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Kit Review: Lindberg 1/350 KMS Tirpitz
The Kriegsmarineshiff Tirpitz was Germany's largest battleship. The second ship of the Bismark class, it outweighed its sister and carried a heavier antiaircraft armament and an additional night-action rangefinder. This ship was based in Norway where it posed a threat to Artic convoys supplying the Soviet Union. Although it did not take an active role against these convoys, its existence tied up considerable Allied naval assets.
This Lindberg model is made of gray injection-molded styrene. It sells for about half the price of a competing Tamiya model in the same scale, but comes with less detail. I feel it is still a good deal for either a beginning modeler, or for someone who enjoys scratchbuilding details onto a solid basic kit.
Not all the parts included are used. This is a result of the kit (like most or all of Lindberg's ship kits) having been offered at one time as a powered model. Occasional plastic parts of the drive mechanism were cast on the sprues with the other pieces. Some modifications to the props and rudders are necessary to produce a prototypically correct arrangement.
On my model, I modified the outboard prop shafts to a semi-exposed type, added a third prop in the center, and replaced the stock props with those from a Revell 1/426 scale USS Arizona. The kit comes with a centrally-located rudder. The prototype used two rudders. I filled the stock rudder hole and scratchbuilt an identical rudder and post. Both rudders were then installed in the correct side-by-side location.
The plastic cuts, drills, and cements easily. The hull is a one-piece casting, with a separate section for the underwater portion of the bow. Despite the large size of the parts, I found no warpage and the parts fit together quite well.
I found the use of Gold Medal Models Photoetched Parts greatly enhanced the results, both by use of the parts themselves and also by the instructions which illustrated details not included in the kit. The use of reference photos of the prototype also proved invaluable in this project. Major modifications I made to the kit include construction of two aircraft hangers, a sloped armor plate atop the bridge, extra antiaircraft gun positions, and anchor-handling gear details.
After the modifications were made, the sub-assemblies were sprayed with a coat of Krylon dark gray primer, then were
airbrushed with Apple Barrel acrylics, Pewter Gray and Dolphin Gray, with Bright Red for the hull. Wooden deck surfaces were painted with Model Master Dark Tan acrylic. Polly-S Union Pacific Harbor Mist Gray was a good match for the dark gray of the primer and was used on some details and decks. Tight areas were painted with small detail brushes. The boottop was added with automotive pinstriping.
I found it was helpful to not attach the fore and aft superstructures until all the photoetch and painting was completed. Also, I did not attach the main gun turrets- it is very handy to be able to remove these when painting details and detailing nearby areas. These turrets are secured by means of shafts running vertically through the barbettes. They are held on the ship by gravity, as on the prototype. A ramp mechanism causes the guns to elevate when the turrets are trained.
This was done automatically on the powered version of the model.
This model kit could have used some decals, which were not included, and better flags. I would up using Revell German naval ensigns, the flags included in the kit were printed on heavy card and did not look right to me.
As a final note, although the box art was very bold, showing the ship in action against a background of the German naval ensign, it was also an example of political correctness. The flag shown is, I believe, the Imperial German naval ensign of World War I. This silliness extended to the illustration showing an Arado 196 floatplane flying above the ship with an Imperial eagle on the tailfin in place of the Nazi logo. Maybe this was a sop to the European market, but I think it would have been better to leave it off rather than replace it with something that was never there.
Les Foran
Skyorama Part II
The Skyorama is now finished and is hung above my West Central Nebraska model railroad. I learned a few things painting these planes- got some much needed practice with an airbrush, and got to compare two identical models built twenty years apart.
My B-52's, Calamity Jane and Urban Renewal, are chasing a KC-97, D-Cup, over the Nebraska Panhandle. Calamity Jane was built in 1982 from a Revelle kit and brush-painted using flat conventional enamels. The remaing two planes were recently completed, airbrushed with flat acrylic enamels. The B-52 with flaps extended, and the tanker were built from Academy kits. All three are 1/144 scale. Calamity Jane got her Hound Dog missles repainted to match those on Urban Renewal.
In painting this project, I discovered a new (to me) product called "Photo Frisket". This is a masking material, a thin plastic film with low-tack adhesive on one side. I bought this after the base green paint on Urban Renewal was lifted by the masking tape.
At first, I thought the Frisket was pretty pricy at about $16, but you get 10 sheets for that price, and you can do a lot of models with that. It solved the paint lifting problem 99%. The package states that it will not leave adhesive behind, however, on only one of the paint colors, Testors' Model Masters Dark Tan, it left a lot. I tried to remove this with dish detergent and water with little effect, but found that rubbing alcohol applied with a cotton swab does a good job of getting it off without affecting the paint.
