Giorgio N Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 yet another proof that the modeller is stronger than the hardest kit ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Getting the engine on and the cowling satisfactorily in place took the best part of two hours. This task isn't made easier by the fact that the underside of the cowling is entirely the wrong shape and doesn't need fettling so much as insensate brutality to make it fit. The carburettor intake (not very visible) is made in two pieces, both the wrong shape and needs similar treatment. I need to make two trapezoidal cooling flaps to fit either side of the intake,but that will be easy enough. I drilled the two small intakes in the wing roots. These are totally absent in the kit. There should be some mesh inside these, but I'll have to have a headscratch about how to represent that. I've a bit of work to do around the intake, but I should be able to get some primer on her this week. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 I got her primed, then blew on the yellow for the identity panels.The wings went OK, but the fuselage? It's taken about ten coats! Then I've discovered this is one of those builds where every time you look you find some blasted pinhole that needs some filler! Pictures tomorrow, when I've got some paint on for real. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 This one is coming along quickly. I nearly missed it. Looking good, and as Giorgio said, much improved from the Airfix kit I remember. The level of detail you are adding is very impressive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Thanks Chockhead, and thanks to all who have looked so far. Here's most of the oddments to be added. Propellor, U/C and windscreen.The latter will go on at the very end. I simply couldn't be faffed with masking and spraying this, so I freehanded it with a 3/0 kolinsky. Here's a couple of shots of the painted bird. The guns went on before painting. The barrels are resin - beautifully detailed and exquisitely fragile. The colours are mixed from Tamiya acrylics, and have had a couple of coats of Klear. I've fitted the headrest, gunsight (a lovely little resin casting that just needs a bit of clear sheet adding) and the exhausts, after drilling out. The side glazing panels were scratched up from clear sheet, and hopefully some Klear will improve them. She's ready for decals and a coat or two of Klear. I've got to drill the wheel wells to take the U/C legs, but once the U/C legs and doors are on, the windshield's in place and the prop's on, she'll be about done. I think these aircraft had hard lives, but I'm not going to go overboard with weathering: some smoke stains and a bit of a pin wash on the panels. The last thing is going to be to fit the four tiny resin aileron balances. They're a bit delicate, to say the least... Home straight now! Edited January 18, 2015 by Mitch K 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 You've done a good job with painting the windscreen Mitch. Always difficult with small screens, particularly just pesky curves. As you say, not far to go now - it's looking good! Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Decals are on. They went on beautifully and they ticked all the boxes: thin, flexible, tough, opaque, sharply printed - not a thing to not like. I'll let them dry overnight and give her another coat of Klear tomorrow. The hole under the fuselage is for the venturi probe. This is doesn't appear anywhere in the kit, so I've scratchbuilt it and will fit it at the end. The holes are drilled for the antenna, aerial and (not visible) lights and pitots. I've made up the lights ready to go on. The scratch on the rudder has subsequently been painted over! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Really coming to life now Cliff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Great to see the distinctive markings on this one now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger331 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Looking forward to seeing this one finished. Some years ago I was lucky enough to be invited to see the 'Alladins Cave', as it is known which is the storage area (basement) immediately below the Yugoslav (now Serbian) Aeronautical museum adjacent to Belgrade International Airport. One of the many aircraft awaiting restoration is the sole remaining Fiat G.50 in the world, which is a former Croatian machine that fell into Yugoslav Partisan hands towards the end of the War. After use, the aircraft was moved around the Former Yugoslavia on a number of occasions and suffered from both exposure to the elements and damage during transit. Some of the former owners insignia (in particular the shields on the lower wing surfaces and fin can still be made out in spite of the overpainting with Partisan insignia and the years of exposure). Its to be hoped that one day the museum authorities will find the money to complete the restoration. The Italian authorities have tried, on several occasions, to purchase the airframe....so far without success since it is deemed to be as historically important to the Serbians/Croatians/Yugoslavians as it is to the Italians !. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 It's looking great, I built one of these a few years ago and it certainly puts up a fight! