Tonys Korpak 1/72 polikarpov po2 L

[Tim Marlow]

Primed this yesterday - halfords rattle csn - so today I got the first coat of colour on . The instructions say signal red , so ive just used a generic scarlet red . There are virtually no photos of this aircraft ( actually I havent found ANY !) and what there are of similar aircraft are always in black and white . So the upshot is whatever shade of red i choose is ok ! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1217212[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]n1217213[/ATTACH]

Might be the pictures Tony, but that looks more pink than scarlet

[yak face]

Might be the pictures Tony, but that looks more pink than scarlet

Its only the first coat tim and the vallejo red can be a bit transparent when thinned . Normally i would undercoat with white for a solid red but didnt bother this time as i didnt want it too bright .

[Tim Marlow]

I’ve had Carmine red turn dull purple over a grey undercoat so that’s quite good coverage Tony :thumb2:

[yak face]

Second coat now on and its beginning to take on a better colour . Next job once its cured is a coat of gloss and decals , the top wing will be going on after decalling and final matt coating - one because it makes painting easier and two because i wouldnt be able to unmask the canopy easily once its on . The engine has now been painted up and had an oily black wash to highlight the cylinders .

[yak face]

After two coats of gloss ( Klear) saturday I got the decals on tonight .The placement instructions consist of two pictures on the box , not exactly comprehensive ! I was a bit apprehensive as they looked very old but they were quite strong . I laid them on a bed of wet Klear ( johnsons not Humbrol) to try and minimise silvering as they had a large area of carrier film , plus this helps to pull them down into any detail . I’ll see if it needs any further attention with decal solvents etc once its dried down tomorrow

[colin m]

A nice bright red, looks good.

[papa 695]

Nice work Tony

[Allen Dewire]

Still with you here Tony. The red finish came out.....well, really red! I guess you couldn't lose that bird in a blizzard...Decals look like they went down fine too. You really know how to spruce up an old 'Easty Beasty' kit and your motor work shows that well, Sir...

Prost
Allen

[yak face]

Quick little straw poll for you — the tiny colour picture on the box shows the propeller painted red same as the airframe , this just seems a bit weird to me . I know the props on these were wooden and frequently painted camo colours ( green , black and even overpainted with winter whitewash ) but I cant picture a red propeller !? What are your thoughts guys ? Do i do it red or just black or even varnished wood ? , bear in mind the polar conditions it had to endure too .
Yours - confused of Sheffield

[papa 695]

I’d go for the wood effect.

[Tim Marlow]

If they were whitewashed or black, or painted in camo, then why not red? Come to that, whatever you pick nobody is going to know better

[yak face]

Going to paint it red and see what it looks like , I can always overpaint it if it looks weird , cheers tony

[Steve-the-Duck]

Going to paint it red and see what it looks like , I can always overpaint it if it looks weird , cheers tony

Definitely. Red for the Glorious Soviet Motherland!

[yak face]

Its now had a couple of coats of varnish to seal in the decals so next up is to start the rigging . Im going to do as much as I can before fitting the top wing, so that means the undercarriage , cabane struts and rudder and elevator cables . Once the wing is fitted theres just the cross bracing and aileron connecting wires to add .
I’m using 0.15 mm bait elastic ( from any fishing supplies or ebay ) which comes a white colour . I colour it silver by holding it under the tip of a silver marker pen and pulling it through . Dividers are used to get the distance needed then its cut slightly shorter so it has to be stretched a little to ensure its taut once glued. The good thing about this stuff is that once its touched to a drop of CA it sticks very quickly , only needing holding in place a few seconds . Heres the first two wires .

[Mark1]

Looking good :thumb2: