FR-1 Fireball

[CrowTRobot]

Here's my rendition of the Czech Model FR-1. This is my third Czech Model build (the others being the FJ-1 and F3D), and it was the easiest of the lot- but that's not saying much. They're all short-run kits so some grief is to be expected I guess. Some notes:

• This model required a lot of weight to keep it sitting on the nose wheel. The entire nose from beneath the cockpit floor to behind the firewall is packed with lead bird shot. I also added bits of a flattened lead fishing weight to the front face of the firewall, and even with all that it will sit on its tail with little provocation.
  
• The oil cooler vent on the starboard side of the nose was poorly molded, so I sanded it off and fabricated a new one out of aluminum from a soda can.
  
• I added an ignition harness to the radial engine
  
• The kit's resin jet exhaust tube was unrealistically short, so I replaced it with a longer section of brass tubing.
  
• I added transparent nav lights to the wing tips by filing notches in the correct positions and gluing some bits of clear styrene sprue. Then I sanded the clear bits down flush, polished them, and painted them with Tamiya clear paints. The tail nav light was fabricated from a droplet of clear epoxy glue.
  
• I also added clear landing lights on the wing roots just outboard of the gun ports using same technique.
  
• The wire antenna is made from EZ-Line. The whip antenna on the top spine is made from section of stretched sprue.
  
• I replaced the kit's pitot tube with hypodermic tubing.
  
• I added brake lines made from fine copper wire to the main landing gear.
  
• I fabricated catapult bridle hooks & holdback fittings from styrene and attached them to the belly.
  

Edited July 5, 2013 by CrowTRobot

[RomeoHotel]

Lovely job! Love the contrast on the prop and a beautiful filling job on the windscreen/fuselage join. What did you use there?

Edited July 1, 2013 by RomeoHotel

[CrowTRobot]

Lovely job! Love the contrast on the prop and a beautiful filling job on the windscreen/fuselage join. What did you use there?

Thank you! I attached the vacu-formed windscreen with CA glue, and this left a prominent ridge at the base. I blended this in to the fuselage with 2-part epoxy putty (Apoxy Sculpt). An eternity of vigorous sanding then ensued.

Edited July 1, 2013 by CrowTRobot

[dsmith]

I have been thinking about building that one too, and I must say you have done a superlative job! Very, very nice.

Cheers,

-Doug :)

[B-1 Nut]

I have that kit and 3 or 4 other Czech Model kits.

I've always wanted to build them because they cover the most interesting subjects.....just never been brave enough.

You did a fantastic job!

[CrowTRobot]

I have that kit and 3 or 4 other Czech Model kits.

I've always wanted to build them because they cover the most interesting subjects.....just never been brave enough.

You did a fantastic job!

Thanks! I also built their F3D and FJ-1 kits, and they were much tougher than this one.