Roden 1/32 Cessna L-19/0-1 Bird Dog
by Angelo PicardoI
f any aeroplane could appear
more un-military, than it
would have to go a fair way
to beat the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog.
However, the Bird Dog has had a
distinguished military career with
the armed forces of the United
States in both Korea and Vietnam.
With a top speed of 115 mph (my
car goes faster!), and a low stall
speed, the aircraft was ideal as
an artillery spotter plane and a
forward air controller. Roden
have released a 1/32 scale model
of the machine and I was only
too happy to take a look at it.
The box contains seven
grey sprues, a clear sprue, and
three lengths of metal rods.
Surface detail is minimal, as
on the real thing, with engraved
panel lines and raised details.
It has the feel of a limited
production model and some of thedetail is soft, while the surface
inish is a bit rough in places.
The surface of the model has a
grainy feel to it, but not so bad that
it needs any sorting out. Also, the
surface of the kit has a number of
“scars”, the most prominent
of which is found on the
port side lower engine
cowling, but a touch of
iller and a quick pass
with the sanding stick
sorted these out.
Some of the smaller
parts seem to have
sufered from what
appears to be mould
misalignment. There
are also ejector pin
marks to contend with
and a fair amount of
lash. The clear parts are
not quite as clear as they
should be and there is more lashBIRD DOG
It ain’t nothing but a
12 • DECEMBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
BY SACCO DE VRIES
CESSNA L-19/0-
BY ANGELO PICARDO
1/