Avia BH-11, Směr 1:48 - model building

Model box 

Kit parts - although the scale package says 1:48, the actual scale is 1:50 

Kit parts - although the scale package says 1:48, the actual scale is 1:50 

transparent parts of the kit - the design is not very model, it will be necessary to produce new parts from a thin transparent foil 

Additional set with NZ-60 engine 

Additional set with NZ-60 engine, view of individual parts of the set 

It is necessary to enlarge the fuselage to a scale of 1:48
1) extend the hull by 5 mm
2) increase the width of the hull by 1 mm
3) increase the height of the hull by 1 mm
First, I increased the width of the fuselage by gluing a 1 mm thick plastic foil between the halves of the fuselage. 

In the cockpit area, I cut out excess material from a glued plastic plate. 

After adjusting the cockpit space, I glued the halves of the fuselage together. 

To extend the fuselage, I cut off the bow of the aircraft before the first cockpit. I glued a 2 mm thick plastic plate to the bow of the fuselage. 

After the glue dried, I removed the excess material with a micro-grinder. 

I glued the extended bow back to the fuselage. 

The hull now has the correct width and length. The last operation remains, increasing the height of the fuselage. 

To increase the height of the fuselage, I cut the fuselage horizontally into two parts. 

I glued a 1 mm plastic plate to the lower part of the fuselage. 

In the cockpit area, I removed excess material with a micro-grinder. 

A comparison with the plan revealed an inaccurate shape of the cockpit openings. 

I cut off part of the fuselage with inaccurate holes in the cockpit. I will make this new part. 

I glued the top and bottom of the fuselage together. 

The fuselage now has the correct dimensions in all three axes. 

I made a new upper fuselage from thin plastic plates. 

I made a new upper fuselage from thin plastic plates. 

I made a new upper fuselage from thin plastic plates. 

I made a new upper fuselage from thin plastic plates. 

I made a new upper fuselage from thin plastic plates. 

I made a new upper fuselage from thin plastic plates. 

I made a new upper fuselage from thin plastic plates. 

I made a new detailed cockpit from the same material. 

I made a new detailed cockpit from the same material. 

I made a new detailed cockpit from the same material. 

I made a new detailed cockpit from the same material. 

I made a new detailed cockpit from the same material. 

Painted cockpit assemblies before assembly 

Painted cockpit assemblies before assembly 

Painted cockpit assemblies before assembly 

Painted cockpit assemblies before assembly 

Assembled control levers 

Assembled control levers glued to the cockpit floor 

Painted cockpit assemblies before assembly 

Partially assembled cockpit 

Partially assembled cockpit 

Partially assembled cockpit 

finished cockpit 

The cockpit is in place 

The cockpit is in place 

After gluing the cockpit to the fuselage, I closed the fuselage with an upper part with holes and dashboards. 

After gluing the cockpit to the fuselage, I closed the fuselage with an upper part with holes and dashboards. 

I lined the cockpit openings with a thin salary rod. 

I lined the cockpit openings with a thin salary rod. 

Hull after surfacer spray. In the foreground is the fuselage of the already completed model Avia BH-9. 

Hull after surfacer spray. On the left is the fuselage of the already completed Avia BH-9 model. The shape differences of the fuselages of both aircraft are clearly visible in this image. 

To enlarge the wing to a scale of 1:48, I glued a 1 mm thick plastic plate between the upper and lower part of the wing. I glued pieces of plates from above and below to the protruding plate at the end of the wing to equalize the thickness of the elongated wing ends. 

After grinding the wings into the correct shape, several sealing and grinding followed. Then I sprayed the ports, sprayed the whole wings with a surfacer. 

I made new tail surfaces from a mm thick plastic plate and sprayed ports on them. 

I made new tail surfaces from a mm thick plastic plate and sprayed ports on them. 

I sprayed the tail surfaces with a surfacer 

I sprayed the tail surfaces with a surfacer 

I glued the tail surfaces to the fuselage. 

I engraved covers and panels on the fuselage. 

I engraved covers and panels on the fuselage and added footrests to the side of the fuselage. 

I sprayed the fuselage and wings with white primer. 

The national emblems on the decals are light colors. That's why I didn't use the decals. I sprayed the national emblems on the model and thanks to that I was able to use slightly darker colors. (So ​​far, the wings are attached only to the fuselage.) 

I sprayed the fuselage and wings with white primer. 

For comparison - on the left is a decal, on the right is an inscription sprayed on the wing.

In the photo, the difference between the decal and the spray-painted emblem is not so great, but in reality the difference is even greater. 

I sprayed camouflage paints on the wings. After retouching minor bugs, the wings will be ready for mounting to the fuselage. 

The fuselage and tail surfaces are sprayed with silver paint from below. Ocher and green fields are sprayed on the upper surfaces. Now I have to disguise the fuselage and spray the last (brown) color. 

