1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Some background:The roots of the Estonian Air Force go back to the Russian revolution of February 1917, after which the Estonian state obtained a degree of autonomy within Russia, which included the establishment of national armed forces. Thus many Estonians in the Russian Army returned home to take up arms for their homeland. The Estonian Declaration of Independence in early 1918 was not recognized by Germany, which invaded and occupied the country during 1918. The Estonian armed forces were disbanded.
After the armistice on 11 November 1918, the Estonian Provisional Government immediately set about establishing a military aviation unit. On 21 November 1918 Voldemar Victor Riiberg, the Commander of the Engineering Battalion, assigned August Roos to organize a flight unit. The Aviation Company of the Engineer Battalion began to establish air bases near Tallinn for seaplanes and land planes, but it was not until January 1919 that the first operational aircraft was acquired – a captured Soviet Farman F.30.
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
In the meantime, on 22 November 1918, the Soviet Red Army had attacked Estonia and soon occupied most of the country. The fledgling Estonian Army, with foreign assistance, managed to counter-attack in early January 1919 and went on to liberate the country by late February. It subsequently moved on to liberate Latvia. Aviation Company aircraft flew a limited number of missions in support of the army. Following the February 1920 peace treaty with the Soviet Russia, the Estonian Army was demobilized, but the Aviation Company was retained. With the delivery of more aircraft, it was reorganized as an Aviation Regiment (Lennuväe rügement), comprising a landplane squadron, seaplane squadron, flying school and workshops. More bases and seaplane stations were built.
Some Aviation Regiment pilots were involved in a pro-Soviet coup attempt on 1 December 1924, but this was crushed within hours. From 1925 the First World War era aircraft were gradually replaced by more modern types. One of these types was the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin, a British biplane single-seat fighter aircraft.
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
The design was a development of the Siddeley-Deasy S.R.2 Siskin, as a response to the 1922 British Air Ministry Specification 14/22 for an all-metal single-seat high performance landplane. This led to the Siskin IIIA, a sesquiplane with an all-metal structure, which was powered by a 14 cylinder Jaguar radial engine. A contract for three production aircraft was placed on 13 October 1922 with a further six ordered on 26 January 1923 including one as a prototype of a two-seat variant. The Siskin III first flew on 7 May 1923, with first deliveries to the RAF (six for evaluation) taking place in January 1924. The fighter was the first all-metal fighter in the British Royal Air Force.
The main production version was the Siskin IIIA ordered in 1926, which originally was powered with a Jaguar IV engine, but was later re-engined with the supercharged Jaguar IVA engine. The supercharger, a novel idea at the time, had little effect on performance below 10,000 ft (3,050 m), but it greatly improved speed and climb above that height.
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Following the RAF procurements, Romania ordered 65 aircraft but they were cancelled following a crash on takeoff in February 1925 during acceptance tests; the Romanian pilot being killed. Following an evaluation of two Siskin IIIs, the Royal Canadian Air Force ordered 12 IIIAs which were delivered between 1926 and 1931. Further orders came in 1928 from Estonia: fifteen fighters and three dual control trainers were ordered in 1927. The fighters received a different engine, though, the Bristol Jupiter, which was lighter, less complex and offered considerably more power than the Jaguar. These machines received the designation IIIC and differed, beyond their engine, in some other details from the RAF's IIIA version, e. g. with a simplified landing gear, which saved even more weight and improved the Siskin’s aerodynamics. The machines for Estonia were delivered between 1928 and 1929.
During 1928 the Aviation Regiment came under the control of an Air Defence (Õhukaitse) organization which included the Anti-Aircraft Artillery. In 1939 the Estonian Air force consisted of about 80 active airplanes. Beyond the Siskins, Bristol Bulldog, Hawker Hart and Potez 25 biplanes from the 1920s were operated, but also the more modern Avro Anson multipurpose aircraft. The aircraft were divided into three groups, stationed at Rakvere, Tartu, and Tallinn. The Navy also maintained two multipurpose aircraft wings.
