1/48 Modela Let Blanik L-13

Gallery Article by Michael Presley on Feb 19 2010

 

     This is the Blanik L-13 glider kit produced by the Czech company Modela in the late 70s though the 80s. It represents one of the Czech Republic aviation industries' most successful and respected products, the famous Blanik L-13, the most popular, and numerous glider in history. First produced in 1958, it is famous for it's robust all-metal construction, and unique, forward swept, laminar flow wing. It was not only one of Czechoslovakia's most successful exports to the Soviet Union, and Eastern Bloc, but was very popular in the West, as well.  Surprisingly the U.S.A.F. bought several, and they are still in use today.

   The kit is pretty much out of the box, with exceptions being the addition of Eduard photetched harnesses, & tow cable release handles in the cockpit.  I also added canopy lock handles on the port side of the cockpits.  Panel lines are raised, as one would expect from a kit of '70's vintage, let alone from the then fledgling Czech model industry. It is, nonetheless, a very fine effort, and indicative of the fine products which were to come from Czech companies, now among the finest. I experimented with rescribing the panel lines on one of the wing's undersides.  I found the plastic (which is rather thin) to have an odd combination of softness, along with brittleness.  I decided it was not worth the risk (particularly, since these kits are rather rare), and that I would just have to live with them. However, once the major components were constructed, I minimized the raised detail with a 1200 grit wet-dry, and 4000 grit polishing cloth. I actuated the tail surfaces by drooping the elevators, and kicking the rudder to the low-wing, as L-13's appear while at rest.

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   Alclad Gray Primer and Microsealer was used to prime the airframe for Alclad II lacquers. The rest of the paint was Testors Model Master.  The kit's decals had yellowed, & deteriorated badly.  Looking at the hundreds of photographs available online, especially at Airliner.Net, I designed a factious Canadian scheme, that still 'looked right', and used the Canadian registration numbers from a Minicraft Cessna 172. The Blanik logo from the original kit's sheet was used, by placing it on the chrome yellow trim at the rear of the fuselage...it's yellowed carrier film made no difference against that background. I also printed up a small Canadian Flag for the tail...just in case somebody didn't know what Canuck registration numbers look like. The small whip antenna between the wing shoulders was made of stainless wire.  While the tiny pitot tube on the top of the nose was some bit out of the spares box.  I polished out the nicely thin canopy, and dipped it in Future.  That made a nice improvement in clarity.

    While not a perfect build, I have much affection for it.  The L-13 makes a delightful counterpoint in my case, where it sits on a shelf above, and to the side of my SR-71, which also has a 13" wingspan.  Of course, the Blackbird is around 29" long.  The L-13's never to exceed speed is 158 mph.  I think the SR-71's is still classified, but it is in excess of Mach 3.5.

Photos by Henry Popp

Michael Presley

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Photos and text © by Michael Presley