice of beautiful parts in resin and metal. This means there are four sets of instructions to follow, and some very difficult style choices to be made! Jockeying four sets of parts together is not for the novice - I did go cross-eyed a few times, and I needed to leave the room on occasion....


The result of all that jockeying and cross-eyed concentration? Well, I was very satisfied. High points? Certainly the front cockpit (there is also one in the back) and the gear bay, for their quality of detail and fit inside the model. Also the little wing-mounted rocket motors, which only needed some Eduard parachute straps, so good was their detail. I did have a set of Airwave gear legs and wheels, but for once the kit parts were superior and I didn't use them.

The final build looks very impressive from a few feet away, but get up close and it's really rewarding. It's a combination of excellent detail, and hard work getting the best out of the component parts. Am I blowing my own trumpet? Maybe, but maybe it's more a case of enjoying the fruits of more than forty years experience. I hope you think it looks good too.

The stuff that dreams are made of

Every old-hand modeller understands the obsession with building a certain kit. How long has a favourite kit been on your shelf ? You get it down, dust it reverentially and take a look inside. After ten minutes of fondling the parts and inspecting the decals you sigh a little and put it back, saving it a bit longer. Yes, I admit it, the Sukhoi Su 27 in 1/48 scale is a big favourite of mine. Ever since Academy announced it, I have wanted to build it. Then I read the review; with trembling hands I turned the page only to find 'disappointing cockpit' and 'decals need replacing'. I was crest-fallen. Like going to the cinema and finding there's no popcorn. What could be worse?

I bought the kit anyway. Eventually. And it's been sitting there in its slot since May 2007, flawed perfection waiting for me to sort it out. I was giving it its regular potential-next-build inspection when my wife came in and, perceptive woman that she is, said 'for goodness sake just get the parts and build the damn thing'.

So you know? I think I will.

Golden Oldies

Do you recognise this one? The long vanished Esci produced this kit back in the seventies. In those days, Esci kits were quite well thought of. I daresay this 1/48 F8 Crusader was state of the art.


Today, this has been overtaken by the Hasegawa F8. It's a gem, but it is £30. I bought this kit last year, for old time's sake, I suppose. The cockpit is bare, the ejector seat is hopeless and of course it has raised panel lines. But the basic shape is good.

I have loads of references on the F8, so I decided on some surgery. This was centred entirely on the wings, to drop the flaps and slats and incline the wing incidence. Also, I found an old resin ejector seat and some photo etched cockpit parts. As you can see it has the makings of a real project.

Just Finished

Too often I blog about projects that are stalled or in the middle stages of building. So here is something that's actually been finished in the last ten days or so. Both have been mentioned on here in their earlier stages so it seem only fair to display the completed models.

The Classic Airframes Martin Baltimore was first. It gave me the usual CA difficulties; a very dusty enclosed cockpit area, which I overcame by cutting out the pilot's canopy hatch to clean inside. The engines were a poor fit due to the over-thick plastic of the engine cowlings, and rather than alter them I reduced the thickness. Still, the results overall were lovely, because it's such a detailed kit and you can't go far wrong.


The other project, by complete contrast, is the MiG 19s from Trumpeter. Surprisingly this offered very few fit problems, and those were dealt with quite easily. Detail was excellent, the cockpit being particularly good.

I'd love to build their 1/32 scale version of this aircraft, but this scale doesn't seem to be popular amongst collectors.

Moving On

With the destroyer project now in the closing stages of the build, I am able to move on with new projects.

One of them is the Meteor NFII in French markings, of which more on here later.

The other is the Arado 234 from Hasegawa. Most of the internal parts are being replaced with Aires and Eduard items. A couple of photos here will illustrate the current stage. As you can see, much of the paint is already up to top coat, and in some cases ready for weathering.

You can see how much detail the resin parts have to offer.

The nature of the canopy means than most of its detail will be easily seen, and the same goes for the cockpit and the landing gear. And me, I'm just a sucker for all that...

Back to the boat

Yes, I weakened. With the destroyer showing such promise, I knew that one more big effort would see the hard work out of the way. So, with the Arado project just started and in its undercoat, it was 'all hands to the pumps'. Actually, the railings.

I realised that fitting the railings would be a long, tedious and frustrating job. I recently read a build article on this kit, wanting to see how someone else had resolved this one. The modeller had simply added stretched sprue to the stanchions. From a distance it looked very effective, but on closer inspection, the sprue looked heavy and unconvincing. So it's back to the fluffy twine from the kit. Is it awkward? Time-consuming? Fiddly? Damn right it is. But I did develop a system; after tying off a length of furry twine to the first stanchion, I ran it along the next four or five and then superglued it in place. The glue takes a minute to set so I attached a small bulldog clip to the loose end to keep it under tension. While that was drying, I started the process again, one tier up.

Did I hear someone say that sounds too easy? It's just easier. Later I'll have to varnish the twine to get rid of the fuzz and make the railings look finer. A bit monotonous but worth it for the final look.

Back to airplanes soon. Hmmm.