Breguet 14 B2, 1:48, Fly

Started by Milan Tesař · 10 · 5 days ago
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    Milan Tesař said 2 months ago:

    I have been waiting a long time for a quality version of the Breguet 14 kit. So when Fly released this kit, I couldn't get into this build after a short period of time.
    At first glance, the very beautiful looking kit has a few snags. There are plenty of parts in the box to build three versions, but this one only allows you to build two bomber versions. (for other versions it is necessary to purchase other boxes, which the company Fly also offers). The kit has a very beautiful surface of the wings and fuselage, depicting a realistic fabric covering. However, the small parts are very rough with large burrs. Therefore, I had to use practically all small parts, especially the cockpit, of my own production. The dashboard looked like it was made of Lego.
    On the other hand, the engine is very nice and detailed, but unfortunately it won't be visible at all. However, in the kit which is supposed to represent the bomber version, there is a fuselage for the observation version and this was another problem as the moldings are of very hard plastic which tends to split when removed from the frames. So I had to cut the side windows into both halves of the fuselage to build the bomber version presented by the kit, which was quite a frustrating job. When it's done, you'll be able to judge for yourself how it went. If I can compare, the older kit from Hi-Tech makes a slightly better impression on me. The Fly kit has a better surface, building instructions and engine, while Hi-Tech has details.

    Cockpit details complete and both fuselage halves welded. It is necessary to significantly modify the frame in the engine compartment and make the engine mounts very slim. The engine cylinders need to be ground quite a lot and set in a very sharp V angle. Otherwise, the hull will not close. I had to modify many times before I managed to assemble the hull without any obstacles. Now ready for paint.

    5 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    John Healy said 2 months ago:

    Looks like a nice kit, Milan. I didn’t realize why some of these had observers windows and some didn’t. Thanks for explaining. I have Hi-Tech and Aurora Breguet kits in my stash. I’ll be following your progress on this one.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 months ago:

    Excellent entry, my friend @milantesar!
    Looking forward to it!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 2 months ago:

    A great entry and ditto start, Milan @milantesar

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    Milan Tesař said 2 months ago:

    I also have one from Hi-Tech and I still have to build it in the future. Then I will be able to compare better.

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    IAN Convey said 2 months ago:

    Nice looking work so far Milan, shall follow this build with interest.

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    Milan Tesař said 6 days ago:

    I haven't had much time to build lately, but I can at least add a little progress. The model is already in color with some details added. The hardness of the plastic is unbelievable. When assembling the fuselage halves, I had a gap left and I filled it with glue and putty. After three days, the left half of the fuselage longitudinally below the window cracked in a length of 4 cm. I had to cover the crack with superglue and sand it out. Unfortunately, the very nice engine is not visible at all after sticking the exhaust. At some point in the future I might make another one of this model, with open panels. The next installment will probably be after the New Year.

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    John vd Biggelaar said 5 days, 21 hours ago:

    Looks really good at this stage, Milan @milantesar
    Sorry to hear about this hard plastic causing so much extra work.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 5 days, 20 hours ago:

    Looks excellent so far, my friend @milantesar! I wonder why Fly molded this kit with such hard and intolerant plastic.

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    IAN Convey said 5 days, 11 hours ago:

    Looks good Milan despite the shortcomings.