Arma Hobby 1/72 PZL P.7a

[Stew Dapple]

I felt a little embarrassed that my completed builds for last year were less than half of those of the previous few years, one thing I have realised is that as long as I keep building kits I keep a fairly steady rate of completions up but if I stop for any length of time I tend to find it hard to get started on the next build, for all the usual reasons - laziness, pub, laziness and pub. Also laziness and the pub might have been a factor. Anyway in an attempt to avoid a repetition of the vague feelings of shame that stirred when I assessed last year's output, I shall try not to stop this year, even if it means less pub, though obviously not if it means no pub - as W. C. Fields observed* there's no point in being a damn fool about it.

 

My attention was caught by a gift from my friend Procopius who was kind enough to send me a couple of the new Arma Hobby kits, one of which is the PZL P.7a:

 

 

There are a few different versions available, this is the Expert edition which includes a fret of photo-etch, film instrument panel dials and windshield masks as well as four markings options:

 

 

I quite fancy the second one with the skeletal-winged-arrow sort of a badge on the fuselage:

 

 

So that's the one I'll be going with. Here are the instructions, which are clear and look pretty straightforward, and the transfers:

 

 

There's also a small supplementary transfer sheet and here is the clear sprue with a choice of two types of windshield, the film IP instruments, the vinyl canopy and wheel masks and the etched fret:

 

 

Here's the main sprue:

 

 

The mouldings are nicely done and include a representation of the interior frames and stringers:

 

 

As you can see at the left, there is a degree of flash present on some of the parts but it doesn't look problematical, just a bit of a chore to get rid of. The 'corrugations' on the wing skinning are very delicate:

 

 

 

Panel lines are recessed and not too pronounced:

 

 

For reference I have the Mushroom Models Publications book on Polish Air Force Fighter Colours:

 

 

Which as well as a wealth of information on colours and markings includes a profile of the very aircraft I intend to model:

 

 

Finally by way of extras I have on the way from Hannants the Attack Squadron resin Stomil wheels and propeller which I thought I might as well add since I was ordering the IBG PZL P.23B 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

 

 

 

* He was talking about perseverance, not the pub when he said that, but from his reputation as having a fondness for the odd tipple now and then I feel sure he would not mind my re-purposing his quotation in this context.

[06/24]

Wonderful, a tiny icon, built by an expert, what's not to like

[CamberrySauce]

Looks like a good kit, I'd like to follow this build! 

[GrzeM]

11 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

For reference I have the Mushroom Models Publications book on Polish Air Force Fighter Colours:

I see you've ordered the book! I belive it was good decision. It summarises the most recent and credible knowledge.

 

Good luck with the kit! Decals work excellent with MicroSol even on the most complex corrugated surfaces. My trials:

Photo comes from Arma Hobby blog. It was good decision to order decals from Italian Cartograf. We did that also for the Fokker E.V.

[Stew Dapple]

On 1/10/2018 at 8:31 AM, 06/24 said:

Wonderful, a tiny icon, built by an expert, what's not to like

Haha thanks Jon, it's certainly pretty tiny, the expert part is much less certain  

22 hours ago, CamberrySauce said:

Looks like a good kit, I'd like to follow this build! 

It does look a very lovely little kit, it looks like a lot of thought and work has been put into it  

16 hours ago, GrzeM said:

I see you've ordered the book! I belive it was good decision. It summarises the most recent and credible knowledge.

 

Good luck with the kit! Decals work excellent with MicroSol even on the most complex corrugated surfaces. My trials:

Photo comes from Arma Hobby blog. It was good decision to order decals from Italian Cartograf. We did that also for the Fokker E.V.

Thanks Grzegorz, that's very reassuring - Cartograph didn't get their reputation as one of the best for nothing  Incidentally the other kit Procopus got me was the Fokker E.V. I got the MMP book for a very reasonable price and I'm glad I did as I'm a bit short of colour references other than that.

