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Revell 1/32 Arado AR196A-3 Seaplane "FINAL REVEAL!!": Hello Guys, Following on from my "Build Update #6" posting, I assembled the canopy onto the fuselage, attached an EZ-Line antenna, glued all the light lenses into their locations, glued the pitot tube and counter-balance weights onto the underside of the wings, along with door handles on the canopy frame sections, and, fitted the engine cowlings and engine bay doors in their open positions to complete her!! So, here are the "Final Reveal" images of my completed Arado AR196A-3...I hope you enjoy the views as much as I enjoyed building her! And, forgive me for the number of photos that I have posted, I couldn't make my mind up which ones to select and it was taking me too long to choose, so in the end, I just uploaded all of the photos. Well, there she is. I hope you enjoyed the views as much as I enjoyed building this fabulous kit, which I must say, is fabulous value for money! Now, I have to start designing and planning part two of this build, which will be the diorama to set this plane into. I have 4 ideas presently "floating" around my head (no pun intended), but first, I need to sketch them all out and calculate my material requirements and costs before deciding which design idea I go with. I'm a little anxious as I've never built a diorama before and have no clue where to start, so, I guess watching some fellow modelers "How To" vids are my next step! If you didn't see my "Build Thread" for this model, here is the link to it: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234980467-revell-132-arado-ar196a-3-seaplane-my-first-post/ In the mean-time, if you'd like to watch my "Final Reveal" YouTube video for this plane build, here is the link to it: https://youtu.be/ZRKU-k-M-BE And, on my YouTube channel you can find my "In-Box-Review" and "Build Update" Videos, for this build, too: "In-Box-Review" video link: https://youtu.be/MxfUpfYJDyU "Build Update #1" video link: https://youtu.be/nJ4rEbxFcv8 "Build Update #2" video link: https://youtu.be/Z_NoWew9Qus "Build Update #3" video link: https://youtu.be/AUQsz__kKyE "Build Update #4" video link: https://youtu.be/FpnxQFUASbU "Build Update #5" video link: https://youtu.be/iyCPzT-H_wU Thanks again to everyone that has followed this build thread, and, for the kind and encouraging comments that you have left me, they are all greatly appreciated and keep me motivated to continue! Happy modeling guys! Have Fun! Cheers!! Martin
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Hello Everyone, I have just joined the forum and this is my first contribution to Britmodeller. I hope you enjoy this build thread? History: The Arado Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance low-wing monoplane aircraft built by the German firm of Arado starting in 1936. The next year it was selected as the winner of a design contest and became the standard aircraft of the Kriegsmarine (German navy) throughout World War II. Design and development In 1933, the Kriegsmarine looked for a standardized shipboard reconnaissance aircraft. After a brief selection period, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry, RLM) decided on the Heinkel He 60 biplane. This was one of a line of developments of a basic biplane airframe that appeared as a number of floatplanes, trainers, and fighters. Deliveries started in a matter of months. By 1935, it was found that the He 60's performance was lacking and the RLM asked Heinkel to design its replacement. The result was the He 114. The first prototype was powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 600 inline engine, but it was clear that supplies of this engine would be limited and the production versions turned to the BMW 132 radial engine instead. The plane proved to have only slightly better performance than the He 60, and its sea-handling was poor. Rushed modifications resulted in a series of nine prototypes in an attempt to solve some of the problems, but they didn't help much. The Navy gave up, and the planes were eventually sold off to Romania, Spain and Sweden. In October 1936, the RLM asked for a He 114 replacement. The only stipulations were that it would use the BMW 132, and they wanted prototypes in both twin-float and single-float configurations. Designs were received from Dornier, Gotha, Arado and Focke-Wulf. Heinkel declined to tender, contending that the He 114 could still be made to work. With the exception of the Arado low-wing