Aero A-200 1/72 KP

In 1934 the Aero factory accepted the challenge to design and build a competitive tourist airplane
for the IV. year of the Challenge de Tourisme International competition. The request for the plane was put in with a short delivery time and no manufacturer other than Aero signed up for it.
Aero submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Public Works on 27 October 1933 for two versions
of the plane with a delivery date of 30 June 1934, while the competition itself started on September 13, 1934. One version was a high-wing monoplane with supporting struts and the other
was a self-supporting low-wing monoplane. At the end, low-wing monoplane was chosen
with a Walter Bora engine with an output of 149 kW. Two machines were built: OK-AMA and OK-AMB.
In the race itself, the planes took the 4th and 10th place.

The kits were 3D printed by ViZi Models based on a 3D model by Robert Blaschke.
The printed parts were easily removed from the mold, except for the engine, whose design includes
the exhaust collectors. This construction is so delicate that I couldn’t remove it from the mold without damaging it, so I had to use super glue to save it.
The surface of the model has a fairly noticeable grid. I had to grind it down with soft sandpaper, use surfacer and sand it.
The elevator was printed with a thick trailing edge, and it should be thinned.
Although this means losing the ribbing, it can be replaced depending on your preferred technique.
I personally attached plastic threads and sanded them.
The interior of the cockpit is printed in one piece and fits in the model nicely. Because I wanted to keep it open, I redid the structure behind the front seats and added mesh pockets there.
Unfortunately, the decal sheet does not include the dashboard. And there were a lot of dials.
I made a new one from a 0.2 mm plate, where I drilled holes to indicate the dials.
But a decal would be better.
The dashboard in the kit has printed outlines of dials in it, so it would be possible to highlight the borders and glaze them with varnish.
The fuselage has very thick walls, so I recommend to thin them at least behind the cabin – it looks better.
The undercarriage of the original machine was subtle, because it did not weigh much (560 kg).
The landing gear is thin in the kit. It looks nice, but in terms of strength it is a weak point of the model.
I decided to reinforce the landing gear with wires.
And after one leg fell to the ground, I had to, because it broke a little above the spat.
So, I also broke the other leg, drilled holes in them both and fixed a wire in them by superglue.
I highly recommend this modification.
The cabin is made of acetate foil and the manufacturer put 4 in the kit just to be sure.
Two with frames and two without them.
I made the cabin opened by lowering the two right celluloid parts into the hull.
The interior structure of the cabin is made from plastic and glued together. That is because after lowering the windows, you can see inside excellently.

I had to modify the engine a little bit, so it would fit inside, but it was nothing terrible.
On the outside of the cover, the holes for the exhausts are indicated. However, AMA and AMB did not have the first exhaust in the same height, and the cover plates have joints at different places due to that.
The spiral of oil cooler is printed on the front of the engine. I decided to remove it and replace it
with lead wire. I made it work at the end, but the result is not worth the effort.
I suggest using the printed structure.
A distinctive feature of the aircraft is the mechanization of the wing. The model has the wings retracted and the joints indicate the placement of the flaps, ailerons and slots.
For this plane, I wanted it all opened up, as it is in the photo from the 1937 National Air Show.
So, I got down to it. I cut off the flaps and ailerons with a razor. You have to cut it diagonally, so be very careful.

I glued a plate in the place of the cut and sanded it to a proper shape. For the wing, I had to scrape a recess into the wing.
I lost the holders for flaps and ailerons, so I made them from plates. I then connected the flaps and ailerons to the wing with copper wire.
Thanks to this, I can additionally adjust the angles (flaps 40°, ailerons 15°).

The slot on the leading edge cannot be cut off, the material must be ground off. The slot was then made from a plate grounded into a profile. Below the slot is added an interceptor in the retracted position.
In order to connect the reinforcing wires of the folding wing to the fuselage, it is necessary
to extend the tube, which is part of the dashboard, behind the windows.
Decals are fine, just thin.

I chose the OK_AMB version of the plane because I wanted a jumping frog on it.
There is and will certainly continue to be a debate regarding the colour of the machines.
The proposal of the competition prescribed a light green colour for the Czechoslovak machines.
Mr. Pavel Kučera describes the colour in his book about Aero as a colour of a tree frog.
So, I mixed it from Humbrol 36 and 149.
The interior is a combination of beige and brown, the same as the luxury Aero cars in that time period.

The colours used are Humbrol, the varnish is made by Tamiya.
Painted with a brush.