Amodel 1/72 Aero 45

AMODEL 1:72 AERO 45

Reviewer: Richard Stracey (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 2 October 2004

Kit Details:

AMODEL #7295 1/72 -- AERO 45

Aircraft History:

The 4 / 5 seat Czech produced Aero 45 (Egret) first flew on the 21st July 1947 and with various changes, mainly to the canopy and engines, continued to be produced till 1963. It was exported successfully to many countries, mainly in Eastern Europe and served in civilian and military forms. One even made it to Australia being based in South Australia as VH-DUH. The 45 was powered by two Walter 105hp 4 cyl in line engines and had a span of 12.25m and a length of 7.54m.

The Kit:

This Polish made limited run kit consists of thirty seven parts in soft(ish) white plastic and five clear parts. The eight page instructions are first class, giving a sprue layout, history, paint guide and a pictorial assembly guide. Humbrol paint numbers and names are used and a very nice (Propagteam?) decal sheet catering for five aircraft is included. The box has attractive and useful box art.

Construction:

Construction is conventional and simple. As usual with limited run kits all mating surfaces must be sanded and flash removed. The interior is adequate with a decal that needs trimming to fit the pre painted grey dashboard. Except for the canopy and windscreen all the parts fit quite well with only the wing to fuselage joint requiring a little filler. I replaced the tail wheel leg with wire as it proved too delicate. I found a photograph of the aircraft DM-SGA that I was making on the internet and spotted a quite prominent air intake on the engine(s) between the wing leading edge and the vents. It proved easy enough to scratch build them from a couple of spare rockets. I replaced the step (24) with wire and added the port side grab handle and door handle as shown on the box art. Although I could not spot it on the photograph it was depicted on the box art, I therefore added an ariel wire from the mast to the fin. As I mentioned, the canopy and windscreen (35 and 37) were not only a bad fit but too wide. If I had had the Pavla vac form replacement (V72.38) I would have used it but, as I didn’t, I cut them both in half and after gently sanding them, glued them back together again. This did the trick and then only required Kristal Kleer to blend the canopy to the fuselage.

Decals:

The very generous decal sheet caters for an East German Lufthansa airliner, an East German Air Force machine, a Polish civilian aircraft and a Czech and Bulgarian Air Force aircraft. I chose the airliner, it being all over aluminium with blue (Humbrol 89) spinners but yellow, not blue propeller tips as A Model show. In some photographs the landing light is tinted orange and so I gave it a dab of Tamyia X26 Clear Orange.

Overall Recommendation:

For some reason, even as a very young kid, I fancied the 45 even though I have never actually seen one. Thank you A Model for making it and the later 145 that I will have to get too. The only information that I could find was in the Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Aircraft V10 p.2313 / 4 although some good information and photographs can be found on the internet. Contemplating the finished model I have got a nasty feeling that DM-SGA is not a 45 but a 145! I say this as, from the photograph, the windscreen, in profile, differs from the model, as does the canopy framing. Also the photo (taken from the port side) shows the already mentioned air intake that is not included in this kit and one can’t see the exhausts that are included in the kit! On the other hand, the photo may be of a 145 painted up to represent DM-SGA that was originally a 45 in much the same way that Spanish Merlin powered 109’s are painted up in Luftwaffe WWII colours. Me thinks that I should have done more research! Ouch!

RHS / 114

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