Fokker Super Universal - Kora 1/72nd injected kit

 (photo from Getty images, found here:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-japanese-heroic-aviation-society-are-flying-over-two-news-photo/3364163

Good news: We have a Fokker Super Universal kit!

Kora tackled this iconic, ubiquitous, produced-in-numbers jewel of the Golden Era.

A few nitpickings: In looking at the contents of the box, this Kora Fokker Super Universal kit reminded me (just a little bit) of Valom’s Fokker F.VII. which was a very coarse kit, needing plenty of work to come out decent. The impression with this Kora Fokker is better, if still the usual short-run caveats apply: some  flash, detail present but not particularly delicate or refined, overstated wing panel lines (which in the original were not panel lines but overlapped and sometimes visibly taped over plywood  skins), the absence of a proper cabin floor, the rough fit and the lack of a clear tail rigging and control cable diagram (the control cables run in part externally). In this boxing Kora has chosen to represent only Japanese planes. There are other boxing with floats and skis, and also American Fokkers.

There are a few alternate parts in the sprues: a forward-leaning canopy and its fuselage insert, alternate doors, tailwheel or tailskid, wheels, some minor hatches, two-blade or three-blade props and others. The cabin door is posable. The fuselage has engraved inside the locations of these hatches and alternate door shape. Fortunately for the modeler the Super Universal is well represented online, so there are plenty of photos and sources to use as reference in order to improve the kit, something experienced modelers may like to do..

This boxing comes with a Bristol Jupiter engine. The intake pipes seem incorrect for the specific type. The fit of the engine parts -same goes for the rest of the kit- is not sharp. The Super Universal also used a Pratt & Whitney Wasp. Kora apparently offers two small “upgrade” resin products, seats and wheels. Not sure why they didn’t just include those in the kit, as –has to be said- it is not a cheap kit.

Why this iconic plane escaped the eyes of dozens upon dozens of other kit manufacturers is one of those hobby mysteries. Perhaps because they are too focused on the umpteenth version of an arch-known military machine. I wish Kora sells this kit well, and it’s encouraged to release other versions of it perhaps in other appealing liveries -of which there are dozens- for other markets.

Summarizing: for the more serious modelers the kit can serve as a base to do a more detailed job. For a casual modeler there is enough to create a fair model if expectations are not too high, but it will require a bit of patience and skill.

If you are modeling the Japanese subjects described in the kit, there are a few photos online that you may find. 

The decals came loose, whilst the transparencies came protected. All contents were bagged:

A little flash here and there, too-pronounced "panel lines", otherwise what you would expect from this type of kit:

The transparencies have good clarity even if being on the thicker side. The cockpit transparencies are split at the middle (à la Williams Bros Boeing 247 kit), not particularly challenging, but assembly will require care. In their bag a resin part is provided for one of the options. I bagged the decals for protection. Some SU had the typical circular burnishing pattern on the metal parts (like the Spirit of St. Louis) in nose and legs. Other manufacturers have provided decals for this effect (not really easy to produce), but they are not present here:

The instructions are again what you would expect from this type of kit, with fuzzy diagrams which lead of course to some unclear points:

The sprue gates are sort of thick and somewhat invasive, and every single part will need refining. A morning-long general cleaning session leaves you with this:

 

The Bristol Jupiter engine sub-assembly is composed of three parts and then lodges in the scalloped nose. The parts need careful working to obtain and almost reasonable fit. I believe the single pipe exhaust is in error, as the Jupiter had a double intake pipe similar to the double exhaust pipe at the front:

I don't see a better aftermarket resin Jupiter of this particular type available, which for some more demanding modeling modelers may have been desirable:

 The coming of more versions is visible also here, where the landing light positions have been engraved inside the parts:

 

More internal engraving is already molded for alternate parts (present in the sprues) for more versions are visible here, even what it looks like a dorsal turret position (?):

The injection towers are removed. Some modelers may like to erase the frame detail and re-do it with styrene sticks:

The props are basic:

The fit of any parts that come in halves has to be improved:

The lower wing trailing edges were too thick, so these are scrapped from the inside to a more congenial thinness:

We know it's a modern kit, with the merit of a much sought-after subject, and from the beginning the alternate parts provide version flexibility. But this is not a kit for a beginner or inexperienced modeler, it's much better suited for the experienced one, and for such it doesn't present particularly difficult  challenges, just elbow grease, patience and the gathering of references. If it wasn't for the amount of smaller parts and the detail they aim to provide, this would feel like an older kit made with an older technology. It feels rough. But I believe that if filling the trenches on the wing, adding the external control cables and rigging, and replacing a part or two, this kit has potential.

Now, Fokker wings had a plywood skin. They were some times varnished but otherwise left "natural", rendering a sort of patchy wood look created by the different hues of the skin sections. Many times the wings were painted, for example in the airline color (WAE's, for example, were the company's red). Sometimes they had an aluminium color finish. I will post here material from the Net, I sincerely do not remember from where I gathered them over the years, and I would add credit and a link to the source if provided and requested. These images show many color depictions (colorized photos and drawings) showing that aluminium finish, and some photos showing the darker, patchy finish of varnished natural wood. The horizontal tail in the case of the varnished wood shows a similar color (yellowy doped linen frame) as the wing. These images include planes represented in the kit:

These show the planes with aluminium color wings and horizontal tail

 

 

 

 

I think these photos are of varnished wood:

This is one the kit's planes, unfortunately a very bad photo, but interesting information:

Here we see something similar to what the kit instructions suggest as colors:

Reflections, lighting, different types of film further complicate how to determine the real color, but I thought I would put it out there. 

Some other considerations: 

This protruding cone needs to be added to the propeller, it's visible in all photos:

The blue color had an outline, most likely red:

The wing fuel tanks show in some photos their metal color:

Substitute seats are made following photos of original. Different types of seat seem to have been used (even "cupped" ones) though, so try to find if possible which ones were in your version:

I see online that Kora has since released a number of versions with multiple liveries. 

Also of note is that a British modeler has recently scratch-built this plane as the Byrd Antarctic Expedition and a National Parks Airways machine, both models built to such a supreme level of craftsmanship that the kit in comparison looks like a plastic brick*. Additionally, Kora has sort of hijacked these two versions from this modeler to add them to their catalog. A bit cheeky methinks.

*A brick that I believe can be converted into a reasonably fair replica with a lot of TLC.

To be continued...

Aerolíneas Argentinas - Or, more precisely, "Trash Airlines"

I just came back from a trip to Argentina to see family and friends. 

Part of the planned trip involved a flight inside the country to see my son, his wife, and my granddaughter, almost four years old, who I haven't seen in person for two years.

The outbound and inbound flights were cancelled by the airline due to a Pilots, Navigators and other unions strikes. They all may have a just salary or work conditions claim, I wouldn't know. One of those strike days alone left 37,000 passengers stranded. We were two of them. Why the customer, who pays for  everything, has to be the victim of their actions, instead of the execs, share holders, the officials and the government that owns and regulates them? Why not taking the issue directly to them? Go and picket their homes or something.

We had aligned with that flight two hotel reservations for two different places, private transportation to and from them, dinner reservations and other scheduled activities (tours, etc). I had to scramble on the phone, computer, apps, etc., trying to untangle that net and being exposed to charges from all of them, as the cancellations that Aerolíneas Argentinas forced me to make were already within the penalty period (too close, or on, the date).

The Airline was unreachable, either by phone, email, app, etc. Their App and Website collapsed, links wouldn't work, filled forms will empty themselves suddenly, the information requested was unrelated or non-applicable for foreigners, etc. A veritable S..t show.

NO SUPPORT, NO OFFER TO RE-BOOK, NONEXISTENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. 

Finally, after days of trying, I got an automated claim number. It's worth s...t, and still no one contacted me about a refund.

I could never see that part of that family. Thanks, Aerolíneas Argentinas (from now on TRASH AIRLINES.

They refuse so settle in person at their locations and tell you to do it online, which is a dead end. Still trying to get an answer (and of course a refund). 

In previous trips this is what my family suffered with them, chronically: sudden cancellation of flights, arbitrary change of dates for the flight (up to two days), change of departure and destination AIRPORT!

It's obvious that they are UTTERLY DYSFUNCTIONAL.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR: NEVER FLY WITH THAT UNRELIABLE, UNCOOPERATIVE, DISORGANIZED MOCKERY OF AN AIRLINE, EVER.