Flowgar

Hello friends, I like to do some exotic things from time to time and assembled this kit from KP of the Letov S.16 biplane... Initially I studied the history of the plane and the photos available The kit consists of 78 parts injected in gray plastic The decal sheet is of poor quality and of continuous sheet, and the outline of the figure of the sheet decal must be cut before immersing in water. Initially, I separated the two parts of the fuselage and painted the interior with blue Humbrol paint 47 I did the internal detailing .. I improved the interior, put a partition for the machine gun and panel .. All set, it's time to close the fuselage and move on to the other stages ... and assemble the wings, landing gear and other details ... Time to choose the version and colors. I decided to make the version used by the Latvian air force, even because the decal sheet that comes with the kit is unusable ... I have two Encore kits of the Gloster Gladiator biplane that comes with a beautiful decal sheet in various versions, but the box is somewhere stored and I didn't find it, so I bought another Encore kit from the same plane to use the sheet. . And the most delicate and important part is the choice of color to paint the device ... I did a test with the various variations of the Humbrol green enamel on a white palette ... and I decided on color 105 ... After the main painting, it's time to put the decals on ... Here I took the liberty of doing the different alignment of the symbol on the wings, the correct thing would be this ... But I found it very strange and changed the positioning ... In the end, I passed "Future" across the plane... But it was very shiny ... I hope it gets better after drying completely ... I put exhaust pipes in the engine ... and also the water intake from the radiator ... some more details included ... Thank you...!!

Humbrol paints are excellent, especially for those who use a brush like me, but the only color that doesn't work is white. I use Revell's enamel ...

I compared the 1/72 kits, the PM kit with the MPM and Special Hobby kits. The PM kit is smaller, so it is on the 1/75 scale ...

In memory of the centenary of the Raid Roma x Tokyo, I ordered the Ansaldo SVA-10 airplane kit on 1/48 from the Czech manufacturer Fly The SVA Airplane In the year 1916, the aeronautical engineers Savoia and Verduzio, with the collaboration of the engineer Rosatelli, started the project of a biplane fighter equipped with the SPA 6A engine that should be superior to allied and enemy devices. The structure was calculated and studied to obtain great rigidity and aerodynamic fluidity. The diagonal upright structure was adopted for the connection between the upper and lower wing, allowing the almost absence of structural support cables. The adoption of a triangular section at the back of the fuselage also increased the viewing angle downwards. In the fall of 1916, when the SV project was already at an advanced stage, the Ministry of War commissioned SAI Ansaldo de Genova to produce the first prototypes. After the seventh prototype and the resolution and change of several points that failed or needed improvement, the first copies started to leave the Ansaldo factory. Already then the letter "A" (Ansaldo) joined the name, becoming the name as SVA. Although it had a speed higher than 40km / h compared to the SPAD S.VII fighter in straight flight, he was less agile in the aerial duel and slow in responding to acrobatic maneuvers. The same was true when confronting enemy devices such as Brandenburg DI, Aviatik DI and Albatros D.III. In light of this fact, the use of the SVA began to be considered as a multipurpose aircraft, adapted for bombing, observation, training and hunting of ground attack. The SVA Fighter on the Combat Front In January 1917, about thirty devices were already available on the front, and the factory was already producing 40 units monthly. With the pilots getting used to the new characteristics, the strengths and weaknesses, the first aerial victories began to emerge, and even aces like Lieutenant Gino Allegri who shot down about 16 enemy planes with his SVA until February 1918. Anyway, to achieve good results the SVA required an above average driver. The most prominent missions of the SVA planes were in attacks on targets in Austria flying over the Alps on long-range flights. The hydro version was made from the SVA 3 and the bi-station version from the SVA 9 and 10. They were equipped with a double command and the second pilot had a flexible Lewis machine gun available, Another famous mission was the attack on the important industrial center of Friedrichshafen in Germany, the production center of the famous Zeppelin, and the attack on the city of Vienna, capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the war, the SVA devices continued to break records of flying at a distance and in service in the colonies in Africa, making the postal, service and mapping connections. Several units have been exported to other countries such as France, Latvia, Argentina, Yugoslavia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Lithuania, Holland, Poland, Brazil, Spain, Russia, Peru and the United States, usually of the SVA 5 and SVA 10 models, with SPA 6A engine or IF V6. The last specimen was delivered in 1928 totaling 2,000 units built. Technical Specifications SVA Ansaldo SVA Manufacturer: Giovanni Ansaldo & Cia - Italy Length: 8.13 m Wingspan: 9.18 m Height: 2,80 m Alar area: 26.90 m² Empty weight: 665 kg Maximum weight: 975 kg Engines: a 6 HP inline 6-cylinder SPA 6A engine Maximum speed: 228 km / h Armament: a Vickers 7.7mm caliber machine gun synchronized with the propeller and a Lewis machine gun in the same caliber for the rear gunner Crew: two people in tandem The kit is well injected and apparently short-run, there are 32 parts in plastic and another 40 in resin ... There is an extra pair of fuselages, a two-seater version and another single seater, so you can choose one of them ... The injection is clean and with few marks, but few parts have a pin to facilitate assembly, so more attention is needed when joining and gluing ... You have the option of making the wheel spoked or not. A PE sheet comes with the streaked wheel arch and the reinforcements ... Two types of radiators to choose between the two possible engines ... The panel shows the reality of an airplane with very little technical resources, which makes the Raid Roma x Tokyo made with little technological resource more impressive ... Decal sheet for 4 versions ... Colorful manual with clear instructions, for painting there is no specific brand reference, just a description of the color ... At the end an orientation to the cables ... Anyway a kit that has a lot of potential for super detail, standing out in a diorama, for example ...

Great job and this Emhar kit of Mig-3 is the best after the new from Hobby Boss..

Thanks to the modeling colleagues, I will search the indicated places. Note the inscription "Made in China" over old "Made in England"

Hello, I like many of the forum, I am a modeler and collector. Recently I raised a big problem, the poor quality of raw material used by Revell Germany in its editions of Matchbox kits. I have been handling my AFV kits in 1/76 and the tracks are all with the hard and brittle plastic, also the plastic of the kits is brittle and the paper of instructions is in awful condition. These kits I have kept them in safe environment for 25 years and now that I handle them they are in a bad state, I have kits that have been assembled and perfect for almost 40 years, I have never seen a quality of material as low as these manufactured by German Revell in mid 80s. The point is, that there is no spare for the AFV tracks and all the kits are lost with them, what can I do to replace them?