Modelik P-35

[shrike]

Here I go starting another build thread and my camera, once again, has assumed a supine (ie TU) position. I did get a cover shot at least, but not enough battery to upload it.

I had thought about starting another vintage MM kit (the FW-56 Stosser), but since this was next in my build queue and I discovered that my masochistic streak isn't as wide as some others, I would go ahead with this one.

Perhaps my masochistic streak is just subconscious, because the P-35 was also designed by Bhodan Wasiak famed of song, stage and a number of unflattering build reports. On the other hand his Me109 (MM 7/90) was buildable with decent fit despite the dreadful pulp paper it was printed on and with only one or two iffy spots (the oilcooler intake under the cowling and the canopy transition) so maybe he just doesn't like jets.

This is also an updated version with improved graphics, and Janusz Oleś sharing credit, so hopefully any glitches have been edited out already.

Time to cut paper!
(ok actually time to laminate some formers, tidy up the workbench, and go watch House with the wife, but then it's time to cut paper!)

[Don Boose]

I'm glad to see that you are going to build this one. I've always liked the P-35 and look forward to seeing your progress.

As you are probably aware, Bill Geoghegan did a build and review of the Modelik kit a few years ago: http://www.geoghegan.us/p35/P35_Review.htm

Don

[shrike]

I had seen that, and it was one more in the plus column on moving this build forward. He didn't report anything insurmountable, and several things he mentioned appear to have been resolved in the new version.

[Gharbad]

I built the FW-56 not too long ago. There aren't any obvious fit problems except for one or two parts, but some of the lines just barely don't match and the colouring of the wings is mismatched (underside).
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...odels/fw56.jpg
Overall it was a pretty relaxed build, but it didn't come out very impressive in my opinion.

[shrike]

I missed an evening of construction being stuck 1800M up a mountain in a blizzard in a 2 wheel drive truck loaded with half a tonne of airplane engines.
If that doesn't make for a pretty good excuse I don't know what will.

On the upside there was cable in the motel I was stuck in, and TMC was playing "Wings" so I got to watch Curtiss P-1's masquerading as Fokkers and Clara Bow at her best.

Only got as far as cutting out fuselage formers, but at least it was knife on paper.
The former that shows in the cowling was a plain black disc originally. I wanted something a little more realistic so I found a front view of a R-1830 on a Portuguese aviation museum site, resized it and refaced the former.

[Don Boose]

An excellent beginning!

A Swedish friend with whom I served in Korea in the 1970s and then visited in Sweden about 15 years ago, flew P-35s (EP-106/J 9s) on neutrality patrols when he was assigned to Flygflottilj 8 at Barkaby Airfield in 1940.

He told me that there was a rumor that the USAAF flew confiscated P-35s in combat in the Philippines still wearing Swedish markings.

I was never able to confirm that the U.S. P-35s actually flew in combat in those markings, but did acquire a photograph at the Air Force Museum of P-35As (the confiscated EP-106s) in Swedish markings taxying at Clark Field, having been removed from the crates and assembled, and not yet repainted.

There are many stories about that grand old Swedish airman that are not relevant to this thread -- navigating a Hawker Hart up the coast of Sweden by memory of geography when he lost his map and lights; landing a Gloster Gladiator after the airscrew came off; flying the first P-51s delivered to the Flygvapnet -- but I will save them for a more appropriate occasion.

Don

[cardmodeler]

I'll be watching this build with much interest. I have this model on my to-build pile, and am anxious to see how yours comes out. This is one of my favorite planes, great lines and shiny metal finish, with a rotary engine thrown in for good measure!

[DrBill]

Aw, Shrike -- this brings back fond (but ancient) memories. I built the original Modelik P-35 back in 1999, not long after it was published, and not long after I got back into card modeling following a gap of 15-20 years. It was my second preprinted model of modern times, and a load of fun to research and build. There were a few problems with the fit and the instructions / diagrams, but nothing devastating. And from what you say, Modelik has taken some steps to correct them.