The fuselage and tail surfaces are sprayed with silver paint from below. Ocher and green fields are sprayed on the upper surfaces. Now I have to disguise the fuselage and spray the last (brown) color. 

The fuselage and tail surfaces are sprayed with silver paint from below. Ocher and green fields are sprayed on the upper surfaces. Now I have to disguise the fuselage and spray the last (brown) color. 

I sprayed all the camouflage colors on the fuselage. 

The main parts of the aircraft are ready. The wings are attached to the fuselage. At this point, the wings would interfere with the completion of the fuselage. 

The main parts of the aircraft are ready. The wings are attached to the fuselage. At this point, the wings would interfere with the completion of the fuselage. 

I found that the selected color scheme is fictional and does not correspond to any real machine. Therefore, I repainted the Avia, this time according to the actual aircraft B.11.3. 

I found that the selected color scheme is fictional and does not correspond to any real machine. Therefore, I repainted the Avia, this time according to the actual aircraft B.11.3. 

I found that the selected color scheme is fictional and does not correspond to any real machine. Therefore, I repainted the Avia, this time according to the actual aircraft B.11.3. (The wings are located next to the fuselage without gluing) 

I found that the selected color scheme is fictional and does not correspond to any real machine. Therefore, I repainted the Avia, this time according to the actual aircraft B.11.3. (The wings are located next to the fuselage without gluing) 

The Avia BH-11 had the same engine as the Avia BH-9 - a five-cylinder Walter NZ-60 star engine. As with the Avia BH-9, I will use a Brengun engine casting for this Avia. Engine casting is a small kit in itself. It contains 18 castings and 18 photo-etched parts on a metal plate. The remaining 10 valve rods need to be made of 0.5 mm wire. 

I started by gluing the individual cylinders to the engine housing. 

After gluing the cylinders, I painted the engine. Now I will gradually glue small parts to the engine (intake and exhaust pipes, valve rods and rockers, cables for spark plugs ...). Most of these parts are really small, so the work will be slow. 

I glued the intake manifold to the back of the engine.  

I glued a wire to each cylinder on which I stick the valve rockers. 

I made the valve rockers and their rods from thin wire. 

After straightening the wire and cutting it to the correct length, I glued the new rocker arms with rods to the engine. 

I drilled 0.3 mm holes in each engine cylinder. I glued thin wires into the drilled holes. 

To illustrate the spark plugs, I threaded thin plastic tubes on the wires. 

I dyed, shortened, and shaped the wires to look like spark plug cables. 

I dyed, shortened, and shaped the wires to look like spark plug cables. 

To get an idea of ​​the size of the engine, I photographed the engine with a coin. The coin has a diameter of 20 mm. 

I added a carburetor to the engine. 

I prepared the parts for the landing gear and wing struts. 

I glued thin wires into the landing gear parts and wing struts. 

I made a new venturi from the rest of the resin. The part from the kit is unusable. 

I made a new tail skid out of wire. First, I hammered the wire to make it square. Then I tapped the end of the wire to make it as thin as possible. And I shaped the thin part into the skid shoe.  

I made a speedometer out of a plastic log, pieces of wire and a decal with the face of the instrument. I used a thin wire for the venturi holder. 

I painted both instruments black. 

I drilled holes in the fuselage and glued the speedometer and venturi into them. 

I added a bovden to the tachometer according to the photos. 

I painted the firewall silver and then glued the engine to the bow. 

The engine is almost finished, only the exhausts are missing. 

I added leather backrests to both cockpits. 

I drilled holes in the fuselage for the wing pins. In the photo the wings are just mounted without gluing. I'll glue the wings when I have the struts done. The struts will help me keep the wings in the correct position. 

I drilled holes in the fuselage for the wing pins. In the photo the wings are just mounted without gluing. I'll glue the wings when I have the struts done. The struts will help me keep the wings in the correct position. 

To make it easier to glue the wing to the fuselage in the correct position, I made a simple jig out of cardboard. 

I glued the wings to the fuselage and used a cardboard jig to fix the correct position of the wings and fuselage.  

I drilled holes in the wings and fuselage with a 0.4 mm drill bit. I glued the struts into the drilled holes. 

I made the thin tubes that run from the pitot tube to the fuselage out of thin wire that I painted black. Finally, I glued everything to the wing strut.
I made the thin tubes that run from the pitot tube to the fuselage out of thin wire that I painted black. Finally, I glued everything to the wing strut. Since I took pictures of the model during construction, you can see dust and small plastic shavings.  

I made the wind shields for both cockpits from acetate foil.  

Avia already has its own chassis. 

I glued the finished wind shields, finished a few details...
... and the Avia BH-11 is ready. 🙂 

I glued the finished wind shields, finished a few details...
... and the Avia BH-11 is ready. 🙂