The only real limitation with the Frisket material would be getting it to stick to a very irregular surface, but this seems to be a problem with any masking medium.
Attached are pictures of the completed planes on the table, and in my 1968 sky.
Les Foran
Kit Review: Minicraft Lockheed L188 Electra II in 1/144 scale.
The Lockheed Electra came about from an order from American Airlines for a short/intermediate range turboprop to replace Douglas
and Convair piston-powered airliners. At least one airline, Northwest Orient, used them to replace Boeing 377 Stratocruisers.
This plane went into service in 1959, at the time many airlines were taking delivery of Boeing 707 and Douglas DC8 turbojets. A few years later, the arrival of short/intermediate range jets such as the Douglas DC9 and Boeing 727 and 737 made the Electra
obsolete for major airline use. Thus the Electra had a short career, which is too bad, because it was an elegant aircraft that would have been roomy and comfortable to fly in. This plane is officially an "Electra II". The original Lockheed Electra is the model 10, a
1930's airliner made famous as the plane Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared in on July 2, 1937, while attempting a trans-Pacific flight.
This L188 story did have a happy ending for Lockheed, however, for as orders fell off for the airliner, Lockheed brought out a militarized version that lives on as the World's Favorite Patrol Bomber, the P3 Orion.
This kit by Minicraft, in common with their other offerings in this series, is made in mainland China and includes excellent Italian-
made decals. I did encounter some minor problems with this kit, but since you are reading this review, you will be informed of them and should have no problem building it.
First, I have learned by experience with their Boeing 377 kit that the recommended 1/2 oz. of weight in the nose isn't enough to keep the nose planted, at least not in the 377. Taking no chances, I added a full ounce of lead weight for this kit. (By the time you realize you need more weight, you are too far along in assembly to add it.)
Second, I ran into some problems with the assembly of the engines. The instructions show to add a hub piece between the prop and the engine, and put a cap on the prop shaft inside the engine to allow the prop to rotate. Trouble is, the shaft isn't long enough to allow for this. The hub has to be used, it is a very visible external part. So forget the inner cap and glue the prop and hub to the engine, using the shaft to locate the assembly. Also, the kit provides (and the instructions call for) four spinners for the props. However, the props already have quite proper spinners molded on them that work just fine.
Another thing to watch for in assembling the engines, although entirely my own fault, is to be sure the air intakes at the front of the engines are on the top, not on the bottom. I put mine together upside-down and then wondered for a week why the engines didn't
look right.
Thirdly, the decals include outlines for the front and rear doors on the port side. The model, although it has no windows molded in
the sides (the windows are on the decal sheet), does have door opening lines molded in. However, if you are going to get the decals properly located on the sides of the plane, the decal door lines cannot line up with the molded-in door lines. Of course, now that you know about this ahead of time, you can fill in the door outlines before painting and nobody will be the wiser. Another problem here, although more of an instruction problem than a decal problem, is that decals number 21&22 are shown on the instructions in reverse position.
Despite the problems mentioned, I would still say this is a very good kit. With the sole exception of the door lines needing to be filled, it can be assembled right out of the box into a good-looking model of a beautiful aircraft.
Kit Review: Revell Boeing 720, United Air Lines ca. 1/144 scale.
Probably the most classic jet airliner design is the Boeing 707/720. The 720 is an upgraded version of the original 707, the first
American-made turbojet airliner. These planes also do duty in the US Air Force as the C135 transport, and its variants, the KC135
tanker, and the EC135 AWACS.
I would venture to say that no one builds as fine an airliner as does Boeing. The 707-720-727-737 family of aircraft use many
common parts, passenger capacity being determined by fuselage length, using a common cross-section. This means that even a
small-capacity plane like a 737 has the same individual passenger space as does the big 720. This is a big deal when compared with competitors' designs like the DC9, of similar seating capacity but smaller fuselage diameter.
Revell has repopped their 720 kit. No scale is given on the box or in the instructions, but judging from door and window, engine and wheel size, it appears to be in 1/144 scale or very close to it. It looks right displayed with the other models in my 1/144 scale
classic airliner collection.
This is pretty much a kit of the 1960's, with the exception of the decals, which are the modern thin film variety, as opposed to the "battleship linoleum" type of the original. The kit is cast in a silvery-gray styrene typical of Revell kits of the period. No clear
parts are included, save for the display stand (with tooling dating to 1953!). The fuselage halves have "707" engraved on the inside
surfaces.
Parts fit together fairly well, with the exception of the fuselage halves, which showed a little warpage. I wrapped mine with rubber bands after gluing together, then filled the seam with Squadron White Putty.
