Model Airplane International - June 2018

Issue 155 - http://www.modelairplaneinternational.com 23

problem as I prefer to spray markings anyway,

so armed with a whole bunch of leftover

Montex and Miracle Masks I had free rein to

choose any aeroplane I wished, and as you

can see I went for some pretty colourful and

unusual subjects.

Cockpit

As is traditional, work started in the cockpits,

one using the kit plastic and the other the

BRASSIN replacement. The kit is very

nicely detailed straight from the box but the

resin parts obviously allow fi ner and more

comprehensive detail. The million dollar

question is it worth the extra £25 or so? That’s

a very subjective question and only one that

the individual can make. For me, the cockpit

is quite small and to be honest, if I was only

going to build one of these things then I

probably would treat myself as some of the

detail is very welcome, but you’ll be left with a

lovely model from the box. Horses for courses.

The BRASSIN set (and Profi pack Edition)

include quite a few photo-etched details such

as a full-colour instrument panel which ends

up rather buried under the coaming, so is

quite hard to see. The Weekend Edition (and

Profi pack for that matter) has decals and

actually these work really well so I wouldn’t be

put off if you do fancy the cheaper Weekend

kit. However, for me seat belts are a must; the

BRASSIN/Profi pack belts are lovely but for

my other kit I used some late-war belts from

the HGW range (be aware that I was doing a

unique late war airframe which I surmised may

have had this retrofi tted and so pretty much

every A-1 to A-4 would have had the standard

harness). These HGW belts have etched

buckles into which printed fabric straps are

threaded, a very fi ddly and time consuming job

but the results are amazing. In my opinion they

are well worth it!

Painting the cockpits was straightforward.

After clean-up they were primed with Ammo

One Shot Black, which is essentially Badger’s

Stynylrez but the formula has been improved

so that it sprays more easily through your

airbrush. On top of that, Mr. Hobby RLM 66

was misted on, building up the layers to take

advantage of the shadows the primer would

create. A touch of white was added allowing

Here we are ready to close up the fuselage. I suspect the cockpit

could be added from underneath, but to be honest I didn’t try it -

maybe next time...

Not much of this will be seen as it sits behind the cooling fan so

providing this insert only will speed up the construction. A good

design decision.

All the gun barrels are hollowed out which is more than

welcome. There’s not much point painting these nose guns now

though as they have to be glued in during construction but you’ll

see this isn’t a problem.

The Barracuda exhausts just drop in. Superb!

’Roy’s’ wash works extremely well, see the text for details. Early ‘190s kept the inner gear doors shut on the ground so I

glued mine closed, although next time I’ll use superglue as I

made a bit of a mess!

Wheel-well detail is really nice but I did carry out a little sanding

on the top to help with the leading edge seam.

ROTTE LOVELY COLLECTION.indd 23 04/05/2018 15:00