1/72 Airfix De Havilland D.H.114 Heron Mk.II

Started by Klavs Nielsen · 10 · 4 years ago · 1/72, Airfix, cimber air, de Havilland, heron
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    Klavs Nielsen said 4 years, 2 months ago:

    My humble contribution to this group is the classic DH Heron Mk.II from Airfix. The choice wasn't difficult. The kit was my birthday present from my friend Erik @airbum. As he started this group the choise was clear.


    The kit seems rather simple and straightforward - however I can be surprised...

    The Heron will be finished in a danish paint scheme. The decals from Lima November is a gift from Erik too.

    I choose the paint scheme from Cimber Air - an airline established in 1950 and based in Sønderborg. It operated scheduled domestic and international services until it was filed bankruptcy in 2012.
    The Cimber Heron was among others used for flights between Copenhagen and Stauning - and Stauning is the airport were Erik spends his working life...

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    Allan J Withers said 4 years, 2 months ago:

    Nice choice Klavs, interesting !

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 4 years, 2 months ago:

    Very nice choice indeed, Klavs! I love those classic Airfixes!

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    Erik Gjørup said 4 years, 2 months ago:

    Klavs (@klavs1972), it'll be a pleasure to see your build progressing here! Welcome aboard


    (picture by Erik Holm on loan from oy-reg.dk)

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    Tom Cleaver said 4 years, 2 months ago:

    This is an interesting kit. Back in the 1970s, there was a little Tree Top Airline, Swift Aire, here in California, that connected 2nd-tier airports with the places out in the California "outback" (like from Sacramento to Monterey, a flight I took). They had eight Herons, all with engines changed to horizontally-opposed Continentals. The two other people traveling with me (it was "business") looked at this little tiny airplanes (compared to the 727s and 737s) and "had their doubts." I, on the other hand, thought it was going to be an "interesting flight" as well it was. Had to make a very foggy night IFR approach/landing at Monterey. The one thing I remember is you have to step over the two spars in the narrow one-person-wide aisle and in those pre-terrorist days there wasn't a closed door to the cockpit.

    I'll bet this makes me the only person at IM who has ever flown in one of these contraptions.

    I'll be interested to see the result.

    Hey, a minute with Der Google and I even found a photo!

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    Klavs Nielsen said 4 years, 1 month ago:

    Thx for your interest guys. I'm looking forward to see the result of this classic kit too - so lets get to work...

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    Klavs Nielsen said 4 years, 1 month ago:

    First impresion

    The cabin...


    It is clearly an old kit. Lots of pin marks and sink marks - so get on with the putty and sanding stiks.


    I will add a floor to the cabin to avoid the seam in the middle of the aisle. To avoid looking into the opening to the wing root I intend to add a sidewall.


    There are no passenger seats in the kit, so I had to make some of my own. I found a seat in my stash that looked typical for the time and made some copies in resin.

    I need fourteen seats, still need five - so back to the mold...

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 4 years, 1 month ago:

    An oldie in every respect this kit clearly is, Klavs; and I can imagine those big windows make the interior VERY visible from the outside, so your nice scratchbuilt work will definitely pay off.
    Nice resin casts!

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    Erik Gjørup said 4 years, 1 month ago:

    Homebrew to be included! - very nice indeed. The sink mark in the fuselage - I have been looking at my own kit, and it would appear to be something made by design, but I haven't seen any detail on any picture that matches. Could it be some sort of hatch for a cabin fueltank for another version? - anyway, it needs filling on "our" mark.

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    George R Blair Jr said 4 years, 1 month ago:

    The Heron is a very elegant-looking airplane, Klaus (@klavs1972). I'm looking forward to following along to see what paint-scheme you put on this. Nice job on the seats. If it was me, I would still be sitting at my workbench gluing individual pieces of plastic to make the seats.