Fokker T.V. (Early)

[Tophe]

No problem, we will wait the completion

[NARSES2]

 

[NARSES2]

Made some progress with this, hopefully sort the undercarriage out in the coming week

[NARSES2]

Picked this up again after a rather long hiatus and realised I'd already masked the nose and tail glazing, I had the Peewit masks, so that was a bonus. A second bonus was to find the glazing fitted relatively well. It was the thought of this that had put me off working on it if I'm honest.

So nose and tail glazing can go on at the end of the build and I'll live with any mismatches - life's to short  Should start to make progress with this one now.

[NARSES2]

Bit of a  moment with this yesterday. I'd finally got around to painting the nose and tail glazing framing, but when I took the masks off it was nowhere as good as I could have hoped for. Probably my fault for leaving the masks on to long before painting commenced as I had no problems with the main canopy or any of the other glazing which I did eons ago immediately after applying the masks. Had more of a problem with the Hataka upper surface colours than the Xtracrylic under surfaces, but this may be down to the Hataka colours being from their airbrush ready "Red" range as they don't do the Dutch colours in their Blue range and thus being a lot thinner than I would normally use.

However conversely when it came to attacking the errant paint with a cocktail stick the Hataka cleaned up far more easily than the Xtracrylic and things weren't as bad as they first looked. Result is they are now ready for some re-masking and touching up of some frames, another coat of Klear and then they can be attached.

I'm aiming to finish this kit this year, but with the festivities almost upon us we shall see.

[NARSES2]

Spent some time rescuing the nose and tail glazing and I think they can be fitted, with their guns, during the coming week. Also got the undercarriage bay doors fitted so we are slowly getting there.

[NARSES2]

Nose and tail glazing fitted, and it will do for Government work. Very nearly there now. Hope to finish it next week, after that Christmas starts closing in.

[NARSES2]

Spoke to soon, hit a bit of a problem yesterday.

I had a couple of small transparencies left to fit and whilst doing so one fell inside the fuselage.  I managed to get it out, not sure how and guess what ? it fell in again.  I actually managed to repeat this feat on four separate occasions and after it fell in for the fifth time I decided that was where it was destined to be and left it.

As I'm portraying the aircraft as a "third hand" hand me down the backstory will simply say that the new operators simply plated over the two windows as it was getting drafty inside. 

[loupgarou]

Spoke to soon, hit a bit of a problem yesterday.

I had a couple of small transparencies left to fit and whilst doing so one fell inside the fuselage.  I managed to get it out, not sure how and guess what ? it fell in again.  I actually managed to repeat this feat on four separate occasions and after it fell in for the fifth time I decided that was where it was destined to be and left it.

As I'm portraying the aircraft as a "third hand" hand me down the backstory will simply say that the new operators simply plated over the two windows as it was getting drafty inside. 

Yeees! That's the best solution in such cases.

[NARSES2]

Finally finished. The last couple of weeks with this have been a struggle for reasons I won't go into other than to say they weren't the kit's fault. Indeed the kit is a pretty good example of the "limited run" genre and certainly shows how far Valom in particular have come in the last few years.

So without further ado here is the Slovenske Vzdusne Zbrane's (Slovakian Air Force) Fokker T.V bomber operating with Letka 3 (3rd Reconnaissance Squadron) in the Crimea in the Autumn of 1943.

On 10th May 1940 the Dutch Air Force had 16 aircraft on strength, of which 9 were operational. Totally outnumbered, nevertheless their crews undertook several missions, including the destruction of 30 German aircraft at Wallhaven Airport for no losses. 9 aircraft were lost in the ensuing battles. That's the history, but what happened then ?

In my own little world the Germans captured 6 aircraft in various states of repair whilst 1 escaped to England (I've an idea that one actually did ?). Of these 6, 4 were repairable and the German's subsequently sold them to the Hungarian Air Force in order to supplement their Ju 86's in the bomber/reconnaissance role. It soon became apparent to the Hungarians that the aircraft were more trouble than they were worth, hydraulic problems and high oil consumption being some of the issues encountered, and as soon as they obtained He 111's they sold them on to the Slovaks who quite frankly were glad of anything they could get by this stage of the War.

Letka 3 still had 2 aircraft in service when it was disbanded in September 1944 after the Slovak National rising.

The transfers that inspired this project all them months ago are from a 1992 Blue Rider sheet depicting aircraft of the Slovakian Air Force on the Eastern Front and are intended for one of Letka 3's He 111's, but in my world they never got them, the Heinkel's that is.

Main camouflage colours are from Hataka's Dutch AF set with the exception of the RLM 65 undersides which are Xtracrylic. The original aircraft had dark brown undersides but I figured they'd of been overpainted once captured.

[Tophe]

Good!

[Old Wombat]

Nice job, Chris!

A plane of disparate features; low cockpit with well-sloped windscreens, retracting undercarriage, swept-back wings & tail-planes .... & that big, flat air-dam of a nose!

[Tophe]

From the T.V came the double T.55: 

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/fokker-t-55-1940.jpg

[loupgarou]

Very good build of an  unusual plane (and history ), Chris.
Did you brush-paint it? The finish is perfect.

[Mossie]

Glad you stuck with it Chris, it's been a slog but turned out great.