Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: The Rat on November 15, 2024, 11:52:21 AM
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I splurged on this little gem at Telford
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54139929937_f2a4681fa9_z.jpg) (http://"https://flic.kr/p/2quahXT")
Instructions are all in French, but if they were in perfect English they would still be fairly bad.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54141063273_f64b65d26c_z.jpg) (http://"https://flic.kr/p/2qug6Sa")
It has an option for an extendable/retractable radiator, but part 23 will be ignored and the rad just glued into place.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54141243875_c35700075a_z.jpg) (http://"https://flic.kr/p/2quh2xZ")
Markings to be determined.
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Those early Heller kits went from very good to crap. Where does this one fall?
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LInk to English instructions Here :-
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/heller-213-morane-saulnier-ms406--161857 (https://www.scalemates.com/kits/heller-213-morane-saulnier-ms406--161857)
cheers,
Robin.
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... Markings to be determined.
Polish chequerboards? (Warsaw ordered 160 x M.S.406s in 1939.)
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... Markings to be determined.
Polish chequerboards? (Warsaw ordered 160 x M.S.406s in 1939.)
Yep, and not even one was delivered, so thats on the table. Ditto for Yugoslavia and Lithuania. Nationalist China was supposed to get some, but they were siphoned off to French units before delivery. There may have been one or two that got to the Chinese, but no proof, so that's a half-whiff.
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I like the idea of a Chinese one
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found this profile
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LInk to English instructions Here :-
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/heller-213-morane-saulnier-ms406--161857 (https://www.scalemates.com/kits/heller-213-morane-saulnier-ms406--161857)
cheers,
Robin.
Thanks!
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Those early Heller kits went from very good to crap. Where does this one fall?
Accuracy - I've heard it's good
Buildability - crap so far
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found this profile
Yes, I like that. Also exploring other stuff.
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This thing is horrible.I'm not digging into the decal stash for this one, the kit decals are going on it. Not going to waste decals on something that is just a cut above scrap plastic.
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Thanks for the warning
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I have two 1/72 M.S. 406 kits from Smêr in my stash. Hope they are better
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The original kit dates from 1965, Rat's boxing is from 1979, but same plastic. Heller kits made before 1975-ish are a crap shoot (mostly crap) which is a shame.
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Like some of the old box scale kits with the outline for the decals molded on. Of course you have to sand off the softball sized rivets anyway. :o ;)
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54169916262_9a18127a3b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qwNYRu)
In the confusion and horror of Dunkirk, French forces were in a situation that required them to stay and be absorbed by Germany, or evacuate to Britain. One pilot, Lieutenant Henri Martin, decided that he wanted to live to fight another day, and piloted his Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 to Eastchurch, on the Isle of Sheppey.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54170797701_72e10177f8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qwTuSH)
When introduced into service in early 1939, the aircraft was liked by pilots for its manoeuvrability, but was underpowered and weakly armed. It was easily handled by the Luftwaffe, and despite the bravery of its pilots, played no significant role in the defense of France, other than in forcing Germany to deal with them until they were all gone.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54171066608_d0b258ebf7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qwUSP3)
When the aircraft landed at RAF Eastchurch it was immediately impounded by the base commander, under the pretense of making certain that the pilot was loyal and true. The reason became obvious after it spent a week in the paint shop, emerging resplendent in a two-tone grey camouflage. Leading up to the war the commander had been flying with Coastal Command, and RAF Eastchurch was under its jurisdiction. Despite that, none of the squadrons or aircraft based there were Coastal Command. This did not sit well with the commander, but the situation was rectified by the arrival of the M.S.406. To confuse the upper echelons it retained its Armee de l’air markings, and flew patrols over the English Channel and the Thames estuary, usually by Lt. Martin, but occasionally by the base commander. The aircraft survived the war, and is now seen in the RAF museum at Cosford.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54171245730_33261e34a8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qwVN4m)
The Kit, aka the HORROR!
I’m sure that when Heller first started, their desire to produce kits of hitherto unavailable French aircraft was well-intentioned, but they seem to have inadvertently insulted their history with this one. The fit is terrible, the instructions vague, and it should never have seen the shelf of a hobby shop. Did they not have someone at the factory try to assemble one? If so, that person needs a stern lecture. The molds should have been immediately melted down and used for paperweights, and then a new product manufactured.
Assembly
I am glad that I bought some very good Welsh whiskey at the duty free in Birmingham airport, it helped see me through this phase. Let’s leave it there.
Paint
After a primer coat of Badger Stynylrez grey, it looked good enough to simply apply a slightly lighter grey, Tamiya XF-83, for the second tone. Underside was Tamiya XF-2 white.
Markings
Decals were okay, but I decided to play it safe and give them a couple of coats of MicroScale Liquid Decal Film. It certainly held them together, but caused a problem I have run into before; the decals curled up at the edges. Application of Micro Set and Micro Sol failed to cure the problem, so some white glue was used to pin them down.
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The fit is terrible, the instructions vague, and it should never have seen the shelf of a hobby shop.
Well, you certainly seem to have Aced it, looks marvelous :smiley:
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Well, l'horreur has turned out very nicely indeed! And the backstory is dead clever ;)
[Edit: comment on curling decals removed after seeing your post in Tips, Tools & Techniques.]
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Silk purse, sows ear, etc. ;)
Very well done, especially considering the horrendous genesis! :smiley: :smiley:
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:smiley:
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Ok, mine ended up in Finn markings.
This works nicely though, well done on getting through it, although my build was a lot of years ago though, maybe I was more tolerant of crap kits then.
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Looks good, despite the kit!
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Paint scheme looks great. Complimentary to airframe design :smiley: