Wings of Intent: September 2024

(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.

The completed model can be seen here:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2024/10/fokker-super-universal-j-bbvo-172nd-kora.html

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 fairly reasonable replica with a lot of TLC.

And here we begin with the instructions' glitches. The bulkhead after the cockpit is not vertical, but inclined, and so is the floor, that goes a bit upwards towards the nose:

The instructions show the wrong angles for the assembly of the cockpit parts, but the framing on the fuselage sides gives the correct angles:

If Kora's instructions draftsman would have bother to consult a plan, the angles were also there (besides on the fuselage side itself):

This cabin door -that belongs to other versions- had a molding defect:

That side is sanded and the detail restored (although this door won't be used for this model):

The prop hub had a conical device to engage the external starter, so the prop needs modification (this detail is in most photos, but Kora missed it):

The inaccurate detail is removed and a styrene cone is glued in place:

As mentioned before the engine had DOUBLE intake and exhaust manifolds attached to the cylinders.

(NASM photos)

Kora molded the intake as single pipes, which is inaccurate. To correct this I added the second pipes from coiled and cut stretched sprue elbows, that will later be better integrated with a bit of liquid putty and paint:

The kit has these intakes angled, which is also not accurate, but I think I can fit the assembly on the nose with a little fiddling, and most of it will not be very visible behind the engine:

So instead of using the time to add detail, the modeler has to deal with the kit's hiccups.

Another glitch is that Kora attached the engine to the sprues via the cylinder heads thus negating detail there. This is not important for planes that use the Townend ring, which unfortunately is not the case of the three possible liveries Kora has in this boxing. So the heads' detail (rockers) will have to be somehow simulated with stretched sprue or P.E. leftovers:

The thinning of the wing trailing edge paid off as the end is now much narrower. The leading edge needs quite a bit of putty and ulterior sanding and re-engraving:

The aileron control cable leads exits are located much further ahead than the kit's little dimples for them. The horns are sanded a little on both sides, as they are a bit thick as molded:

The only resin part provided has a tab to attach it under the nose, but in reality is hung on a sort of cradle. Also notice that the exhausts many times had other, smaller pipes going into the nose:

Photos show details omitted by the kit, like elevator and rudder control horns (in this case more elongated and narrow than the aileron's). Also notice the tail rigging and control cables, not described in the kit:

Thus the tail strut locations are drilled trough, and new holes are made to later accommodate the additional detail:

Now it's time to deal with the overdone and not very accurate "panel lines" on the wing. Clearly some sort of filler should be used. I am trying for these task a water-soluble putty:

I apply it with a brush or the finger along the engraved detail, and later rub the surface with a damp kitchen roll paper pad, trying not to remove the putty from the furrows. The wing will later be sealed with a light coat of primer, and the process repeated until most of the spurious detail is not so prominent. Locating holes, aileron hinges, etc., are easily re-engraved and opened-up:

As commented above in the post I think the kit's varnished wood indication for the wing finish is in error for most of this boxing machines, as evidence points out. So the wing and horizontal tail are going to be finished in an aluminium color.

The elevators are separated and re-positioned slightly deflected:

A first painting session is on the way:

Going back to the representation of these Super Universal wings as aluminium color in illustrations, which I think is correct (despite the kit's instructions), here we see that when Japanese illustrators want to represent a varnished wooden wing they are perfectly capable of doing so (in this case a Fokker F.VII, from the Net):

Not the first time a kit manufacturer gets the colors wrong, if to their credit sometimes is difficult to interpret B&W photos. Not in this case, though, as all the planes involved in this boxing seem to have had aluminum-doped or painted wings and horizontal tails.

Note: if you decide to go for the Byrd Antarctic expedition plane (as per other Kora boxing on the market), do not forget to add the fuselage top hatch:

A new Pitot is fabricated to replace the one provided with the kit which is a bit clunky:

The Venturi(s) will also be replaced by aftermarket resin items.

Kora (as mentioned at the beginning) offers as aftermarket items seats and wheels. The seats are an alternate furnishing seen in some planes, the wheels to me look identical to those of the kit in photos. Kora also offers "plywood skinning" decals to cover the wing, but, as we have seen, be very careful to verify that your chosen subject did have them (not the case of this boxing, in spite of what Kora says in the instructions). Applying those very large decals over a wing with relief may prove somewhat challenging. Perhaps cutting then in sections could facilitate the task.

Bear in mind that some planes used different wheels, even tundra-like ("balloon") tires:

This seems to be a test Goodyear was doing:

After a couple of these sessions (putty filling and removing of excess with damp pad, priming, sanding) the "panel lines" are visibly reduced. They will be still there, but with a gloss grey base coat and then the aluminium paint their presence will be tolerable:

The fuel caps and something that wants to be lifting fittings, molded on the wing, are sanded away and being replaced with styrene bits. So are the control horns:

Still quite visible, but not as deep: aileron cable exits and other details added. The horizontal tail, that will also be aluminium color, will be painted too, but since the hue should be ever so slightly different (fabric covered and not plywood covered like the wing):

Some modelers may chose another approach to the wing "panel lines", for example, filling them completely with something like auto body putty (3M red, etc.), then sand the wing smooth, and recreate the tapes used in the original with very thin decals.

