Let L-13 Blanik

Czech Master Resin, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

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The L-13 Blaník is a two-seat trainer glider produced by Let Kunovice. It went into production in 1958, proving to be easy to fly, rugged and inexpensive. It is the most numerous and widely used glider in the world, with 2650 examples being produced and 3,000 if variants are included.

CMR must be the leading producer of glider kits in 1/72 scale with 32 military and civilian glider kits currently listed on their website. This latest kit makes a nice addition to the range of modern sporting gliders already covered.

The kit is packaged in a very sturdy top-opening box, and all parts are in heat sealed plastic bags. Very clear assembly diagrams are accompanied by A-4 pages featuring a walk-around of the aircraft with an emphasis on cockpit shots, along with photos of the subjects covered by the decals. The painting and decaling diagrams are comprehensive in their coverage, although all colour call-outs are generic. All instructions are in English.

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In keeping with all of CMR’s recent releases, this kit is a true multi-media effort with pre-coloured photo-etch fret and a pre-cut canopy mask made by Eduard. The PE enables a very high level of detail to be achieved inside the cockpit where the pre-coloured instrument panels and seatbelts should be stand out features through the canopy, be it open or closed. There is a choice of just resin instrument panels instead of pre-coloured PE if you prefer.

The airframe assembly is simplicity itself, as very few parts are involved. The resin parts are very crisply moulded, with very fine trailing edges. I could see no pinholes worth loosing sleep over. A choice of tail wheel or skid provided.  I have found with CMR glider kits of this size that no wing-root reinforcement is needed, but some may wish to play it safe and add some. The simplicity of assembly would under other circumstances make this a good choice for a first resin kit. However some very small and fiddly PE parts, plus the need to cut out the vac-from acetate canopy, means that some other skills are needed too. These aspects are not too daunting, but there are simpler options from CMR and other resin kit brands for someone transitioning from mainstream injected kits to resin for the first time.

The most challenging PE parts to fix will be the small sliding window panel frames to the canopy. I’d be inclined to use white glue sparingly, or see if they can be locked in with Future or a stickier gloss varnish. Two canopies are provided, as is the case with all CMR kits, so there is some level of insurance. There are also some tiny PE canopy hinges to be attached, but these affix on a painted area of the canopy frame.

The four decal options include two quite spectacular schemes, one being a Red Bull aircraft featuring the familiar logo, and the other "The Phantom of the Sky", with a striking black and aluminium finish along with bold white lettering and a ghoul’s head on the fin. The other two schemes are attractive enough, but much more conservative in graphical terms. The decals themselves are printed by Tally Ho, and have superb registration and good colour density.

They should go on very well from my own experience of this brand of decal. Be aware however that they are quite thin, and must be floated into position as they can be hard to budge once positioned and tamped down.

Overall this is a superb multi-media kit of an attractive subject. Some care will be needed with the detail parts and decals if one of the more complex schemes is modelled, but the result should be stunning model.

I like glider models as they add some variety to a model display that is otherwise dominated by military aircraft, so why not consider building some for this or any other reason you can think of?

CMR Models are available online from Hannants in the UK,
Red Roo Models in Australia and quality specialist model retailers worldwide.

Text Copyright © 2009 by Mark Davies
This Page Created on 22 July, 2009
Last updated 22 June, 2009

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