1/48 Arado Ar 196 A-3

[digger303]

The Arado Ar 196 was the primary float plane on board of German Kriegsmarine ships.

Development started in fall of 1936 as a replacement of the obsolete Heinkel Bi-planes used these days. The first prototypes of the all metal planes flew in summer of 1937 showing its superiority over the competing Focke-Wulf design. Full scale production started in 1939.

The Arado Ar 196 was relative heavy armed for a sea based reconnaissance plane and with its agility it was able ot protect itself against land based fighters in the early stage of the war. Besides its use on larger Kriegsmarine ships and auxiliary cruisers, the aircraft also operated in coastal patrols - one remarkable event was the capture of the British submarine H.M.S. Shark in May 1940.

The Ar 196 did not only operate from all major war ships of the German Navy, but served in most major battle zones (the Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic, eastern Mediterranean, Adriatic, Aegan and Black Seas, often from coastal bases). 161 Coastal Sq of the Bulgarian Airforce and 102 Coastal Sq. of the Romanian Airforce were also equipped with Ar 196s.

Over 500 Ar 196 were build at Arado, Société Nationale de Construction Aèronautique in France and Fokker in the Netherlands between 1939 and 1944.

[digger303]

Not a over whelming number of sprues


A style of instruction I like


A the colour call out while not glossy gets the message over and this is the one I plan on doing. Originally I was going to do the Bulgarian scheme, but quickly realized it never carried any bombs.


Probably won't get started on this for a few days as I have to tidy up another build first.

[KalebB]

Very cool float plane, this will be fun to see built especially with that camo pattern

[digger303]

Very cool float plane, this will be fun to see built especially with that camo pattern

Lets hope the masking tape doesn't lift the paint

[WordenB]

Great choice Mr Digger Sir, look forward to following this one.

[cor]

Nice looking kit

[Tomcat64]

Great looking subject - but just a little scared of the "Italeri" logo on the front of the box.

Hope it behaves itself

[digger303]

Great looking subject - but just a little scared of the "Italeri" logo on the front of the box.

Hope it behaves itself

Italeri, Heller, AVG, Eastern Express and Mirage all scare the bejesus out of me and I normally leave well alone. However ocassionally I'm told Italeri comes up with a good one and this I believe is a good one. The build will bring forth the truth or show me up to be a crappy builder....

[RangerNeil]

Great looking subject - but just a little scared of the "Italeri" logo on the front of the box.

Hope it behaves itself

Italeri, Heller, AVG, Eastern Express and Mirage all scare the bejesus out of me and I normally leave well alone. However ocassionally I'm told Italeri comes up with a good one and this I believe is a good one. The build will bring forth the truth or show me up to be a crappy builder....

Wait till you try AModel - you will never, EVER, complain about Italeri again!!

[digger303]

Great looking subject - but just a little scared of the "Italeri" logo on the front of the box.

Hope it behaves itself

Italeri, Heller, AVG, Eastern Express and Mirage all scare the bejesus out of me and I normally leave well alone. However ocassionally I'm told Italeri comes up with a good one and this I believe is a good one. The build will bring forth the truth or show me up to be a crappy builder....

Wait till you try AModel - you will never, EVER, complain about Italeri again!!

[digger303]

Hi guys,
As I ran out of paint for the A10 I flicked back to this build and started to assemble the wings. Using my favourite messy gap filla...spru goo.



As you can see the wings fit rather well.



Various sub assemblies and I can tell you there isn't a lot left on the sprues at this point. Maybe forty pieces in total, this is going together a lot quicker than I expected. Only bit of flash encountered were on the wing tips and that was minimal.

[KalebB]

Doesn't seem to be too bad a kit from Italeri, which I suppose is a blessing in itself

Sprue glue is putting in work

[digger303]

Just a quick tape together to see how she looks.

[cor]

Coming along nicely

[Garion77]

and she looks great !

[KalebB]

Always enjoy the look of a sea plane, looking good!

[DRUMS01]

Looking good so far digger, sorry you couldn't find replacement glass for the first kit. Still it sure seems that this kit fits pretty well. How is the details?

Doesn't look like it comes with figures either (like ours), are you going to add figures in the cockpit or on the ground?

I like that it comes with the toe cart. Do you have a diorama idea already?

Ben and Jarrod

[Quax]

its nice to see another variant of the Ar-196, I always thought it was a nice looking aircraft for its type. You've made a cracking start so theres popcorn in my house too...

Paul

[digger303]

and she looks great !

Always enjoy the look of a sea plane, looking good!

its nice to see another variant of the Ar-196, I always thought it was a nice looking aircraft for its type. You've made a cracking start so theres popcorn in my house too...

