Author Topic: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED  (Read 3245 times)

Offline Frank3k

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Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« on: July 10, 2020, 05:20:57 AM »
I should have titled this "una pelea sobre polainas", since translating spats into Spanish gave me "fight" as an option. Polainas is also the same in Spanish and Portuguese, hence the similarity to Antonio Sobral's "Polainador Mk I"

The inspiration comes from Apophenia's Ba-64 Batará . Since no Ba-64 is available in 1/72 (at least not cheaply) I went with the Az Model Breda Ba-65. Since this is a Brian da Basher memorial build, spats are included.

The Az model has issues, mostly due to the short run nature of the kit. Wing fit is poor and there's a lot of flash. The cowling is in 3 parts and it would be difficult to get into shape. Since I needed spats anyway, I went ahead and redesigned the cowling, designed two types of spats, added a fan (like the BMW 801 on the FW 190) as well as a thin and a fat spinner.  Here's what came out of the printer this morning:



Here are the two cowlings. I didn't get the rocker covers the same and I assumed that the cutouts for the exhaust pipes were 120 degrees apart (they aren't) but that's easy to fix. The slight "waist" is by design. The wall thickness is the same as the original part, so the engine (which needed sanding down to fit the original cowling) fits nicely:



Fuzzy image of the new cowling, engine, crappy kit prop and skinny spinner:



Same with the fat spinner. I think I'll go with the smaller one:



Spats! They're designed to go over the retracted gear covers. There will be gaps, but that's by design. Side view:



Front view:



I decided to add two gun pods on each side of the spats. They look boobtacular and ridiculous:





Here's how it looks with the cowling and regular spats:





It looks vaguely like the PZL P.23 Karas.

The backstory, expanding on Apophenia's story, is that two Ba 65s was added as a "gift" by the Regia Aeronautica. One suffered a hard landing after a mission, badly damaging the gear and retraction mechanism. Rather than scrapping the plane or using it for parts, Ecuadorian and Italian engineers and ground crew quickly came up with a solution - fix the main gear in place, using steel tubing and the original compression springs and wrapping them in handsome spats. Or ghette, in Italian.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2020, 12:07:21 PM by Frank3k »

Offline Dr. YoKai

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba-65 Polainas in 1/72
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2020, 06:26:05 AM »
 Looks like a terrific start - I really like the look of the spats! And while it will still be a Breda 65 at the end of it, at least it'll look like a silk purse. ;)

Offline apophenia

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba-65 Polainas in 1/72
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2020, 05:16:00 AM »
Love the printed stuff ... and those are some serious leggings! BdB would approve   :smiley:

And I'm chuffed that you're expanding on the Batará backstory! Mind you, as these are gifted Ba.65, I guess that'd be Super Batará :D
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba-65 Polainas in 1/72
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2020, 06:33:40 AM »
So I'll call it Super Batará con Polainas

Craig - this is a piggy looking plane. It's smaller than I expected; maybe it's the tiny cockpit. glazing. This plane has a bizarre interior layout, with room behind the pilot for vertical bomb tubes (not in this kit) and windows on the bottom (solid gray plastic, thankfully). Without the bomb tubes, it's a mostly empty fuselage.

Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba-65 Polainas in 1/72
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2020, 07:29:08 AM »
Baggy Trousers !

More excellent 3D work.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba-65 Polainas in 1/72
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2020, 10:05:38 AM »
This is not a fun kit... I went with the basic spats and did some work fitting them - they just need some putty work to blend in:



The prop is a stand-in. The kit prop is drying - it needs a separate plastic drive shaft that is supposed to fit in the engine and in the back of the prop. Why? Dunno:



The firewall came from an old Revell 1/72 Mc.200 Saeta kit - the plastic was brittle with age. The kit exhausts wouldn't have fit properly, even with the kit cowling. So I cut off the ends, found some pictures online with the correct orientation and glued them in place:



The prop really sticks out, even though I've cut back on the engine housing. The canopy masking was sealed with Future. I'll probably throw some primer on it tomorrow or Monday. I've also started on the decals.



Offline Frank3k

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba-65 Polainas in 1/72
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2020, 12:06:59 PM »
Finished! Amazingly (for me) I didn't have to redo the whole paint job X number of times and the canopy masking came out OK.

Front view, with "Pedro" the photographer for scale. Mighty big bomb!



I screwed up on the decals - I forgot a yellow layer for the "red" parts (yellow + magenta = red), so the reds in the roundels look magenta. The tail flash decal was also a screw up - I didn't make it long enough. I'd already put away my ALPS printer, so I printed the fin flash on the color laser printer. Since I already had the original decals underneath, they came out OK, especially since the red is red. I hand painted the edge of the fin - don't look too closely:



The prop is a P-38 prop (slightly larger diameter and better molded) the spinner is from some unknown kit - possibly an Me-109. I was going to add the Alpha Romeo badge to the cowling, but the decal was a mess - I didn't do a color separation on it, so the results were too pixelated. Yes, that is a Brian de Basher "nose art" - a bit anachronistic for the early 40's, but it's hard to see what he's bashing:



You can see the BdB icon better here. The camo pattern is close to apophenia's Ba-64 Batará. The 20-7 is the year/month this plane was finished:



Other side:



The DF antenna is from some random kit donor. The bomb is a large German bomb from the Revell Ar.555 with the fins from a 1/48? 500 lb bomb. The bomb shackle and sway braces are PE from a Tristar Panzer 38(t) Full Interior set.

