Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
- Zee28
- Modelling Gent and Scholar
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Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Hi all,
Sorry I've been away for a while.
I remember this kit fondly from when I was a kid and I was most pleased to see it get a Red Box Re-release with an updated (and very extensive) new decal sheet and an improved painting guide, so I grabbed one. I love classic kits but will always go for the most recent release possible mainly for the superior decals.
The two colour schemes in the box were essentially the same, splinter camo over pale blue, but the second one had yellow bits underneath. I like yellow bits so the decision was made.
Job number one (as always for me) is to get canopy framing out of the way, a job I don't enjoy much! The canopy is supplied in two pieces, presumably to facilitate having it open. I wanted mine closed but they don't fit together very well. So I glued the two parts together then sanded them a little to blend them in with each other, then polished the sanded area back to clear and then masked up and did the framing lines.
The fit of the instrument panel, bulkhead and seats was a bit sloppy so I glued them into one side and whilst the glue was still soft I kept offering up the other side to make sure everything was perpendicular and horizontal. Once set I sprayed it all up and added the figures before closing the fuselage up.
Also in this photo, on the left, you can see the rather nice instrument decal which I added later.
The rest of the airframe assembly was fairly painless but the hinge line gap for the movable control surfaces were just huge, a 1/72 aircraft fitter could have fallen through the gap! So I ran a shallow bead of filler along them so they'd still be visible but not so obviously gappy.
The floats needed quite a bit of filler, here they're waiting to be sanded down to the correct shape.
I don't normally prime anything but in this instance I gave the cowling a thick shot of primer because I had to do so much scrapping and sanding to get rid if a seam line and I needed to see that it had come out OK.
The yellow bits were sprayed then masked up for the pale blue, all pretty painless.
Then it was flipped over and the splinter camo was sprayed on. Easy straight line masking!
I decided it would be easier to assemble the floats and struts and put the rigging wires on before adding the whole lot to the main airframe, so I did.
The propeller and the spinner were moulded as one piece which meant spraying the two-tone spinner was a bit fiddly. In the end Tamiya's stretchy masking tape 'for curves' saved the day.
This was followed by a long and arduous decal session, there were loads! But the quality was good.
And here it is all finished, I hope you like it. the aerial twig looks crooked but apparently that's how it's supposed to be! To be honest it could do with a bit of weathering and chipping as these planes had a fairly hard life but I am really not very good at that sort of thing and I am frightened of screwing up the paint job so I'll live with my 'Clean' Arado!
Finish is all Humbrol enamels.
Thanks for looking,
Regards,
Zee28
Sorry I've been away for a while.
I remember this kit fondly from when I was a kid and I was most pleased to see it get a Red Box Re-release with an updated (and very extensive) new decal sheet and an improved painting guide, so I grabbed one. I love classic kits but will always go for the most recent release possible mainly for the superior decals.
The two colour schemes in the box were essentially the same, splinter camo over pale blue, but the second one had yellow bits underneath. I like yellow bits so the decision was made.
Job number one (as always for me) is to get canopy framing out of the way, a job I don't enjoy much! The canopy is supplied in two pieces, presumably to facilitate having it open. I wanted mine closed but they don't fit together very well. So I glued the two parts together then sanded them a little to blend them in with each other, then polished the sanded area back to clear and then masked up and did the framing lines.
The fit of the instrument panel, bulkhead and seats was a bit sloppy so I glued them into one side and whilst the glue was still soft I kept offering up the other side to make sure everything was perpendicular and horizontal. Once set I sprayed it all up and added the figures before closing the fuselage up.
Also in this photo, on the left, you can see the rather nice instrument decal which I added later.
The rest of the airframe assembly was fairly painless but the hinge line gap for the movable control surfaces were just huge, a 1/72 aircraft fitter could have fallen through the gap! So I ran a shallow bead of filler along them so they'd still be visible but not so obviously gappy.
The floats needed quite a bit of filler, here they're waiting to be sanded down to the correct shape.
