Hobbycraft CF-105 “Arrow”
This is the "New tool" Hobbycraft CF-105, in 1/48th scale. The kit comes in a rather large, sturdy box, which is really needed because this is a big model. I'm impressed with the size of the completed model every time I look at it; those designers at AVRO Canada really went for the gusto with the design of the Arrow.I built this kit in 2011, after it had been in the stash for some time.
One of the unique features of the Arrow is the clamshell canopy, which, I guess was an early attempt to deal with ejection seats. I wanted to do this unique canopy, but needed two canopies to do it. The clamshell canopy has curved segments, so a simple cutting with a razor saw was not possible. I cut both canopies, saving the front windscreen from one canopy, and the aft section from the other, followed by shaping to get these pieces to fit together...it was a pain, but it worked.
The front cockpit is scratchbuilt, including the seat; the aft cockpit was left closed, so not much was done in there.
The main landing gear was a bit troublesome; the kit parts were not very accurate so I scratched most of the main LG. I also detailed the front gear strut, to add a little charcter.
The markings are all kit decals, and they actually worked quite well. The Commonwelth flag on the tail was multi-part, requiring decon to be applied on top of another (I guess Hobbycraft didn't use Cartograf!).
All-in-all, the Hobbycraft CF-105 builds up into an impressive model, and is required to complet any collection of Canadian aircraft.
A very nice build, Marvin...it's a real shame the Canadians destroyed all of their examples under political pressure. You did her proud.
I love that plane! Thanks a lot Marvin, now I've got another to add to the list! lol! You did a great job on her.
Gary
Nice looking Arrow, Marvin!
Thanks All!
David, you saw this Arrow at the OHMS contest in McMinnville. I thought I would share it here, too.
It's a good-looking model of a spectacular beast, thanks for sharing. Wonder how did you like the kit?
Thanks for the compliments...I really appreciate it.
The Hobbycraft kit was refreshingly basic, but in a good way; it has good shape, and is engraved, but is not so overly-engineered that it was difficult to build. Yes, I had to scratchbuild a lot of the detail, but that's what I like to do. The cockpits were pretty sparse on detail, and the landing gear (and wheelwells) required some detailing, but nothing beyond what any modeller could do.
Perhaps the most difficult thing about the Arrow kit is that it needs to be painted gloss white, and since it's so big, getting the paint to go on smoothly over such a large area is problematic. I used Tamiya white spray primer, followed by some Rustoleum enamel gloss white (decanted from a spray can, then sprayed through a Paasche H), The Rustoleum seems to cover better than most white paints, so I use it whenever I need gloss white.
All-in-all, the Hobbycraft Arrow is an eye-catcher and I'm glad that I built it.
Thanks again,
Marvin
Marvin, beautiful job on a beautiful, VERY capable aircraft!
PS - As I write this, it is now late September of 2017 - nearly 5 years after this was posted. Amazon has one listed from a company in Japan ... for $175 US dollars!
Jeffry: Wow! Who knew the old Hobbycraft Arrow kit would command such a price? That's amazing, but, I guess it's market demand that is driving the price up. The kit is pretty basic, and I did the re-released version that was supposedly upgraded somehow, but I'm not sure what the upgrade entailed.
Anyway, thanks for the kind words and comments. I appreciate it. I still have this model in a box, in the garage; my how time flies.