Tuesday 18 September 2012

Mangling a Morane - or 'Here comes another Fokker'*

Having decided that the Tratvian Army required some air support I began a search for a Morane monoplane.  Sadly none was to be found (at least not for a reasonable price) so a spot of kitbashing and bodging was clearly required.
I had earlier picked up the old Revell kit (1/72 scale) of the Fokker E.1 for under £3, so even if it all went horribly wrong it would make only a modest dent in the defence estimates.
The Fokker was about the right size and had the correct wing quantity, so after that it was a case of determining the more distinctive characteristics of the Morane.  These seemed to consist of a fully cowled engine, a pronounced fairing behind the pilot, a pointy rudder and much simpler undercart struts than the Fokker.  A new rudder was made from plastic card and the fairing carved from balsa.  The engine cowling was made from a piece of metal foil and the kit parts adapted to produce the undercarriage and the bracing strut arrangement in front of the pilot.
All this made it look, if not exactly like a Morane, at least a bit less like a Fokker!  Painting it green helped too.  A generous coat of gloss varnish was applied to fit in with the 'toy soldier' look of Tratvia's ground forces.
Incidentally, I am told that Tratvian markings are easily confused with those of a (clearly fictional) country called 'Russia'.  You've been warned.

11 comments:

Nick Grant said...

Very clever!

Tim Gow said...

Nick Grant
The model or the post title? Thanks.

Al said...

Cool, the old planes are my favourites, have you a Handley Page 0400 or Goth IV in your collection Tim?

Tim Gow said...

Al
You must be joking! Given my limited patience and general aversion to building bi-plabes, the 1/72 Spad I posted a few months back is about my limit. I like the sound of the 'Goth IV' though - in all over matt black presumably?

Peter Douglas said...

TIm

Very nice!
PD

Al said...

lol, just wondered if you'd dabbled with those sorts of beasties. It's just, well, you seem to have had a go at almost everything else :)

Paul said...

At the risk of sounding crass...It looks fokker-ing good Tim.

Tim Gow said...

Peter Douglas
Thanks - I am quietly pleased with it!

Tim Gow said...

Paul
Happily you crassness is pitched at just the right level for me!

Don M said...

Quite nice Tim!

I trust we'll soon see some Czarist half tracked sedans very soon?

Tim Gow said...

Don M
Interesting idea. But for now the Tsar has a couple of Cadillacs on order...