fightersweep Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Time to throw kit number four into the ring, and it was proving a tough decision to make. Reason being, is that there are so many kits I actually want to build, and if I'm honest, I haven't had this much modelling mojo for years. So thanks to Heller and this wonderful GB, I'm actually enjoying building (and finishing) models once again. Key reasons for that I think is subject matter, brand and more importantly good old fashioned OOB modelling, hairy stick paint jobs and no internal pressure for the model to be the some sort of uber build in my mind's eye. It's enjoyable and relaxing once again. The choices I really wanted to build next were either the Ar-96B, Ar-196A, Heinkel 112, BF-108, Bf-109B/C, Dewoitine D.510 and Potez 631. All kits that I built back in the day and have soft spots for, and that's without all the others I still want to build (the whole back catalogue basically). However, I had a scan through the GB build list and was struck by one omission that I know is a really good kit by Heller, and felt it needed some love here. So, here it is..... Catalogue number 099 in what I presume is an initial 1975 boxing with a really striking piece of art work on the box top. Inside the box, the usual Heller fare presented in grey plastic, no mummified glue, but the decal sheet looks surprisingly usable. I can't stress enough what a lovely kit this is. Very crisply moulded, no flash at all, and the quick test fit of a few parts reveals an excellent fit. The surface detail is also excellent and very well done. Another kit from Heller at the top of their game in the mid 70s. Pick one up. You won't be disappointed. Got me thinking as I was thumbing through a few 70s and 80s copies of Scale Models and PAM last night. There were plenty of reviews of the usual new Airfix, Revell, Monogram and Matchbox kits within the pages, but what struck me was the lack of reviews of any Heller kits. Given the quality and subject matter they were putting out at that time, were they not on the radar of the UK modelling press at the time? Despite the kit decals looking ok, I have this aftermarket sheet that caught my eye, and I think it's going to have to be "White 5" off this Stalin's Falcons sheet. I like the red cowling and rudder, although the airframe is aluminium, and the thought of brush painting aluminium gives me the sweats. Looking forward to getting cracking on this one. Remember my best mate building this kit back in the 80s and wanting to pick one up myself, but he got way more pocket money than me and subsequently had all the Heller kits. Time to scratch that 35 year old itch. Steve 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Very nice, Steve, and good that you're adding to the expanding subject list with a new entry. Good luck with your build, I'm sure the result will be good and I'm happy that your mojo is restored with this GB 🙂 About the brush painting aluminium: you could try some from the Vallejo Metal colour range, this stuff brushes very nicely. Flows well and covers equally well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Oh good - I was hoping somebody would build one of these! The I-15 family were I suppose amongst the last generation of biplane fighters alongside the Fiat CR 32/42 and Gauntlet/Gladiator and their performance in Spain against the CR 32 and He 51 showed them to be reasonably fast, very rugged and highly manoeuverable, but their days were of course numbered once the I-16 and Bf-109 arrived. The I-15 was slightly improved into the I-15 bis and then became what must surely be the first operational biplane with a retractable undercarriage when the I-153 first flew in 1938 - in his "Warplanes" series Green says that it was the fastest biplane in the world, crediting it with 267mph, 1mph faster than the CR42. Incidentally, he also says that the fuselage of an I-153 was used in the Nikitin-Sevchenko IS-1 prototype where not only did the u/c retract but the lower wing "folded" up into a recess in the bottom of the upper wing! I was going to say that would make an interesting conversion project for somebody, but I gather A Model actually released a kit of both the IS-1 and the modified IS-2! Anyway, I will watch this build with interest. Cheers Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 @JeroenS Thanks for the heads up on the Vallejo paint. I'll give that a try. I mostly have Humbrol paints in the stash, and I've always found that their 56 is very dark and matt, so happy to try an alternative. @PeterB To be honest, I was surprised the I-153 didn't turn up sooner here, and that swung my decision to pick this kit. The bonus being that it is such a nice little model too. That whole Polikarpov family is very interesting, but one I admit to not knowing a huge amount about. I think a bit of light reading maybe required on my part. Do remember being very impressed with the I-15 that flew at Legends a few times. Surprisingly fast, and very maneuverable and accompanied by that lovely, agricultural sounding engine. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Great choice Steve I have a Smer rebox of this which if I remember rightly was in Finnish markings, @vppelt68 will keep me straight on this. Best of luck with this one, looks a cracker ! Cheers Pat 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Indeed 21 I-153:s served in the Finnish AF during the WW2. They were war-booty aircraft, either directly from the Soviets or bought from the Germans. They were used mostly in maritime and second line reconnaissance role BUT they were often engaged in air combat too - they even succeeded in shooting down a Pe-2 and a P-39! Finnish losses, due to air combat and accidents, were quite heavy too, with 13 planes and almost as many pilots being lost. Edit, I meant to say: They fared well in combat against other early Soviet aircraft, but shooting down a Pe-2 or an Airacobra with an I-153 was something that required very special skills from the pilot! V-P 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 (edited) Oooh very nice... White 5 is a good choice. I’m going to follow the build as Id like to get a few I-153’s and I-16’s. Edited November 22, 2020 by Corsairfoxfouruncle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Another great choice. Without this GB I had never known that there were so many Heller kits out there. When they started appearing I had already switched to collecting 1/32. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Looking forward to seeing this one. Great kit and a historical aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Nice to see, look forward to following! