1/72 Khee-Kha Art Products vacuformed Fairchild 71

From the archive (2011):

Khee-Kha Art Products rendition of the Fairchild F.71 is up to the usual high standards of its releases. Good and comprehensive instructions with building tips, plans and livery options, resin accessories again superb and completing the package we find a vacuformed windshield and a clear plastic strip for the side windows. The molds are crisp and detailed. This was the first kit offered by Khee-Kha on its expanding range of bush plane kits.

You will need decals for your personal choice of subject, but Khee-Kha offers a PIA decal set as an after-market product for this kit, or you can buy the package (kit+decals). Although the struts are molded in the backing sheet it will be advisable to replace them with airfoiled stock material, like “Strutz” or “Contrail” of the appropriate width. I used both to replace all struts, even the landing gear ones.

The construction has a couple of unusual solutions, like the fuselage sides that come in two parts and the cabin roof area that requires a specific approach.

Read the instructions thoroughly and carefully before even thinking of cutting the parts out of the backing sheet, that will save you of a potential headache.

You must study your references and be sure to include the particularities of the specific machine you are modeling. In this case I wanted to build this for my son who builds Argentinean machines, so a plane that was used there as a photographic platform was selected. It had a different tail wheel, prop and tundra/balloon wheels. The engine also had a Townend ring and the exhausts were arranged in a particular way. For that ring I used a left over part from another Khee-Kha kit, the Bellanca Pacemaker. The wheels were cast in resin using a patterned packaging tray that fitted the bill. The kit’s prop blades were cut out and inserted into a previously scratched part made of metal tubes and plastic discs for counterweights. Instead of using the clear strip provided for the side windows I made individual panes from a CD case. As you can see in the accompanying images I made the panes first for the kit windows as they are, but realized shortly after (fortunately) that the photo mapping version had a different arrangement so two additional panes were prepared to make for the different parts. The exhausts in this particular machine as said varied from standard, and had a central element at the bottom running parallel to them that was probably an oil cooler. Therefore the resin parts were clipped at their ends and supplement accordingly, and the other element mentioned scratched.

As you proceed with the building pay attention to the manufacturer’s recommended adjustments and warnings. Anchoring points for rigging and struts are subtly marked on the molds of stab and wing.

Early in the process I decided to depart from some of the manufacturer’s recommendations and adapt the kit to my own evil ways. I reduced the parts for the front fuselage section to its minimum expression and utilized the full length of the fuselage sides as provided. For the spar another solution was used, although the kit’s is absolutely fine.

A camera was scratched and added to the interior, plus control column and rudder pedals. The manufacturer already supplies the seat and instrument panel. Some exterior details were scratched and added like nav lights, handles, small tail skid, fuel tank caps, rudder control horn and the like.

Painting in three tones of metal was followed by the application of the home-made decals and the exterior details.

A review of the kit written by PugetMeister Jim Schubert, aka the Kessler Twin’s Terror can be seen here:

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2004/april/first-looks/KKAP_F71.php

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