Catch all title for a random collection of legacy builds

[The Wooksta!]

Tanks for the Memories

Another box or two of bits came down for the loft on Friday, containing several part started Dragon Focke Wulf Ta 152Cs. 

At least one had got as far as getting a coat of paint, before the engine got ripped off and replaced with that from the Dragon H.  I think it was intended as one of the Ta 152B ground attack aircraft, but having done some research it'll need too much work to get right, especially the cowl and the Dragon plastic is quite thin.  So it's going to become a Ta 152E fighter recce type.  I'm just unsure as to which camera fit it's going to get

One of the other Cs had the fuselage complete, so I've attached the wing and done a bit of assembly on some of the smaller assemblies.  It'll end up as a captured one, or Czech, I haven't got a plan yet.

There was another box kicking about, with two complete-ish Aoshima Ta 152H kits and some spare bits, including a complete wing. Anyway, I've quickly thrown it together after adding some tape belts in the cockpit.  Again, this is going to go PR but again, the camera fit is up for debate.  I do have something that needs to fall into rubber as it was intended for the Fw 190E (FR version based on the radial A/F*) , but that variant never saw service.  Captured.

The other one is going Czech, but I've yet to get the fuselage together.

Photos will follow later.


* I'm toying with one of this series, but based on either the A-9 or the far more interesting A-10 with the Ta 152 tail.  I just need to see what resin bits are kicking about in the loft.  I can get the bigger prop and fan, plus I need to splash out on yet another Eduard Fw 190.

[The Wooksta!]

Time for some initial photos.  I'll edit the blurb in later.

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Two shots of a straight Dragon Ta 152C.  The kit cowling is delightfully vague and the wing fit is less than stellar, even before it goes on the fuselage.  The front cowling is going to get replaced by one from an IBG 190D.

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Two shots of the old one, now with a Jumo 213 from the Dragon H.  This is going to be an E with the oblique camera from the Kora H-10 or the E.  Camouflage will be two of the late greens over black and I have a set of external flame dampers from the Italeri Stuka that need some minor surgery to fit.

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Finally, the Aoshima H.  It's going to be an H-11, once I get the Kora vertical bit copied.  The reason the front cowling insert is yellow for reasons lost to time from the original pair of Aoshima kits I bought.

[The Wooksta!]

Both the Dragon E and the Aoshima H-10 have their oblique cameras installed, a coat of primer and some filling done.

The former I've long had in mind a dark scheme, 81/82 over black, high demarcation line.  Not quite sure what I want to do with the H-10/R-1 (aka E-2/R-1), but 75/82 wing uppers and 76 elsewhere is possible.  I had discussed an overall 76 "special escort" scheme with Willie, but that may end up on one of the C airframes kicking about, or possibly a DB603LA engined H - there were at least two H variants with that engine proposed.

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[NARSES2]

Now that'll be a nice assortment when painted 

[The Wooksta!]

Top left is the DB603 190C/D hybrid. The engine is going into rubber as I'd like to do an earlier one based on either an A3 or A4.

The one with the wing taped up, albeit glued together (I'd just left it) is the Dragon H with the Airwaves replacement engine for the Ta 152C. This is either the H-8 or H-9, it depends on the radio fit.  That's going in a special escort scheme.

The three in the foreground from left are the H-10/R-1, E-1/R-1 (Dragon C with H engine, flame dampers and a replacement cowl as the Dragon one was crap) and the E-1.

Top right is the Dragon C with an IBG cowling, vastly superior to the Dragon offering.

[The Wooksta!]

Not photographed yet, but there's a Ta 152 tailed D-9 that isn't far from being primed and the DB603 C/D has a new engine in a better resin attached.  One of the wing uppers wasn't glued on properly at the time and is a bit skew whiff.  Filler is curing.

The cowling on the Ta 152C is getting replaced with a resin copy.

Somewhere in all the boxes is a D-9 fuselage sans tail.  It should have an Arba Ta 152 fin and I have the relevant casting but can't find the recipient.  Which is odd as I had it in my hand last week.

[The Wooksta!]

I may have mentioned in me Blog that there were a few painted things that could be salvaged and these are two of them.

First is an Aoshima Ta 152H-1, which was going to be an ANR aircraft. 

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I think it was painted with Aeromaster acrylics with Humbrol enamel Matt varnish.  In the 25 years it's been gathering dust (and I'm amazed the undercarriage gas survived), the varnish has yellowed, but I can explain that away as being an unrestored museum exhibit.  It'll be one the Australians captured in northern Italy in early 1946.
The upper wing decals have been removed, as they were looking manky, but as I was going to paint over them in grey, it didn't matter too much. I have some replacement resin wheels for it, and the canopy has long since vanished.  The Aoshima kits came with open or closed, so I do have some spare ones kicking about.

There should be a Hungarian one of similar vintage lurking in the loft I've yet to find.

Not in such good condition is this night attack Fw 190D-9.  The varnish and surface isn't that nice, and the undercarriage has long since vanished.

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I have no idea when this was done, but 1999 seems about right.  It'll end up with 2TAF roundels with the yellow surround and a Canadian zap.

[NARSES2]

I do like the look of the ANR one Lee 

[The Wooksta!]

And after a few minutes with some spare decals...

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I added a werk nummer from a Kora sheet.

