Eduard (Limited Edition) 1/72 Sikorski JRS-1

Having originally been issued by Sword and then Special Hobby, it's an aircraft I've always loved and have wanted to build as a kit for a long time, so when Eduard released their Limited Edition version with their resin and etch extras, I didn't hesitate to buy one.

However, despite its attractive box art and beautifully printed instructions, plus the added extras, the kit's original lineage and age has not changed, which means it is not a kit for a novice modeller as it does require a lot of work.

As per the instructions, I commenced by building the interior and as little of the cabin area is visible through the porthole windows, I elected to remove all of the cabin seat armrests and also to forego the installation of the seatbelts. As for the cockpit area, this was assembled as per the instructions. I then proceeded to install the cabin windows, which required a lot of careful filing and trial fitting to ensure that they fitted flush with the fuselage exterior. With the interior painted and installed, I was then able to assemble the fuselage halves, which again required some careful assembly to ensure that everything was aligned and fitted properly.

With the fuselage done, I then assembled and installed the fin and horizontal stabilisers. However, prior to this, I did drill and install some brass wire into both the fin and horizontal stabilisers, to give them some added strength and to ensure their proper alignment. I then assembled the wing, but failed to realise that the tips have a slight upward sweep, which I did not discover until much later, hence why the wing on my model is perfectly horizontal. Unfortunately, once assembled it is very evident that the trailing edge of the wing is also very thick, and as a consequence it does require a lot of filing and sanding to remedy this. As I'd fitted the pylon to the underside of the wing, when it came to fitting the wing to the fuselage I again chose to drill the bottom of the pylon and add some brass rod to give it some added strength, when attached to the fuselage. After carefully filing and sanding all of the struts, as they are quite fragile and easy to break, their installation was surprisingly easier than I expected, with only a small amount of filler required to tidy up a few gaps.

Assembly of the undercarriage struts, however, proved to be the next challenge and again these were drilled, and had brass wire added to give them more strength. A considerable amount of time was spent on assembling these units, to ensure that they would fit into the wheel bays and also to make sure that they were both properly aligned to ensure the aircrafts correct sit. The final items I assembled were the wing floats, and again I drilled and added brass wire to all of the strut ends to ensure both their proper alignment and for added strength. 

With the kit's assembly now completed, I then hit a major hurdle, this being how to add the bracing wires to both the wing and wing floats? As I didn't like any of the current options on offer, it unfortunately resulted in the model being relegated to my 'shelf of doom', where it languished for the next 6 years. Then one day whilst going through my stash I found an old Otaki biplane kit, which just happened to contain several lengths of spring steel wire for the rigging, which were the perfect scale thickness for my model and would not be susceptible to breakage or deformation. Having found the preferred solution to my rigging problem, I recovered the model from the 'shelf of doom' and this time I was determined to see it through to the finish.

After masking, the model was then sprayed with Tamiya, Fine Surface Primer (L) Gray. The rudder was then sprayed white, and with the appropriate areas masked off, the red bands were then applied. With the rudder masked, the model was then sprayed with Gunze Blue Gray (C367) and Gunze Light Gray (C325). The walkways and anti-glare panel were then masked off and sprayed Gunze Black (H2). The model was then sprayed with an overall coat of Gunze, Mr. Super Clear Gloss. The few decals required were then applied and these were sealed in with another coat of gloss. A panel line wash was then applied, followed by a final coat of Gunze, Mr. Color UV Cut Flat (GX113).

Having taken 7 years to complete and been presented with quite a few challenges along the way, I am more than happy with the final outcome, and the kit was money well spent, although it may not have seemed like it at times.

Historic Commercial Vehicle Club Display (Yarra Glen)

 

Despite the number of attendees being a little light on, it was still a great turnout, with a lot of new and interesting vehicles on display. The weather gods were also kind and turned on a perfect cool, sunny day with just a light breeze to keep the temperature in check. Another great weekend event and one that I always look forward to each year.

 

 

Tamiya 1/32 F4C/D Phantom II

This is still an excellent kit for its age in this scale and although it requires some attention in a few areas, these are easily rectified. Firstly the two forward nose intakes need to be shortened by 3mm so that they do not extend over the radome, the rear exhaust cone panels require some filling and realignment, the outer folding wing panels need to have their dihedral corrected to 12.5 degrees, which and can be set using a template and all the battle damage repair patches need to be removed. Once I completed the latter, all the panel lines were then rescribed and the fasteners redrilled to ensure a consistent uniformity across the entire model.

The overall assembly of the model was very straight forward and as I intended to blank off the air intakes I was able to forego any work in this area. However, to improve on the kit supplied parts, I did replace the exhaust cones with a set from Aires (AIR2074), the ejection seats with a set from Quickboost (QB32069), the pitot and AOT probes with a set from Master Models (AM32-043), the wheels with a set from Eduard (ED632005) as well as a set of FOD covers from Quickboost (QB32089).

As the kit had been bought second hand, I also found that the decals were completely unusable, however I was able to source a new set from Print Scale (PRS32-004) for the aircraft markings and from Two Bobs (32-027 & 32-028) for all the missile markings.

The model was painted using SMS colours of Camo Black, Forest Green (FS34079), RAAF Dark Green (FS34102), Camo Brown (FS30219) and Aggressor White Grey (FS36628). The rear exhaust area was painted using a range of AK Extreme Metal colours and weathered to replicate the distinctive pattern and staining in this area. The model was then sprayed with a coat Mr Hobby, Mr Super Clear UV Cut Gloss from a rattle can, the markings then applied and the panels lines treated to various washes, followed by a second coat of gloss to seal everything in. The model was then sprayed with a final coat Mr Hobby, Mr Super Clear UV Cut Clear Flat.

It was then just a matter of removing the canopy masks, fitting the canopies, the undercarriage, all the underwing stores and finally the boarding ladder.

With some care and a few aftermarket additions, this is still a very impressive model that can more than hold its own, despite its age.

Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia 50th Anniversay Fly-in (Corowa)