Miles Aerovan -Mikro-Mir 1/72nd completed

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

I enjoyed this build a lot, in spite of the few shortcomings of the kit.

The subjects is very appealing, civil and unusual.

 

Final notes:

Read the detailed construction post:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235027304-miles-aerovan-mikro-mir-172nd/&

Other than that:

This is a very stubborn tail sitter. Even with quite a bit of lead it will tail seat.

The landing gear is weak (because it is to-scale, which is good). So instead of adding lead -as I did-, prop the aft fuselage with the short propping leg -seen in some photos of the real thing- that I added at the end of the construction to the model.

An open tail and a ramp -that also "holds" the aft fuselage- is another possible approach -again, as depicted on the construction post-.

Check photos, since some inaccuracies seemed to have made their way into the kit's painting schemes and decals, regarding geometry and color.

 

What finally decided me for the PH-EAB registration is the fact that it has a larger glassed area on the nose, whilst other liveries, as tempting as they were, had less glass area, hiding detail on the cockpit. Of course it also helped that the decals for the chosen version came with the kit, but the instructions to paint the model are quite inaccurate, and you have to check photos where you can clearly see the differences. PH-EAB went through some changes (even in the clear panels on the nose), so again, look at photos. At one point it had light racks on the fuselage sides for night advertisement.

I really liked this unusual subject. The molding is in general good, you get a few optional liveries (there are plenty more options, surely a matter for the aftermarket entrepreneurs), but you have to work on the fit of some parts.

Most of these issues were covered during the building and posted here.

Reflecting a bit on the build, it is evident that a subject that has for the modeler a great appeal, helps to overcome the faults that almost all kits, one way or another, seem to have. An appealing subject keeps the interest alive throughout the build, and the unusual aspect of this plane is surely an asset.

Perhaps this build will eventually spur the dig up of more references and details on this machine by other modelers/enthusiasts, for the benefit of us all.

I love civil planes, and I love unusual, so for me this was a rewarding build. Wish more manufacturers (some already do) would produce more subjects on those lines.

'Till the next one, distinguished members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 

[JWM]

Nice model of a bizzare machine. Looks  almost as a kind of "Egg model"

Cheers

J-W

 

[Pete in Lincs]

Now that has turned out nicely. Well done.

I particularly like the 'moody' skyline shots.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Thanks JWM and Pete.

JWM: it reminds me of the Little Prince's drawing showing a snake that had eaten an elephant. 

 

 

[Martian]

A gem of a model and a most educational build log, well done!

 

Martian

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

OK, I confess JWM: it is a baby Lockheed Constellation that has swollen a car.

[Eric Mc]

Looks weirder than I imagined it would. Very nice.

[cngaero]

My, that's a strange looking little critter, but very appealing nonetheless.

You've done a lovely job with it.

[John Masters]

That is a neat looking little number and an excellent WiP to boot...

[spiton]

Fantastic. I like very much this plane !

[Learstang]

Brilliant job on a rather appealing little aeroplane! It looks like a baby Ar-232.

 

Regards,

 

Jason

[Dazey]

Lovely model of an interesting subject – thanks for sharing.

 

Regards,

David

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Hi John DC Master

English is my second language, what's the meaning of the expression "little number"? and what's WiP?
 

Always learning

[Troy Smith]

20 minutes ago, Moa said:

what's the meaning of the expression "little number"? and what's WiP?

 

neat looking little number, just slang,   = something that is very good

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/number

WIP = work in progress

 

great model, lovely photography

[Ed Russell]

Excellent job - or may I say "Ripper bewdy" just to confuse you - and a most entertaining build log. Great photography too!

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Thanks Troy and Ed.

My wife is from Yorkshire. Visiting family is always a confusing experience.

 

[Ed Russell]

31 minutes ago, Moa said:

 

My wife is from Yorkshire.

A-ha - now I see why English is your second language!

(my family too, so I'm allowed to say that)

[jeaton01]

Very nice Claudio.   I think seeing you start on this one caused me to go buy one.  At any rate I did that.  It's a cute little bugger.

[perdu]

This is a very lovely Ready For Inspection

 

A great build and marvellous photography, this one has it all

 

Nice 'plane too

[Paul J]

Funny looking thing. First time I saw pics of it was in a copy of the Observers book of Aircraft back in the early 1960s!!! Thought it a funny thing back then too. But you have done a nice neat job on this kit. Very inspiring...

[invidia]

Looks fantastic.  

[RidgeRunner]

Very nice! And flying the flag for 1/72!!!

 

Martin

[John R]

Nice work. I actually saw one of these. It flew over my school sometime in the mid-fifties and it took me years to find out what it was. It was too old to appear in the 'Observers Book of Aircraft'. I am amazed to find it has been kitted.

[sniperUK]

The only part of an Aerovan left ,the tailboom, on top of an old WW" pillbox on Newtownards airfield used for the windsock. The Miles factory was on the opposite side of the airfield.

 

Edited December 1, 2017 by sniperUK