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Piper Cherokee 140

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  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Nebraska, USA
Piper Cherokee 140
Posted by CallSignOWL on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 9:08 AM

This was my first civil aircraft I built (I build military aircraft primarily), and I painted it to look like the Cherokee that I had a flying lesson in earlier this summer. The model is Minicraft's 1/48 kit, and boy is it tiny! I didnt realize how small of an aircraft it was....my P-51 models dwarf it!

The kit had some rather soft plastic, and didnt give you an option of removing the pods around the wheel.The kit was also a tail-sitter and I had to be creative in finding places to stuff enough weight to get it to sit properly.  I added some detail in the cockpit and even scratched together a log book from little plastic squares for the binding, and tape for pages (the book is only about 3 mm across). To show off the interior I cut open the entry door. The flaps were also cut apart and dropped, and the stabilator was positioned slightly upwards. The clear pieces didnt fit all that well and Im still not happy about their final appearance....

I have no way of making my own decals, so the markings had to be cut out and painted by hand. The paint scheme on my model is the same as the plane I flew, but due to my limited skill in cutting out letters and numbers and having them look nice, I changed the ID code to easier shapes. I added static discharges and antennas from wire, as well as a thin stick of plastic from by spares box.

But enough chit-chat, here are the pics:

as always, comments are appreciated!

 

OWL

------------------------

Now that I'm here, where am I??

  • Member since
    April 2009
  • From: Longmont, Colorado
Posted by Cadet Chuck on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 9:46 AM

Very nice job!  I recently built the same model, and it drove me crazy.  Too small and delicate to do much with, but you did a great job of customizing it.  It looks like a real plane in those outdoor photos.  You got the antennas right, too.  The box art is wrong, I've never seen one with a long wire like they show.

Way back when, I took flying lessons in Cherokees like that and continued to fly them after I got my license.  You're right about the small size relative to other aircraft.  I couldn't believe how big a P-51 and a Corsair were in comparison, when I stood next to them at the Oshkosh air show!  My first thought was "How the heck do you climb up into that thing?"

Gimme a pigfoot, and a bottle of beer...

  • Member since
    July 2010
Posted by jbrady on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 10:14 AM

Nice job Owl. Amazing that the Cherokee 140 is still used as a trainer. My flying school used them as primary and instrument trainers 35 years ago. It was a big step up from the Cub I had been flying.

   

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:24 AM

Looks great.  Particularly like the interior and open door.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

Moderator
  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: my keyboard dreaming of being at the workbench
Posted by Aaron Skinner on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:41 AM

Nice work, Owl, especially the markings on such a tiny plane.

Cheers, Aaron

Aaron Skinner

Editor

FineScale Modeler

  • Member since
    January 2010
Posted by CrashTestDummy on Thursday, August 18, 2011 11:33 AM

Indeed, nice work.  It's a nice break from the military stuff, though, huh?  I mean, you get to play with glossy surfaces and custom paint/masking work.  Your updates are nice, too.  Did you modify the flaps?  That's a nice touch.

 

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

G. Beaird,

Pearland, Texas

  • Member since
    May 2008
  • From: Ypsilanti, MI
Posted by MIflyer on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 10:57 PM

Nice job, Owl! I love Cherokees, and it's great to see these little kits built up. Good work on your custom mods, the overall effect is nice... as though the pilot just finished the preflight and left the aircraft for a minute.

I've given over 500 hours of instruction in Cherokees, most of it in Warriors, and I'd love to do a build of my favorite one, 2833F. Unfortunately, a Warrior would make for an extremely difficult conversion from Minicraft's kit, but I definitely wanna give it a shot someday.

Again, nice work!

Kevin

Kevin Johnson    Ypsilanti, Michigan USA

On the bench: 1/72 Fujimi Ki-36 J-BAAR

  • Member since
    October 2005
  • From: New Port Richey
Posted by deattilio on Saturday, August 27, 2011 9:35 PM

Nice job on the Piper.  GA is definitely a neglected subject amongst manufacturers as there are so many subjects out there yet to be offered in scale.  I did a 1/72 model of a Cessna 172 — tiny being an understatement, of one of the 172s I fly.  The 1/72 Me-109 keeping the Cessna company on the shelf is larger, albeit not by much.  Size was really driven home when I was in the run-up area going through checks and alongside pulled a P-51D.  Of course I paused my checks and allowed him to go ahead of me for takeoff.  I now have a 1/48 Cessna 172 awaiting it’s turn on the hobby desk.

 

WIP:
Trying to get my hobby stuff sorted - just moved and still unpacking.

 

"Gator, Green Catskill....Charlie On Time"
 

 

  • Member since
    September 2009
  • From: Frisco, TX
Posted by B17Pilot on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 1:06 PM

NIce job on the Piper!  I know what you mean when you say small, thought the same thing when I did my 48 C-172.

Really hope someone makes a 32 version of the Piper Arrow or C-172.  1/24 would be even better, as you can pair it with some of the car kits.

  

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