Hi all,

Jim kindly sent me this new AMK kit to do a build log/review.

Its been a while since i've done something without a propeller on the front but this new kit of a cold war trainer looked cool, so here we are.

The brief history as found on the instructions goes as follows:-
" the AERO L-29 DELFIN (English: DOLPHIN, nato callsign: MAYA) is a military jet trainer aircraft that became the standard jet trainer for the air forces of warsaw pact nations in the 1960's. it was Czechoslovakia's first locally designed and built jet aircraft".

Included in the sturdy colourful box are:-
x5 grey sprues
x1 clear sprue
x2 photoetch
x1 instructions
x1 decal sheet(markings for 6 nations- Ussr, Czech republic, Czech air force, Slovak air force, German democratic republic air force, Iraqi air force, Indonesian air force.

Hi Paul,

you'll have fun!. it is a nice little kit with no real challenges ... HAD has a good selection of non NMF Delfins: http://www.hadmodels.com/48039_l_29_delphin_decal_sheet_148_1148

As a motivation:



all the best

Steffen

thanks for the link steffen, there does seem to be a lot of colour schemes for this relatively unknown aircraft !
I think i'll do the Czech republic one in the kit.

all the best

paul

Paul,
Looks like a fun build. That's some nice decal sheet with plenty of options.

Steffen,
Excellent build with a really nice NMF.
Joel

so far this is a nice little kit, the parts seem to build into nice little sub sections.
the next step is to spray the interior.


paul

a little update,
so far this has been a trouble free build, everything fits together well and I've only used a small bit of filler on a sink mark.

next up, put the fuselage together(not forgetting the nose weight) and be careful of the nose gear as this seems a little fragile.
talking of being careful, the decals look thick, but actually jump off the backing paper as soon as they get anywhere near water and be careful as the instrument decals are actually in 2 or 3 pieces... I found out the hard way when they all floated off in different directions !

paul

Paul,
those sub-assemblies do look nice, especially the two IPs.
Joel

all together and ready for paint, all I have to do is mask and attach the canopy.
nothing will get done for at least a week though as I'm off on holiday!



paul

ok folks here we are...finished...its OOB no extras of any kind.

I didn't want the drop tanks and forgot to fill the holes before spraying.
I was going to weather it but all the pictures I've seen of recent aircraft have been very clean, so I've left as is.

overall this is a very good little kit, maybe even a good kit for beginners as it goes together without too much trouble and very little filler, I only filled one sink mark on the tail.
the instructions are clear and most of it can be made into sub assemblies before gluing it all into one piece, also they make a point of telling you to put nose weights in, I could only fit half the recommended amount but it still sits nicely on its wheels.

The only downside are the decals. the colours aren't the best and while they look quite thick, they are infact very very thin which normally wouldn't be so bad but they stick like a very sticky thing on a hot and sticky day ! you really need to get them in the right place first time as trying to move them is a complete nightmare. so I would recommend aftermarket decals.

overall plastic OOB 90% (no seatbelts inc.)

many thanks to jim for sending me the kit.

paul





p.s. while looking over it I forgot to put the wingtip lenses on.... doh....

Paul,
Sure looks like a rock solid OOB build. Nicely done.
Joel

thanks joel

paul