 

It was @rob85 (who sadly does not seem to be on the forum much these days) who introduced me to the concept of 'swallowing your frog', i.e. get the unpleasant, tedious or intimidating job out of the way first and whatever follows will seem easier and by comparison pleasant. As noted the kit provides a small photo-etched fret but the instructions have a sort of duplicated layout showing assembly without the etched parts for the squeamish. I shall be using mine. In order to do this some of the moulded plastic parts need some detail removed, specifically the heel-boards for the rudder and the instrument panel - before:

 

 

 

... and after:

 

 

If you choose not to use the etched parts, a transfer is provided for the IP (two, in fact, I assume one is a spare as I can't detect any difference between them with my failing eyesight). I painted the back of the film instrument dials white:

 

 

... so that the dials show up better:

 

 

(The triangular parts above the dials can be used in concert with one of the etched parts to produce a near-scale thickness windscreen, but the option I am building uses the PZL.11-type windscreen so I will use the injection-moulded clear part for that). I gave the etched parts a spray of Tyre Black to act as a primer:

 

 

I folded and attached the rudder heel-boards:

 

 

... and folded the plastic and etched IP parts as instructed:

 

 

If I had paid attention to the instructions I would have attached the film dials to the plastic panel and then added the etched part, but I was on a roll and thought I knew what I was doing and did not re-check the instructions, instead cutting out and attaching the film parts to the etched panel:

 

 

... which was then superglued to the plastic panel part:

 

 

... since then I have added three of the smallest etched parts I have ever seen to the IP (one lever and two buttons; I could not face fabricating the minute 'stallks' the buttons attach to and stuch them directly to the panel: no-one will ever know ) and that's as far as I am now. I'm just trimming and cleaning up the seat and the bulkhead it is mounted on, once they are put together I will add the seatbelts.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew 

 

 

[06/24]

Now that does look fiddly. And expert...

[rob85]

This looks a tidy little build @Stew Dapple I will see if I can tag along.

 

I’m rather proud of myself, having you take my advice! 

 

I have been away for too long, many factors have contributed to this main ones being work and all my kits being packed up in the garage to make ‘space’ for Christmas, supposedly a whole dining room was deemed excessive for my work! People actually wanted to use it for dining in! Fools...

 

rob

[Stew Dapple]

On 1/11/2018 at 9:43 AM, 06/24 said:

Now that does look fiddly. And expert...

Haha you will jinx me Jon  

18 hours ago, rob85 said:

This looks a tidy little build @Stew Dapple I will see if I can tag along.

 

I’m rather proud of myself, having you take my advice! 

 

I have been away for too long, many factors have contributed to this main ones being work and all my kits being packed up in the garage to make ‘space’ for Christmas, supposedly a whole dining room was deemed excessive for my work! People actually wanted to use it for dining in! Fools...

 

rob

Rob, great to hear from you mate, hope we will see you back building again soon  - your advice was good, and can be applied to all sorts of aspects of life (though preferably not to the gastronomic side of things; I understand our cousins across the Channel are not averse to swallowing bits of frog and I make no comment on this practice except to express my wish to keep my frog-swallowing metaphorical)

 

I assembled the cockpit 'floor' bit - as I noted above there are parallel instructions, an 'easy' and 'advanced' version, and it does pay to keep an eye on both as the 'advanced' instruction sequence doesn't advise you to fit the rudder bar; no doubt most of us would have noticed anyway. I also attached the tiny lever on the joystick with the aid of some swearing:

 

 

Here's the IP with the even-tinier lever and buttons attached:

 

 

I fitted the seat to its bulkhead along with the etched straps, seat adjustment lever (I think) and trim-wheel (again, I think):

 

 

As I was on an etched jag, I attached the tie-down brackets (I think) to the lower wing:

 

 

They were tiny. They also needed to be bent. I have ordered some x4 magnification reading glasses.

 

Of course the version I have chosen to build was fitted with the Vickers guns so the slots on the fuselage are faired over; there are a choice of etched parts provided for this, a full panel part and a little grille that just covers the slot. I went for the full version, because I'm hardcore; the blobby effect at the bottom of the part is superglue, because I originally tried to attach it the wrong way round, because I'm also an idiot.

 

 

There are a couple of other etched parts fitted to the starboard side, what looks like a handhold and jackiing point:

 

 

There are a lot more on the port side, so that will be today's job I hope.

 

The Attack Squadron resin propeller and wheels arrived yesterday - they're nice:

 

 

They were quite inexpensive too, less than a fiver for both. Once I've got the last of the etched stuff applied I can start the interior painting

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

[303sqn]

The tie-down brackets are lifting lugs for the wings and go on the top not the bottom. I fix them in place after painting with Future/Klear.

 

The holes on each side of the rear fuselage are for a rod to pass through so the rear end can be lifted up.

[Stew Dapple]

Thanks 303, that was timely advice, I was able to remove the lugs and re-attach them to to upper wing

 

 

I've also added the various handholds, footsteps inspection covers etc. to the port side:

 

 

I have a feeling I should have left the footstep on the lower left side until after assembly but we will see...

