David Koktavý, Autor na 72insight.com

Lockheed F-104G Starfighter 1/72 Hasegawa

David Koktavý 3. 3. 20213. 3. 2021 1 Comment

The type F-104G was widely used by NATO members in the seventies. It was also manufactured under license in some of those countries. The biggest number of planes was used by the German Luftwaffe. However, my choice is the F-104G of Koninklijke Luchtmacht. Netherlands had 139 Starfighters in total, mostly from their own manufacturing (Fokker). Their duty was quite boring, but I found one interesting event: the 322 squadron participated in an anti-terrorist action.

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Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2 1/72 Zvezda

David Koktavý 21. 2. 2021 2 Comments

With the first snow of a cold Russian winter in 1941/42, a new white camouflage was implemented on Luftwaffe planes. This white Bf 109F-2 from I/JG-54 is a typical example. Let’s take a look, how I managed to render this kind of camouflage in 1/72 scale.

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Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero 1/72 Hasegawa

David Koktavý 11. 12. 202011. 12. 2020 1 Comment

Lt. Saburo Shindo in the cockpit of new delivered A6M2b Zero coded AI-102 from Akagi carrier took part in the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. I have added another subject to my Pacific theatre scale model collection.

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Hawker Hurricane Mk I and Mk IIc 1/72 Arma Hobby

David Koktavý 12. 11. 20208. 12. 2020 3 Comments

The build of Arma Hobby’s Hawker Hurricanes was a pleasant surprise for me. I really enjoyed those OOB builds.

1/72 aircraft

Fouga CM.170 Magister 1/72 Special Hobby

David Koktavý 29. 9. 20208. 12. 2020 2 Comments

Fouga Magister, one of the famous trainers and competitor of Czechoslovak L-29 Dolphin. The kit is one of the first Special Hobby kits made by standard technology of iron mould. For my initial OOB build I selected a plane obtained by Irish Air Corps.

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Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 1/72 Hasegawa

David Koktavý 5. 9. 202011. 9. 2020 3 Comments

This Bf-109 G6 flown by Arnold Döring belonged to 2/JG-300 Wilde Sau based in Germany in 1943. Due to the unit’s deployment in night fighter operations, the standard day camouflage was adopted by spraying black colour onto fuselage sides and over the white crosses.

1/72 aircraft

Yakovlev Yak-130 1/72 Zvezda

David Koktavý 24. 7. 202024. 7. 2020 2 Comments

In the past, there were not many choices to build that nice 5th generation training plane in 1/72. Therefore it was a must-have for me, when Zvezda released the YAK-130 kit.

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PZL.37 Łoś 1/72 IBG Models

David Koktavý 3. 7. 202017. 7. 2020 2 Comments

Lately, Polish manufacturers started to fill a market gap of WWII Polish aircraft subjects in 1/72 scale. Availability of quite nice kits inspired me to build a small Polish aircraft collection. The PZL-37 Łoś must not be excluded.

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Mitsubishi F-2 1/72 Hasegawa

David Koktavý 27. 4. 202029. 4. 2020 0 Comments

My traditional visit of one modeller’s shop before Christmas time turned out as usual with at least three kits in my hands 🙂 One of them was a quite attractive F-2A, a prototype with some strange coloured weapons. In the past, I was convinced this is Japanese 1:1 F-16. I was really wrong. The Mitsubishi F2 is different and a bit bigger than F-16 in order to fulfil Japanese Defence Force requirements.

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FMA IA-58 Pucará 1/72 Special Hobby

David Koktavý 9. 4. 202029. 4. 2020 0 Comments

On the 2nd of April, 1982, at 16:00 four Pucarás from Grupo 3. de Ataque landed on BAM Malvinas. The plane A-529 piloted by Tenientes Daniel Lukic was a part of that small force.

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Zlín Z-50LS 1/72 Brengun

David Koktavý 15. 3. 202029. 4. 2020 1 Comment

When I was a teenager, the first book I ever read about aircraft was a story of a very successful Czech aerobatic pilot Petr Jirmus. 30 years after, Brengun released a kit of Z-50LS including one marking of Jirmus’s mount.

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Bolton Paul Defiant 1/72 Airfix

David Koktavý 12. 3. 202012. 3. 2020 2 Comments

Boulton Paul Defiant was one of the aircraft types flown by famous Czech night fighter pilot F/O Vlastimil Veselý. This one is from the 96 Squadron RAF, 1941.