This really wasn't a good kit. Molding was mediocre, with flash and some mold misalignment. The multi part cowling was annoying (hence the 3D printed version) and the exhaust ring didn't fit.

Back story -
In late 1940, The Ecuadorian government received an offer from the Italians of four ex-Regia Aeronautica Breda Ba.65s. The first Ba.65 arriving in early 1941, with an agreement that the remaining aircraft arriving in late 1941.

The first Ba.65 arrived in Guayaquil in January 1941 with only a partial spare parts kit; the main shipment was lost in transit when the cargo ship was sunk.
The Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aera Ecuatoriana - FAE) tested the single Ba.65, suffering a main gear collapse on its first landing with an Ecuadorian pilot. Not wanting to look unprofessional and unprepared, the Fábrica de Aviones Militares Ecuatorianos (FAME) wasted no time in repairing the aircraft. Unfortunately, the spare landing gear and propellers were in the lost shipment and it would be months before a new shipment arrived.

New Italian observers would soon arrive in Ecuador and the FAE and FAME wanted to show them their prowess in aircraft repair and modifications. One engineer, Ing. Brian "El Golpeton" Perri suggested welding steel tubes and shock absorbers in place of the damaged landing gear and adding spats - which he considered the pinnacle of aviation aesthetics ("Las Bellas Polainas"). This was done in short order. With a new, slightly larger propeller, the refurbished aircraft was only slightly slower than the original.

The generals in the FAE wanted an spectacular mission to show their might to both their Peruvian enemies and the visiting Italians. They suggested a daring bombing mission over the capital of Peru, Lima.

Since the distance from Guayaquil was beyond the Ba.65's range, the FAE moved the aircraft to a small airfield in Zumba, near the border with Peru. The new distance - 518mi/833km  - was still far beyond the plane's range. The FAME removed the guns and bomb bay from the Ba.65 and added spare fuel tanks in the now empty bomb bay behind the pilot and in the spare volume inside the large spats. This tripled the range - just enough to make it to to Lima and back. The flight south to target would be down hill and the return flight would be with a much lighter plane.

For the bomb, the FAME combined fertilizer and diesel fuel, as well as some high explosives into a large steel container. The 1000lb/500kg bomb was larger than a similar bomb made from high explosives, but tests showed that it would be destructive enough. A direction finding antenna was added to the plane, with transmitters in Zumba and off the coast of Lima - in a disguised fishing boat.

The primary target was the naval base (Base Naval de Callao), with the nearby military airfield as the secondary. The plane and its large bomb took off from Zumba late one night in March and almost 3 hours later, it was over a foggy Lima. The fishing boat off the coast had suffered radio issues (or was sunk) and the Ba.25 pilot, navigating on a single beacon and dead reckoning dropped his bomb over what he thought was the naval base. The bomb instead fell on a waste treatment plant less than a mile from the military airfield.

The pilot saw the massive explosion as he turned home, assuming he had hit a fuel depot at the naval base. His reception in Zumba was just OK - joyous but not triumphant. The Italian observers had retired to their hotel after hearing the early after action report from spies on the ground. They were heard muttering Hanno solo fatto esplodere la merda!.

To this day, the residents of Lima call the mission "El día que llovió mierda"

I hope Brian would have enjoyed this build!






« Last Edit: July 22, 2020, 12:13:33 PM by Frank3k »

Offline Antonio Sobral

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2020, 04:55:09 PM »
Great build (the camo is beautiful), and the backstory made me laugh!

So, you nailed it! :)

Offline Robomog

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2020, 05:08:04 PM »
Brian would definitely have loved this build, great looking aircraft and back story. Use of Brian's avatar is inspired  :-* :-* :-* :-*

Mog
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Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2020, 08:48:46 PM »
Very cool! 8)
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #10 on: July 23, 2020, 12:05:23 AM »
Thanks for the comments.
If anyone wants the .stl files for the bits I printed, let me know. Also if anyone in the US wants the spare 3D printed parts, send me a PM.

Offline Dr. YoKai

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #11 on: July 23, 2020, 12:05:57 AM »
Fantastic finish, Frank! It really does the Basher proud.
I foresee a massive. Luchadore-themed fighting robot in my future, to be named "El Gopeton"

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2020, 02:13:46 AM »
"Sabado! Sabado! Sabado! El Golpeton vs Las Polainas de Lujo!"

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2020, 03:11:40 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline apophenia

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2020, 11:52:04 AM »
Love it  ;D  And the size of the fertilizer/diesel bomb is perfectly in scale with the spats  :smiley:

With all of their depredations upon the honour and territory of Ecuador, I think los peruanos deserved "el día que llovió mierda"  >:D
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline ChernayaAkula

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Re: Ecuadorian Breda Ba.65 Polainas in 1/72 - FINISHED
« Reply #15 on: July 25, 2020, 10:20:27 PM »
Nice one!  :smiley: Love the colours of the camo scheme. What colours did you use?

<...> With all of their depredations upon the honour and territory of Ecuador, I think los peruanos deserved "el día que llovió mierda"  >:D

Los peruanos de Lima henceforth being known as los guanos*.  :P



*¿Or should that be guanatos? ¿Those who have been guanoed? Need to brush up my Spanish....
Cheers,
Moritz

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