Chinese
manufacturer Trumpeter has made quite a name for itself over the past three
years. They launched a new, extremely ambitious programme of large scale model
subjects on an un-suspecting modelling community and have been both praised,
and vilified in almost equal measure in some quarters.
In
our view, the kits just keep on getting better and better and we have copies
of at least one of all the 1:32 and 1:35 aviation kits released to date.
It
may not appeal to everyone, but this really is a smashing subject and an
aircraft produced in huge quantities.
This
build is very much an 'out of the box' review and I hope to complete it over
the next few weeks - with the aim of seeing just how good these kits are
getting - and perhaps a few simple techniques on the way!
Part
1 - the fuselage:
On
the sprues the parts look very, very good - with fine recessed panel lines and
a mixture of raised and recessed rivet detail. Note the extremely fine cockpit
lever mouldings along the top of the photo - amazing!
On
closer examination, a large number of circular mould release pin marks are
visible and need removing - the most obvious of these are on the seat pans and
rear bulkhead - most of the others aren't really visible when the model is
assembled.
The
instructions call for a pale blue interior, but my references for early Yak
18s suggested a pale/medium grey - so that is what I went for. To save time,
all interior surfaces where sprayed with Halfords Grey Primer (an acrylic
spray paint sold in the UK) in preparation for a 'weathering' cote of Paynes
Grey oil paint.
As
can be seen in the above image, the method is a simple way of bringing out all
of that fine detail. Take an old brush and coat the area with a thin layer of
the oil paint - then simply wipe away with kitchen paper until all that is
left is a faint trace in the 'nooks and crannies'. Hopefully the pictures will
speak for themselves.
As
with most other Trumpeter aircraft kits of the last couple of years, the kit
includes superb 'film' type instruments which are simply cut out and
sandwiched between the front and back panels. Very simple - and very
effective. No need for any detail sets with this one!
Cockpit
about to be fitted inside the fuselage. Fit is perfect and very positive, with
large 'lugs' at each end of the cockpit which fit precisely into slots in the
fuselage halves - you simply cannot get it wrong!
Trumpeter
seem to have taken a leaf out of Tamiya book with the Zero - the Yak 18 has
all of it's control surfaces supplied as separate parts, with steel rod and
photo-etched hinges ensuring that all surfaces will be moveable on the
finished model. Not sure about this - I like the separate control surfaces as
it allows for a realistic positioning, without having to separate the
controls, but the jury is still out on having them hinged. On the Zero I
built, I think I only 'played' with the movable surfaces once - so they might
as well have been glued in situ. We'll see. I can report, however, that the
rudder assembly 'works', although the fitment of the parts, particularly to
the recesses in the fuselage moulding, lacks precision and could result in a
poorly off-centre rudder if you're not careful. There's also a little 'slack'.
Here's
the assembled, sanded fuselage. A small amount of filler was required
underneath - I used superglue and accelerator, but this was minimal and,
generally, the fit of parts to this stage has been superb. Can you tell that
I'm enjoying this? Build time so far - 4 hours.
Part
2 - the engine:
Next
up - the engine - a kit in itself and it's almost a pity to hide it - but I
did vow to myself that this would be a simple 'out of the box' model.
Assembly
proved to be relatively straightforward - starting with joining the front and
rear halves of the five cylinder engine. The joint was excellent - with
minimal cleaning up required. The cylinders were then sprayed with Alclad II
duralumin, over a base coat of Halfords Gloss Black acrylic spray. A little
weathering with oil paint and it was ready to receive it's ancillaries.
The
gear casing/pushrod assembly fitted well, but the inlet pipe work at the rear
refused to sit flush - as you can see - a little 'persuasion was needed whilst
everything set!
Clamp
removed - and the engine is starting to take shape. The amount of detail at
the rear of the engine (carburetor etc.) is amazing - unfortunately I was so
carried away with making 'progress' that I forgot to photograph it!
Test
fitting time whilst the very delicate engine bearers dry. Note that the
firewall has a number of unsightly mould ejector pin marks that will need
removing if you open up the cowlings. What I did realise at this stage was
that re-fitting the mounts into the firewall holes with the cowling in
position was going to be a problem. However.....
Trumpeter
have provided both clear and 'solid' cowlings - an option for those that want
to have a clear area to show all that neat engine detail. The clear part,
however, also answered my need to be able to see where the engine mounts were
locating when the engine was put in place - worked a treat!
So,
engine in place and nicely central, followed by the cowl front - bye, bye
engine!
Time
- about 3 hours, so total now 7.
Part
3 - the Airframe:
Wings
next and I used the etched hinges and steel rod once again - I can confirm
that after very little work, all of the control surfaces work correctly. Both
wings and tail plane go together without any major problems and the fit is
excellent - providing that you spend a little time ensuring mating surfaces
are clear of defects/flash.
Assembly
to the fuselage was quick and painless - fit being excellent - just a little
thin superglue to smooth the joint. Model was wet sanded with 600, followed by
800 and 1200, grit wet and dry paper.
She's
starting to look good now and I'm test fitting the canopies. This are
exceptionally thin and clear - actually some of the best I've ever seen.
Extreme care is need when separating parts from the sprue - I used sharp side
cutters, then cleaned up with a sharp scalpel blade and 1200 grit wet and dry.
Quick
Tip: A simple 'trade secret' for improving the look of any clear parts on
a model. Run around the edges with a black permanent marker prior to fitting
and painting. It cuts down internal reflections and makes the part look
thinner and a lot more realistic! The photo above left shows the difference.
Try it - you'll like it!
So,
almost ready for paint - next stage masking and paint!
Time
- about 4 hours, so total now 11.
Part
4 - Masking and Painting:
This
is the bit I always dread - the point at which all that careful assembly can
be destroyed by a gaff with the paintwork...
In
prepping the model for paint, I also noticed some mould seams on the front of
the canopy, as well as a gap around the rear canopy. The front canopy was
scraped with a scalpel, before being polished with 1200, the 1500 Wet and Dry,
followed by subsequently finer grades of Micro-Mesh - with a final polish with
some plastic polish.
The
rear canopy was faired in with superglue, applied sparingly with a cocktail
stick, before sanding and polishing as above.
All
glazing was then masked with my favourite material - Tamiya masking tape - and
a new scalpel blade. This took about half an hour, using plenty of light and
just a little patience!
Once
everything had been masked, a quick coat of Halfords car primer - available in
the UK - this acrylic primer is superb! Needless to say, one small joint was
exposed and this was promptly filled with a little thin superglue which was
then sanded.
A
quick polish with 1500 grit wet and dry and the model was ready for an overall
coat of soviet green - overall, as I had decided to model a North Vietnamese
'Bed Check Charlie'! Model was sprayed with Lifecolour Acrylic, followed by
several thin coats of Tamiya Acrylic clear varnish.
The
photo above was taken after the varnish and shows the superb surface detail!
Kit
National Insignia was applied using a little 'Micr-Sol to settle them down
onto the surface - which they did beautifully!
Next
up - a little weathering. Fine wet and dry was rubbed over some of the raised
rivets to show the grey underneath and a fine brush used to apply some fine
'chipping' to some of the metal panels. Next, all panel lines where painted
with black oil paint which was then all but wiped off with soft tissue.
A
bottle of Tamiya Clear Smoke was liberated from the toolbox and a little oil
and exhaust staining added with the airbrush - look carefully and you should
see it.