I don't normally prime anything but in this instance I gave the cowling a thick shot of primer because I had to do so much scrapping and sanding to get rid if a seam line and I needed to see that it had come out OK.
The yellow bits were sprayed then masked up for the pale blue, all pretty painless.
Then it was flipped over and the splinter camo was sprayed on. Easy straight line masking!
I decided it would be easier to assemble the floats and struts and put the rigging wires on before adding the whole lot to the main airframe, so I did.
The propeller and the spinner were moulded as one piece which meant spraying the two-tone spinner was a bit fiddly. In the end Tamiya's stretchy masking tape 'for curves' saved the day.
This was followed by a long and arduous decal session, there were loads! But the quality was good.
And here it is all finished, I hope you like it. the aerial twig looks crooked but apparently that's how it's supposed to be! To be honest it could do with a bit of weathering and chipping as these planes had a fairly hard life but I am really not very good at that sort of thing and I am frightened of screwing up the paint job so I'll live with my 'Clean' Arado!
Finish is all Humbrol enamels.
Thanks for looking,
Regards,
Zee28
- lancfan
- Avro's Rivet Rhapsodizer
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
A terrific build zee
David.
David.
David.
If you forget the past, you may lose the future.
If you forget the past, you may lose the future.
- iggie
- Modelling Gent and Scholar
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
That's a stonking job; very very smart looking build all round!
Best wishes
Jim
If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing
"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow"
Jim
If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing
"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow"
- splash
- Senior Service Rotorhead
- Posts: 13828
- Joined: May 1st, 2011, 11:02 am
- Location: Somerset England
Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Fantastic build well done.
That was one of my all time favourite kits that I built as a boy back in the mid 60's, I have fond memories of hours of play because the kit was such a sturdy build, nothing ever fell off.
Seeing yours makes me tempted to go out and buy one and build it.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards Splash
That was one of my all time favourite kits that I built as a boy back in the mid 60's, I have fond memories of hours of play because the kit was such a sturdy build, nothing ever fell off.
Seeing yours makes me tempted to go out and buy one and build it.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards Splash
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Beautiful workmanship.
Besting 60 years of mediocre building of average kits in the stand off scale
- gnomemeansgnome
- Modelling Gent and Scholar
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Nice! Gotta dig mine out one day.
Ego no habeo consilium.
ICBM = Insatiable Collector and Builder of Models
ICBM = Insatiable Collector and Builder of Models
- JohnRatzenberger
- Why is he so confused ?
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Glad you are back and with such a good model.
Question: what are the 4-5 white marks on each side of the fuselage for? Steps?
They beg to be toned down a bit, IMO, not detract from the rest of the finish.
Question: what are the 4-5 white marks on each side of the fuselage for? Steps?
They beg to be toned down a bit, IMO, not detract from the rest of the finish.
John Ratzenberger
It's my model and I'll do what I want with it.
It's my model and I'll do what I want with it.
- Clashcityrocker
- Modelling Gent and Scholar
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Nice to see your work again Zee. Very nice build.
Nigel
Nigel
- skypirate
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
That takes me back!
A lovely rendition from a fairly basic kit. (I remember the thick glazing very well!)
cheers,
David
A lovely rendition from a fairly basic kit. (I remember the thick glazing very well!)
cheers,
David
Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Grand job.
- Eric Mc
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
I built this a couple of years ago. Yours turned out a lot better than mine.
Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
That is more than a bit special. Oddly enough I was in my loft/model room last night and had my original release boxing on my hands. Nostalgia comes in blue plastic
All the best.
Greg
All the best.
Greg
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
- Marek
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Splendid work.It seems you had tackled the floats the right way. I think they were the only problem I encountered with the kit ... and failed to grasp it before I had 2-3 deg list.
-
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Re: Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar.196
Nice one, another great build of an Airfix classic from you Zee. Lovely jubbly!
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.
Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300
Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300