This all started with something I've never seen or even known about before, a 1/72 Soviet Bl-1 rocket plane. A very good friend sent me this kit recently (thanks a million, hamsterman!) and if that's not some stunning bolshie box art, I don't know what is.
The back of the box is equally impressive with a paint guide in a language I can't read. Still, the pictures are pretty.
The instructions also came in a language I couldn't read.
Not that I ever read those things anyway.
Wait, this bit of dis-information looks oddly familiar...
I'd like to note for the record that there was no Gloster Gladiator or propeller of any kind in the box and no D-Day invasion stripes were included. But here's the sprues.
Yeah it looks a bit rough and some might be tempted to call for help.
But that wasn't an option for me so I proceeded. After an afternoon here's how it looked.
I chopped the nose and added the prop & engine left-over from that 1/87 Spirit of St Louis.
I took the nib of the nose and stuck it on the tail. A pair of Aeroclub Miles Magister spatted gear was added as was an integral fin & tail wheel cut from scrap. It started out as a tail skid, but I changed it later.
I also replaced the kit's short horiz stabs for longer ones left over from a T-33.
I also covered over the landing gear wells with card since the kit parts didn't fit and seemed like more work than they were worth.
So far, all was going according to plan.
Then it was off to the paint shop. The hairy stick was trotted out and loaded up with Model Masters Duck Egg Blue acrylic.
The canopy was tinted on the inside with Semi-Gloss Black and the canopy framing was done free-hand.
The engine was given a custom metallic mix and the prop blades were painted Model Masters Aluminum.
It only took me two days to get this far and I was happy how the canopy framing turned out.
If the decals went on ok, I was home free.
Those decals were all spares or robbed from sheets that had already been cut into.
The registrations come from an after-market Constellation sheet.
The stripes are left-over from a Revell Zeppelin NT.
The hatches and windows were all nameless spares. Before I forget, here's the "money shot" (U.S. penny for scale):
It only took me three days to put this together and I had a blast the entire time!
I'd like to thank Bill for sending me this cool, very unusual kit and Mr JCF for bravely moderating this GB. I couldn't do it without you!
I hope you enjoyed the Vultee Varsity and the forgotten story of Wrong-Way Snore-Again even if the so-called "experts" think it takes them in a direction they'd rather not go.
Brian da Basher