monoplane design, all were conventional biplanes. That gave the Arado better performance than any of the others and the RLM ordered four prototypes. The RLM was also rather conservative by nature, so they also ordered two of the Focke-Wulf Fw 62 design as a backup. It quickly became clear that the Arado would work effectively, and only four prototypes of the Fw 62 were built. The Ar 196 prototypes were all delivered in summer 1937, V1 (which flew in May) and V2 with twin floats as A models, and V3 and V4 on a single float as B models. Both versions demonstrated excellent water handling and there seemed to be little to decide one over the other. Since there was a possibility of the smaller outrigger floats on the B models "digging in", the twin-float A model was ordered into production. A single additional prototype, V5, was produced in November 1938 to test final changes. 10 A-0s were delivered in November and December 1938, with a single 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun in the rear seat for defense. Five similarly equipped B-0s were also delivered to land-based squadrons. This was followed by 20 A-1 production models starting in June 1939, enough to equip the surface fleet. Starting in November, production switched to the heavier land-based A-2 model. It added shackles for two 50 kg (110 lb) bombs, two 20 mm MG FF cannons in the wings, and a 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun in the cowling. The A-4 replaced it in December 1940, strengthening the airframe, adding another radio, and switching props to a VDM model. The apparently mis-numbered A-3, which had additional strengthening of the airframe, replaced the A-4. The final production version was the A-5 from 1943, which changed radios and cockpit instruments, and switched the rear gun to the much-improved MG 81Z. Overall, 541 Ar 196s (15 prototypes and 526 production models) were built before production ended in August 1944, about 100 of these from SNCA and Fokker plants. The Ar 196C was a proposed aerodynamically-refined version. The Ar 196C project was cancelled in 1941. Operational history An Ar 196 on board the German cruiser Admiral Hipper The plane was loved by its pilots, who found it handled well both in the air and on the water. With the loss of the German surface fleet, the A-1s were added to coastal squadrons and continued to fly reconnaissance missions and submarine hunts into late 1944. Two notable operations were the capture of HMS Seal, and the repeated interception of RAF Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley bombers. Although it was no match for a fighter, it was considerably better than its Allied counterparts, and generally considered the best of its class. Owing to its good handling on water, the Finnish Air Force utilized Ar 196s just for transporting and supplying special forces patrols behind enemy lines, landing on small lakes in remote areas. Several fully equipped soldiers were carried in the fuselage. Arado in Allied hands Arado AR196 naval reconnaissance floatplane in the collection of the Bulgarian Air Force Museum at the airport in Plovdiv. The aircraft is the pride of the director, who is seen in the foreground. Previously, this seaplane was at the Marinemuseum in Varna, but was returned to the Air Force Museum for lack of space The first Arado Ar 196 to fall into allied hands was an example belonging to the German cruiser Admiral Hipper, which was captured in Lyngstad, Eide, by a Norwegian Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11 seaplane of the Trøndelag naval district on 8 April 1940, at the dawn of the Norwegian Campaign. After being towed to Kristiansund by the torpedo boat HNoMS Sild, it was used against its former owners, flying with Norwegian markings. At 03:30 on 18 April, the Arado was evacuated to the UK by a Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service pilot. The plane was shortly thereafter crashed by a British pilot while on transit to the Helensburgh naval air base for testing. At the end of the war, at least one Arado Ar 196 was left at a Norwegian airfield and kept in use as a liaison aircraft by the Royal Norwegian Air Force for a year on the West coast. Former military operators Bulgaria- Bulgarian Air Force Finland- Finnish Air Force Germany- Kriegsmarine Luftwaffe Norway - (captured)Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service, Royal Norwegian Air Force Soviet Union- Soviet Air Force, Soviet Naval Aviation Aircraft on display Ar 196 