Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Civil aircraft vol.1: Orlican VSO-10B Gradient glider

 





Subject:
Orlican VSO-10B Gradient
Scale:
1/72
Manufacturer:
KPM
Price 
US$25,00 plus shipping
Construction:
Out-of-the box construction; 
Extras:
none
Paints:
This is my Orlican VSO10B Gradient glider. It is a pretty little kit. There are not too many parts, fit is ok, with the usual problems seen on short run models. The plastic is too soft and reacts a lot with cement, so be careful. Decals were well printed but very fragile. There is no need to solvents as they conform very well to the surface. There are markings for four aircraft. I decided to go with the only colorful one. To display the finished kit, i built a small base and used static grass and a pilot from an Airfix set to give some perspective on the size of the plane. I hope you like it. It's been a while since my last post. There is more coming soon!

Color instructions and decal placement. 


Instructions manual.

The sprue from the front side...

And from the back side.

Transparencies are ok, but there is not too much inside of the cockpit to see.

The nice decal sheet.

Some pictures of the real thing, courtesy of the internet.



Major parts assembled.


Size comparison to a Grumman F4F also in 1/72 sacle.

The finished kit!














Sunday, March 15, 2020

Walkaround vol.30: BRDM-2 Soviet AFV


Subject: BRDM-2 Soviet AFV
Location: South African National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2020.
Comments: The BRDM-2 (Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina, Боевая Разведывательная Дозорная Машина, literally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") is an amphibious armoured patrol car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. It was also known under the designations BTR-40PB, BTR-40P-2 and GAZ 41-08. This vehicle, like many other Soviet designs, has been exported extensively and is in use in at least 38 countries. It was intended to replace the earlier BRDM-1, compared to which it had improved amphibious capabilities and better armament. The BRDM-2 has a crew of four; a driver, a co-driver, a commander, and a gunner. It has two pairs of chain-driven belly wheels lowered by the driver, which allow trench crossing just like its predecessor, and a centralized tire pressure regulation system, which can be used to adjust the tire pressure of all four tires or individual tires while the vehicle is in motion to suit to the ground conditions. The crew mounts and dismounts the vehicle via two hatches over driver's and commander's stations. On either side of the hull adjacent to the crew position, there is a firing port. Immediately behind the firing port there are three TNP-A periscopes, which protrude from the outside of the hull, giving the crew some vision to the front and rear of the vehicle.The engine is larger than the BRDM's (it is a 140 hp V-8 instead of a 90 hp 6-cylinder). The BRDM-2 has an IR spotlight and four IR driving lights, as well as an over pressure collective NBC filter system. The IR spotlight is located on top of the commander's periscope. The vehicle also has an R-123 radio and an antenna on the right side of the hull next to the commander's hatch, for communication. There's also a winch mounted internally at the front hull that has a 30 m cable and a 4 tonne capacity. The winch is intended to be used, among others, for self-recovery when stuck in difficult terrain. A spare tire can be mounted on top of the turret. This was most often practiced by Polish crews. Like its predecessor, the BRDM-2 is amphibious. The GAZ-41 gasoline V-8 engine supplies power to the circular water-jet, equipped with a four-bladed propeller at the rear of the vehicle, which is covered with an armoured shutter while on land. This shutter must be removed before entering water. The water-jet allows amphibious travel with a speed of 10 km/h for 17 to 19 hours. A trim board, which is stowed under the nose of the hull when traveling, is erected at the front of the hull before entering the water to improve the vehicle's stability and displacement in the water and to prevent the water from flooding the bow of the BRDM-2. While in its traveling position, it serves as additional armour. (Source: Wikipedia)









Military Vehicles vol.25: BRDM-3




Subject:
BRDM-3
Scale:
1/35
Manufacturer:
Dragon
Price 
US$30,00 plus shipping
Construction:
Out-of-the box construction; replaced vinyl tires
Extras:
none
Paints:
This is my BRDM-3 Soviet AFV from Shangai Dragon. Overall a nice kit, although now surpassed by the Trumpeter model with full interior. Fit is very good and detail is nice. I don't like the vinyl tires. In my sample, they were already releasing that oil that damages all the plastic parts that came in contact with it. Fortunately, i found a resin replacement set made by a local manufacturer (Eletric Products) that were quite nice. Painting was done with Tamiya acrylics and weathering was obtained with AK products. The process i made is described below. I hope you like it! 

First i painted the hole kit in a dark grey shade.

Some parts received the same dark grey primer coat. Others were painted with AK rust primer.

I then sprayed some red brown color, specially around areas subjected to heavy weathering like corners, edges and engine deck.

I sealed everything with Humbrol gloss coat in preparation for weathering.

I then sprayed AK models "worn effects" over all the previously painted parts.

Next i sprayed a coat of green color. I did not bother to find a perfect match. Everything would look worn up during latter weathering process.

To increase the worn effect, i used the basic green color with some white on the central of most panels and hatches.

Then , with a brush i applied water over the surface of the kit and gently removed the paint in some areas . I used several different materials to scratch the surface, depending on how much damage to the paint work i would like to do.

Here you see some samples of the weathering



To stop the process, i used a coat of future. The gloss finish makes impossible any further scratches. Then i applied a dark wash to highlight the details.
Below the finished project: