Local Hobby Shop Surprise

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Dec 21, 2020
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My Journeys today brought me into close proximity of the only Hobby shop in town. If nothing else I figured I’d see what they had in 1/72 scale. With the thought that if I was saving shipping I might buy something that was otherwise low on my list. Besides maybe I would luck out. And I sort of did. They had mostly jets and not a lot of those; a few well known WWII planes and a Czech fighter. Interwar stuff is right up my alley and this was too weird to pass up.

Development of the B-35 was begun at the Czech Avia Factory in 1936 as a replacement for Czechoslovakia’s Biplane fighters. The prototype flew before the Anschluss. Development continued under the Germans. The final prototype was the B.135/1. Eventually arrangements were made for the Bulgarians to go into domestic production. Which apparently they were technically incapable of achieving 12 Czech built examples were taken into service by the Bulgarian air force. A Victory over a US B-24 was claimed in 1944.

My 1/72 Avia B-35 is produced by a company called Kopro. A firm obviously somewhat challenged in the mold making and or quality control departments. I just can’t believe they kicked so many of these models out the door that it would explain the flash from a worn out mold. It does not look like it will be too hard to remove. But flash means the mold is not fitting together right. So what does that mean for the way the model is going to fit together?

B-35 Box Sized 4x6.JPG

DSC00051.JPG
 
Sehr Interesting !

Why the 2 propellers ?

That is an excellent question.. Because apparently the instructions don't even know. Close examination reveals that the two propellers are identical. Other than the fact that one has slightly less flash than the other. But the diagram gives you the option to use either!

DSC00058.JPG

BTW my powers of observation suck. I was so busy marveling at the flash and trying to figure out whether the detail was deep enough for dry brushing to bring out. That I totally missed the dual props.
 
Ha ha -- I was looking to see if there was a difference in the props but it's hard to tell from this end .
Strange they produce 2 of the same since it's such a small part-count to begin with .

The drawing for the assembly instructions make them appear a bit different -- the spinner and possibly the blade width and pitch ?
:D Again , very strange they thought it important enough .
 
No sign of a cannon in the hub for either. I paid particular attention to the segment of the hub between the prop blades and the inboard side to see if there was a difference. If there is a difference between the two I won't be able to tell until I clean them up and put my dial calipers on them. But at that level just removing the flash would make a difference.
 

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