WiP +++ 1:72 AGO Ao 175 A-1 "Flamingo", 'H7+BA', Stab/NAGr 11, Northern Italy, 1941

[Dizzyfugu]

This build has been progressing for a while but was "interrrupted" by this year's 1WGB and the Brewster Buffalo I had built during the last week. Since work resumes now I will post content/progress on the Ao 175 here. This build is the result of a long gestation and the use of several kitbashing remains from former projects – incidentally all German donors. At the core was a leftover but complete MPM Ju 87 A fuselage, a typical early short-run kit with thick sprues and massive attachment points of the parts, lack of locator pins on the parts, dubious fit, and a very thin and wobbly vacu canopy. Nothing you really want to work with... I also had wings and landing gear from an Italeri Hs 126, and recently it struck me to combine these with the Ju 87 fuselage into a mid-war recce/spotter aircraft.

More coming soon. Until then I leave you with your imagination! 

[zenrat]

I've got one of those Special Hobby Antons.  Are they really that bad?

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, "bad" is relative. It's a typical early short run IP kit, with relatively thick material and massive(!) sprue attachment points, a vacu canopy, and no locator pins. Detail is in part quite nice, but nothing goes together ww/o fight and PSR. That's why the Ju 87 A parts have been lingering in the donor bank for years... 

[zenrat]

Thanks Dizz.  I've had it for years.  I wanted an Anton and it was the only one around.
Maybe i'll try to build it one day.

[The Wooksta!]

I what Dizzy means is ye olde MPMJu 87A, early 90s and bearing no relation to the later SH kit.

[NARSES2]

I what Dizzy means is ye olde MPMJu 87A, early 90s and bearing no relation to the later SH kit.

Yup I've a couple of the later Special Hobby kits and they are quite nice

[Dizzyfugu]

I what Dizzy means is ye olde MPMJu 87A, early 90s and bearing no relation to the later SH kit.

That's right! Corrected the initial entry. Confusion was caused by the boxing, which is/was a special edition of the German FLUGZEUG magazine's publishing house with a non-standard white box. But in the end it's the standard MPM kit in its characteristic chocolate brown IP material.

[The Wooksta!]

I think I had one - it might even still be buried on the loft, I'm not sure - and the plastic was a lurid cyan, rather than the chocolate typical of MPM production, both for themselves and other customers (Karo-AS and WK Aeromodel in the then West Germany - I'm going back to 1989...)

Flugzeug rebadged quite a few kits, the old KP Siebel Si 204D/Aero C-3A is one that I know of.  Never did discover who tooled their Arado Ar 240 though.

[Dizzyfugu]

No pics to share yet, but content is coming soon. 

[zenrat]

I what Dizzy means is ye olde MPMJu 87A, early 90s and bearing no relation to the later SH kit.

Ah, I see.  Mine is 2006 mould.
Thanks Lee.

[Dizzyfugu]

Finally, things to show and share! As simple as the Hs 126/Ju 87 kitbashing sounds, closer inspection of the hardware revealed several flaws in my plan, and overcoming these required more planning. This led eventually to more/extra donor parts in the form of Fi 156 wings (Academy kit) to bring the concept to fruition, because the deep Hs 126 wings and their elliptical shape would not match well with the rest of the Ju 87, and especially not with its cockpit position and glazing. As a bonus, though, the Fi 156 wings also had the benefit of a square shape which would match well with the Ju 87 stabilizers, and they also had a kinked root for a direct attachment to the fuselage instead of the Hs 126's indirect struts arrangement. The Hs 126's spatted landing gear was to be retained, though, because it would fit very well under a Ju 87.

Work started with the chunky fuselage, and I kept it mostly OOB. The only major change is the addition of an adapter for the propeller mounted on an axis (OOB there is NOTHING – you are supposed to glue the spinner to the hull, and that's it!), and I added some struts inside of the cockpit (inspired by the Westland Lysander's construction) because the wings would require some support in real life. Major PSR and body work was required to make the Ju 87 wing roots disappear on the fuselage, a ventral display holder adapter was added, as well as camera fairings behind the cockpit. On the original Ju 87 stabilizers simpler support struts were used (actually from the Ju 87 A's landing gear), and the Hs 126 landing gear and its spats were glued to the lower hull behind the engine.


1:72 AGO Ao 175 A-1 'Flamingo'; "H7+BA" of the Stab/Nahaufklärergruppe (NAGr) 11 under Fliegerführer 2/Koluft 8, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Udine, Northern Italy, early 1944 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AGO Ao 175 A-1 'Flamingo'; "H7+BA" of the Stab/Nahaufklärergruppe (NAGr) 11 under Fliegerführer 2/Koluft 8, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Udine, Northern Italy, early 1944 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AGO Ao 175 A-1 'Flamingo'; "H7+BA" of the Stab/Nahaufklärergruppe (NAGr) 11 under Fliegerführer 2/Koluft 8, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Udine, Northern Italy, early 1944 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AGO Ao 175 A-1 'Flamingo'; "H7+BA" of the Stab/Nahaufklärergruppe (NAGr) 11 under Fliegerführer 2/Koluft 8, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Udine, Northern Italy, early 1944 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 AGO Ao 175 A-1 'Flamingo'; "H7+BA" of the Stab/Nahaufklärergruppe (NAGr) 11 under Fliegerführer 2/Koluft 8, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Udine, Northern Italy, early 1944 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[PR19_Kit]

I'm wondering just where that MONSTER clamp  gets involved in this build.   

[NARSES2]

I'm wondering just where that MONSTER clamp  gets involved in this build.   

It's just there to scare the parts into submission Kit 

[Dizzyfugu]

I'm wondering just where that MONSTER clamp  gets involved in this build.   

Not in this one, but brutal force is helpful sometimes... And I have even bigger ones in store, just in case.