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Italeri's Dakota Mk.III in 1:72: Need details regarding fit


Sturmovik

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Hello guys,

Just bought the Italeri Dakota Mk.III, and I need your help regarding details about the fit of the kit.

 

I've read some build reviews in here, stating the kit had poor fit in some areas. I'll be picking mine next Wednesday, and I'd like to see the kit unpainted, showing the troublesome areas.

 

P.D: The Airfix new tool kit was unavailable.

 

Thank you all!

 

 

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I built one a few years back. It was quite an easy build.

The only issue I had was with the cockpit side windows, I eventually ended up leaving them out.

No biggie as they were able to be slid back on the real one.

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I had an old one, possibly the 1979 tooling, and it was a real dog.  I was only recently returned to the hobby and didn't have the experience that I have now, so I ended up scrapping it.

 

 

You can follow my failure here if you want to upset yourself!

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Hi Sturmovik,

 

Over the years I have built 5 C-47 Italeri kits. 🥰

 

It's a good kit - the only defect being that it's not as detailed as many new kits are. It's an easy build; the only trouble being the cargo doors that demand a very careful fit.

There's another potential problem area. For the wing to fit right you have to be extremely careful to see that the undersides of the outer wings have full surface contact to the inner wing because otherwise it will flex and ultimately crack both the underside joint and the top wing-fairing joint 😝

CpIuMxg.jpg

 

RQWn7cG.jpg

 

In 1991 I led a course in model building for IPMS Gothenburg; during the first term we all built the same kit - I chose the Italeri C-47 because it was an easy build even for the not-very-experienced builder ;)

 

Last surviving Italeri C-47 - built 1990-1991

 

xl0tD6h.jpg

 

I still have 6 Italeri C-47 kits left unbuilt and I intend to build them. 😜

 

Of course over the years kit's moulds wear out; I don't have any idea about the quality of the latest iteration.

 

Cheers, Moggy (Argentine aircraft fan)

 

 

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54 minutes ago, NAVY870 said:

I built one a few years back. It was quite an easy build.

The only issue I had was with the cockpit side windows, I eventually ended up leaving them out.

No biggie as they were able to be slid back on the real one.

 

36 minutes ago, jackroadkill said:

I had an old one, possibly the 1979 tooling, and it was a real dog.  I was only recently returned to the hobby and didn't have the experience that I have now, so I ended up scrapping it.

 

 

You can follow my failure here if you want to upset yourself!

I read your adventures with that kit yesterday, hopefully I'll fare better with the one I bought. 

I have never ditched a kit (except some Modelex/Heller ones), and the one I sent back to the stash was completed las year (ICM's Mustang B).

 

 

21 minutes ago, Moggy said:

Hi Sturmovik,

 

Over the years I have built 5 C-47 Italeri kits. 🥰

 

It's a good kit - the only defect being that it's not as detailed as many new kits are. It's an easy build; the only trouble being the cargo doors that demand a very careful fit.

There's another potential problem area. For the wing to fit right you have to be extremely careful to see that the undersides of the outer wings have full surface contact to the inner wing because otherwise it will flex and ultimately crack both the underside joint and the top wing-fairing joint 😝

CpIuMxg.jpg

 

RQWn7cG.jpg

 

In 1991 I led a course in model building for IPMS Gothenburg; during the first term we all built the same kit - I chose the Italeri C-47 because it was an easy build even for the not-very-experienced builder ;)

 

Last surviving Italeri C-47 - built 1990-1991

 

xl0tD6h.jpg

 

I still have 6 Italeri C-47 kits left unbuilt and I intend to build them. 😜

 

Of course over the years kit's moulds wear out; I don't have any idea about the quality of the latest iteration.

 

Cheers, Moggy (Argentine aircraft fan)

 

 

 

Perfect, I was looking for that type of info. I'll make sure to glue the wings perfectly to get a good fuselage/wingroot joint. If there's a gap, I'll add a spreader sprue between the floor and the fuselage to widen the opening and get a better fit.

I'll be painting my Dakota as CTA-15, the same aircraft you've shown me. Time to put the orange I bought into good use.

 

10 minutes ago, John_W said:

If it is the new mould, the flaps and the lower wing joint are not great. If you drop the flaps there is no detail in the centre bay, just an empty void.

Thanks for this too, the kit I bought has the separate flaps. Maybe I'll glue then shut (or don't, still need to get the kit and finish my Ta 154 before opening it).

 

 

Thank you all for the answers! I got the info I needed, so my next kit after the Ta 154 will be the Italeri Dakota in Argentinian markings.

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15 minutes ago, Sturmovik said:

 

Perfect, I was looking for that type of info. I'll make sure to glue the wings perfectly to get a good fuselage/wingroot joint. If there's a gap, I'll add a spreader sprue between the floor and the fuselage to widen the opening and get a better fit.

I'll be painting my Dakota as CTA-15, the same aircraft you've shown me. Time to put the orange I bought into good use.

 

 

1990 there were no COAN decals for the C-47 so all decals on my build are self-made.

 

Nowadays there's a beautiful decal sheet from Aerocalcas Argentinas - much better than the Condor Decals sheet. I gave away my Condor Decals C-47 sheet.

 

Looking forward to your build 😁

 

Cheers, Moggy

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1 hour ago, Moggy said:

 

1990 there were no COAN decals for the C-47 so all decals on my build are self-made.

 

Nowadays there's a beautiful decal sheet from Aerocalcas Argentinas - much better than the Condor Decals sheet. I gave away my Condor Decals C-47 sheet.

 

Looking forward to your build 😁

 

Cheers, Moggy

I have the Aerocalcas sheet. Hopefully none with break while I apply them.

Now there's also a sheet from Calcas del Sur for CTA-15 and El Montañés.

Calcas del Sur is a new decal company in Argentina. Their decals are a bit thick however, and don't react to Microsol.

Edited by Sturmovik
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Sorry for reviving this thread, but after taking a closer look at the Scalemates's history of the Italeri 1338 Dakota, I found out the kit is actually an Esci mould, not an Italeri original.

So, does anyone have any experience with this kit?

 

Thanks!

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