Heston Phoenix - Arctic Decals/Dekno joint venture - 1/72nd multimedia kit

I remember many conversations through the years amongst fellow modelers regarding the particularly beautiful Heston Phoenix, its original lines and harmonious esthetics.The consensus was that no manufacturer would ever bother. So we kept sighing. Until now.

An Arctic Decals/Dekno Models joint venture has produced a fantastic kit of this remarkable Golden Age child in the form of mixed media kit including resin main parts, 3D-printed detail parts, pre-cut and vacuformed side transparencies, vacuformed windshield (two), masks, and even “metal” frames, plus great, detailed, generously-sized instructions with photographic references. Such a luxurious treatment! I immediately bough two, with the two types of windshield. This promises to be one of those kits to remember, for all the good reasons.

 The kits are being released in many versions, these are the two that most appealed to me:

In spite of the crushing efforts of the US Post Office...

...the contents arrived safely:

The (well-protected) usual exquisitely printed decals:

 Some of the contents:

Photo references:

Clear instructions in a large, convenient, easy to see size (no more straining trying to find where things go in minute drawings):

Sharply printed full-color views and more photos:

Detail parts depicting a full interior and external details:

Beautiful surfaces:

More detail parts and the vac transparencies:

Again very nice surface detail:

For those inclined, some additional references from the Net:

A PDF on Australian Phoenixes:

https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/narratives/hestonphoenix.pdf

The kit's instructions also recommend two links:

https://www.key.aero/article/pre-war-luxury-aircraft-no-one-wanted 

https://air-britain.com/pdfs/archive/Archive_2005.pdf

(page 149 once there)

 Some of the parts are removed from their printing cradles and cleaned up. Others are left attached as it will facilitate painting. Closing the fuselage sides on the floor (dry-fitting) it was realized that the floor needed a little sanding on its sides and especially a reduction in size of the small protruding bit underneath the front for a comfortable closing without forcing. It is wise to check the fit of the locating devices before the real assembly begins where needed:

Heed the extensive instructions advice, many good points are made, it's worth reading them thoroughly.

More material for the ones enjoying learning about the plane they are modeling:

The resin parts are washed after been revised and cleaned up of minor burs on stab and wing leading edges. Those surfaces are really nice and the trailing edges are sharp:

 Washing and rinsing are done inside a fine mesh coffee filter so no small parts are lost:

The instructions for this particular plane (G-AESV) offer -and completely and accurately detail- two versions: pre and post war. Exterior and interior details differ, and all parts for these two versions are provided. A choice needs to be made early in the build. This boxing also offers decals G-AEYX.

It is important, as you remove the 3D-printed part from their cradles, to discriminate between the parts and their support structures. In this case, for example, what looks like printing pips are actually part of the covers. I usually keep a small amount of those support rods in case I need to fix for example the leg of a chair or similar. When in doubt, refer to the instructions, that in this case are superb:

Base colors airbrushed:

Starting to work on the color touches. The level of detail is really good:

 

The small wind-driven generator is glued to the leading edge. Its locating hole needed a bit of enlargement:

Notice (above) that the wing tip has been lightly sanded to eliminate a small molding ridge (shown below):

windows in progress:

To avoid stuffing the interior or having to plug the doors for painting later, masking tape applied from the interior is used to block the airbrush mist. The masks are removed from outside after painting:

 As mentioned above, when possible it's a good idea to check the fit of the parts before any painting and assembling commences. The most common thing and quite pervasive throughout the industry  -that is, not just for this kit- is that interiors/interior parts are bigger than they should and won't allow the fuselage sides to close. In this case I already mentioned a couples of swipes with the sanding stick for the cabin/cockpit floor, but also the instrument panel needs material removed on its sides, in my case on multiple passes testing the fit as I went, and the control column needs a bit of shaving around its base to fit its pedestal. The back bulkhead (in the case of the pre-war STC option) is a very good fit, though:

