Airfix dakota 1/72nd

[simontie]

Given as a present by my son, we i had been talking about my dad being on one when he was in Norway in 66 the year i was born and so i started looking for details i knew he flew VIP’s about in europe but unsure of who what or when. I new i had some old flight log books and managed to dig them out of the loft only to find out it was KN645 yep that one. Found an old log book and flight details, read up about the aircraft and found out about it being the last one to serve in the RAF pictures are few and far between from those years but turns out it was one of the few with a cocktail cabinet and fridge and other refinments not generally found in military aircraft. Used by the queen as well and quite a few well know generals some history when you look in to it fair to say proud as punch. I haven't put in the cocktail cabinet or fridge i had started before this was all known but if i get round to doing a bigger one i think i will try.
no real build issues canopy glass was very nippy just didn’t sit right and my only real issue is the wing roots just cant quite get them right but will keep trying any tips would be appriciated i have filled with mr putty but it chips out when i rescore the lines!!!!
simon

[Tim Marlow]

Nice start Simon. With respect to the wing root, try gluing stretch sprue or shimming plastic card into the gap then sanding it smooth before rescribing. The filler is acrylic and not bonding to the airframe so crumbles out when rescribing. Sprue or card will bond properly and allow you to scribe the panel lines again. I would suggest using Tamiya filler, which binds superbly, but I've found it very hard to get in the UK.

[simontie]

Nice start Simon. With respect to the wing root, try gluing stretch sprue or shimming plastic card into the gap then sanding it smooth before rescribing. The filler is acrylic and not bonding to the airframe so crumbles out when rescribing. Sprue or card will bond properly and allow you to scribe the panel lines again. I would suggest using Tamiya filler, which binds superbly, but I've found it very hard to get in the UK.

Thank you tim, i just so happen to have a tube of tamiya putty i will give it a bash and let you know the results thanks
simon

[papa 695]

Cracking start Simon

[Jim R]

Hi Simon
A very personal build of this iconic aeroplane. Great that you could find out about it's history. Nice work so far.
Jim

[colin m]

You're doing a splendid job of a, as Jim says, iconic aircraft.

[rtfoe]

Hi Simon, it's always more interesting when there is a personal attachment to a specific build. Nice start and Tims advice is spot on.

Cheers,
Richard

[simontie]

Been a while but heres were i am, aircraft is juat about complete but i‘m not overly impressed with the build my build not the kit.
possibly just a lack of knowledge, i completed the fusalage and glass work but no matter how i tried the cockpit glass just didn’t sit right and i was worried about screwing it up completely…they just sit too proud!!
engines props and undercarriage were fine but the cockpit spoils it for me, anyway i altered the kit decals to resemble the acutal aircraft and bought the additional index numbers to make the reg no still some work to do tail leading edges need to be black and there are some smaller decals to add
let me know what you think
thanks for looking simon

[Tim Marlow]

Looks fine to me Simon. Metal finishes are notoriously hard to pull off, and you’ve managed it well here. I can see what you mean about the cockpit glass when I look closely, but it doesn’t spoil the job over all.

[tigersteve]

I'd be happy with that - nice job !

[scottie3158]

That's a very nice finish, especially to a build with such personal memories.

[simontie]

Hi couldn't post these due to size but after reading the photo resizing tread stuff i found the tab on the up load window on my iPad
amazing what you can learn on this site cheers

[simontie]

Not really a tv buff but last night i watched RESURRECTING A LEGEND on Netflix's all about the rebuilding of the first C47 to drop partroopers during the D-Day invasions might be worth a look if your in to old warbirds or just WW2 very intresting and the skill full work carried out to re build her along with the footage and story behind it quite fascinating
simon

[yak face]

Lovely looking Dak simon, great to hear the back story of your dad flying this particular aircraft. Cheers tony