Brewster F2A Buffalo by ccoyle - FINISHED - Kartonowa Kolekcja - 1:33 - CARD

[ccoyle]

Hello, all!

 

FINALLY, after four long, long years, I actually completed a model! After bungling my attempt at Halinski's Brewster B239, a Buffalo in Finnish colors and a very complex model, I set my sights on the more intermediate-level F2A offered by another Polish firm, Kartonowa Kolekcja. Having earlier completed KK's Polikarpov Po-2, I had a good idea of what to expect with this kit. It had a few tricky parts to navigate, but I was able to forge ahead. The kit includes optional parts to build either a simplified version or a more detailed one; I went with a mix of the two. I included the options for a full cockpit build (which is FAR simpler than the Halinski version) and complete engine, but left out the movable control surfaces and a few other minor details. The end result is what some would call a good "ten-foot model", i.e. it looks good from ten feet away, but don't get too much closer. I think I will be going back to a ship project after this. Enjoy the photos!

 

[Jack12477]

Really nice looking model, Chris. Nice camo also. Did you mask or free-hand the painting? I assume it was air brushed ?

[lmagna]

I agree with Jack. Nice work. Doesn't look stand off scale to me at all!

[ccoyle]

@Jack: No airbrushing -- it's a card model. I forgot to put that in the original title.

 

@Lou: You're too kind, but trust me -- it looks better at stand-off viewing distances. 😉

[mtaylor]

I'm with the others, Chris.   It looks great.   I had to go back and look at the title to see that it was/is a card model.    

[lmagna]

Like I said to one of our other builders the other day Chris. I would call you blind but your work says otherwise.

 

Kind of drew my attention because I am rereading some history books to refresh my mind on some early WWII war details and the Buffalo was almost all the allies had to throw at the advancing Japanese with their Zero! 

Edited November 27, 2018 by lmagna

[ccoyle]

The Buff is a personal favorite of mine because of its tough-luck story. It's true that the Buff was inferior to its primary opponents in the Pacific theater, but part of its poor track record there was due to inadequate pilot training, poor command and logistics, and a lack of intelligence on Japanese equipment and tactics. However, and this is the part I really like, the Buff racked up a 26:1 kill ratio with the Finns against the Soviets, and that is one of the highest ratios of any combat aircraft in history. That's why I originally wanted to build the Halinski kit, but good ol' cumulative error was the downfall of that build attempt. 

[lmagna]

For that matter you would have to say that they did at least as well as the early P-40s in the Pacific. No one there had listened to Chenault about his experiences against the Zero with the AVG. but while they didn't rack up much of a kill ratio as far as I know, they held out just as long as the P-40s and Hurricanes. They seemed to at least be a hard bird to kill.

[Canute]

The Allied a/c were "sturdy", with some armor, etc. The Zero had no protection, so it was much more nimble. Like Chris and Lou have said, they were at the far end of a supply chain and lacked the knowledge gleaned by Chennault on fighting the Zero. Took us until Coral Sea & Midway to figure out how to counter the Zeroes.

[Jack12477]

Chris, Card ! Wow! Even more impressive! 

[Reg]

Excellent plane!  Did you vacuum form the canopy or was it an option from the manufacturer?  Either way the work is wonderful.

 

Greg

[Jim Rogers]

Chris your Buff is Buff. Showing my ignorance what exactly is a card model.

[lmagna]

Hi Jim

I'm going to step in here and open my loud mouth even though I'm not Chris.

 

A card model is a model where they print the required patterns of the model onto paper and card and when you cut them out, fold where required and glue together to form the model. In this case not only was the company pattern nicely done making it possible to form a very realistic model but the colors and patterns appear to have been of a higher quality as well. Of course the build was so good that it is almost impossible to tell from a nicely made plastic model until we were told that it was a card model. THAT'S impressive. At least to me.

 

Hope I said that in a way that is understandable.

[ccoyle]

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone.

 

@Reg: The canopy is a vacuformed after-market part from Halinski for their B239 kit. Such parts don't always fit on another manufacturer's model, but in this instance it worked out. The kit comes with both interior and exterior canopy framing, but since it is nearly impossible to get a good look at the interior framing, I settled for painting the back side of the exterior framing before gluing it to the canopy. It produced a satisfactory illusion of interior framing. I also used the optional laser-cut formers available for the kit.

 

As Lou explained, the parts are pre-printed. KK printing is a step down from Halinski, as KK generally does a minimal amount of weathering on their models, but it is still pretty good. The thing I like about the KK kits I have built so far is that I have actually been able to complete them, whereas I am one for two on attempts at Halinski kits due to their much greater level of detail resulting in much higher parts counts.

[GrandpaPhil]

You did very well.  I wouldn’t have know that it was card unless you had told us.  Very nicely done!

Edited November 29, 2018 by GrandpaPhil

[popeye the sailor]

super looking plane....well done!