1:72 Let C-11 Aeroklub Mladá Boleslav

The sporting career of a former military trainer

The two-seat C-11 was one of the most distinctive machines of post-war Czechoslovak aviation. Production at Kunovice followed on from the Yakovlev design, and the aircraft became the standard transition school between propeller training and jet fighters. When the armed forces moved on to more modern equipment, dozens of the aircraft found their way to civil operators. In Mlada Boleslav one of them became the club favorite, flew public displays and carried bold registration markings that stood out sharply from the camouflaged military look.

What you get

The sheet is meant for a model in 1:72 scale and contains the markings of one machine, including the code on the fuselage sides, the underside of the wing, the club emblem and the service stencils. The smaller scale makes greater demands on the printing, so the lines of the lettering are fine and the color registration exact.

Working in the small scale

In 1:72 every millimeter tells, so first check that the painted surface is smooth and free of grain. Release the motif from the paper only once you have somewhere to lay it down, and use a soft brush rather than tweezers to move it. Press the small stencils down with a cotton bud and soak up the excess water, so that no bubbles form under the film.

What to watch out for

The registration markings on the underside of the wing run across the trailing edge and over raised surfaces; there it helps to warm the motif and press it down rather than to stretch it. Models in 1:72 also tend to have fine panel lines that a decal easily bridges, so count on a second dose of softener. Plastic parts and paints are not part of the sheet.