Italeri 1/72 Dakota MkIII

[Jeff G]

Picked up this kit at a local shop when I was "just browsing", so to speak. Not really looking for anything in particular, but at the same time...looking for something. That one kit that will pop out at you and you think, "yep! That's it!". So here we are. I have a few Italeri kits in my stash, I've never built one though. I think I've read on here this kit is a very common re-issue by different brands so we'll see how she goes! Oh, and there's some of my seasonal decor making an appearance at the table.

 

This will be a slow-go, as I'm finally heading back to work and my son will be adjusting to daycare. I'm far from a good modeler, and I haven't the time to be a rivet counter, but I have lots of fun throwing a kit together OOB and seeing what we come up with! Many thanks to @The Spadgent for encouraging me to start a WIP! So if my modelling process stresses you out, you know who to blame!

 

[The Spadgent]

Simply wonderful. This is one aeroplane that I have never built so I will very much enjoy watching it come together as quick or slow as you wish. I’ll pull up a sand bag. 😇

 

Johnny. 

[DennisTheBear]

It was the Esci kit iirc. Looking forward to this as I have 5 Daks in the stash. Will it be the military version or will you whack on some airline decals?

 

DennisTheBear

[dogsbody]

I'll be watching this from far to the west of you.

 

 

 

Chris

[Ruskin Air Services]

3 hours ago, DennisTheBear said:

It was the Esci kit iirc. Looking forward to this as I have 5 Daks in the stash. Will it be the military version or will you whack on some airline decals?

 

DennisTheBear

5 Dak kits in your stash multiply that by 8 and that's how many I've managed to aquire! The therapist said I'd better stop before wifey found out, so I started again with Lancasters oopsy. But I will say if there's a touch of modellers block I drag one out and regain some imputus to carry on

[TheyJammedKenny!]

A quick look at the pieces-parts will reveal to those of us long in the tooth the secret origins of the molds!  This is a great project.  Looking forward to seeing this come together for you, and where I can, I'll drop hints.

[Jeff G]

5 hours ago, DennisTheBear said:

Will it be the military version or will you whack on some airline decals?

For this kit I'll be doing a military livery, but if this one goes well I'll buy another and venture into the airline schemes. I'm fairly certain I'll be building it as the RAF Dakota, but if I can figure out how to make it the US livery as it was on June 6, I may do that instead.

[Jeff G]

Here's a question for some (or all): I've never used any decal softeners before but I'd like to up my game, since I see the impact they have. Do I need to buy both MicroSol and MicroSet? Or just the MicroSol? 

[Beggsy]

19 minutes ago, Jeff G said:

Here's a question for some (or all): I've never used any decal softeners before but I'd like to up my game, since I see the impact they have. Do I need to buy both MicroSol and MicroSet? Or just the MicroSol? 

 

I once wondered the same thing.....and ended up getting Tamiya Mark-Fit instead as it does the job just fine with only one product.

[Bell209]

33 minutes ago, Jeff G said:

Do I need to buy both MicroSol and MicroSet? Or just the MicroSol? 

You can theoretically use just one (MicroSet, preferably) but they do have different uses. Set is a base to prep the decal and Sol softens it after application. Let the decal dry a bit after application (I usually wait about ten minutes), then apply Sol. Reapply as required to help remove bubbles. Don't touch it with anything (including more Sol) after applying MicroSol for 24 hours!

[Hook]

Nice one! The Italeri is their own mold, the Esci is a different one AFAIK. 

 

One thing to look out for is the windscreen on the Italeri - fit is not the best and it has a tendency to fall into the cockpit. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Max Headroom]

5 minutes ago, Hook said:

Nice one! The Italeri is their own mold, the Esci is a different one AFAIK. 

 

One thing to look out for is the windscreen on the Italeri - fit is not the best and it has a tendency to fall into the cockpit. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

They are two different moulds. I seem to remember preferring the Italeri one for buildability.

 

Trevor

[Ruskin Air Services]

9 hours ago, Jeff G said:

Here's a question for some (or all): I've never used any decal softeners before but I'd like to up my game, since I see the impact they have. Do I need to buy both MicroSol and MicroSet? Or just the MicroSol? 

I started using both and they work really well, don't worry just follow the instructions on the bottles try it on a spare decal from the sheet you are using 

[Jeff G]

'I'll be making a run down to my local shop in the next couple days so I'll see what they have in stock. I may end up going with whichever they have, but it seems to me that either are a good choice, and probably will look better than nothing. Thanks for all the opinions guys

[John_W]

Check your intake fits for the version you build. The one on the boxtop is a  restored warbird and has post war/civilian intakes.

