PARROTS AND PLASTIC
PERFECTION
If, like me, you have ever pondered
upon the relevance of the cigar-
smoking parrot logo that graces
all of GasPatch Models’ products,
then you will be interested to know
that it is simply a reminder to us
all that modelling is supposedto be a fun pastime. And the
company name? It was actually
inspired by the yellow-coloured,
chemically impregnated, square
”gas patches” pasted onto the
wings or fuselages of RAF aircraft
during WWII, which were supposed
to detect the presence of toxic gas.
And what of the latest
release from the Greek-based
manufacturer? I have to admit to
have been awaiting the arrival
of this kit with growing
excitement over the
past couple of years;
viewing the early
test-shots of the
model at Telford
2016, and chatting
to the GasPatch
crew, only increased my
determination to acquire one. I have
to say that the wait was worth it.
The Hs123 kit comes packaged in
a sturdy and colourfully illustrated
top-opening box, and exudes
quality from the outset. Contained
within the box are six grey sprues
(each individually packed within
cellophane bags), a separately
bagged clear plastic sprue, an
etched fret, a tiny windscreen
masking sheet, a gloriously
printed Cartograf decal sheet, and
even a cardboard jig for setting
the angle of the undercarriage.
The glossy A5 instruction
booklet is in colour throughout
and features wonderful artwork
and 3D imaging. It is well laid
out and easy to follow, with
painting guides for each section.
The last pages feature five colour
profiles for the schemes optioned
on the decal sheet. Of these, three
are Russian Front aircraft featuring
the standard two-tone dark greensplinter camouflage, with yellow
identification panels and bands;
the fourth features temporary
white winter camouflage; the
final option, and the aircraft that
was of particular interest to me,
features the early-war, three-tone
splinter camouflage. Official RLM
designations are given for the
camouflage colours, but no specific
paint brands are recommended.
Featuring a subtle matt
texture, the parts themselves are
wonderfully moulded and boast
sharply engraved panel lines as
well as restrained, yet perfectly
rendered, raised details. The engine
too is faithfully represented, and
there is even a tiny BMW decal to
add once the painting is done. There
is a choice of three undercarriage
styles – with or without spats, or
with half-spats – and a choice of
lower wings to suit. Wheels are
also provided in two versions, both
styles featuring weighted tyres.
Amongst an assortment of
small details, the photo-etch (PE)
brass fret features seat-harness,
levers, and actuating arms for the
separately moulded rudder, trim-
tab, ailerons, and flaps, and even
shackle-rings for the underside of
the wings. As far as the ordinance
is concerned, four wing-mounted
bombs are provided, plus a
multi-part, centreline fuel tank.
The numerous small, and
delicate, parts are flash-free with
minimal seam lines, though most
have multiple, chunky sprue-
gates that I guessed would make
them difficult to remove without
damage. This indeed proved to be
the case with the cockpit-mounted
levers, which come complete with
twisting lengths of associatedcable. I found it necessary to
replace the moulded cable lengths
with stretched sprue, having
broken them all during removal.INTERIOR DESIGN
The cockpit is more than adequately
kitted-out straight from the
box. Everything is catered for:
detailed bulkheads; multiple
plastic and etched levers; a two-
piece control panel, featuring
raised bezels and decals for the
clock-faces; an eleven-piece seat,
complete with five-piece etched
harness; detailed side consoles;
foot pedals with etched straps;
an air bottle and pipes; and even
a separately moulded flare pistol
to attach to the cockpit wall.
Needless to say, I did not feel the
need to add anything extra, with the
exception of a plastic card firewall
just forward of the foot pedals.
This was to hide the featureless
interior in front of the open cockpit,
that I feared might just be visible
beyond the open cockpit hatch.
I painted the cockpit in my usual
fashion, airbrushing Colourcoats
enamels over an Alclad metallic
lacquer base coat. I then used a
”washing” technique to remove
areas of the enamel and so reveal
the metallic coat beneath. This
gave the RLM02 interior a suitably
weathered appearance, which
was further enhanced by the
use of dark enamel washes and
dry-brushed highlights. With the
individual levers picked out in
red, yellow, and white, as per the
detailed instructions, and the air
bottle finished in a bright blue,
the cockpit looked impressive.
Despite it feeling like a crime toWWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JANUARY 2018 • 25
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