Roden 1/48 scale Fennec of the ROCA by Pei Chi

Roden 1/48 T-28B Conversion
Fennec of the ROCA

by Pei Chi

Fennec of the ROCA

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Description

Background:

This is the Roden 1/48 T-28B Trojan (kit #441) converted into a T-28A Fennec of the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF). Fennecs were modified from T-28A airframes by SUD aviation in France and served in the French Air Force.

The modifications included an upgraded wright R-1820 engine from B-17Gs, a three bladed propeller, under wing pylons, and an air scoop in front of the windscreen required for the engine supercharger. The Republic of China Air force acquired a batch of 10 Fennecs to add to their existing fleet of T-28A Trojans.

Edited from Wikipedia

The Build:

The model was built with some after market items including a True Details resin cockpit, Quick Boost cowl flaps, and decals. This kit can be a bit challenging. It certainly isn't a Tamigawa but with some patience, it's a fun kit to build and a good learning experience.

Most of the kit comes together pretty well, however there were numerous ejector pin marks which needed to be filled. The ailerons are movable, but without any means to hold them in position. I elected to cement them in the neutral position. Otherwise it would look funny with both ailerons pointing downward.

Be forewarned, this kit WILL be a tail sitter! Moreover, since the nose gear is pretty flimsy, not too much weight can be added inside the nose.

In addition, a whole section of plastic is missing on the port side inboard trailing edge just ahead of the flap. This was remedied by adding a piece of strip styrene and smoothed over with putty and blending with sanding sticks.
The air scoop on top of the cowling was scratch built using sheet styrene and putty then fixed into place.

To build an early ROCAF aircraft is no easy task, as very little reference materials are available due to photography restrictions in Taiwan on military installations and equipment. A considerable amount of time was spent on researching the subject. Even then, much guess work had to be done such as to the locations of stencils used on the airframe.

Painting and Decals:

The model was painted with Model Master enamels. International orange was used for the wing panels and Silver for the airframe. After the decals were applied, a final coat of Micro Scale Satin Clear was applied over entire model.

Thumbnail panels:

I hope that you enjoy it.

For more information on this build visit ModelPaintSolutions.com

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