The fit of the flaps is a challenge too.

[Graham Boak]

There were different intakes fitted to different C-47 variants, and this one looks like the earlier one.  The later longer one is often linked to the C-47B with a high-altitude supercharger (although I'm not sure whether this link is entirely reliable).  However post-war civil operators didn't need this variant so I gather there was considerable re-engining.  he early intkae could therefore reappear.

 

There were two different ESCI toolings, one with the longer post-war nose.  The kits were better than the Italeri but the Italeri one falls into the "good-enough" category with no major drawbacks.  I never got as far as checking the fit of the ESCI kit I had.

[Jeff G]

7 hours ago, John_W said:

Check your intake fits for the version you build. The one on the boxtop is a  restored warbird and has post war/civilian intakes.

The fit of the flaps is a challenge too.

how would I correct them if I choose to? Thanks for the heads up about the flaps, I'll be keeping that in mind!

[John_W]

From my recollection, the kit came with three different types of air intake.

Just check your references if you can.

[Ruskin Air Services]

26 minutes ago, John_W said:

From my recollection, the kit came with three different types of air intake.

Just check your references if you can.

All the 1/72 Dakota kits came with three different intake options even Airfix's golden oldie, but some better quality than others. Only the hobbyboss kit doesn't and that has an issue with the undercarriage legs which leaves with squat

[f111guru]

On 9/6/2021 at 6:57 PM, Jeff G said:

Here's a question for some (or all): I've never used any decal softeners before but I'd like to up my game, since I see the impact they have. Do I need to buy both MicroSol and MicroSet? Or just the MicroSol? 

@Jeff GI myself have had success with using both Micro Sol and Micro Set. I'm talking mid 70's time frame. Was spoke of at a time in the US IPMS magazine I subscribed to. Did not matter if I used them together or separately. The results were the same. Reasoning behind separately was I ran out of one and went to get some more and was out of stock. Then came a time where they were hard to get mail order. Our hobby shops had all but disappeared. So what I ended up using in lieu of Micro Scale product was Solveset. Very similar results with Solveset.

 

I'll watch your build with interest because I have atleast 3 in the box under the license of Testors. I have 2 built as an AC-47. One I think were Testors/Italeri and the other is an ESCI. My biggest issue was both had fuselage were bowed and twisted. Managed over time to get them straight. So looking forward to your progress.

 

All The Best,

Ron VanDerwarker

[The Spadgent]

On 07/09/2021 at 01:57, Jeff G said:

Here's a question for some (or all): I've never used any decal softeners before but I'd like to up my game, since I see the impact they have. Do I need to buy both MicroSol and MicroSet? Or just the MicroSol? 

Here’s the thing. Set or sol or both. Set is more like a glue and sol softens the decal so it will conform to panel lines and whatnot. I do have both but haven’t used “set” in years. If you want to go for one I recommend “sol” the red one.  Gloss top coat before decals. Use water as you would usually. Let them dry over night preferably. Then ( use a nice clean flat brush) slosh on some micro sol. After a small amount of time you can pop some sol on a cotton bud and lightly roll over the decal gently pushing it into mould lines and bumps. You can also use the same technique to get rid of / prevent slivering but gently dot the slivering section with the end of a sharp blade and add more micro sol.  Don’t over work it. The decal will wrinkle up but leave it over night and it’ll be smooth as you like the next day. If you’re not happy with the result rinse and repeat. 
 

Not necessarily the right way. (is there ever a right way in this hobby?) but the way I do it.

 

 Hope that helps.

 

Good luck sir.

 

Johnny

[Jeff G]

Well I made a little bit of progress, so that's something! One of my least favourite parts of modelling is having to drill out holes yourself (as intended in the instructions). It just feels like I'm doing their job! You put the holes, I put plastic IN the holes! Anyway, here we are:

 

 

And then I was a little disappointed in the detail of the interior. I know that when the bird is all closed up, you really can't see anything (I mean...ANYthing!) but I expected more than this...even the instructions hoped piece 2F would look different. 

 

 

That's called "zero surface detail". Aside from those two things, everything fits together well at the moment. Like I said, hardly any detail in the cockpit so not much to show. 

[The Spadgent]

21 hours ago, Jeff G said:

 

 

That's called "zero surface detail".

Maybe a stab at a bit of scratch building? Even if you don’t have plasticard to hand you could use a bit of flat sprue.  Just a thought. Glad you’re up and running. 🙌

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Well, it is the old ESCI kit, from what I can see!  And it SHOULD come with decals that fit over the faces of those radios attached to the bulkhead, so no need to scratch-build, unless you really, really want to.  BTW, I'm partial to the ESCI kit.