Andrei Koribanics' French Models


Czechmasters' Breguet 14B2, 1/72 scale resin

This model features a fully-detailed interior and a brace of Lewis guns constructed from stretched sprue and Fotocut photoetched parts. The area around the pilot's cockpit required some modification with .005 styrene sheet. Details were added to the Michelin bomb racks, and the flaps were positioned as dropped, with bungee cords added from stretched sprue. The radiator was built from .005 styrene and wire mesh, and a rear-view mirror was created by burnishing a piece of BareMetal foil to a disc of styrene. The Vickers was swiped from Pegasus' Sopwith Dolphin kit. Window transparencies were easily created using Microscale's Micro Kristal Klear. Struts are Contrail airfoil extruded styrene, and the model is rigged with ceramic fibre.

Detail and coloring/marking reference came from an article in Windsock. The 5-color scheme is painted using Polly-Scale acrylics. Rib positions were enhanced with a light misting of very thin black paint. Roundels and fin codes are from Blue Rider; the markings of BR 108 (the Pegasus carrying a bomb in its mouth) and the tail number are custom-made waterslide transfers. Bullet patches were created using Letraset dry transfer 'periods' with a black cross hand-painted in the centers. The area around the cowl was suitably 'chipped' using Rub N' Buff silver and a fine brush.


Roseplanes' Caudron GIII, 1/72 scale vacform

This model is based largely on details I gleaned from Rhinebeck's reproduction Caudron. I've always felt this plane was so ugly it's beautiful, and it's one of those I always dreamed of building before it was available. It features a fully-detailed nacelle, although quite spartan, including instrument board, rudder bar, joystick, throttle, oil sight glass, observer's seat of perforated aluminum and pilots seat of leather-covered wood... built integrally into the rear of the nacelle. The engine and prop are from the kit; the spoked wheels are Rosemont's own products, comprised of white metal wheel halves and PE spokes.

The upper wing consisted of three separate pieces which required a great deal of sanding to achieve the proper camber... resulting in a paper-thin unit which promptly snapped in two only moments after I'd completed it! Rib detail was sanded off flying surfaces, being replaced after CDL painting with brown-painted decal film strips. After sealing with Future, further thin applications of CDL resulted in the 'translucent' effect. The cowling was corrected to have the proper cutout and painted with Metalizer. Fin flashes are painted, but the serials and roundels are from the kit and are quite excellent.

The most intensive part of this project was the creation of the booms. The booms being square-sectioned proved a challenge. Since square-section brass rod is unavailable and I felt styrene would never provide the strength needed, I decided to create my own from photo-etched .005 nickel silver. This enabled me to integrate the 'skis' and even the fine landing gear struts in one unit which is remarkably stiff and strong and, best of all... allowed me to create two pieces identical to one another! These were then laminated on both sides with .005 styrene. The vertical members were sanded to airfoil shape while the booms themselves resulted in a square section. The trickiest part was spacing the wings properly so that everything would come together.

The 'cabanes' are brass rod filed flat while the struts are Contrail airfoil strut. Fine brass rod and sprue provided other structural members. Polly-Scale colors were used exclusively and the model is 'rigged' with ceramic fibre.




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