Avia C.2B1
The inspiration.
The rear control panel installation is problematic, as it sits too high and too far forward.
I decided to reposition it down a bit and further back, to clear the resin piece (PUR 6) that spans the cockpit at this location.
Piece of styrene did the trick.
The control pedals in the rear cockpit sit way too high also. I did not fix this, but it's a consideration when building an open cockpit.
Interior was primed with Mr. Surfacer and then airbrushed with Testors Acryl RLM66. Enamel wash was followed by drybrushing with lighter grays.
Completed cockpit. The kit comes with a nice PE set that adds needed detail to the cockpit.
I did not use all PE parts supplied: I left the pedals as is, and did not add any detail to the cockpit walls (closed canopy will prevent seeing most of this anyway).
The part A18 representing the engine is not tall enough. I added a shaped styrene block to the bottom to ensure that the propeller shaft lines up correctly with the front fuselage section, part A17.
Undercarriage assembly was straightforward and per instructions.
Mr. Surface primer was followed with Testors Acryl RLM02, washed with dark enamel and drybrushed with whitened RLM02,
Assembling the fuselage and the wings. No issues here.
There is a gap between the fuselage and the horizontal stabilizer (nothing a bit of putty can't fix).
A propeller jig is needed to assemble the propeller. The propeller hub is resin (2 versions are supplied with the kit, as are 2 propeller blade styles).
The resin engine scoops supplied with the kit are too stiff to conform to the fuselage. I replaced them with shaped styrene.
There are a number of fiddly PE parts that are butt-joined to the wings. Small pins left on the PE parts, together with mating holes in the plastic, would have made for a much stronger joint.
..more fiddlies…
Cockpit is ready for the canopy. Conopy fit was very good. I dipped it in Future and glued it on using Krystal-Kleer.
Canopy masked using the Montex mask and Vallejo masking fluid. The Montex mask material is stiffer that the competition, and the rear section needed a bit of the masking fluid to close up.
Once I was happy with the prime coat (several cycles of PSR were needed), I airbrushed the panel lines with dilluted Testors Acryl Black.
All Clad 2 ALC 106 White Aluminum was airbrushed in thin coats to allow pre-shading to show through.
Gunze gloss coat from the can was applied the next day as base for the Mark I decals. They went on nicely and needed very short soak to come off the paper. I used the Micro Sol decal solution.
Testors Acryl black was airbrushed on the engine panels following required masking.
I used dilluted oil paint thinned with lighter fluid to highlight the panel lines and give some depth to the silver.
Here, the Raw Umber oil wash after application to the port wing.
Landing gear legs fit in a very shallow tubes, so gluing these is tricky, especially since proper positioning is required. I strongly recommned adding metal pins to strengthen the joint.
The space between the landing gear leg and the wheel well is too narrow for the wheel well cover: I sanded each cover until it slid into this space.
And here are the completed pics.
Splatter on the wheel covers and undercarriage is Testors Acryl Raw Umber, Red Earth, and Sand.
Hozzászólások
27 July 2024, 10:45 -
Album info
I decided to tackle this project mainly to try out all-metal finish using All Clad lacquers. Special Hobby released the Arado Ar-96, of which C.2 is its Czech post-WWII reincarnation, in several versions. I am planning this as an OOB build: closed canopy, no additions, just a decal option from Mark I. decal set that comes with their Arado Ar-96 title.
This turned out to be a pleasurable build. Few surprises, keeping in mind that this is a short-run kit, and some experience is handy during construction. I discuss any specifics in the accompanying pictures.
