This is my Special
hobby´s Junkers W-34 in Argentina´s navy colours.
Before this I built
The IA-58 Pucara from the same manufacturer that had some fit issues that
necessitated fixing, but sported great detail. With the Junkers it was the
opposite, the fit was great, and the detalis, well, almost non-existent...
I
wanted to improve things a little but I couldn´t find any references, so I made
up the interior framing using stryrene and stretched sprue; and added some
"conduit" using cooper wire. I was happy with the results, even if the
details were a little bit "creative" and that was better than no
detail at all. (yes I know the framing is overscale, maybe I will get that
better the next time jejeje...). Another improvement involved the exhaust pipes,
because the kit parts were incorrect for the planes in service in Argentina.
Those parts were made using solder wire in diferent diameters and a LOT of
patience to archive the shape I wanted. This was for me the most difficult part
of the project. The engine also received ignition wires made of very thin cooper
wire.
Once the
building stage was completed it was time for painting. I wanted to try
Alclad II chrome (I used the aluminium paint once, and I was pleasantly
surprised by the results) so a gloss black coat was sprayed in preparation
for the lacquer (I use Krylon spray can paint decanted to my airbrush).
I
left the paint dry for two days and then I sprayed the Alclad in thin
coats. Once the paint dried up (with that magic shine) it was time to
apply the decals. I used an after-market set, although designed for
an AT-6 because they share many of the markings. No clear coat was
necessary because the Alclad surface is smooth and shiny enough.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The black
sections were masked before I applied the metallic finish. The national
colours in the control surfaces were masked and painted.
The last thing
was to add antenna wire, for which I used nylon monofilament.
The completed
model looks very nice -at least fot me -
and it is a fine addition to my collection of Argentinean planes.
I want thanks my father for
the "donation" of the model (He bought the kit for himself)
Jeremías
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