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 It's looking great, I built one of these a few years ago and it certainly puts up a fight! You're not kidding. I've done martial arts/combat sports (boxing, judo, tai chi, fencing) all my life and there's not too many things or people that's fought back like this one has! Looking forward to seeing this one finished. Some years ago I was lucky enough to be invited to see the 'Alladins Cave', as it is known which is the storage area (basement) immediately below the Yugoslav (now Serbian) Aeronautical museum adjacent to Belgrade International Airport. One of the many aircraft awaiting restoration is the sole remaining Fiat G.50 in the world, which is a former Croatian machine that fell into Yugoslav Partisan hands towards the end of the War. After use, the aircraft was moved around the Former Yugoslavia on a number of occasions and suffered from both exposure to the elements and damage during transit. Some of the former owners insignia (in particular the shields on the lower wing surfaces and fin can still be made out in spite of the overpainting with Partisan insignia and the years of exposure). Its to be hoped that one day the museum authorities will find the money to complete the restoration. The Italian authorities have tried, on several occasions, to purchase the airframe....so far without success since it is deemed to be as historically important to the Serbians/Croatians/Yugoslavians as it is to the Italians !. Cheers Tiger! I've seen some photos of theplace, and you're right, Aladdin's Cave describes it. Absolute goldmine there. I'm aware of the story of how at least one of these ended up in Partisan hands, which is a real irony. Here's hoping somebody (anyone!) stumps up the cash to get a unique aircraft back to her original glory! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 After last night's upheaval, I'm gladto have got anything done at all. The prop's on, I've fitted a radio aerial (fishing line) and applied a pin wash of acrylic ink. There's a navigation light on the end of the tail, made from clear sprue, but it doesn't show up too well. The pitot tubes are steel wire (guitar string), and the lights are made from stretched sprue, melted over and coloured with drawing inks. The undercarriage legs and doors went on OK. I added brake pipes from wire, and the home-made venturi. The aileron balances are tiny resin items, crisply cast and a nightmare to fit! She needs another gloss coat, then some matt and a bit of dirt and smoke. I'll fit the windscreen last of all and finish it all with the hairy stick. Should be done this weekend! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 That pin wash has certainly brought this alive Mitch (that and the prop of course!) Cliff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) DONE!!! Two coats of matt, some soot and dirt and the windscreen installed and I'm calling her done. She fought every inch of the way, but I think the final result is OK. The Fiat G.50 was another one of those designs that pitched up when aircraft development was going at a headlong pace. It was inferior to its contemporary, the MC.200, being slower and less manouverable, but was apparently kept on as a back-up and to keep Fiat in the fighter business. The pace of development meant it went from being a competent fighter to being outdated in about no time flat, although the Finns achieved astonishingly good results using them. By the time these aircraft were delivered (after several delays!) to the Croatians, the Fiat G.50bis was miserably obsolete as a fighter. The fitting of German radios and navigation equipment increased the weight, reduced the fuel load and further degraded performance. Up against any sort of air cover, these aircraft would have been sitting ducks, but attacking Partisans was still within their capability. The Fiats apparently only had their two nose-mounted machineguns, and were not fitted with bomb racks, so their effectiveness couldn't have been that great. I've seen various histories written about these aircraft, some saying they saw no combat, others that they were heavily engaged. The Croats used the MC.202 against B24's, so I cannot imagine that they would have failed to use them in their desperate position. Edited January 25, 2015 by Mitch K 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I've enjoyed watching your progress Mitch, as well as discovering the history of this machine, the result of your effort looks great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milktrip Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Great work Mitch & very informative too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 A very nice result, even though it fought you a few times! Well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Congratulations Mitch! It's fabulous. Really nice photographs too! Cliff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 It's a very good looking model, great job on what is not really the best fitting kit around.. Small bit of trivia on the G.50: the totally flat bottom of the fuselage is the result of the original specification that requested an inner bay for a load of small bombs for ground attack purposes. The inner bay was then found useless, initially sealed and then abandoned completely. It would have probably been useful for the kind of missions done when in Croatian hands ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) That looks really nice Mitch. Good job on a tough little kit. I've always had a soft spot for those planes that just missed the mark or were a little late to the show. Pity none of the main manufacturers make a nice new tool of it, hint hint Airfix. Edited January 29, 2015 by Misterfriend 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaCee26 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) You're not kidding. I've done martial arts/combat sports (boxing, judo, tai chi, fencing) all my life and there's not too many things or people that's fought back like this one has! Congratulations! So that explains how you have been able to find out the hidden G.50 from the kit! Mine is an older edition. Molded in green plastic and with badly yellowed vac windscreen. Otherwise the problems seems to be the same. Cheers, AaCee Edited January 29, 2015 by AaCee26 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeusa Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 A hard fought win over a difficult kit with an excellent result. Your Fiat looks great. Good job and in record time for this kit. My hat's off to you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thank you very much, everybody. This was a tough old build, but all in all I'm really pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedman Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Great build, it looks fantastic in those markings! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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