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Plans to acquire Spitfires and Lysanders from Britain were thwarted when the outbreak of World War II in 1939 forced Britain to cancel all export orders. After the defeat of Poland, Estonia was forced to accept a Mutual Assistance Pact with the Soviet Union, signed on 28 September 1939. This allowed the Russians to establish military bases in Estonia, which were later used in the Winter War against Finland. On 17 June 1940 the three Baltic States were invaded by Soviet forces. During the June 1940 invasion the Air Defence took no action and subsequently aircraft remained locked in their hangars. The air force became the Aircraft Squadron of the 22nd Territorial Corps of the Soviet Army in the summer of 1940.
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
General characteristics: Crew: 1
Length: 25 ft 4 in (7.72 m)
Wingspan: 33 ft 2 in (10.11 m)
Height: 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m)
Wing area: 293 ft² (27.22 m²)
Empty weight: 1,960 lb (890 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,885 lb (1,310 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Bristol Jupiter V 9-cylinder radial engine, 480 hp (345 kW)
Performance: Maximum speed: 165 kn (190 mph, 305 km/h) at sea level
Range: 271 nmi (310 mi, 500 km)
Service ceiling: 27,000 ft (8,230 m)
Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (10.480 m/min)
Endurance: 1 hour 20 minutes
Climb to 10,000 ft: 6 min 20 sec
Armament: 2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns
Provision for up to 4× 20 lb (9 kg) bombs under the lower wings
The kit and its assembly:I had bought an incomplete Matchbox A.W. Siskin kit a while ago, but lacked a good idea. This eventually came when I searched through the decal stack and came cross a Blue Rider sheet with Estonian triangles (see below) - and thought that an Estonian Siskin could be a good and exotic use. This was quite plausible because the Baltic country actually operated the type before WWII.
However, for a more whiffy touch, and in order to replace some missing parts, a few conversions had to be made. One modification concerns the landing gear, which had to be improvised; the struts came from a Revell Sopwith Triplane, IIRC, and the wheels from a Matchbox Gloster Gladiator.
The engine was replaced, too, with a Bristol Jupiter from a Mistercraft PZL P.7 fighter, and a leftover propeller from a Matchbox Gloster Gladiator. While the new engine appears a little large, the whole affair looks quite plausible and would even allow a free field of fire for the cowling-mounted, original armament.
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) - WiP by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) - WiP by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Otherwise the simple but pleasant kit was built OOB. Rigging was done with heated black sprue material, glued into place with white glue after painting and decaling.
Painting and markings:Well, there were not many Estonian aircraft, and most from the inter-war era seemed to carry a NMF/aluminium dope finish. I was able to dig up a profile of an Estonian Siskin IIIDC trainer, and it also shows some dark green round the cockpit area.
I used this as a starting point for a more camouflaged finish, also inspired by Latvian and Swedish Gloster Gladiators of that era, with dark green (FS 34079) upper surfaces, combined with aluminium dope on the undersides. In order to liven things up a little I also added an RAF Dark Green (ModelMaster) area in front of the cockpit, inspired by the Matchbox box art – but the different green tones are hard to tell apart.
Some metal panels were painted with Aluminium (Revell 99), while the fabric-covered areas, incl. the wings' undersides, were painted with Humbrol 56. The upper wing’s supporting struts were painted in black, as well as the cockpit interior – even though the latter is blocked by the pilot figure.
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) - WiP by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
The Estonian national markings come from a Blue Rider sheet and actually belong to a modern 1:72 An-2. The tactical code was created with two layers of white over black single digits from TL Modellbau, creating a fake shadow effect for a better contrast. In order to liven things up a little more, I also a small unit badge to the fuselage flank under the cockpit, even though this was not typical for Estonian Air Force aircraft.
Some light dry-brushing with light grey was done in order to emphasize the nice surface structure of the Matchbox kit. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Armstrong Whitworth "Siskin" IIIC; aircraft "186" of the Eesti Õhukaitse (Estonian Air Defence) 2nd Lennuvae Divisia; Tartu, East Estonia, 1934 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
A relatively simple build, but the overall result looks quite convincing, despite the exotic markings and the large diameter engine from the PZL P.7. Made me wonder what an Estonian Spitfire – had it been delievered – might have looked like? Hmmm…
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