 

Hopefuly this afternoon I can start painting the interior.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Stew Dapple]

I got a coat of Aluminium - well, Citadel Runefang Steel - on the interior parts:

 

 

I gave the interior a couple of coats of black wash to tone the brightness down a bit and to add some definition the the moulded detail; I also did the little detail painting required - brown seat straps, a bit of black on the joystick and the rudder footrests, and then joined up the fuselage without remembering to take any pictures of the completed interior 

 

 

The main landing gear legs are moulded as part of a fuselage insert, which should make it quite strong as well as ensuring the correct angle to the legs - a nice bit of design work from someone who is obviously a modeller as well as a kit designer I suspect:

 

 

The part itself fits perfectly and the back part of the nose is then added:

 

 

I then started on the engine section and to be honest I was rather dreading it, the Skoda-Bristol Jupiter engine has no less than eight separate exhausts and these are provided as separate pieces.

 

 

 

Cleaning the parts up proved to be less of a bind than I had expected when I got on with it, and once again some very good engineering meant they all fitted where they should remarkably well - if you are building the kit at any point just ensure you follow the instructions with regards to the part numbers of the exhaust pipes and that you remember which side is the top of the engine. As I was planning to leave mine un-glued for the time being for ease of painting I marked the top centre of the engine with a red T and added the pipes from the top downward with no issues at all

 

 

I've just joined the upper and lower wing halves, hopefully later today I can add the empennage

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

[Procopius]

HOW DID I MISS THIS? This only confirms it, time spent with family is time wasted. 

 

On 1/9/2018 at 10:55 PM, Stew Dapple said:

My attention was caught by a gift from my friend Procopius who was kind enough to send me a couple of the new Arma Hobby kits

You see, Mr. Dapple, my plan is simplicity in itself. You'll show me how to build the kits, and then I shall build mine myself, later.

[Courageous]

41 minutes ago, Procopius said:

HOW DID I MISS THIS? This only confirms it, time spent with family is time wasted. 

So when's your divorce PC!

[06/24]

20 minutes ago, Courageous said:

So when's your divorce PC!

Tomorrow, if Mrs PC reads this 

[Stew Dapple]

Divorce is no laughing matter gentlemen 

 

Unless it's somebody else's divorce, in which case it is fair game.

 

I got the tailfeathers attached without drama:

 

 

... and added the supporting struts for the wing. These have nice big attachment points rather than the usual pin-and-hole type and should provide a good strong join; in addition the fit was so good that I simply clicked the wing into place then attached the struts, once the glue had set I removed the wing and will paint it separately to avoid some tricky masking around the struts

 

 

I've added the luttle intake under the nose and assembled the cowling ring so apart from the tail struts, pitot and venturi tube that's all the parts off the sprue now; the only downside is that I somehow dislodged the instrument panel from inside and had to re-fit it from outside, I'm not at all sure I got it in the right place but hopefully it won't notice... 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Procopius]

On 1/16/2018 at 1:32 AM, Courageous said:

So when's your divorce PC!

 

On 1/16/2018 at 1:53 AM, 06/24 said:

Tomorrow, if Mrs PC reads this 

Pffft, who could pass up this?

 

...Hmm. Yes. Yes, I see your point. 

 

 

Stew, the kit is either looking very promising or you're even more on your game than usual, but either way, it's looking good so far.

[Stew Dapple]

23 hours ago, Procopius said:

Stew, the kit is either looking very promising or you're even more on your game than usual, but either way, it's looking good so far.

Much as I would like to take the credit, the kit is very good indeed

 

I added the spidery little etched part which represents the cowlings stays:

 

 

The cowling is only pushed in place for priming but everything fits perfectly - it is however, very important to keep all the engine parts oriented correctly in relation to each other or it won't work. I haven't glued the parts yet so I can apply the Khaki then dismantle the engine assembly to paint the cylinders and exhausts afterwards. I also primed the other maiin assemblies:

 

 

The good news was that the painting all went according to plan, the bad news is that I knocked off one of the lifting lugs on the top wing and the pilot's step from the fuselage and I doubt I will ever see either of them again. I may raid the etched parts from the twin-set edition of this kit I have in the stash and replace it later.

 

I used Tyre Black again as I don't need a primer as such, just a base for the black-basing. I'm working on Saturday this week but hopefully later I can get the underside blue on the wing and tailplane undersurfaces, maybe on Sunday.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Cookenbacher]

On 1/15/2018 at 11:50 PM, Procopius said:

You see, Mr. Dapple, my plan is simplicity in itself. You'll show me how to build the kits, and then I shall build mine myself, later.

