The Little World

” Of my true love’s national aircraft recognition insignia in the morning, as I rise…”

This was an aviation folk song that Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie tried to promote in the 1930’s but it never really got off the ground, despite a headwind. Even when they offered to strike every Friday and bus in truant school children it still didn’t sell. The music industry can be cruel.

But it was all the more popular as the colour scheme for the Spanish Republicans – the Iberian arm of the Red army. They took a pasting from the local fascists and their supporters but it was not for want of trying. The plane you see here wore the red wing and fuselage bands that were meant to differentiate them from the Nationalists with their black and white circles and crosses.

I think I went a little too red on the body colour of the bomber – it was probably meant to be a little browner than this. Hence the red bands rather blended into the scheme and I decided to outline them with white bands. I hoped that the decal from the Soviet sheet would provide the colourful red/yellow/ purple tail stripes.

Another firm’s decals might have done so – or if I had painted the tail white these decals might have showed up more strongly. As it is, it’s sort of ghost markings.

As it also is, I am dead chuffed with the way it’s finished up, I built it to its maximum potential and the actual shape of the thing is not too bad. Details are dreadful but the overall impression is fine. If the occasion presents itself for a more competent Czech or Ukrainian model I may well build another, but in Soviet markings. The Eastern European decals have been improved vastly in the last few years.