It’s been another slow month at the bench. Watching a lot of the Giro d’ Italia hasn’t helped keep up time spent playing with bits of plastic and resin.
Lockheed F-104C in 1/72 by Italeri
I’m told that this kit is the old Esci kit that was first published in the early 1980s. If this is so it was a remarkably good kit for those times in comparison to a lot of other stuff being published then. I found no problems in building this kit and enjoyed doing it. I had originally planned to finish the model in a more colourful livery but then decided that I’ve been making lots of silver and metallic models lately so I was time to make a camouflaged model for a change. The paint comes from the Hataka orange box of USAF Vietnam Era dropper bottle paint. I’m no fan of Haktaka but once I worked out the thinning ratio that works for me I was pleased with the results. The marking come straight from the kit decal sheet.
Airco DH-9A in 1/72 by Kovozavody Prostejov
I made this model as part of my project to make more Australian aircraft this year, RAAF aircraft in particular. Some reviewers seem to put Kovozavody Prostejov on the second level of kits being published these days and I have to admit that it is not as detailed as the Arma P-39 kit that came my way recently, However, for my modelling ambitions this kit is highly satisfactory and I’d recommend it to everyone. The main challenge is in getting the upper wing attached, but the effort is worth it, I think. I took the liberty of finishing this model as the RAAF’s first aircraft, A1-1, even though I could find no photographic proof that it was ever finished in this particular all over aluminum, but other evidence points in that direction. After a bit of experimentation I settled on Tamiya TS-17 Gloss Aluminum to replicate that finish.
OUT OF THE PAST
Dassault Etendard IVM in 1/72 by Heller
This model was made using the Heller kit that comes for the ‘Golden Age’ of that company’s production. This means that if you are willing to overlook the raised panel lines, you get a very good kit which makes up into a handsome model.
BAC Lightning F.1 in 1/72 by Trumpeter
It is not difficult to make a couple of changes to the Trumpeter Lightning F.1A kit to result in a F.1. This model represents a F.1 in the care of the RAF’s 60 Maintenance Unit in 1967.
Boeing 737-100 in 1/144 by Revell and Airfix
I made this model using the wings of an Airfix kit of the Boeing 737-200 and the fuselage of a Revell 737-800, suitably shortened. The livery is for Ansett New Zealand which used some cheap ex-Lufthansa airliners to break into the New Zealand Market.
Breguet 763 Deux Ponts
This double decker was made from the Welsh Models vacform kit, back in the day before there were kits of this in injection moulded plastic. Most people think this is not a pleasant looking airliner but I disagree.
IN TIME TO COME
These three models, the Tu-144, Bloch 81 and Yak-40 are moving along steadily. There is also a Trumpeter F9F-2 in the works somewhere. However, the Trumpeter F-105D and Roden SE5A seem to be pushing their way onto the production line. In the break between the Giro and the Tour I might make more progress so you have some finished models to look at next time.
Leigh Edmonds little box of stuff 