Getting the interior and other parts ready:

Well, this one is on me: knowing (and even describing here) that the kit has either indifferent or bad fit, I completed the detail on the cockpit without checking how the structure would fit. It doesn't, of course. I had to start sanding the bulkheads and floor assembly, to remove quite a bit of material (about 1mm per side). In the process I knocked off the smaller parts, that I had to repair and re-glue:

Painted the LG legs chrome. Printed "burnished metal" decals and applied them. I think this will work for the nose too, applied in sections, to reproduce that effect visible in photos:

I have used that approach before in these (and other) models:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2013/11/172-greenbank-castle-ryan-m-1-converted.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2012/12/scratchbuilt-ryan-m-1-completed.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2013/01/modified-172-testors-ryan-nyp-completed.html

The transparencies are bathed in clear acrylic:

Their fit was not bad. Arrows indicate the three holes drilled for the control cables:

Some diagonal structural members visible through the windows are added. The interior is then glued in place on a floor (the kit will have you glue to seats to pedestals on the side, ending with a seam at the middle if you pose the cabin door open). A small tank visible in diagrams is added below the pilot's seat. As usual, not much of this will be really seen:

Besides a small touch here and there, I approached the build in a simple way, to keep it useful for those modelers that have the kit and don't necessarily want to do a lot of mods. Other versions of this plane will give the possibility of opening the luggage compartment, and who knows, some planes may have even had a simple restroom (one of my known weaknesses) if you can find references on it. The relative coarseness of the kit may tempt advanced modelers to go to town and work on more details.

The fuselage is closed. A lot of work on the uneven seams is ahead:

Working on the prominent and not necessarily aligned seams:

We all know that split-in-the-middle canopies are a pain in the rear end. It saves money for the manufacturer, but lands the problem at the feet of the modeler. This one is no exception. You may not want to use either plastic cement or superglue, which may fog the clear plastic. I tend to use "window maker" or similar acrylic glues, which are weak. The fit was ok...

...problem is the wing fit wasn't at all (dry fit in the photo below), necessitating quite a bit of sanding of all parts involved, no surprise there as the rough nature of the kit was evident before. But then the canopy/wing fit of course was not good, necessitating further sanding of the wing. Even with care, the two-part canopy split. Will have to re-glue and re-try:

The exhausts parts have two components per side. This plane had two equally short pipes. You can cut the long one to match the short one, but it falls a bit short, so I will replace them with aluminium tube, which also offers the advantage of being hollow showing a realistic end (you could drill of course the plastic pipes if they were the right length):

The pipes are prepared, their ends rimmed to reduce wall thickness and the front sanded and curved to meet the engine's exhaust ring on the engine. A small hole where a connecting pipe goes (as per photos of the original plane) is drilled on both sides of the nose:

The oil cooler, provided as a resin part, has a tab that needs eliminating:

An airfoiled segment of brass (thanks John and Andrew!) will replace the kit's stab struts:

As per photos of the original, a cage is made from stretched sprue to hold it and attach it under the nose of the plane:

Late for me now, but not for you if you are building this kit: the two little inst. panels that go on the sides of the cockpit -and the kit's instructions describe as against the fus sides-, are actually perpendicular to them (i.e.facing the pilot's point of view, and not flat against the sides facing each other). Moral: clear, accurate instructions detailing small things in bigger diagrams is what modelers need:

NOTE: if you plan to build a Canadian or Argentinian Super-Universal on floats (photos from the SDASM photostream)...

...Khee-Kha Art Products of Alaska sells superb EDO J-5300 resin ones that I have used before with excellent results. Khee-Kha´s floats section website is here:

https://www.opland-freeman.com/khee-kha/extras.htm

As a base for the blue color, gloss white is airbrushed. The canopy is primed, revealing -no surprise there- a small gap in the middle where the seam is. It'll have to be filled with putty, sanded, re-primed and then painted. One more reason not to have a split canopy. The reason the4 manufacturer did this is to avoid a mold of multiple parts (instead of the two normally used), which is understandably expensive, still, as said above, the buck is passed to the modeler. The kit is not what we could call cheap (between $50 and even $80!), in spite that it doesn't include masks or P.E. parts, thus not really comparing particularly well in price or quality with similar kits, but hey, no other manufacturer discovered the Super Universal, suffering military types tunnel vision as they most do. Their loss, Kora's gain:

Blue is now airbrushed not forgetting the cabin door and tail struts. The canopy is given a black coat previous to the metal color one. The fuselage will later be masked to paint the nose metal too:

I need that extra polishing on the nose because the home-made "swirl" decals will take some of the shine off:

The "swirl" decal panels are measured, cut and applied:

Now comes the time to strategize about the final assembly. Control cables first, now that there is plenty of space to maneuver without the wing and LG? In any case, decals then have to be applied as they are "behind" the cables. But arent' those cables and runners too fragile and may be knocked off in adding the main bits later? The landing gear comes after the wing is on, as the main legs cue how long it would be to get to the "V" struts, thus determining their angle. Wing and canopy, due the kit's poor fit must be glued at the same time, to minimize gaps and get them properly leveled with each other and the fuselage. A miracle of engineering and precision this kit is not. Notice the addition of a small skid below the tail post, visible in all photos of the plane:

Wing and canopy on:

The window frames are added as thin decal strips (I have forgotten to paint them in a metal color before removing the masking). Also added are tie-down loops at the wing tips, nav lights, decals, and aileron cables. The rigging of the tail control cables has began:

Additional details were added and some general refinement done, but trying to keep the tone within the broad scope of a review that could be useful for other modelers. In keen hands perhaps much more could be done to elevate this rather simple kit. Modelers that rather have an easy approach can still have a Super Universal on their shelves -if they are not picky.

My fear that the decals would be perhaps rough -as the kit- was unjustified. They behaved very well. The spacing of the registration letters under the wing in the instructions does not match photos, that show a more compact layout (between the aileron cable and the LG leg) being those letters somewhat bigger than they should, and the tail "J"s a bit smaller than they should: