Subject: Re: Mraz K-65 1:72
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Fodor Csaba" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 11:47:45 -0800

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Fodor Csaba 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 5:51 AM
  Subject: Mraz K-65 1:72

  Gallery Template #04

  "Mraz K-65 - a post-war tow plane" 

  by Csaba Fodor
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here  

  The "Cap" was the czechoslovakian version of the well-known german Fi-156. The Hungarian War Department bought a Mraz K-65 in 1949 to provide a light, multipurpose aircraft for the general staff.  They used the plane to fly countryside airports.  The plane has overall green painting. In 1952 the War Depatment donated the "Cap" to the Hungarian Flying Club. The three years old aircraft got overall light-grey painting with a civil registration (HA-GOA).  Usually it flew in Esztergom because there was an civil aircraft factory. The new gliders were towed  by the "Cap". 
  It get  temporarily an Arado propeller because it was more economic.  In 1954 the plane was maintaned by  the workers of the aircraft factory in Esztergom. It get back the original propeller, new windows and overall light-sand painting with black anti-glare panel. 
  Towing pilots liked the plane because it was powerful and reliable. The plane was able to tow three gliders in the same time. In 1957 it get the last painting version, overall light grey with red-white strips on the upper side of wings. This  striped painting was very common on towing planes. I built the plane with this spectacular painting.

  Click on images below to see larger images

         Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg   Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg  

  I selected the Academy Storch kit beacuse it was cheap and easy-to-purchase. In the box there are 3 sprues of around 50 parts molded in grey colour. The parts are nicely molded with lots of details. Altough the whole kit seemed to be good I found some minor problem. The fabric covering of wings and fins is not faithful and the rear parts of windows have bad fitting. The  flaps and  ailerons are molded into the wing but  in the real life the Storch has slotted ailerons and flaps. I did not correct these inaccurancies - maybe next time... :)
  The instuction sheet contains 9 assembly stepsa and the painting guide. In overall it is "easy-to-follow" but it has some confusing diagram. 
  I used several home made component in the cockpit (i.e. new seats, belts). The construction was easy, I used minimal amount of putty. 
  I used Tamiya, Testors and Vallejo acrylic paints for finishing the model. I didn't do lots of weathering. I used black-green paints around the fuel tanks and black-brown pastel chalks around the exhaust. 
  Altough I have been building models since 1991 that was only my second airbrushed model. I hope you like it!

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here  

  Photos and text C by Csaba Fodor

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