I’m the kind of
guy who likes to build models to which I have some form of personal connection.
Sometimes, I choose a kit because it’s the exact same one I blew up with
firecrackers when I was eight; sometimes it’s because I have fond memories of
the real thing at airshows or museums. Well, if personal significance seems to
be a continuing theme for me, this kit has got to be the holy grail of them all
– the Cessna 172 I soloed in. RP-C2172 was a beautiful Cessna 172N with a
180HP engine conversion, which at the time was the basic training mount of
Airworks Aviation Company, Manila, Philippines. On the quiet morning of July
19,1999, I took her up for the first time with no one else aboard. It
was a busy day at Plaridel Airfield, North of Manila, with a total of 5 aircraft
in the pattern doing touch and goes. When Max, the controller wished me luck, it
turned into a party of sorts.
Happy
radio calls of “Congratulations!” and “Happy first solo!” filled the
radio chatter during my three patterns around Runway 35. I remember feeling a
strange exhilaration at the top of every climbout, and to this day, I still
carry an unwavering thankfulness for those wonderful days.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The model is the
rather hard-to-find kit of the Arii 172. When I sent for it via mail order, I
was deceived by the box art, which looked quite close to the model I flew.
Putting together the parts during dry-fitting, I realized that it was going to
take a bit more work to make it look “right”. The stock model represents a
rather early type of Skyhawk, and is noticeably less beefy than an N-model.
Tamiya 2-part epoxy putty was invaluable for reshaping the cowl, adding the
drooped wingtips, and reshaping the wheel pants. A big piece of stock airfoil
plastruct was cut to make the larger dorsal strake on the tail. Inside, though
hardly visible through the thick glazed parts, is an epoxy figure of me in my
trusty green nomex flight suit. Decals were made on my deskjet printer and given
a coat of clear flat before cutting and application. As always, Future floor
polish was the preferred means of making the white finish flawlessly shiny. I am
quite satisfied with the results. While probably not 100% accurate, this is one
model that I truly built from the heart.
Thanks for dropping
by to look!
Micah Reysio-Cruz
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