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted November 28, 2020 Author Share Posted November 28, 2020 Thanks everyone! Manage to make a start on the Chaika today, although I don't know how as it's been manic here. As soon as I have something worth sharing, I'll get the first update posted. Wasted too long today trying to work out the rigging holes Heller provides, and then discovering that there's too many and most of them are in the wrong place! Also, reading the written instructions and trying to follow the assembly and rigging steps is headache inducing. All good fun then! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 1, 2020 Author Share Posted December 1, 2020 A little bit of progress on the Chaika. Interior painted (not sure if it's the right colour but it's what I came up with after a bit of Googling) and it's all pretty basic. It only needs some seat belts, and as it is, hardly anything is going to be seen once this is sealed up. I may add a pilot on this one for a bit of extra interest. Note the HUGE holes in the fuselage sides Heller supply for the rigging. As far as I can tell, three of them don't get used. Nearly time to seal this up. I also decided to get the engine and prop done for "White 5", which will add a nice dash of colour to this build. It's pretty much ready to bolt on bar a dab of varnish. Doesn't look a lot, but at least it means I can get cracking on the bulk of the build now. Steve 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaCee26 Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 I built this when it was quite new. At least mine cowling had quite deep sink marks. Hopefully yours it better! Nice kit for it's day but today I'd go to the ICM which is packed also by Revell and Hasegawa. Cheers, AaCee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 A little bit more progress on the Chaika. The fuselage is now closed up and painted and the rigging is fixed ready to be attached to the wings, which should be fun! It's all a bit out of my comfort zone as I'm really not used to building a kit in this order, but the instructions seem to suggest doing it this way. So the tops and bottoms of the wings will be fitted separately which I don't like the sound of at all. Call me old fashioned, but I do like to glue these things together and sand them before fitting to the fuselage. Still, it seems to be working so far and I'm keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't go belly up somewhere down the line. This is where I am at the moment....ready to fit the wings. Steve 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 That's my kind of sequence -fuselage ready first, then tackle the wings. It's nice to see so early how it will look. Good here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 That's looking very good - even on my small laptop the pictures are bigger than the real thing I am guessing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Remember building this back in the days. I remembered it as a great little kit. Maybe it has grown a bit old since then (who hasn't btw....), but it still looks good. Great start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 25, 2020 Author Share Posted December 25, 2020 Made a bit more progress with the Chaika. It's been taking a bit of time as following the instructions to accommodate the rigging has thrown me a bit as it means gluing the wing halves as you go along one half at a time. It's not something I'm used to and it's made the cleaning up, filling and painting more complex than it really needs to be. There's been other problems outside of my comfort zone, namely trying an acrylic silver for the first time. It's a good paint as far as obtaining a smooth finish is concerned, but despite several coats, it seems impossible to avoid streaks. I think this particular paint really needs airbrush application. I figured that over painting with enamels is a no-no and stripping this thing would be to risky as it's quite delicate. However, I found a bottle of Games Workshop Mithril Silver in the stash and a test showed that a really nice finish can be had if I apply a thin coat over the previous paint. Phew! So! Bottom wing is now fixed, rigging is in place, undercarriage is done and all that's needed is cleaning up and some re-painting. This may work out after all. The fuselage red star got damaged, so the decal has been removed and another will be applied later on. I think the finish line is finally now in sight. Steve 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Thats looking very good so far, nice rigging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Oh this is very nice Steve, I would almost say "cute" 🙂 Nice work on the silver, I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 @JeroenS @Corsairfoxfouruncle Thanks guys! Much appreciated. A bit more forward momentum yesterday. Bottom wings finished off, interplane struts fitted and most importantly, a bit of a re-paint. The existing silver has been over painted with a thinned top coat of Games Workshop Methril Silver. Way, way better now and I think I'm finally happy with the finish. Decals have been done and this is where I am as of today. Nearly there and pretty much just the undercarriage to finish off, engine to fit and I can call this done. On the subject of undercarriage. I've discovered that the kit has a slight list to starboard. Ho hum! It'll have to do now, but having worked on a few warbirds in my time, not uncommon. One of my regulars was Spitfire TD248. That always had a list to port on the ground. No matter how many times the oleo was pumped up, or everything checked, she just liked to sit that way. This Chaika will have to do the same. Steve 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Looking really excellent Steve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 Finally calling this little Chaika done. It's taken far longer than I anticipated, but it's still been an enjoyable build. It's a nice little kit, but one that needs close attention in places, such as the cockpit floor as that has all the location points for the undercarriage. Being that Heller's location for the floor is vague means that it's very easy to get things a bit on the wonk, so subsequently, she has a bit of a list to starboard. The lower wing ended up a bit squiffy too. Never mind! At least I'll know the pitfalls for the next Heller Chaika I build, and I will build a couple more. Overall though, I'm quite happy with the outcome. Anyway, here she is and off to the gallery we go with build number five. Thanks for following! Steve 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 It looks great in this silver dress, and the contrast with the red stars is what I like most. I don't see any shortcomings. Nice rigging! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Congratulations Steve Rigged as well, outstanding ! Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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