Scale Aviation Modeller International 08.2018

streamlined Stewart Hartshorn

flying and landing wires.

The decals are nicely printed

and include the markings for both

the R1 (race number 11/NR2100) and

R2 (race number 7/NR2101), and the

kit includes masks for the complex,

trademark Gee Bee scallops along

the wings and on the undercarriage.

BUILDING

With relatively few parts, assembly

is conventional, starting with

building up the representation

of the tubular fuselage internals,

which although straightforward,

will repay precision when the

assembly needs to be fitted

to the fuselage interior.

The seat and instrument

panel are added to the framework

and I painted the whole lot and

the fuselage internals with Mr.

Hobby H334 Barley Grey. The seat

cushion was painted to represent

red leather (apparently fitted to

help the pilot slide if he needed

to bail out!) Some PE levers, trim

wheels, and seat belts completed

the rather sparse cockpit fittings.

The starboard fuselage half has

the cockpit access door moulded

in situ should one wish to show it

closed, but given the nice detail

inside the cockpit, it would be a

shame not to open it up: the kit

includes a separate door against

this eventuality. Unfortunately, the

door is moulded as a thick single

piece, unrepresentative of the

lightweight structure of a racer,

so I constructed a new door using

a curved piece of thin plastic card,

and framing from plastic strip.

The very prominent engine

assembles easily, and although the

main components are present, the

ignition wiring is missing (despite

the presence of the collector ring),

but this is easily remedied with

some lead wire. The engine was

painted in various shades of Alclad,

followed by a brown wash, and once

finished it looks quite impressive.

The plastic cowling has a photo-

Curiously, the fixed canopy, is moulded as

two parts

The wings are made up of upper and lower halves, and

the ailerons are separate

The photo etched fret has some cockpit components, but is

dominated by the Stewart Hartshorn aerofoil-section flying wires

The engine is made up of eight main parts

The rather sparse cockpit builds up

from several bulkheads and struts,

and care is needed in the alignment

The assembled engine

is enhanced by the

addition of lead wire

ignition leads

74 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

072-77-FEAT-CIVIL-0818.indd 74 12/07/2018 11:48