The kit included a wheeled platform with a support jack for the rear of the fuselage. I used to think this was very unprototypical
until I saw a real one in use. I still consider it to be "Mickey Mouse", and so weighted the nose with an ounce of lead. This works
fine to keep the nose down on the gear, however, if you intend to use the display stand, it would no doubt cause a "nosedive".
My model had some flash blocking out a cockpit window, and sunken areas in the fuselage and wings over locating pins. These can be filled with the putty. The windows down each side are cast into the fuselage. These look OK, but would cause a
problem with the decals, which also represent the windows- you would have a line of unsupported decal windows. This problem is
solved by filling the windows with putty and sanding them smooth. The front and rear doors are too thick, and fit loosely in the openings. After cementing them in place, putty around the doors and sand the area, doors and all, to the same level as the sides after drying completely. The nose cone, too, looks better when its joint to the fuselage is puttied and sanded.
This model uses raised panel lines and rivet detail. This was typical in the 60's on models. Short of sanding off the seam lines and scribing them back in, there isn't much you can do with them other than sanding them down to make them less visible. The
rivets are something else again. They are raised, round-head rivets, like you might find on a bridge or railroad freight car. Aircraft
use a special, flat-headed rivet that is countersunk into the surface. They are almost invisible unless you are close. The only other application for this type of rivet that I can think of would be on high-end aluminum boats. Sand these rivets until you can hardly see them.
The engine assemblies consist of four parts: two pod halves, a support that includes a central spline, and a multi-barrel jet silencer. All of the support parts include a compressor/shock cone molding except one. I thought mine had just broken off, but closer inspection showed it was not cast onto the part. Apparently it was missing on the mold. Fortunately, the compressor happens to be about the same diameter as the little tabs with the part numbers on them. Three of these sandwiched together makes a passable compressor, but you will have to fabricate a shock cone for it. After I got the engines together, the shock cones seemed to be a little too small, bigger ones could be made that would look better. The silencers have a central tube that should be drilled out.
I did not use the clear stand, so I filled the opening in the bottom of the fuselage with some Plastruct strip and puttied it smooth.
Cockpit windows were made with Testors' Window Maker.
It takes a little work to get a nice looking model that will stand up to comparsion with more modern kits, but it was not difficult.
For anyone who doesn't mind doing this, this kit fills the bill of providing a reasonably-priced model of a great prototype. The United Air Lines decals look great on the painted model, a classic airplane in a classic livery.
Les Foran
Kit Review: Lindbergh 1948 Lincoln Continental Convertible (1/25 scale).
This kit is apparently a repop of a kit issued in the late 1950's. I can't remember who manufactured it, but I don't think it was
Lindbergh. It may have been a Renwal kit. This kit has been updated with fine quality decals for nameplates and dash details,
and soft vynal tires. There are also chrome plated parts that I don't remember being in the original issue (I did not build this kit back then, but my pal next door did).
The kit comes molded in a soft white plastic, with chrome and clear parts
This kit differs from almost all modern car kits in that it has a multipiece body . Body sides, fenders, trunk, and cowl are individual pieces. The front fenders consist of two pieces each. I found it helpful to assemble the body using the frame as an
assembly jig, to be attached later after the body is painted. The body parts will need some putty work along the seams.
These multipiece bodies are not as tough to build as you may imagine. By molding the body this way, molding seam lines are not
cast into the parts. However, where the seam lines normally would be is where the joint between parts now is.
The biggest weakness of this kit is its engine. Cast-in detail is generally lacking, while the plug wiring is attempted but over-sized. Small details like cylinder head bolts and radiator hoses aren't there. I think this can be corrected, I have a construction article in the works that will cover this. An unusual feature of this engine is that the oil pan is cast as a part of the frame, while the balance of the engine is a separate assembly.
The interior presents a problem that I was unable to correct. The inner door panels are cast on the backside of the body sides.
This results in their being concave, following the curve of the outside of the panel. This is not as the prototype is, they should be
perpendicular to the floorpan. There is nice engraved detail on the inside of the panels.
The chrome plating looks a bit heavy, and the dashboard is plated. This seemed a bit wierd to me, but it does enable the model to have chrome details like instrument bezels after the rest is painted. In a similar fashion, the entire "Continental" spare tire
mount is chromed, apparently for the sake of the hubcap.
The tires and wheels appeared a bit undersized for this large a car. The outer wheel is lacking in detail, being a chrome flat disc with a hubcap molded in the center. I would reccommend painting the flat surface either silver or body color, and painting on white sidewalls using acrylic paint.
The big chrome egg-crate grille looks great. Headlights are smooth chrome convex discs that need some improvement. Taillights are all chrome, they will need some red paint.
Although the car is a convertible, there is no top boot that would be needed to model a car with the top down.
Except for the body assembly, this is really a simple kit. It is rated a difficulty level of "2", and while it could be built by an inexperienced modeler, the filling and sanding would be a challenge.
