Aero L-39 ZO Albatros in 1/48.
This pretty little bird has been sitting in my stash ever since I bought it at a 'bring & buy' day at our IPMS meeting a couple of years ago. The kit included a swag of after-market bits, most of which I didn't use as my eyesight is not good enough. The chief attraction was the shape & the huge number of Albatros' now in private hands as well as the huge range of marking options. As it turned out, I used the East German markings provided, although Libyan & Czech were also on offer. The kit itself is a reasonable one for a short run effort; that is to say that the shape seems spot on, the engraving ranges from fine to non-existent & there are no locating pins. Nothing seems to fit without surgery in the cockpit & the canopy is vac-form. That said, I had a great time building it. The fit of the major parts was trouble free, rescribing not too difficult & the vac form canopy went on like a dream. The undercarriage was a bit of a puzzle as it seemed to indicate it was fixed down, until I did an extensive web search which showed that all doors cycled closed once the wheels were down & the main leg apertures seemed to have snap down doors over the oleo cavities to provide a smooth wing under surface & I guess to keep the dirt out?.
Anyway, it was a fun build & I enjoyed it, which is the main thing. Hope you like it.
Great looking bird, Tony! I saw one of those while on patrol from OP Alpha (11th Cavalry Border Operations base, near Rasdorf, W. Germany) back when there was an EAST Germany. They are cool planes and I'd LOVE to have a go in one!
I really like the color scheme you did - that dark yellow and camo looks great.
Bravo!
Thanks Jeff. I am a s****r for straight wings & long noses!
Really nice jet model. I want to build this type aircraft also. Paint job is awesome!
Thank you Paul. After looking at your Goshawk I am really flattered.
Trumpeter has recently released this version in 1/48 with markings for the Breitling display team. I believe they will also do the later versions with armament as well.
probably one of the most beautiful planes ever designed.
Thanks David. I agree with you. I'd like to do another with better detail when Trumpeter's new releases come out.
Nice work! Great color scheme!
Thanks Robert.
That came out out great...I really like it.
Thanks for the kind words Craig.
Lovely! I like those markings. I've got a couple of these in the stash that I just have to get to soon - I'm like you - I love the lines of this bird, and plenty of schemes for them to wear.