Roden 1/48 Cessna O-1 Bird Dog by Pascal Frey

Roden's 1/48 scale
Cessna O-1 Bird Dog

by Pascal Frey

Cessna O-1 Bird Dog

Tamiya's 1/48 Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien is available online from Squadron

Description

Here is my Bird Dog from Roden, started a year ago and left aside very often because with this plane, I had bad luck at many times, and I realize that she could have been better.

The final piece of bad luck was when I stuck the wire antenna to the upper surface and where a drop of cyano accelerator fell on the wing and seeped inside, damaging some glazing.

This model is small, requires patience and precision. The kit is not bad but there are many points to improve and it requires vigilance, Roden is not Tamiya.

Some parts lack finesse - tailwheel, tubular structure that supports the seat, lifting rings on the upper surface (which I redone in plumb, like the drift and tail wheel controls with its springs made in stretched sprue ).

The mounting of the engine on its frame seemed to me impossible (at least for me). I chose to hang the engine on a hollow tube that goes from the front plate to the firewall. The exhausts are glued to an evergreen plate under the engine.

The hollow tube allows to fix the propeller in which I inserted a metal axis.

Thumbnail panels:

I would like to thank Abes who kindly provided me with the AOA decals that allowed me to finish the decor.
I realized that Roden decals can be used if you apply a coat of Tamiya gloss varnish and cut the patterns as closely as possible.

It is very likely that I will make a second Bird Dog when I have more time (retirement), maybe in a Vietnamese scheme (There are now masks from New Ware that must make things easier).

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