Minicraft Light civil kits new out

These are reissues of Arii kits from some years ago. They are OK kits but still have some issues.

You guys are never satisfied! <G>

What's wrong with them that can't be put right easily?

I thought Arii were 1/72nd scale

Martin

I have a new 172 on wheels and it definitely is new technology.  More detail than the old kits, finer details in castings.

Trouble putting right lack of engine detail like good cooling fins on Continentals and Lycomings is that no one makes resin engines of these opposed fours and sixes.  If you want to scratch an engine fine, but for those small engines it is one extensive job- harder than all the rest of the airplane.

You're right Martin, Arii is 1/72. These were Entex, then Academy now Minicraft.

They are very nice kits but we always want more variety ;)

There were five kits in the series, the Cub, 172 on floats and wheels, a Bonanza V35, and a Cherokee 140.

I have not compared the new to the old side by side but the LHS opened one of the new 172s for me and it was just as I remembered the old ones. It would be interesting to see a side by side of the parts, not possible for me since I have built all my old ones. 

To have any engine detail at all in a 1/48th model seems pretty good to me.  I could do a master for a Lycoming or Continental, but would sell so few it wouldn't be worth it.   Maybe a clever paint job would do it?  I don't know, having not seen these at any time.

That is a nice little set of suitable aircraft and well worth getting a hold of.

Thanks,

Martin

All of the kits have engines that seem accurate but it is hard to tell unless you have very good eyes. Normally the engine is not seen unless in a hanger being serviced.

Here is my rendition of the Cub.

Very nice too.  I'll have to see about getting one for a look.

Martin

Guild Aero

To have any engine detail at all in a 1/48th model seems pretty good to me.  I could do a master for a Lycoming or Continental, but would sell so few it wouldn't be worth it.   Maybe a clever paint job would do it?  I don't know, having not seen these at any time.

That is a nice little set of suitable aircraft and well worth getting a hold of.

Thanks,

Martin

But the new 172 kit does have a very nice engine- very sharp detail.  That is an indication to me that it is a new kit.  The kit details are far crisper than on several other Minicraft kits that I have had for awhile.

Good to hear that Minicraft is finally ramping it up in the details department. Some of their earlier kits, especially in  1/144, are abominable - engines with flat faces, canopies with frame lines cast on the inside, you get the idea.

Anything civil is welcome.  I've just scored a SMER 1/48th Piper L4 for a five pound note, which I shall convert to civil, like the one I once flew.  I have never had a lesson and yet the owner let me take off, do four circuits and land it , attended, but unaided.

That deserves a model, if not a medal!! (For the owner)

Martin

Hasagawa also has a nice J3 in 1:48. It is in the queue for my bench.

Thanks, Don, I'll look out for it,

Martin

I haven't done the J-3s you referenced but I have done the Hobbycraft Canada kit. It is difficult to say the least. The fuse is clear and there are no alignment pins just to start.

Clear fuse?  A fiddly masking task ahead then?

Martin

...and many coats of paint both inside and out.

Guild Aero

Clear fuse?  A fiddly masking task ahead then?

Martin

Whoops, that may be the kit I meant, rather than Hasagawa.  Mine has the transparent fuselage.  Detail is really nice, but the fuselage was a bear- ruined the first one.  Cannot seem to get masking for windows on inside to precisely match masking on outside!  Since most J-3s had same color inside and out, I intend to spray yellow on both inside and out before I glue fuselage sides together, then merely touch up seams after gluing together.  I am forewarned and will take major care on my second kit.

there were also some significant issues with landing gear and the fit of the cowls around the engine as I remember. Lots of cutting and fitting to get it all to go together.

But...the only game in town, so worth persevering with?

Martin

Don, I'd be tempted to pint the insides by brush, glue it together and then mask only the outside windows to spray.

Martin

My airbrushing skills are much better than my brush painting skills. It is very hard to get a truly brushmarkless finish on anything other than very small parts.  Still, maybe I should paint inside only, then mask for outside using paint on inside.

That's what I was meaning, Don. Carefully brush paint the innards, then mask the outside and spray that. The insides will only show partly due to distortion through even the best canopies.  Suitably stunned by your external airbrush job people will be blown away!

Martin

I brush painted the inside of mine and the outside then set the decals in Future and coated the the whole thing with Future.

I used that stuff once and was initially delighted with it.  Then, after a week it started eating decals, paint, even self-etch primer!  2 YEARS later, I finally wiped it all off.  Every trace of finish came off on a dry rag.  Last week I sold the bottle of Future (Johnsons Kleer in Britain) for an indecent profit!  I now have Vallejo clear finishes.

On cars, I never varnish over decals as the decals on the real car are vinyl stickers and not as glossy as the paint, so an unvarnished decal is actually a more realistic finish.  Not sure about aircraft.  Aren't the markings painted on them (real ones I mean)?

Martin

Guild Aero

That's what I was meaning, Don. Carefully brush paint the innards, then mask the outside and spray that. The insides will only show partly due to distortion through even the best canopies.  Suitably stunned by your external airbrush job people will be blown away!

Martin

No, I meant mask the inside, AIRbrush the yellow on the inside, then mask the outside of the window area to match how I masked the inside.  Since one can see quite a bit on the cockpit of a J-3 I do not trust myself to do a decent brush job inside, I am even considering cutting the door/window area open, since I see cubs parked that way a lot between flights.

Ah, I was thinking that you wouldn't see any brush strokes on the inside through the glazing anyway. I guess you don't feel confident with a fine brush to do the glazing bars.  Not sure I'd feel confident to cut the masking to match, as per your original post.

Martin

Don, I probably flew my Cub with the window up and the door down 90% of the time.  There was no outside handle on the door, I used to close it up with the window laying against it, then go around and pull down the left window, latch the door and window, then push the left widow up.

Am I misremembering that ARII had some 1/36 Cessna kits?