Ku.Fl.Gr. 406

[cph64]

Kustenfliegergruppe 406, Coastal Aviation Group 406, was formed in April and July 1937 and went through several designations before 1/Ku.Fl.Gr. 406 reformed from 2/Ku.Fl.Gr. 506 on 22.10.39, disbanding in 10.44 at Hommelvik, Norway. 2/406 is listed as forming in 1937 before becoming 3/SAGr 130, Sea Reconnaisance Group 130, on 13.7.43. The latter being the inspiration for this 'Gruppe' build.
My Supermodel kit of the Bv 138 used by 2/406 dates from 1983 and has markings for an aircraft in March 1942 when it was based in Trondheim. Coming in an open ending tray box with painting and marking options on the back and build instructions giving the history in four languages it includes four grey sprues of plastice plus one clear and the decals. I did some initial work on this kit several years back and at that time was going to build the mine de-gauzing option but as I now have a He 115 in my stash as used by 1/406 that plan got shelved. The decals applied to the radios and console at that time had started to curl so had to be held back with superglue. This was followed by repainting the darkened painted parts Humbrol RLM 02.

[MSea]

Another wiered one Chris - GREAT

[Bigkev]

Aha, the flying clog takes to the bench.
Always found this an interesting aircraft. Will be watching with interest.
Kevin

[chriswil42]

Another interesting aircraft Chris.

[cph64]

Yes Martin it's a(nother) weird one. The hull shape betrays Blohm un Voss' origins as shipbuilders so does it count in your book? Officially named 'Seedrache' (Sea dragon) it was called by the less flattering name of 'Der Fliegender Holzsch' (The Flying Clog) as you so rightly point out Kev.

[cph64]

The turrets need to be built and painted so they can be trapped in place when joining the fuselage halves, unfortunately the frames are indistinct in places and so some 2nd guessing is going on plus they're moulded in two clear havles which means the join has to be disguised as best as. So far I haven't found a clear photo or diagram on the internet for these but I'll keep looking. One on line build says you can see into the fuselage from the rear upper turret so I've made a bulkhead to block this off. The radio operators floor and seat don't have definite positions below the seat so this is a best guess.

[Bigkev]

Coming along nicely Chris.

[cph64]

Looking at the Revell instructions of the re-box of this kit it appears there is no frame at the reverse of the turrets where the join is. As this is not the easiest of joins to remove I'm going to live with the fact that I've tried to disguise it. There is a set of vacform turrets available but then that asks the question how do you fit the cannons without a major rebuild? The next tricky step regarding the turrets is getting them into place whilst joining the fuselage halves together. The upper open turret has been glued into place to make this a two step problem not a three. I started by putting the front turret in and then glueing so far along the fuselage, during which I had to remove the instrument console and reaffix to get a good join. When this was something like I did the same with the rear turret before running glue into any gaps and then bringing them together with elastic bands and clamps.
Earlier on whilst waiting for the turret framework paint to dry I'd started work on the beaching trolley cleaning up mould seams and sanding joints. This was put together using Humbrol tube cement to give a firm bond followed by PlastWeld. To ensure a 'square' frame I initially used a sanding block as a jig followed by the cutting mat lines.

[Bigkev]

Gun turrets moulded in parts have always been difficult to master.
Looks like you are getting there though.
Keep at it.
Kevin

[chriswil42]

Nice progress Chris.

[cph64]

With the fuselage halves joined the main canopy was test fitted which showed that the instrument console didn't allow it to sit properly. A bad fitment has been mentioned online so it was removed, a couple of times!!!, and carved and sanded to try to get a better fit, as was the canopy part. Not quite there yet but....... The outer engine intakes are just blank plates and the inner had a join line that would be difficult to hide so some etch brass mess was cut to size and fitted to give some detail. The tailboom to wing joints have had to be filled with Squadron putty as they fit to a greater or lesser degree. Whilst waiting for things to set/cure I finished the beaching trolley apart from the tow bar.

[chriswil42]

Nice work Chris.

[cph64]

The tail booms have been made up and attached to the wings. These are not a great fit, one in particular needing a lot of coaxing and filler. The small intakes which go on each engine had blank faces so these have been drilled to give some detail.
Whilst waiting for sections of the 138 to dry etc. I started work on the Heinkel He 115. This is the 2012 Revell release of the original 1975 Matchbox moulding with an attempt to remove some of that info from one of the fuselage halves. The instructions are more up-to-date as are the decals. As the interior has next to no detail, a floor and two seats, I turned to the spares box and have used the resin parts from the cockpit of  Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai 'Toryu'. Ok it's not accurate but it's better than a gapeing void. Other parts will also come from spares and bulkheads and floors from plastic card.

[Bigkev]

Plenty to keep you busy, or is that 'out of trouble'?
Watching with interest.
Kevin