A cunning and very effective plan PC - Stew is doing his usual perfect build, and we're reaping all the benefits. PM me when the P.11 comes out, we can go halfsies on Stew's kit.

 

Fantastic stuff Stew, it really looks like Arma went all out with this kit, and it's a pleasure to see you at work.

[Procopius]

1 minute ago, Cookenbacher said:

Stew is doing his usual perfect build, and we're reaping all the benefits.

I sincerely hope that's the stealth Jon Lovitz reference I believe it to be.

[Cookenbacher]

Indeed it is! But I didn't want to intimate that Stew was losing his mind, except that perhaps his skills are simply insane.

 

Edit: Ooops, I guess it's not so stealth any more. Forgive me for talking about you in the third person in your own thread Stew!

[Stew Dapple]

Thank you gents

 

If there was any question of my sanity I hope this will conclude any discussion; I used a replacement lifting lug for the wing from one of my other kit's photo-etch sheets as I could not think of a viable alternative - the parts are so small they can barely be seen and while a sliver of plastic card might do I couldn't face it. To regain a some face in the eyes of my fellow modellers I did make a new step from Albion Alloys 0.2mm nickel rod:

 

 

That turned out okay. I drilled a couple of holes in the fuselage and stuck the wire part in with superglue gel, so it should be a bit more resistant to breaking off than the etched part that preceded it.

 

Paint next...

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

[CedB]

Another late joiner Stew and you've almost finished! Great stuff going on here, she looks lovely

[303sqn]

To make lifting lugs, a thin slice of plastic rod, about 1 to 1.2 mm. Cut the slice in into two. Anyway, that's the way I do it.

[Stew Dapple]

10 hours ago, CedB said:

Another late joiner Stew and you've almost finished! Great stuff going on here, she looks lovely

Thanks Ced - it's a relatively simple kit and it goes together very well, I haven't had any significant hold-ups with it  

 

6 hours ago, 303sqn said:

To make lifting lugs, a thin slice of plastic rod, about 1 to 1.2 mm. Cut the slice in into two. Anyway, that's the way I do it.

Thanks for the idea 303, but I think that would be no easier than cutting off a corner of plastic card - which would at least have the right triangular profile rather than a semi-circular one - and I had already discounted that idea as unlkely to produce a near-enough identical match to the remaining three etched lugs - also, given that I have two other sets of etch for this kit in the stash and can replace one of them reasonably enough with this:

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ASQ72114

 

I can rob a lug from one of them without making work for myself just for the sake of it  

 

According to the MMP book on Polish Camouflage colours the underside grey was not a specific paint but was a mix of a light blue and a light grey, the earlier shade being distinctly bluer and the later shade distinctly greyer and neither having a recognisable standard mix (such as FS numbers, which of course did not even exist in the 1930s). Jamie and I discussed this at some length; for the earlier blue-grey RLM76 looks a good-enough match, and for the later Medium Sea Grey. In this case I used the RLM76 for the underside colour, though it is a bit bleached out in the photo:

 

 

I'm happy with it anyway, but if anyone wants to provide a contemporary set of Nobiles paint company samples/pieces of original P.7a or P.11c etc. we will be happy to take a colour sample from them. No, seriously  

 

I also fitted the little vinyl masks to the P.11-type canopy fitted to the aircraft I am representing with this kit:

 

 

It's a bit of a shame as I was keen to see what the etched frame and acetate 'glass' canopy looked like, but I really like the markings for the one I am building...

 

Anyway, since then I have added virtually all the parts that need to be attached, the wings and engine are still pushed in place and all being well it will be on with the uppersurface paint tomorrow...

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[303sqn]

Agama's Polish Light Blue is an exact match for your RLM 76. MSG is a little bit light for the later, darker colour, e.g. Hataka A036 Light-Blue Grey (not that light and not much blue). Something like a lighter version of Intermediate Blue. Krzysztof Sikora, editor of Polish magazine Mini Replika, has used Humbrol 127 Ghost Gray for at least the last two decades but has recently switched to Humbrol 128 Compass Gray which is closer to the Hataka colour.

 

Vallejo 70.873 (Rack 142) Field Drab is a near match for Hataka's A011 Light Polish Khaki (slightly lighter). Humbrol 142 Field Drab is what we used in the 1960/70s. 

 

Vallejo 70.941 (Rack 148) Brunt Umber is the nearest match I can find for Hataka's A010 Dark Polish Khaki.

 

Agama's Polish Khaki is similar to Hataka's Light Polish Khaki, perhaps a little greener.