1:144 Magister and Texan

ajmm

Posted July 3, 2017

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Posted July 3, 2017 (edited)

I've had these on the back burner for a while - they're good tinkering projects while main pre-occupations like the Grumman OA-12A Duck I'm building on KG144 as part of a group build and other biggies are drying (or being otherwise uncooperative).

The North American T-6G Texan is Valom's kit.

Pretty nasty really, I'm afraid. Poor to non-existent fit, shape issues and thick, clunky detail. Compared to the Platz/F-Toys kit (of which I have quite a few) it pales very rapidly in fit, surface detail and everything except decals.

BUT it remains cheap, readily available and actually very, very good fun. I also think you can get it to look ballpark like a Texan if you totally ignore the panel lines scribed onto the canopy (which would have you create square side windows that look very off). Pretty much out of the box except for a bit of cockpit detail and the undercarriage doors which are plasticard.

Valom's decals are excellent, however. Good, interesting schemes, thin and well behaved - can't ask for more and really raise the kit up a notch. I did mine in markings for aircraft No.74 of the Ecole de Pilotage de l'Armee de l'Air, based at Cognac (Base aérienne 709 Cognac-Châteaubernard) in 1964.

I'm happy with it and feel I gave it my best shot without getting out the scriber. I have another in the works, again on the back burner.

The Miles M.14 Magister is a conversion from the Anigrand Trailing Wing bonus kit that comes with the Short Shetland (another Titan on my workbench at the moment - more of that soon, I hope).

The basic resin kit is quite, er, basic. I filled in the slots in the wing which on the trailing wing aircraft take the booms.

I decided quite early on that I wanted to do one of the yellow pre-war ones with an incredibly polished cowling and the glam spats. I thought that could look marvellous in this scale.

I sprayed the aircraft with Halfords white primer and then airbrushed with vallejo yellow, then when I was happy with the tone I painted the cowling glossy black. Over this I brushed AK Interactive True Metal, which I know can give a superb natural metal finish. I polished this with a cotton bud. It took several applications but I'm happy with it.

I added the IFR hood behind the rear cockpit using small gauge lead wire bent to shape, with the canvas being vallejo filler built up in layers backwards to give the wrinkled effect (not really visible in photos), then painted green, before washing in a darker green to bring out said wrinkles. I also added the curious two-pronged pitot and an exhaust pipe (using more lead wire).

This was an absolute joy to build, I have to say. One of those kits where you really look forward to every little bit and every step, no matter how small is somehow hugely satisfying. If I win the lottery, I may buy more Shetlands simply to build more Magisters.

I've done it in markings for L8338 of No.30 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School based at RAF Burnaston in 1939. I think. I don't really know but that's my guess based on serial numbers. Doesn't matter hugely - they all got moved around a bit. Decals all spares and Mark1 for the pre-war serials.