Avia B.21
My stab at faux wood.
Interior parts are quite thick and had to be thinned and sanded properly.
I used the thin black EZ-Line to simulate the interior bracing.
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.
Cockpit is ready to go.
I wish I moved the block the seat "sits" on back a bit...
Instrument panel is the Brengun's PE part over the celluloid, with the kit's sanded part serving as a base.
I glued in some backing for the exhaust stubs.
There is no provision for anything the resin armament can sit on, so I created a styrene “floor”…
… so that the machine guns have something to rest on.
I made a jig to glue the lower wings and to achieve the proper dihedral.
Small details added to the airframe.
Kit’s cabane parts are too rough for my taste, so I made my own from styrene. The piece running in the center served as a height gauge.
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…)
I added few bits to the ski assembly. The drilled holes will be plugged later (I hope…).
Assembled and ready for priming.
New engine exhaust pipes were made from brass tube.
After first coat of Mr. Surfacer and sanding.
I am trying a new technique for rigging: thin wire that will serve as attachment for the rigging line. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Rigging attachments on the upper wing. The loops will be cut off prior to rigging line installation.
The wing ribbing on the actual aircraft is not represented in the kit.
I decided to simulate it using 8/0 Uni-Thread superglued to the leading and trailing edges at appropriate intervals.
I first held the thread in place using tweezers, and then applied thin superglue.
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.
Here is the ribbing after Mr. Surfacer and top color application.
Horizontal stabilizer with "ribbing" in place, before…
… and after Mr. Surfacer and top color application.
The edges of the "ribbing" had to be treated with superglue and a toothpick to ensure adhesion and proper flattening.
I utilized a simple jig for the upper wing "ribbing" application.
Very dilluted black enamel was airbrushed over the top color to break up the monotony of the khaki paint.
Lowel wing and tail surfaces have a distinct visual "feel" as well, again not represented in the kit.
I simulated this effect by applying thin strips of kabuki tape where the ribs are…
…and then airbrushing with highly dilluted black enamel. Here is the resulting effect.
Agama C4P "light khaki" (alcohol) was airbrushed on the upper surfaces (thinned 1pt paint to 4pts Agama alcohol thinner).
The lower surfaces received a mixture of Testors "Silver" (3 parts) with a bit of "Light Ghost Grey" added (1 part).
Gunze Sangyo "Gloss" was applied overall, straight from the can. Kit's decals (very good) went on next, with little help from MicroSet and MicroSol.
The prop hub needed some serious cleanup.
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 radiator was weathered with very thinned artist's oil Raw Umber and Black.
The radiator needed a slight curvature to "hug" the fuselage properly.
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...
And now for the finished pics
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5 October 2024, 06:33 -
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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).
The kit overall is go