The two little prongs at the bottom of the floor also needed further reducing to fit into their grooves in the fuselage (I ended up shaving them altogether as I didn't do a good job the first time around and was now difficult to re-shape them with all the parts in place):

If you are building the STC version I think that you may have to move those two back seats a notch towards the tail, as that puts the seats at working distance of the instruments on the back bulkhead (I believe the instructions have a glitch there):

 I added between the front and back seats a matte dark grey "carpet" decal (that is drying in the photo):

 I ordered both colors named in the instructions for this plane, but they are both acrylic, and I tend to favor enamels, so I performed a quick color test with Humbrol 69, which to my eyes looks quite palatable:

This kit has such great potential for a wide array of skills, from modelers that are already fairly familiar with kit-building to those that accomplish those magnificent jobs we see online.

The fuselage sides are glued and the seams dealt with:

The horizontal tail halves added. The windows are masked -the kit's masks are a perfect fit. The wing roots are drilled in order to insert a support. Parts being prepared for a primer coat. The kit generously provides two vac transparencies. Both (just in case) are very carefully trimmed, washed and bathed in acrylic floor polish.

I bought a second Arctic Decals/Dekno kit, and also a "Clear Prop!" Gipsy Six engine, as I plan to install it in the second Phoenix, to add interest:

As I went for the experimental radio interior, and following the well-researched kit's instructions, some details will need to be added:

The wind-driven generator is seen with and without a spinner, depending on the photo. Same for the finder small "football/teardrop".

The exact position of the mast. It would be wise to install a little piece of plastic on the interior of the transparency for support, as the wire antenna will induce some tension:

Two Venturi, two antennas and the small mast for the trailing antenna are located on the belly, clearly indicated in the kit's instructions for this particular plane:

 First coat of primer:

I decided to keep the main parts separated for painting. Not sure it's the best strategy, but I think that the geometry and assembly sequence would benefit from it. The wings have to go at the same time that the struts, and the half wings lie on the top of the cabin frame via a tiny flange. Then the transparency goes on top.  

A finder teardrop fairing is fabricated in case I decide to add it (again, photos show the same plane with and without it):

A coat of gloss white as a base for the upcoming yellow and aluminium is airbrushed:

Yellow and aluminium are airbrushed. The leading edges of the stabs still need to be painted in aluminium using the masks provided with the kit. And I forgot to paint the wheel hubs and the other side of the struts! 

 Remaining parts painted:

 

 Using the kit masks, the horizontal tail is prepared to airbrush its aluminium leading edges:

Well, a few touch ups and we seem to be ready for the final assembly. On retrieving the parts from the box I realized that the loop fairing and antenna that I fabricated are indeed already provided:

Now on track for the last steps, but also working in parallel with other projects:

Twin Pioneer 

Twin Pioneer 

Couzinet Arc en Ciel

I.A. 38 

Loening commercial

Savoia S.55 

 

 Fokker F.32

Boeing 80

 

The structure above cabin and cockpit is inserted and glued in place:

Progress has been made. The choice of applying the decals before or after attaching the struts and wings is yours. It's easier to attach them earlier (without having to negotiate the struts and wings), but then you have to be very careful when adding them no the mar the decals already there. I added the decals to the fuselage and under the wings, but will leave the ones on the wings upper surface for after completion:

The wings are in. In my sample, I had to carefully enlarge a little bit the locating holes for the struts under the wings. Shaving a bit the pips may have worked too: 

All went well, but the model needs to be handled with care:

Next will be the transparency. Dry runs showed it to be a good fit, but little adjustments may be necessary for a tight fit. 

I forgot to add the "chrome" window edges, but since I already have the doors separated it shouldn't be a problem to reach and add them later for the other windows.

I think it's best to leave the landing gear parts, exhaust, and the other parts on the belly of the model until the very end. It certainly helps manipulating the kit to leave them off until you are done with the struts and wings. 

To be continued...