'V'

Only been 3 weeks thinking about it, what was I thinking ?? Should I fight it Should I chuck it Should I ............. And so on This I had hoped would be a reasonably simple & fast build. Sadly that is not the case. In fact it's survival is due to me being too damn tight to chuck it in the bin. Each flap is a 2 part build, but there is no way you can adequately construct with flaps extended and when you try to make retracted there are huge gaps. It sat near the bin, but hey that's what filler is for. It will be a multiple fill job, but after 2 sessions it looks like it may work. There is still a huge drop below the wings upper surface, I have no doubt the real thing is a little agricultural and that I'll have to live with. Away tomorrow at Yeovil Exhibition with mostly Czech aircraft, by use or build. Selling off some kits as well. If I sell enough I shall look for a KP BH-11 kit to finish the BH-9 & BH-10 line-up. 'V'

I gave myself 10 days or so to have the KP Avia BH-9 ready to go on my table at the Yeovil Model Show on Sunday 27th October. The KP kit actually needed more attention than I've given it and in retrospect I'd do some things differently and no doubt be happier with the results. Here are the two side by side. Personally I prefer the Vacform B-10 (BH-10) to the KP BH-9, however I spent more time working the vacformed propeller into an acceptable shape than I've spent on the entire KP build. Decals on the BH-9 still drying out and still have windscreens to attach, but will be on the table this Sunday. 'V'

Right, here are two photographs - a similar aircraft, but both BH-10's ????? The first is a good match to my Vacform model, the second not a particularly good match. Anyway, to the BH-9 build. Here are the components where I have now fitted the cockpit interior. This was a problem as having built as a sub assembly that the instructions tell you I found it wouldn't fit, being too deep to close the model fuselage halves together. This mean pulling apart, then sanding each component, then checking, sticking in, before starting the next part. I have painted all a wood colour as suggested, but now need to pick out the control columns. You are provided with decals to represent seat belts and these need to be added to the painted seats. Then add before closing the halves together - you can't feed the seats through afterwards. My vacform radial engine came out not too bad in comparison. Can't say the same about the propeller, but then just using a vacform prop was a challenge. Perhaps I'll get a BH-11 kit to have a family ??? 'V'

Extended now to include a 1/72 KP BH-9 build. Why ? It seemed like a good idea at the time as the kit I bought has blue decals with a Czech Airforce trainer blue 'C180 code that I might use. More investigation and I'm now very confused because from the photographs I've found of BH-10's they were not all the same. From what I've found they were modified, perhaps re-built. I have this Vacform where the seam along the fuselage side is very pronounced and that matches a prototype photo of C157 - an early photo. Then in another photograph one showing markings 1SK and an indistinguishable squadron code there is no such seam line at all. This is from a much later period. Then in a book with loads of artists prints it shows an alleged BH-10 with a long nose similar in length to the BH-9, but no forward cockpit, all BH-10's were single seaters The print show a build number B-10-20, with a code C155, the second to last 'build' from a series of 21. The KP BH-9 kit has longer wings, both main & tailplane and being a 2 seater has a much longer fuselage. As the 10's were so small I would have expected a two seater to need more wing area, even if they both used the same NZ60 powerplant. But that artists print was alongside a BH-9 illustration at the same length. Now NEVER fully believe art works, but what actual photographs I've found seem to contradict each other. More investigations to continue and Before I join the BH-9 fuselage I'll add a couple of build photos. Thanks for the 'Likes' guys it helps keep me motivated. 'V'

I hope you find a happy home on here. I could, no will, ask questions about Czech Airforce subjects Although I've given up on a Czech service 1/72 Soviet Pe-2 kit as I think the canopy and airframe are wrong !! 'V'

Good old Contrail, this kit must be as old as half the active members on Britmodeller !! By Vacform scaling 1;74 is better than average. I just tremble at the sheer amount of work ahead. I must keep watching as you battle plastic. 'V'

Still not 100% finished, but here with the National markings from the period 1924 - 1926. The KP kit livery in one of their offerings shows a squadron badge relating to 1929 onwards time scale ? that has me puzzled unless it was a 'special' commemorative livery. Most of the pictures I have seen do not show any BH-10's in this 3 colour camouflage. To make my own 'story' I have bought a KP BH-9 2 seater kit and the decals include a blue 'C' number which agrees with most of the military owned versions that always seemed to carry a 'C' marking, but no squadron emblems. More of the BH-9 2 seaters were used by the Czech military so when that arrives it will also have the 3 colour camouflage, but being a more regular trainer will carry a squadron badge. KP also do a BH-3 & BH-11 version , No I think 2 of these interesting braced monoplanes will do !! 'V'

