John Masters Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 This was a small kit, with very few parts but it turned out to need a lot of extra work. I really should have made a WiP since there was so much to do and so many pitfalls. Bullet points... --The cockpit floor is far too wide for the fuselage and needed significant thinning in order to bring the halves even somewhat close together. Even then, I needed Evergreen shims in the nose and in the underside with liberal amounts of putty. --The cowling didn't fit very well at all. I had to actually spread open the fuselage halves in order to fit the cowling smoothly. Then the shims came into effect (see above). --The very clear bubble top was fine except that it was far too thick at the base and would not fit the fuselage without very wide gaps all around the bottom edges. I used the Dremel to grind down the interior thin enough that it sat evenly around the whole of the cockpit. --The decals, while very thin and requiring almost no setting solutions at all, were so delicate that too much solvent dissolved them completely. This happened to a couple of the stencils. Thankfully they are minuscule and you cannot really see where they should be if you didn't know they should be there at all. The serial number decal on the port rudder folded onto itself and could not be salvaged. I tried to save it. I also tried to fake it using bits from the Bottomless Bag of Leftover Decals but to no avail. --The markings were a bit orange. They really should be red. I've been to Lebanon. They're red. Hence the colour discrepancy between he hand-painted rudder and the roundels. Other than that, it was a fun and quick build. For your perusal... I had a good time building this kit. I'd build another in Canadian markings given he time. As it is, it makes a fine addition to the Middle-Eastern shelf and I keep it next to the Israeli Fairchild in hopes of détente. --JDCM 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin1967 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 A lovely build and finished kit to add to your collection, despite your problems encountered, the chosen decals and different canopy certainly make it more appealing I to have the AZ 1/72 Chipmunks in my collection and was hoping for a quick build with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Thanks Colin. It was a pretty fast build...3-4 days max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reini78 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 that´s an exotic one nice work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Sorry to hear about the problems .. For what its worth it looks Great 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Thanks Corsair...The problems were few, actually. I was being a stickler. In regards to good kit, this is certainly a well moulded example. I would not, in any case, list this on the 'Worst Kits' thread. Was happy with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Very nice, John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glatisant Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Lovely build. Very nice finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Another lset of lesser built air force markings, on a nice model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 Thanks Natter! I do love the fringes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildeSau75 Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Like it - never saw it in this livery. Cheers, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 Thank you Michael! I think it was originally from Canada, or at least built there. I am not sure when it was used as a trainer in Lebanon. Any help from the Forum would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin1967 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 On 1/15/2018 at 1:46 PM, John D.C. Masters said: This was a small kit, with very few parts but it turned out to need a lot of extra work. I really should have made a WiP since there was so much to do and so many pitfalls. Bullet points... --The cockpit floor is far too wide for the fuselage and needed significant thinning in order to bring the halves even somewhat close together. Even then, I needed Evergreen shims in the nose and in the underside with liberal amounts of putty. --The cowling didn't fit very well at all. I had to actually spread open the fuselage halves in order to fit the cowling smoothly. Then the shims came into effect (see above). --The very clear bubble top was fine except that it was far too thick at the base and would not fit the fuselage without very wide gaps all around the bottom edges. I used the Dremel to grind down the interior thin enough that it sat evenly around the whole of the cockpit. --The decals, while very thin and requiring almost no setting solutions at all, were so delicate that too much solvent dissolved them completely. This happened to a couple of the stencils. Thankfully they are minuscule and you cannot really see where they should be if you didn't know they should be there at all. The serial number decal on the port rudder folded onto itself and could not be salvaged. I tried to save it. I also tried to fake it using bits from the Bottomless Bag of Leftover Decals but to no avail. --The markings were a bit orange. They really should be red. I've been to Lebanon. They're red. Hence the colour discrepancy between he hand-painted rudder and the roundels. Other than that, it was a fun and quick build. For your perusal... I had a good time building this kit. I'd build another in Canadian markings given he time. As it is, it makes a fine addition to the Middle-Eastern shelf and I keep it next to the Israeli Fairchild in hopes of détente. --JDCM Hi John, Thanks for the information, I will get on and build mine too. Regards Colin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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