Farman F.231 - SBS Model 1/72nd resin + photoetched fret.

 

(The completed model is here:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2024/04/farman-f321-lalouette-and-de-permangle.html

SBS Model has delighted modelers with their superb high-quality offerings of civil planes of great detail, accuracy, perfectly cast, with sensible engineering and great fit. This little jewel, the cute Farman F.231, is one of the latest of their releases. 

It's known among modelers that after you waited years for a kit of your preferred subjects to be kitted, and finally in despair scratchbuilt it, the market will finally come up with a kit of it. Well, I didn't scratch just one, but three:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/05/farman-f231-marcel-lalouette.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/06/farman-f231-hydro-scratchbuilt-172nd.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/06/farman-f231-sebastienne-guyot.html 

But I truly welcome SBS's marvel kit, and just got one.

The links above will take you to the completed model articles, which in turn have other links to historical notes and documents.

Contents perfectly bagged and packed with bubble-wrap inside a robust cardboard box, post office brutal handling-proofed.

Nicely printed material, clear instructions:

The perfect casts that are the usual fare of SBS. The best in the whole modeling world I have seen so far:

Great detail, beautiful surfaces:

As said, good fit, that especially in resin is a rarity:

Main parts cleaned up:

Look at the minute wheel, the fabric covering the spokes effect, and the air valve stem. Attention to detail!:

All trailing edges are a beauty, razor thin.

Base colors applied to a few parts:

Wood is simulated with oils. The seats have an exquisite, true-to-scale wicker pattern, not showing properly in the photo. Metal and other color details will be picked-up later:

With this kit you can build the same plane at two different times, with and without the extra belly fuel tank. The only consideration besides removing the record tank is that I think, looking at photos, that you have to paint the wheel hubs red, instead of aluminium dope as with the tank:

Working on the interior in preparation to close the fuselage:

Getting there. The fit is very good, and that makes the build so much easier, and pleasant:

The very good fit continued. My upper deck needed a smidgen of sanding to fit. I got distracted and sanded more than I should, hence the thin line of filler at the ends of it, but that was entirely my fault. Remember this resin is super-good, and sands beautifully and easily, so don't overdo it:

If all kits in the world would have this fit, modelers' lifes would be so much easier...

To avoid dust-spray, I think I will paint the landing gear separately and then attach it. The one-color scheme should simplify the completion.

I remark what a pleasure building this little cute kit is, accurate, well engineered, with a very nice, precise, snug fit and great level of detail. Congratulations, SBS Model.

My only digressions from the kit would be doing the anti-skid patch on the right wing in light grey instead of matt white, following this image:

And to replace the photo-etched probe with the Venturi at the end of that wing, which is a bit two-dimensional, with thin steel wire or micro-tube and a very small resin aftermarket Venturi.

As I add the last bits, the fuel trunk, the louver, a few parts that are plugs, I admire at the care put into the manufacturing of the kit, and its precision. How I wish more manufacturers would be like this. SBS is an example to follow.

I may be wrong, but I think more versions may come down the lane which I really hope, because of those little plugs. May be a seaplane?

White is airbrushed as a base for the red color:

Red is airbrushed:

All the ancillaries have been painted beforehand, so it shouldn't be long until completed.

Decals and other details are on. The decals are very good, but very thin, and you have to very careful handling them. For the purpose of the article I used -with white glue- the provided control horns which include the "cables", but I may be removing them later and making the cables with black ceramic wire to make them less conspicuous. As mentioned above, I substituted the wingtip Venturi photo-etched part with wire and a resin aftermarket part, but if you are using the kit's part you may put some white glue on the flat "Venturi" to give the illusion of volume, before painting it . I added the walkway from decal paper painted light grey. Beware that there are two different sets of "F" for the tail group, the smaller ones go on the rudder.

(The completed model is here:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2024/04/farman-f321-lalouette-and-de-permangle.html