The Little World

The Triumph Of The Modest yet again! A vintage Airfix kit – and not even a re-issue at that – and it’s turned out beautifully.

I haven’t built a Fieseler-based plane before so I have none of the other makes to compare this to. Nevertheless, I am very pleased with the result. If I can figure out a reason I may even build another from Academy or Revell.

The Airfix kit is very clever in that the designers have recognised the fact that Fieseler landing gear struts are extremely variable . They squash down and flex wider when the aircraft settles onto them but when the plane is flying they stretch out like a cat’s claws. You get two sets in the kit – I chose the ground-based ones.

Other than that, it further confirms that I may have gone off on a mistaken tangent when I used only a bow pen for canopies. This one is done by the traditional masking method and has come out far superior to hand-drawn ones. I shall have to admit that this is sometimes a better way to do things.

Readers who like the STOL plane should do some YouTube googling and watch the real things in operation at various air shows. They are far more satisfying to see landing and taking off than the fast aircraft.