3D Blitz 1/72 PC-21 & Ronin Graphics Australia Decals RAAF A54-001

[Wilks]

With the first four now on Australian soil, a good collection of photo references and decals from Ronin Graphics Australia, it was time to give one of these a whirl.

 

Have been making steady progress on it since getting the motivation to cutting it out and gluing it together.

 

 

 

The kit goes together very well and while filler is required it doesn't take much to smooth out the joints and seams ready for some detail.

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of areas of opportunity for this kit where the RAAF examples are concerned is the addition of some panel lines and the NACA vents on the spine behind the cockpit.

 

There is a distinct panel line that runs from about the rear of the canopy down to the wing fillet that I added for affect along with others on the wings and fin.

 

 

I originally thought there was only one of these but on closer inspection realized there were two. My approach was a little rudimentary but ensured two nearly identical vents when I was done.

 

I elected to use the decals in the kit to simulate the instrument panel and side panels in the cockpit which look rather effective. The color grey I settled on for the interior was a Humbrols Matt 87 which seems to approximate the reference photos I collected of the RAAF's examples. The instrument and side panels were coated in Future in readiness for the decals. The Future has just been applied in the image following.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a bit of tidying up and some undercoat they start to look the part.

 

 

With the exterior shaping up it was time to add some color to this machine. The red is rather difficult to match as it takes on a different shade depending on the light. I eventually landed on Tamiya's Bright Red front the rattle can that I decanted using a straw and ran through my airbrush. 

 

The blue is the darkest of dark blues you can imagine. My solution for the match was 300 drops of Gunze Flat Black into a standard jar of Gunze Thunderbirds Blue. I tested the match before applying to the model.

 

 

Once the blue was applied over a red undercoat it get even darker which is close to the real thing.

 

 

Then on to masking it up for the darkest of dark blue. 

 

 

It is starting to look the goods.

 

 

 

 

You can see how dark the blue is now.

 

With a couple of coats of Future it was time to apply the Ronin Graphics Australia decals.  And what a treat they are...

 

 

The quality of these decals is sensational. The opacity of the white over the red and dark blue surfaces is without peer in my humble experience. They also follow the contours and panel lines beautifully and without decal set. 

 

 

 

The decal for the canopy needed only the slightest amount of coaxing to lay down perfectly.

 

 

They have thought of everything including making short work of the detail on the five bladed prop. While you need to apply with care they look the goods.

 

 

I love the Southern Cross on the underside.

 

 

It has quite a beak on it this thing but with the prop just pressed on it is really starting to look the part.

 

 

Time to finish off the details and get it over the finish line... More to follow.

 

Cheers,

 

AGW..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wilks]

Getting there slowly but surely. Starting to look more like the real thing with every additional component.

 

[Pete in Lincs]

That does look very nice indeed.

I built a 1/72nd PC-21 a couple of years ago,

I can't remember the kit makers name though.

 

The main gear was fiddly to assemble and I seem

to remember the exhausts weren't quite right?

[Wilks]

Thanks Pete. Might have been this same kit as not sure of another in this scale.

 

The gear is a little fiddly and requires a leap of faith on positioning but looks the part once done.

 

I haven't gotten to the exhausts yet but will be interesting see given they are such a prominent part of the forward fuselage.

 

Cheers,

AGW..

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Nice work Wilks, captured the colour and look nicely