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The original prop and cowl.  Keeping them in those colours for the hell of it.  Just need to sort out an Air Min number, clean up and paint the wheels and the canopy, give it a new coat of varnish and add a few aerials.

IIRC, Aeromaster released two different versions of RLM 81, one being a bit more chocolatey. I really liked it at the time and this I think is wearing the latter. The current Humbrol shade is similar if a little darker.

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2TAF roundels as promised.  Not happy with this one, but at the back of a display or shelf it could be acceptable.

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Not shown earlier, this one I think was going to be Turkish perhaps but now it's going to be a night attack one based in Italy.  Again, not over happy with the finish but it will be good to finally finish it.

[The Wooksta!]

The Dragon hybrid now has some 76 on the fin and it's masked to do the dark green uppers.  Then a bit of mottling on the fin before removing the masking to mask all over again to do the undersides in black.

[DogfighterZen]

I have to admit that the H's longer wing didn't seduce me for a long time but, looking at so many examples and from various angles on your pics, it's starting to grow on me and has me thinking about buying one... 
Some nice builds going on there, Lee. Although they're all looking good, i really like the night fighters, both schemes look very good.

[The Wooksta!]

Try and get a Kora rebox of the Aoshima if going for 72nd as the extra resin does help.  Current Aoshima boxings have some nice brass etch but are v. rare in the EU. 
Dragon looks nice in the box but is a horrible ill fitting thing that has frustrated thousands since it was released. Their C is marginally less bad but the engine cowling is wonderfully vague. Using the spare DB 603LA cowling found in the IBG Fw 190 D-9/11/13 helps enormously. Barracuda do some very nice replacement wheels, but I've cloned the Kora ones for personal use.  Quickboost do a resin cowl intended for Aoshima but will fit the Dragon H as the plastic is so thin that the gills are short shot or bent.
Art Model's H is most definitely a Dragon kit but with some enough parts reworked to make it legal.  The war in the Ukraine is not helping availability.
Revell is ye olde Frog kit but at least does have some nice decals.  Decent enough outline for the age and can be turned into something decent with some work with plastic card and the spares box.  Only really worth it if none of the others are available.

I don't know enough about the 48th kits to make a judgement.  I suspect that the Dragon kit is now in a Cyberhobby box and all the comments about the 72nd Dragon apply, as that was a straight pantograph down.  I did have one many years back but it long since got passed on.

[DogfighterZen]

Try and get a Kora rebox of the Aoshima if going for 72nd as the extra resin does help.  Current Aoshima boxings have some nice brass etch but are v. rare in the EU. 
Dragon looks nice in the box but is a horrible ill fitting thing that has frustrated thousands since it was released. Their C is marginally less bad but the engine cowling is wonderfully vague. Using the spare DB 603LA cowling found in the IBG Fw 190 D-9/11/13 helps enormously. Barracuda do some very nice replacement wheels, but I've cloned the Kora ones for personal use.  Quickboost do a resin cowl intended for Aoshima but will fit the Dragon H as the plastic is so thin that the gills are short shot or bent.
Art Model's H is most definitely a Dragon kit but with some enough parts reworked to make it legal.  The war in the Ukraine is not helping availability.
Revell is ye olde Frog kit but at least does have some nice decals.  Decent enough outline for the age and can be turned into something decent with some work with plastic card and the spares box.  Only really worth it if none of the others are available.

I don't know enough about the 48th kits to make a judgement.  I suspect that the Dragon kit is now in a Cyberhobby box and all the comments about the 72nd Dragon apply, as that was a straight pantograph down.  I did have one many years back but it long since got passed on.

Thanks for the rundown on the 72nd kits, Lee!   
Considering that info, i've looked at the options and, although i believe i could get the Kora kit, i think it's too expensive for a 72nd kit, almost 50€ with postage, while the Revell/Frog kit is around 10€...
I could buy the Hobby2000 1/48 H-1 kit (Ex-Dragon) for just over 30€... or 60€ for the Zoukei-Mura 1/48 kit, which, according to reviews online, is very good and the best kit ever made of the H.
The 1/48 Hobby2000/Dragon kit requires some work with misaligned panel lines and detail on the underside of the fuselage and wings, ejector pin that punches through the plastic, a couple of bits with minor sink marks, but reviews say it fits well and most of the detailing is good. It also has good PE bits for seatbelts, very visible details behind the pilot's seat and a few other items.
The 1/48 Aoshima kit is the best option and i admit, it's tempting but, the truth is that it's not really one of my favorites, i prefer the short wing C variants, which i already have in 1/48 so, i think i'll wait for a new kit of the H in 1/72.
Again, thanks for the help, Lee! That made my choice much easier.

[The Wooksta!]

The Dragon C that has become an E-1/R-1 now has it's black undersides. Just need to take the masking off and I can look at getting the decals on.

A Tamiya D-9 has been primed and the first of the upper colours is on, this being the 81. I'll mask it off later in the week to do the dark green.  I'm going with a dark scheme and low demarcation , except the rear fuselage aft of the parallel box extension will be either 76 or more likely 84 with a hard mottle of 82.

[The Wooksta!]

A quick look through a pile of boxes has yielded the missing prop from the former Hungarian Ta 152.  Woo hoo!

All I need now is a canopy.  Well, that and some retraction jacks.

There's a good few of these going to see some primer tomorrow.  Especially the Ta 152C, as I'd like to get the 76 on it.