I stumbled across this kit when I was in Eastern Europe, and got it for around £5.50. It’s made by Mistercraft, a Polish company, and at first glance the box-art looked good, and the quality of the box was also very good, so I knew it would definitely be coming back with me in my suitcase!
The Storch is a remarkable little plane, and it’s STOL capabilities were amazing for that time! Although it was only capable of 109mph, it could take-off in 71 yards, and land in only 20 yards, so it could certainly get up and down quickly! Personally, I think it’s a lovely, quirky little plane, and I’ve wanted to build one for quite a while. The small scale, and the desert paint scheme will no doubt make a cracking model if done properly.
At first glance, the parts are made of a soft, light grey plastic, and there is quite a bit of flash. The cockpit is quite bare, with only a post for a joystick. No doubt the cockpit will need a few modifications, but apart from that, the fuselage pieces and wings seem nicely formed. It comes with transfers for two versions, the first being a German version based in North Africa during 1942, and the second being a Polish version, based in Warsaw in 1947. The German version is described in the instructions at the personal plane of Erwin Rommel, so this is my obvious choice!
Looking at the instructions, the canopy could be cumbersome, as it consists of five individual parts. The roof of the canopy also bears a load of the wings, so getting the canopy nice and solid will be vital to the build. There are also the struts to think about, consisting of quite a few thin parts, so careful planning will also be needed to get them all meeting-up good and proper.
So let’s crack on!
So far I’ve been doing these bits:
On the left is step one, the nose and propeller, which just need preparing, although I’m not glueing them until the end, as I want to paint the propeller using oil paints, in order to give an authentic wood look.
In the middle is step two, the cockpit, which the seats glued-in, and the joystick slightly modified with a bit of modelling tape, as to simulate the grip.
On the right is the internal frame for the canopy, which will need to be painted in RLM 02, before it is mounted into the canopy later-on.
When the cockpit is dry, I will be airbrushing all necessary parts with Tamiya's RLM Grey, such as the canopy frame, and the interior of the fuselage, as I like to use my airbrush when there are lots of parts which can be painted, as to prevent unneeded cleaning.
I have also prepared the parts for the canopy by dipping them in Pledge Multi-Surface Wax, as the original clear parts were a bit dull, and I thought they needed brightening up a bit. The Pledge just gives them a glass-like shine, and I'm in the process of waiting of them to dry before I give them the dreaded glueing!
Stay Tuned!