instruments (if nothing else, I had
decided that I would need to get a
set of CSM’s 1/28 instruments for
the instrument panel– I could have
used Wingnut decals but thought
they would look too small in this
scale). After a very enjoyable day
messing about with scraps to make
up detail, I was beginning to think
building this veteran was more fun
than a state-of-the-art posh kit!
I was considering replacing the
ammunition box, as it was fairly
generic, but decided not to in the
end, as it would hardly be visible –
but I was still having fun making
bits here and there. The seat belts
came out of the spares box; these
were in 1/32 scale but looked fine
to me. Some of the basic kit parts
(seat/control column/floor, etc)
were again better than I expected,
though I had taken some time to
scratch-build them. When I started
this model I thought I was going to
replace everything, but once these
parts were painted it was amazing
how much better they looked.ENGINE
As previously mentioned, the
engine detailing was very good
indeed, none of that bulky, solid
moulding here. The engine has
some really rather fine cooling fins,
but I did add the missing piston rods
with fine metal rod from Albion
Alloys. Other than that addition the
engine is exactly as supplied, with a
little artistic dazzle using Humbrol
metalcotes over a dark grey finish.
I must admit I was rather pleased
with the effect, but now put the
engine aside, to be added during
the final stage of constructionBIG BIT
With the fuselage together I test-
fitted the wings and struts and
was astounded by the fit! Theyjust clicked together without
the merest hint of a gap. I’m
sure that someone will tell me
it’s the wrong dimensions here
and there but it certainly looked
like a ”Tripehound” to me. I was
struggling to see how the add-on
smaller parts were so awful, but the
main kit parts are so wonderful.
The surface detail wasn’t too
bad either for such an old girl. My
only gripe was that the sawtooth
effect on the wing was a little too
pronounced, but this was easily
blended back by sanding down the
wings, and I was satisfied with the
final effect. I sanded fore and aft
and laterally, which gave a fairly
realistic (but generic) appearance of
canvas (with a little imagination).
To test this a coat of primer
on one wing was sprayed and
I thought it looked ok. It’s not
quite as pronounced as the
photos show, as I gave the primer
a gentle rub too which has
accentuated the highlights. It looks
reasonably subtle in the flesh.
So despite the day spent on
the detailing the cockpit, the
rest of the build seemed to be
racing along as, essentially, it’s
a very simple construction.PAINTING
I hadn’t tried the Fokker streaking
before so this part was going to
be experimental. It was applied
at the factory using a four inch
rough brush with olive green
paint. There are decal options
available for streaking recently,
but as it seemed to be quite a
simple job of replicating this,
I thought I’d give it a go.
I kicked off with a light khaki-
olive. I again used the excellent
MRP paints that I had first used on
my Wingnuts Sopwith Camel build.
I used the same mix of Protective
Covering Number 10 (PC10),
lightened with Linen. I really can’t
praise MRP paints enough: they are
beautiful to spray with amazing
coverage. For the underside blue, I
went back to Tamiya and this was
noticeably not quite as smooth
as MRP, but still a good option.
My initial plan was to use
artist’s oils to do the streaking- maybe in two colours in two
separate sittings? A lighter and
darker shade of olive, as this
seemed to be what I could see
from period photos. On closer
inspection, I suspected there may
even be a hint of brown in it too.
The beauty of using artist’s
oils is that you can move the
paint around after application. In
fact, you can remove the whole
lot and start again if you’re
unhappy with the final effect
with just a tissue dampened with
white spirits, which won’t react
with the base acrylic colours.
The main drawback is that they
do take a considerable time to dry.
So once this phase was completed
off it went into my ”drying room”
(a cupboard with a radiator in it).
A few days here, followed by an
acrylic varnish, seemed to secure
the oil in place for the following
stages of extensive masking.
I still hadn’t decided on theWWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JUNE 2018 • 75
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