The hand drawn kits are fading away from the major commercial publishers (except for FG, to be sure), and I'm not certain that it's all for the best. This may be totally OT, but I see a similar thing happening in the world of model boat building as we move from a craft of model building to one of model assembly. Several important boat modeling companies have disappeared from the scene in recent years (including one of my favorites, Horizon, which specialized in Chesapeake Bay work boats), as demand for their products faded in the face of "some assembly required" static models and simple R/C boat kits. It's probably the same in the stick and tissue airplane world, R/C aircraft, etc. The passion for accuracy, detail and -- most importantly -- instant gratification over craft and art is evident in the plastic world as well.

I'm an engineer at heart, and love the precision and detail that CAD can bring to the card modeling craft. But the other side of my brain wants to get into the act as well. I have the sense that the fun-to-work ratio is decreasing with every new zillion part model that gets released (like the 8,500 part Fuso that Halinski just released). Just one man's opinion.....

[shrike]

Originally Posted by boosed

An excellent beginning!

He told me that there was a rumor that the USAAF flew confiscated P-35s in combat in the Philippines still wearing Swedish markings.

I was never able to confirm that the U.S. P-35s actually flew in combat in those markings, but did acquire a photograph at the Air Force Museum of P-35As (the confiscated EP-106s) in Swedish markings taxying at Clark Field, having been removed from the crates and assembled, and not yet repainted.

Don

I understand that they got them painted pretty quickly, but that didn't solve the problem of all of the instruments being metric and all of the placards being in Swedish.

Erik Schilling related a metric instrument story once about test flying the CW-21 that Madame Chang had bought for them. He said he was watching the instruments and was really disappointed in the rate of climb until he glanced outside and realized the altimeter was in meters, not feet. After that he was much more impressed<G>

[shrike]

Originally Posted by DrBill

Aw, Shrike -- this brings back fond (but ancient) memories. I built the original Modelik P-35 back in 1999, not long after it was published, and not long after I got back into card modeling following a gap of 15-20 years. It was my second preprinted model of modern times, and a load of fun to research and build. There were a few problems with the fit and the instructions / diagrams, but nothing devastating. And from what you say, Modelik has taken some steps to correct them.

>>I read your review and as stated above it was one of the reasons I decided to press ahead. Especially after the bad press the designer has been getting. We'll see how it goes here directly.

The hand drawn kits are fading away from the major commercial publishers (except for FG, to be sure), and I'm not certain that it's all for the best. This may be totally OT, but I see a similar thing happening in the world of model boat building as we move from a craft of model building to one of model assembly. Several important boat modeling companies have disappeared from the scene in recent years (including one of my favorites, Horizon, which specialized in Chesapeake Bay work boats), as demand for their products faded in the face of "some assembly required" static models and simple R/C boat kits. It's probably the same in the stick and tissue airplane world, R/C aircraft, etc. The passion for accuracy, detail and -- most importantly -- instant gratification over craft and art is evident in the plastic world as well.

I'm an engineer at heart, and love the precision and detail that CAD can bring to the card modeling craft. But the other side of my brain wants to get into the act as well. I have the sense that the fun-to-work ratio is decreasing with every new zillion part model that gets released (like the 8,500 part Fuso that Halinski just released). Just one man's opinion.....

Oooh ick. I was trained as a draftsman when computers were first starting to trickle outside of universities and big corporations so I do appreciate the art and craft as well as the science. But the precision available currently in card models is such a quantum leap above the previous state of the art that it's hard to want to go back

I drive a 40 year old car to work everyday so I harbour few illusions of 'the good old days' especially when it's cold and the wife's Hyundai has heated seats<G>.


I think that inherent in paper modeling is a big dose of the 'craft' aspect. Simply the magic of turning a 2dimensional* shape into a 3dimensional object keeps the joy in it. The fact that I still have to carefully cut out the shape and understand it well enough to turn it into the finished product keeps it away from instant gratification.