Vulcanicity Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Hi all! As a break from cramming detail into Matchbox biplanes, I embarked on one of my Telford buys, the AZ Chipmunk - on the suggestion that I needed a bit of a rest and a mojo restorer! It's quite a nice kit, with very delicate surface detail and a well-detailed interior. It's rather lacking in some of the finer details however- I added tie-down rings, actuator jacks for the flaps, pitot probe, catches for the sliding portion of the canopy, two blade aerials, a scoop on the cowling, the little strakes on the wing leading edges, brake lines, etc, plus drilling out the exhaust and all the scoops. Fit is questionable - it's been a while since I built a "proper" short-run kit and it was a bit of a shock! There's thick flash, the wing-fuselage joint needs a shim, and the cockpit won't close up unless you shave off some of the sidewall detail to admit the sides of the seats. You need to shave a goodly amount off the fuselage decking sections under the canopy Also, the tailplanes fit much better the wrong way up - I thought this was the correct way of fitting them until I noticed that the elevator trim tab was on the wrong side! Nothing a bit of filler and a rescribe couldn't fix... Decals are a right mix, on account of the kit schemes being a bit uninspiring and quite a few of the stencils being inaccurate. I raided the spares bank for an old Airfix kit sheet, which provided most of the stencils and the wing walkways (AZ provide these but they're the wrong shape and don't follow the panel lines). The markings for WP901/B of 6 Air Experience Flight (based at Abingdon in the 1970s-1980s) came from the excellent S&M "Post War Piston Trainers" sheet - although they're super thin and settle down like a dream I had to double up all the roundels in order to get them remotely opaque! The most outlandish decal source is the red First Aid cross - which is part of a 41sq insignia from the Italeri Jaguar! So a bit of a mixed bag - Not as easy to build as the Airfix, and like that kit is a bit of a blank canvas for added external details - but if you've got the skills to make it fit, it's a considerably more refined starting point, and you don't have to attack it with sandpaper to get rid of hundreds of scale fist-sized rivets! 35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Lovely. I wish someone would bring out a 1/48 scale Chippy. Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 I really like this 👍 I wish we had Chipmunks here for warbirds. They look like they would be fun to fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFlyHalf Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 I like that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForestFan Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Very nice, must get one of these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 I have fond memories of the Chippy. Flying one from RAF Leeming with the Air Cadets in the early 1980's and getting stuck down the back of one on an annual inspection in the late 80's! Nice tribute to a classic and fun aircraft to fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearmatt Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Lovely Chippy. Turned out very well. And thanks for your short and honest review of the kit. What I've seen so far, didn't make me think that this was THE replacement of the venerable Airfix kit, but as you mention, it is anyways a better starting point. Cheers b. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, Buzby061 said: I wish someone would bring out a 1/48 scale Chippy I gave up waiting and bought the Heritage Models resin kit. Airfix will bring one out now for sure... 2 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: They look like they would be fun to fly. They are! Edited December 28, 2017 by Bell209 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngaero Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 A beautiful little Chipmunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thud4444 Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 What a delightful model of a delightful little plane! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Very nice Phil, good job that man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 12 hours ago, Buzby061 said: Lovely. I wish someone would bring out a 1/48 scale Chippy. Pete Or even 1/32nd scale Lovely job on your Chippy Vulcanicity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Sounds like it was tough build Phil, but it has come out looking the business. What a lovely little aircraft the Chippy is. Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Cracking Chipmunk,great painting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canberraman Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 A lovely Chippy and in the markings of one I flew in as a CCF cadet back in the 70s. Inspirational, must start on mine soon. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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