1/72 Academy Cessna OA-37B Dragonfly

Gallery Article by Zdeněk Eliáš on Aug 7 2009

 

For my kit I chose OA-37B which serves in Escuadrón de Combate 311 "Dragones", Barranquilla AB, Fuerza Aérea Colombiana.

I used Eduard PE set N°72299 to improve my kit. Decals were designed in Corel Draw and printed on decal paper for inkjet printers from Luboš Vinař.

According to photos on the internet I think that FAC 2177 has only got markings on the rear part of the fuselage, but it hasn't got any marking and even any stencils on the upper and lower part of the wings. Badges on the front part of the fuselage in front of the cockpit belonged to the wing (Grupo de Combate 31, right side) and base (Barranquilla, left side).

Colombian OA-37Bs have several differences from standard A-37B so it means that you need to slightly modify the kit. The most important changes are in the instrument panel and the position and number of antennas behind the cockpit and in lower part of the fuselage.

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Upper surfaces are painted with Humbrol 125, lower surfaces with mixture of Revell 76 and white 2 : 1. Dragon artwork is painted with mixture of Revell 76 and white 1 : 2. For weathering I used temperas specifically black, brown and white. I prepared a mixture of this paints with detergent and used it like wash. When it was dry I corrected it with wetted cotton bud. The greatest advantage of this method is that every mistake can be easily repaired. 

This kit is easy to assemble and with Eduard PE set and Dragon decals looks really good.

Zdeněk Eliáš

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Photos and text © by Zdeněk Eliáš