This kit fills a gap left when Monogram's excellent 1941 Lincoln kit went out of production. If you are into classic car models, you probably would want at least one V12 Lincoln, and for right now, this is it.
Oldies but Goodies: The AMT Trophy Series
Back in 1960, the pioneer car model kit manufacturer AMT (originally Aluminum Model Toys) brought out a line of 1/25th scale car kits to accompany their series of promo model-based new car kits. Like the models of current year cars, these were "Three in One" kits, providing parts for the builder to build one of three versions (stock, custom, or competition). Unlike the contemporary series, the Trophy Series cars were carried in production from one year to the next, with minor changes made over the years and new models added from time to time.
At first, all subjects in the Trophy Series were Fords. Later on, some Chevrolets and even a Studebaker were added. These kits almost always included a choice of two engines, and featured a couple of performance options for the replacement engine.
I started building this series in 1960, with the 1940 Ford coupe. Variants of this kit are still in production. The original kit included a two-piece body ( the fenders and running boards were a separate piece, as in all the pre-1949 Ford kits), a stock 221 cubic inch V8, and a Buick V8. The Buick V8 had options for either triple carbs or a GMC 6-71 blower with dual throttle body fuel injection, and a neat chrome chain drive. The kit was molded in black styrene with good quality chrome parts. Tires were soft vynal.
These 1940 Fords were some of my favorite kits. I must have built at least six of the coupes alone, and still have one in my collection. This kit got me started thinking about the prototype cars and their engines. Why was the Ford V8 so much smaller than the Buick? Why did it look so different? There were lots of flathead Fords still on the street back then, with lots of proud owners who would help explain such automotive mysteries.
About the time this 1940 Ford came out, AMT also offered a 1932 Ford five-window coupe in the series. This kit included a small-block Chevy engine, with intake choices of three or six two-barrel carbs. A nice feature of this kit was the option of building it with full fenders and running boards, or as a stripped-down version with cycle fenders. By fitting the body on the frame without using the fender/running board piece, the body would fit down on the frame rails to produce a lowered effect called "channelling ". Very cool.
It was also very easy to chop the top, since all the posts were vertical. As with the other kits in this series, one had the option of using a dropped front axle.
Contempoary with the 1932 coupe, the company came out with a 1932 Ford roadster kit. This kit may still be around, and has gone through a change of fenders, moving the spare tire to the rear, but the original kit was of the "Sports Roadster" model, with a side -mounted spare. Optional on this kit was the original Chrysler "Fire-Power" hemi V8, apparently a 1958 392 cubic inch version. This engine featured either triple carbs or a 6-71 blower/injector setup that looked great with the chrome lakes pipes. Again, like the coupe, it could be built with full or cycle fenders. A neat feature of this kit was the operating rumble seat.
Unlike the coupe, which was a V8 in stock form, this kit in stock form represented a "Model B Ford", with a 200 cubic inch flathead inline four.
All Trophy Series kits included a small loving cup-type trophy on the chrome parts tree. Each kit included a decal sheet (usually flames) designed to fit the particular car, with lots of small "contingency" manufacturer decals. Given the options available, there were always lots of leftover parts for future projects.
I feel AMT not only made great model kits in this and other series, but helped spark an automotive interest in a whole generation of boys with these kits.
The Airfix Junkers Ju 52 3/m
The Airfix Junkers Ju 52 3/m in 1/72 scale was a great airplane kit. One of the best features of this kit was the options included for it.
The Ju 52 3/m was the Luftwaffe's equivalent of the DC 3. This plane appeared around the same time as the DC 3, but where the DC 3 appeared to be years ahead of its time (and was, not looking out of place in a 1960's airport scene), the Junkers had a dated
appearance, due to its corrugated construction, engine layout, and boxy appearance. Like the DC 3, attempts were made to build
bomber versions. And like the DC 3, surviving examples hung around for years in both civil and military use. The "3/m" refers to the three-motor arrangement. This plane was originally built as a "1/m" , but suffered poor performance.
Airfix's version was cleanly molded in silver/gray plastic. The plane could be built as an armed or unarmed German military transport, on fixed landing gear or floats, or as a Swiss government floatplane. Good quality decals were included for all versions.
With the correct decals, this versatile model could represent any number of civil or military prototypes from the mid-1930's to the present.
I built this model as part of a collection of 20 or so Luftwaffe aircraft back in 1968. I chose to model an unarmed transport version
with conventional landing gear. I painted the plane in green splinter camoflague with light blue undersides. One of the things that I
believe makes a great model kit is the opportunity to model more than one version using the parts and decals in the kit. This kit was indeed an "oldie but Goodie".
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