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Miles Aerovan -Mikro-Mir 1/72nd


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37 minutes ago, Moa said:

Thanks Martian and Ed

I am so into this little cute stubby model, but we are remodeling (for those who have been through that, no need to elaborate on contractors), and also of course there is work, so not much time for the moment for modeling. The completion shouldn't be far away, though.

 

Went through that all through last year. You have my deepest sympathy.

 

Martian the Empathetic

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James, Martian:

😉

 

Some other details:

The area where the oleo strut goes is too flat and the relief is not enough to hold the part securely; and the hole for the landing gear leg is too shallow:

IMG_1272+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

 The oleo strut area is modified so a good contact can be achieved. The hole for the leg is deepened:

IMG_1273+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

 Legs in place They are to scale, therefore they look a little feeble to me, we'll see how they fare. The locations for the flap actuators are also drilled, again for a more positive contact. The two parts that constitute the aft cone lock are glued, properly aligned by temporarily placing the aft cone in position:

IMG_1274+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

 New navigation lights (not all the Aerovans had them) are fashioned from clear sprue and tinted. Their locations are drilled on the leading edge:

IMG_1275+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

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The provided masks proved to be a bit of a disappointment. They are not really precise nor accurately follow the surfaces. They are too rigid for the compound curves, therefore they will lift front the surface at stress areas.

There are no instructions for them, where they go, or numbers. But it's not hard to figure that out -after some head-scratching, though.

You may need to carefully slit them to make them fit properly.

Still, bad masks is better than no masks at all, and they provide a starting point. I had to supplement with Tamiya masking tape to render accurate edges and to "patch" the areas where the kit masks overlap, since they kept lifting too there.

They are kind of sneaky, and may remain attached for a while, but then they will eventually unstuck in places (the surface was clean, by the way, and my fingers were not oily, so we are clear on that) so give them a thorough inspection before airbrushing.

IMG_9976+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

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A touch-up with more primer in the areas that have been re-worked, and hopefully when dry it will be ready for the base paint (white in this case) and then -after masking- the second color, blue.

The masks kept misbehaving a bit, partially lifting an some edges during airbrushing. I recalled I had the same problem with this type of masks when building another Mikro-Mir kit, the NIAI Fanera. May it's time for Mikro-Mir to look for a an alternate source of masks or try other materials. As the masks come now in the kit, they are somewhat rigid and the adhesive is not great:

IMG_1306+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

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Thanks for the heads up about the undercarriage, I think I might replace mine with some units made from Albion Alloys slide fit brass tubing

 

Martian

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Bad luck with the masks - they're real s.o.b.s, aren't they.

 

After two previous experiences with them, I have ditched them for subsequent models and reverted to good old reliable Tamiya tape, despite their convenience.

 

Removal is also a challenge - I found them to come off in broken bits and leave a sticky deposit which is a cow to remove without possible [in my case probable ! ] damage to the paintwork.

 

Really enjoying this build, and I'm prompted to get hold of the kit of this enigmatic aircraft which I seem to remember flying out of Luton….or perhaps Southend…Coventry …….ah, the passage of time……!

 

Rog

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Hi all

Thanks for your kind words. Martian: the undercarriage is still holding, the glued mudguard providing an extra itsy-bitsy of rigidity, but the model is bulky and relatively heavy. The concerning part is the oleo strut, really to scale, may be just replacing it with a broken drill bit wrapped in coiled fine wire or tube sleeve to represent the accordion/spring.

In spite of all the lead I glued in the nose, I still got a tail sitter, by far. My advice: do not add lead, but fashion a loading ramp the will hold the back of the cabin if you are posing (as I will) the tailcone open.

If you are gluing that tailcone, still you have a recourse: a couple photos show a prop strut / leg, running from the area behind the cone's locking mechanism to the ground while being serviced.

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After the application of the blue color and acrylic overcoat, the masks are removed.

It pains me to report that if so far I have considered the kit's masks inadequate, now I have downgraded them to quite problematic.

If at the beginning they kept detaching, after a few days they were cemented to the canopy. As a fellow modeler commented above, they do leave a residue sometimes, and they get so completely stuck that while you are removing them you become terrified of yanking the clear nose off.

This nice kit deserved better masks. The provided ones are clearly deficient.

Now I am in the process of carefully removing the residue.

You may notice, as explained before, that I am not following the kit's depiction of the color separation scheme, since it is frankly bogus on the instructions.

IMG_1644+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

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Thanks, Martian

Here working on the underbelly of the beast. Wheels, flaps, Venturi, exhausts, and one decal were added. Notice the black area behind the nacelles:

The decals, typical for most Eastern European manufacturers, are super thin, which is good since the carrier is inconspicuous, but requires a very careful handling:

IMG_9989+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

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Thanks Ed

These are I think vinyl masks, not kabuki paper ones.

They are a bit thick and not very pliable (they resist compound curves). Their adhesive is weak at the beginning and small sections are prone to lift, but the glue seems to "activate" along the few days that normally takes to prime and paint a model, and then it really sticks to it.

The cost of the model is very reasonable and I do appreciate that in spite of the low cost it does include masks, but they should be a help, not a hinder to the process.

I absolutely love Mikro-Mir's subject choice and congratulate them on that, the moldings are good, the fit varies a bit, the instructions are ok.

The kit is let down a bit by poor research on the liveries/decals department and the not-quite-there masks.

In spite of those relatively minor shortcomings, I bought another one for which I will commission special decals.

 

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As I am applying the decals:

A couple details on the decal sheet: Mikro-Mir printed the images (that include white subjects) on white paper stock, instead of on a light-blue one. That makes seeing the white marks difficult and hinders cutting the subjects apart. Besides, Mikro-Mir forgot to add "NV" in front of the company name (NASTRA) and the nearby legend "Rotterdam" seen in photos.
Also, the blue arrow inside that side trim line lacks the triangular point at the front.

Other than that the decals show good color density and the carrier is very thin so it doesn't show, which is good. The finish is a tad matte.

The photo is showing now in addition to the decals the wingtip nav-lights. The "tail cone" is temporarily placed to align the lateral trim lines:

IMG_1675+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

The next post will be as a finished model in the corresponding section of this generous site, called if memory serves "ready for inspection" or something like that, a denomination with connotations perhaps not very apt for a civil plane and your humble, a peacenik modeler. It strongly reminds me of the Monty Python slapping fish skit.

Anyways, I'll post here a link to that -when the model is complete- for the sake of practicality and continuity.

 

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