A-3An aircraft operated by the Bulgarian Air Force is displayed at the Museum of Aviation and the Air Force, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.Ar 196 A-5, Werknummer of 623 167An aircraft that formerly equipped the German cruiser Prinz Eugen is in storage at the Paul Garber Facility of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, and awaiting restoration. Ar 196 A-5, Werknummer of 623 183Another aircraft from the Prinz Eugen was displayed from 1949 to 1995 at the Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and subsequently transferred to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. The upper fuselage and canopy were damaged during transit, and it remained in storage awaiting restoration. In December 2012, it was packed into containers and shipped to Nordholz, Germany. Restoration began in August 2013, in time for that city's celebration for 100 years of German naval aviation. The plane, on long term loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, will eventually be displayed at the Naval Air Wing 3 (Marinefliegergeschwader 3) headquarters at Nordholz Naval Airbase. The Aircraft Historical Museum, Sola, Norway, has on display an Ar 196 A-2 fuselage frame raised from the wreck of the German cruiser Blücher in Oslofjord. Another aircraft is known to lie in the Jonsvatnet, a lake near Trondheim in Norway. A number of wartime German aircraft have been recovered from the lake, but the Ar 196 remains undisturbed as its crew were killed when it crashed there in 1940 and it has the status of a War Grave. A wrecked Arado Ar 196 A-3, believed to be D1 + EH, was snagged by a fishing trawler off the island of Irakleia in 1982 at a depth of 91 meters. It was towed out of the fishing lanes to shallower waters (about 11 meters). The upside down plane, with fuselage and wings mostly intact, has become a popular spot for Scuba diving. Specifications (Ar 196 A-2) General characteristics Crew: Two (pilot and observer) Length: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in) Wingspan: 12.4 m (40 ft 0 in) Height: 4.45 m (14 ft 7 in) Wing area: 28.4 m² (306 ft²) Empty weight: 2,990 kg (6,592 lb) Max. takeoff weight: 3,720 kg (8,200 lb) Powerplant: 1 × BMW 132K 9-cylinder radial engine, 960 PS (706 kW, 947 hp) Performance: Maximum speed: 311 km/h (193 mph) Range: 1,080 km (670 mi) Service ceiling: 7,010 m (23,000 ft) Rate of climb: 300 m/min (980 ft/min) Wing loading: 98.2 kg/m² (20.1 lb/ft²) Power/mass: 167 W/kg (0.101 hp/lb) Armament: Guns: 1 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 machine gun 1 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine gun 2 × 20 mm MG FF cannons Bombs: 2 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs The Box and Artwork: A side panel of the box showing some of the many details included in this kit: Contained within the box are 13 grey sprues, one clear sprue, a 16 page black and white assembly, paint and decal instruction booklet and a sheet of cartograf decals. The grey sprues are divided into 5 clear polythene bags that are sealed with a strip of cellotape, and, the clear sprue is in a bag of its own. The decals are covered with a soft opaque paper sheet and inserted into the center pages of the instruction booklet. The box is one fabrication with access to the contents enabled by pulling open one of the end flaps. I much prefer the two piece box constructions with a base and a lid: Pages 2 + 3: Pages 4 + 5: Pages 6 + 7: Pages 8 + 9: Pages 10 + 11: Pages 12 + 13: Pages 14 + 15: Pages 1 + 16- the front and back pages: The 13 grey Sprues: A close up of some detail on one of the sprues: The clear sprue: And, finally, the Decal sheet: Overall, at first sight, these parts look very well engineered with zero flash, and if any, it's hardly noticeable. The details are nice and crisp, the molded parts are clean, free of warp and ejector pin marks in visible surfaces. The clear parts are thin, free of blemishes, gate blushing and/or splaying, air traps, knit and weld lines and no optical aberrations to disturb visual transparency and clarity. There's a ton of styrene for the price, the decals are very nice (cartograf), but the instructions look a little confusing in places...we'll see when we get to the build. That's my introduction done with, now onto the build! Thanks in advance for taking a look guys and commenting. Cheers, Martin
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- Float Plane
- WWII
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