Tristar Models
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And airplane kit on this site....? Well, in addition to ground vehicles and foot soldiers many military forces employed aircraft. The FieselerFi 156 "Storch" was employed the Wehrmacht as an artillery spotter, reconnaissance, air taxi and other roles throughout WW2. It was also employed by the German Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War (1938) and by Germany's WW2 allies. The "Storch" was famously used in the rescue of Mussolini, last flight into and out of Berlin 1945 and Rommel had one. As an AFV modeller I neglect this aspect of the war, it surprised me to learn that almost 3000 Storch were built, compared to the 1500 (or so) Tiger I, the Storch's importance is more apparent. It's also a Tristar kit :-) Tristar have now released one of the first 1/35th scale fixed-wing aircraft models, I believe this is in fact only the second such kit, after the Piper from Bronco. The version depicted by Tristar, the "C1" is the first major production run. The kit also states that it is an "A0", which I believe was a pre-production version. Further versions were built for tropical use, air ambulance and some with limited offensive capability. The Kit Moulding is generally good, although the mould lines are a atypically heavier for a Tristar kit, so a little extra time spent cleaning up the parts will be needed. There is no warping and not evil knock-out pin marks in inappropriate places. The clear parts are a little heavy and show some distortion due to this. It may be possible to cut out the "glass" parts leaving the frame and them replacing with thin clear plastic. There are a few leftover parts on the sprues, a tail wheel and, although it is not noted in the instructions, a clear part for the MG13 mount. This indicates that Tristar is planning a future version. I assume Tristar is also planning a set of Luftwaffe ground crew and pilots, since there is nothing available to suit modeller's needs in either styrene or resin this is a good bet.
Interior and Engine The interior consists of a floor and rear bulkhead with detailed fuselage sides. To the floor a flight column, one for the pilot and one for the co-pilot, and a set of rudder pedals for the pilot, fit to this. Seats for the pilot and co-pilot/passenger seats fit to the floor also. There are two types of co-pilot/passenger seats offered, one padded and the other plain. The instructions do not mention which seat is used for which marking option however. There are no seat belts included, so these will have to be scratch-built. An elaborate internal frame fits around this. This frame is made up of several styrene parts and will take some careful cleanup to get the mould lines off without ruining the circular cross section. Two instrument panel assemblies are included, one in solid styrene, the other in clear styrene with a printed decal for the instrument dials and a backing piece in solid styrene (photo. #14) I like the second option. An engine is included it is made up of twenty styrene pieces (photo. #15). It is well detailed but will benefit with the addition of "plumbing" made from lead solder. Referring to references show that a few other details, wiring, etc. could be added. I suppose there will be after-market upgrades available at some point. I wonder if the aircraft after-market companies will tackle this kit of just the usual AFV companies? Fuselage (the "Hull") Typical of every other aircraft kit the fuselage is moulded in left and right halves (photos. #2 and #3). There is some interior detail moulded to the insides to represent the internal ribs. This could be cut off and replaced with polyrod to get a more 3D appearance. The engine compartment panels are all separate pieces with the engine mount moulded directly to the fuselage sides. The propeller can rotate too :-) Two sets of canopy parts are included. One set has pre-painted frames in a dark green/grey colour. The painting is pretty good with none slip ups. I'd like to know how Tristar managed this on a production level too. Another set of unpainted canopy parts are included too. I find the clear parts a little too thick and they distort light too much, which will look weird on a model. If I were to build this model I would cut out the "glass" parts from the frame using a motor tool and replace the "glass" with thinner stock. This would be tedious, but I think the results would look a lot better. The starboard side door is separate and can be assembled open. Wings When I laid out the wings I was amazed at just how big this vehicle is. As an AFV modeller I have always thought the Tiger II was big, but the Storch dwarfs it! Assembled the wingspan is over 40cm. The wings consist of top and bottom parts, to these the leading edge flaps, ailerons and trailing flaps fit. These can be positioned, from the photos I've seen of the real Storch the flaps are usually dropped and the ailerons up/down. The tail planes are solid pieces with separate flaps. The rudder is separate too. The Storch was constructed of canvas over a frame and this is captured well on the "rib" detail on the wings, etc. There is some stitching detail on the fuselage too. Small details such as the fuel tank gauges under the wings, flap activators, etc. are all separate. Landing Gear Two landing struts are included, both on Sprue "F" (photo. #10). The upper set of struts, parts 1 and 2, represent compressed struts as the Storch would be parked on the ground. Parts 3 and 4 represent the struts fully extended as the landing gear would be in flight or if the Storch were flipped over on the ground. Each set has a steel wire inserted into the top. This is quite an impressive bit of moulding technology... I wonder how it was done. There are a few other braces in styrene. The tyres are moulded in synthetic rubber and will compress with the weight of the completed model. I like tyres moulded in this fashion. I know that some modellers fear that the will break down over time, but this is not a problem with this type of modern material. Markings Options Five markings options are given for three nationalities. Two Luftwaffe options, one during the Polish campaign and the other on the Eastern Front are given. The Condor Legion (German unit in the Spanish Civil War), Italy and Finland are also offered. The decals are made by Cartograf of Italy. Cartograf decals are very thin, on register and opaque (photo. #13). I have used other Cartograf decals with Solvaset and they snuggle down over details well with the carrier film disappearing. Painting information is given for Tamiya acrylics and GSI Mr. Color and Aqueous Hobby Color. The Tamiya matches are probably not that accurate since Tamiya's colours are more general.
Conclusions I found reviewing this kit to be difficult, since I don't know anything about aircraft model kits. So the make things easier on myself, I have described it from the perspective of an armour modeller. 1/35th scale aircraft is a good idea, it opens some interesting opportunities for diorama modellers. The number of 1/35th scale vehicles that could be displayed with the Storch is limited to a few German trucks and cars (Kubelwagen etc.) I do like the common scale since it gives an obvious size comparison (and this is the same reason I want a 1/35th scale X-Wing :-). As a first 1/35th scale aircraft effort, Tristar has picked a good subject and executed it well. This kit is a risk for Tristar too and I hope it works out for them. Recommended to AFV modellers who want to try something new. This is just a brief review, so I have marked it as "Not Rated". I am sending this kit to Saul Garcia, he knows the Storch well and will write a better review. This kit was provided to Track-Link by Tristar as a review sample. References I don't have any references for this kit but there are many. See my topic on the subject http://www.track-link.net/forum/research_ww2/14394.
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