Work continues slowly. Today I've started using superglue and bicarb as a filler. It's just too slow waiting for traditional fillers to set hard enough to file & sand. Because this build is getting bogged down with a lot of 'Just Waiting' I've started a Russian Vacform that you can see sitting on the cutting mat. I have a question for anyone interested in the Czechoslovak Airforce. This Russian build is a Pe2 and I know a few, perhaps as few as 2, were used and evaluated by the Czechs, I even have the name of one evaluating pilot with a poor nose on photo. Has anyone got further information ??? Almost certainly in Russian camouflage with red stars, I'd love to find one with white ringed Czech roundels !! 'V'

Missed thanking you Vesa Jussila, Make it because it's there. It didn't take too long and here is the result with the now slightly tapered fuselage front. Here is where the fuselage meets the wing centre section, reasonable alignment now. There is some filling needed as the two halves didn't match well. However I've painted the wing joins and the motor attachment as seen here. The paint should have been matt and dried quickly, but I might have mixed in some gloss a long time ago and it's very slow. A wait until this is fully dry before a major filling job. In comparison a really good fitting kit would have been a bore, this offers a challenge !! (I could do without) 'V'

Hi HPoirot, This is not going to be as quick & easy as I thought. Most Czech stuff is very good, but It seems there was more distortion in the fuselage halves than I thought. It's only become obvious once the bulkhead & cockpit floor are stuck in. While the rear fuselage fitted O.K the nose is way out and there is no way this will just pull together. I have pretty much zero information & drawings and I reverted to YouTube for some videos. It seems that the fuselage nose tapers in and is narrower than the engine cowling. Put on Vacform builders hat - If parts don't fit get the saw out. This may well cause someone who just works with top quality, super accurate kits to give up. Don't despair, I have now sawn the front off along a panel line. I will now try my best to match up to both the motor cowling and existing fuselage with the engine related bulge under the wing.. I hope my experience of say a Contrail Valiant, where I had to saw one wing half into 3 pieces to achieve what I wanted is enough to get this into acceptable shape. Come to think of it the Mach II Valiant needed sawing as well. So much for a quick job !! 'V'

My thanks to Bjorn and the three other likes that help in keeping me going. OH WHY DO WE ............. Start another model before getting on with existing projects ? I'm certain I'm not alone in this, but there is this tendency to have 2, 3 even 4 things all on the 'go' at one time. My 'Bumblebee' needs some painting, the pilots seat and basic interior, but I don't want to paint today, perhaps this evening ? So I've started a 1993, a date on the instructions, of a Russian vacform Pe-2. Well I know there are injection kits around that will be far superior, but this one came from Konstantin Alexandrov who lived in Kiev. I used to send him some expensive Hasegawa 1/48 kits, something unobtainable for him in the Warsaw Pact days of the USSR. He would send what he could find in 1/72 my scale. At the moment I'm making an awful mess down in my shed. The Bumblebee will continue tonight - All being well. 'V'

Hi Bjorn, Exactly the same could be said for my last 4 vacuum formed builds. It was all from well before injection kits were available. They also need particular skills that I need to keep current. That last resin kit build was a helicopter in 2006 - I found some pictures. You could just bin old kits, but these all have memories attached, often to people no longer with us. 'V'

Hi AlxBNE Tag along, fine by me, you might be able to give me the odd tips. First as I said this has spent too many years in my loft. There is some distortion, not excessive and could have been there all along. The hot water treatment has brought back to a small enough difference for glue to hold together. The water was hot enough to hold your hand in for a few seconds, way off boiling as that could be destructive. My main wing parts now glued together. I used superglue and the centre grabbed while I was still about 0.5 mm off end to end, front to rear O.K. These wings have dihedral on the outer panels, but no drawings to help get it right, that will have to be a guess work job. They also have leading edge slats and 2 part flaps with ailerons, amounting to 14 parts to make the wings. I didn't check the wing tip thickness and now after they are stuck together find there is quite a difference. I did check where the 3 wing sections join and that is quite good.. I suppose as long as the wing tips sit at the same parked height nobody will notice as you can't look at both at the same time !! Ugh, going together quickly means I'm already at a point where some painting needs to be done. Makes a change from vacforms !! 'V'

Oh my it's that mad Czech subject modeller. While I await the fully hardening of paint on my BH-10 build I thought I might have a look in the loft - This caught my eye. Miku kit No.036 a resin set of parts sealed into 9 packets - I wondered if this might be a fast build ? I've only ever made 1 other 100% resin kit before and that would be at least 20 years ago. From what I remember it went together O.K. This one has been freezing & cooking in my loft for over 20 years, but at first sight it looks fine. Why would I want to make a mid 1960's crop duster/private aircraft ? You may well ask, the answer is it was in the loft, what more of an excuse do I need ? Anyway it makes a change from mid 1920's military aircraft. I do wonder what other strange things I have tucked away 'V'

I'll say the photograph is worse than the model !! Undercarriage needs painting a few finer details like pitot then National Flag decals. Alongside this years Czech builds All vacuumformed kits and the BH10 with a vacform radial engine and prop, you don't see that very often. 'V'