Some bits from the left-over PE set were used for controls. The kit’s resin seat with harness looked better to me than Brengun’s PE version, so I went with that.
Kit’s skis are too thick IMHO (top) so I tried to make my own from styrene (bottom). After I spilled a bottle of glue on them, I started over with brass… (they were warping anyways…)
The plan was to airbrush the "ribbing" with several layers of Mr. Surfacer to hold it in place. This worked for about 80% of the ribs: I had to superglue the remainder, no doubt due to an uneven application of Mr. Surfacer.
I sanded off the hub detail (the kit's PE piece will replace it), and added a brass shaft (corresponding brass tube was installed in the fuselage). To simulate the propeller's wood layers, I used fine brown Sharpie to draw the dark layers.
A very thinned Testors Acryl "Wood" was then brushed on in several layers, until I was happy with the level of opacity. Thinned Burnt Sienna oil paint was used to accent the prop.
Coat of Gunze Sangyo Gloss was applied next. After allowing to dry overnight, I masked and applied the khaki and other detail. The hub PE piece is glued on and sludge-washed.
The guns were painted with lightened Testors Acryl Black and highlighted with Silver. The fuel lines were installed next (a thin strand wire, blackened with Sharpie pen).
I started the rigging next. I used 8/0 "gray" UNI-Thread for the rigging. It's relatively thin and very strong. It's designed for tying flies for fly-fishing. I began by gluing one end to the metal "studs" I installed, after cutting the loop off.
The other end was then glued to the corresponding opposite stud. The problem was that the stud is made from an electrical wire strand, which is thin and deforms easily. There was just too much bending.
In the end, with the superglue in place, the studs are just too visible and, well, yucky. I may need to learn to stretch spue before attempting another stringbag...
One of the last models I put together as a teen before coming to the US was a BH-21 by Kovozávody Prostějov. When Fly came up with its short run version of this aircraft, I had to have it.
The 72020 boxing includes a version with skis, of which Avia built several. Despite the importance of this type to the Czechoslovak pre-war air force, there is paltry reference available, and I was unable to find anything but few pictures of this variant.
The kit contains nice resin details to appoint the cockpit and the ski undercarriage. There are additional resin details to build the BH-21J version, of which only a prototype was build (this type was the precursor to the later BH-33). I believe that the 72020 can produce the standard BH-21, although a separate boxing was released for this version (72012).
I also secured Brengun's PE set for this kit. In the event, I only used less than half of the parts from the fret (the kit's resin seat, for example, is superior to the fret's PE version IMO).
