Airfix 1/72 Arado Ar 196A3

AIRFIX 1:72 ARADO AR 196A-3

Reviewer: Steve Papworth (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 12 February 2004

Kit Details:

Airfix Arado Ar196A-3, Kit No. 2019.

Aircraft History:

The Ar 196 was designed primarily to replace the He 60 biplane then currently in service on all of Germany's capital ships. It first flew in May 1938 with a total of 401 being built. One of the few seaplanes to see service in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, the Ar 196's primary duties consisted of reconnaissance and shadowing of surface vessels. The Ar 196 was powered by a BMW 132K nine-cylinder radial engine, producing 960hp and giving a maximum speed of 193mph. While in most respects the Ar 196 is not a formidable aircraft, for a seaplane it's performance exceeded it's Allied counterparts. It was armed with twin MG FF 20mm cannon in the wings and MG 17 7.92mm machine gun in the top decking. The observer/gunner had twin MG 15 machine guns on a pivoting mounting. The aircraft could carry two 50kg bombs in it’s underwing racks. After Germany's capital ships ceased active participation in the war, most Ar 196's were relegated to sea patrols from shore bases. About 50 planes served with Balkan air forces in the Adriatic and Black Sea.

The Kit:

The kit come in the now standard Airfix box, which contains three sprues with 41 parts moulded in light grey plastic and two clear sections which form the canopy. All the parts are contained in a clear plastic bag which prevented the canopy being scratched. There is little or no flash evident on the parts and only minor filing and sanding is required during assembly. Airfix’s standard foldout A3 instructions give nine constructions steps and two colour schemes.

It is believed that the Airfix Ar 196A-3 was first issued in 1966, so it is an old one - Ed

Construction:

One again we start in the cockpit, it’s not detailed, but contains a pilot and observer, instrument panels for both, seats, a control column and machine gun pivot. There is no floor in the interior but as this is painted dark grey it is not that apparent on the finished model. These sit on typical Airfix pins and grooves and are trapped between the fuselage halves. Tailplanes and wing assemblies are next, these have pivoting control surfaces, so care must be taken when cementing and the control surfaces should be painted prior to being installed. The BMW radial engine is next, it is only a simple single row which traps the propeller shaft and boss then slides into the cowling. The cowling needs to be sanded in between the bumps over the cylinder heads. There is a slight ridge there which is not present on the actual machine so a bit of filing and sanding is required to remove it. The assembled components are then affixed to the completed fuselage. This is where I found the second problem, my wing assembly has a negative dihedral, the wings fit beautifully onto the fuselage with no gap whatsoever, so I didn’t pick up on this at the start. The dihedral is the same for both wings so I assumed this was part of the design until I saw a couple of photos on the web. Steps 7 and 8 cover the assembly of the floats. These are affixed to the fuselage using two strong sets of legs, which required a little sanding to fit into the fuselage slots but otherwise were excellent. Two supports go from the floats to two holes in the outer wing. Maybe because of the dihedral problem they don’t fit into the holes so I covered and painted these over. The main supports are strong enough to support the model. A word to the wise! As with assembling biplanes where you paint under the top wing before installing it, it’s a good idea to do this with the floats. The final step is attaching the two 50kg bombs. These fit into four large holes which would require filling if you left them off. Let your floats dry, turn it over and you’re done.

Painting/Decals:

Two colour schemes are provided. The first is T3+HK from 2.Bordlf. Gr.196 Seeluftskreitkrafte, operating in the North Sea in 1940. This machine is painted in Humbrol colours 66, 30 & 65. It has German ‘splinter’ camouflage so masking is required to get the lines straight. The second is from 2./SAGr. 125 based in Suda Bay, Crete in 1943, this machine is painted in Humbrol 66 with light blue (H25) undersides and yellow wingtips.

Conclusion:

I can’t find out how long this kit has been in production (about 1966 - Ed). The lines around the cowling suggest it’s been in production for a while. However it’s a nice little kit, it fits together well with no gaps apparent. It’s reasonably accurate for the scale, with moderate detail enough to satisfy most modellers. Arados are not a common kit and this one’s well worth the effort.

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