1/72 Fieseler Storch

[Eddy]

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!

[Mitch K]

Good start!

[Eddy]

Oh, yes, and I forgot to mention that my progress may be grounded for a few days, as I've ordered some supplies which I need for the build, but I imagine that they're stuck in the christmas rush. Amongst the bits and bobs that I've ordered is some Mr Hobby RLM 79 Sandgelb, which I will need to paint the canopy with, as in my opinion, with all the cumbersome struts, painting the canopy first is the only option

[Eddy]

Hi everyone, it's been a while, but I've been cracking on with the Storch over the hectic time of christmas!

As I imagined, the canopy was an absolute nightmare, as it consisted of six ill-fitting individual parts, and the top panel also partially bears some weight of the wings. Eventually I managed to put the parts together into what seemed to look like a Storch cockpit, with addition of a mixture of Mr. Surfacer and Vallejo filler. I then painted the canopy with my eagerly-awaited Mr. Hobby Colour Sandgelb:

The rest of the build fitted together quite nicely, and I was very surprised at how easily the wings slotted onto the clear glass canopy. I was very impressed with the strength of the Formula 560 Canopy Glue, which maintained a very strong bond, and the intricate canopy could easily bear the weight of the wings. The struts were much easier than I imagined to construct, except there was a lack of guiding holes in the fuselage, so that had to be dealt with. Apart from that, what at first seemed like a daunting multitude of struts, were actually quite easy to fit, although I owe thanks to an American friend on another forum, who kindly gave me a diagram on how to assemble the struts, so many thanks to him!

This is my progress so far: For the primer I used Alclad's Grey Primer with Microfiller. For the RLM 79 "Sandgelb" I used Mr. Hobby H066, and for the RLM 78 "Himmelblau", I used Mr. Hobby H4183. The white theatre stripe was just masked and done with Tamiya matt white:

I have a few more details to paint, and then I'll give it a coat of Pledge, in time for the decals!

[Learstang]

That looks very nice! I've always liked the Storch.

Regards,

Jason

[CedB]

Very nice Eddy. A tricky kit, especially the canopy - Good work!

[John_W]

A bit of a necropost, but found this thread while looking for reviews on the Mistercraft kit.

A comparison of sprue shots would indicate that the moulds are the same as the old Heller kit.