Paul

Thanks guys

Looking good so far digger, sorry you couldn't find replacement glass for the first kit. Still it sure seems that this kit fits pretty well. How is the details?

Doesn't look like it comes with figures either (like ours), are you going to add figures in the cockpit or on the ground?

I like that it comes with the toe cart. Do you have a diorama idea already?

Ben and Jarrod

No replacement glass yet.
Kit kits pretty well mostly. One small fitment problem with the cockpit requiring the shaving of the locator tabs and another one fitting the inboard ailerons ( hope I got that right ) as they tend to extend past the trailing edge of the wing a little.
Those are my only problems so far.
I was thinking of a dio, but I haven't had any luck finding the right air crew or maintenance guys in 1/48. So if I do one it might be a more passive scene.
I might have to buy some different water product too. Still thinking about this, but I was awfully tempted to buy a catapult launcher kit only my wallet stopped me.
Toe cart.....so that's what that's called..

[DRUMS01]

Silly spell check, actually I'm not even sure if they even call it a tow cart either

I was going to mention the catapult, but wasn't sure if you were going that direction. It sure would look neat though. I looked at the price of the 1/32 one and walked away from that idea; plus.. where would I put it once done? At least 1/48 is quite a bit smaller.

I hope you have success finding the specific figures you want for your diorama.

Ben and Jarrod

[Tomcat64]

Nice tidy work so far & lovely to see the kit's behaving nicely

It looks great up on its floats too

[digger303]

As usual I've had a problem. Getting the under carriage supports in place became a problem because I thought I would add the underside rigging that reinforces the float supports. I had to force them into place and clamp


Wish I had another pair of these clamps. Why they stopped producing them I don't know cause they sold like hot cakes.





Then I had another problem with the canopy. It is 3 pieces of which 2 but up together and the third slides under the others for easy crew access.
There seemed to be a twist in the canopy or the fuselage moulding was straight.and it was flared wider than the fuselage and it kept popping off. No where to directly clamp it or use a elastic band. So I got innovative

The clamp was there to tighten the masking tape.
I've primed it and adding the yellow wing tips of which I as usual left a finger print in the half dry pain.....arggg !

Anyway thanks for popping by hopefully I'll have the blunder fixed and the camo on with the next update.

[digger303]

History.

The first Arados were put to sea aboard the pocket battleship the 'Admiral Graf Spee’ for its four month cruise in the South Atlantic to sink allied merchant shipping wherever it could.
The floatplanes flew well-armed with one 20 mm MG FF cannon in each wing, a 7.9mm MG 17 forward-firing machine gun in the fuselage nose, and one or two 7.9mm flexible machine guns in the aft cockpit. The Arado could also carry a 50 kg bomb under each wing. 
The Arados pilots loved its easy handling both in the air and on water and with the eventual loss of much of the German surface fleet, they were added to coastal squadrons and continued to fly reconnaissance missions and submarine hunts into late 1944.
Whilst no match for most allied fighters, the Arado achieved significant success in downing a number of RAF Whitley bombers which had been attacking German U-boats sailing to and from their U-boat pens on the French coast around the Bay of Biscay.

The two of the most notable missions however, occurred when two Ar 196A-2s from Aalborg, Denmark managed to capture the British submarine, HMS ‘Seal' on May 5 1940.The submarine had been laying mines in a narrow waterway when it struck one of its own mines attacking attention of the patrolling Arados who attacked the sub with machine gun fire and bombs.One of the Arados landed alongside the stricken sub which had been severely damaged and unable to submerge or defend itself giving her captain Lt Cdr Rupert Lonsdale no option other than surrendering to the Arado pilot. 

The second occurred in the afternoon of Aug 15 1940 during a patrol by Ar 196A T3+Dh piloted by Staffelkaoitan Hauptmann Gerrit Wiegmink and his observer/gunner Lieutenant zur See Dietrich Schlenker over the Straight of Dover.Looking for survivors from any of the 75 Luftwaffe aircraft lost in action that day, Schlenker spotted a flight of Spitfires approaching low over the sea.With throttle slammed open, Wiegmink turned and made a dash for the French coast as the Spitfires opened fire, hitting him in the shoulder.

The Spitfires were from No 266 Sqn scrambled from Manston to intercept the seaplane which had been detected on radar some 12 mile of the coast. Closing in on the fleeing seaplane they moved in for the final kill confident in the knowledge that they had little to fear from the slow moving lightly armed German Arado. They were to be sorely mistaken.In desperation, Wiegmink spun the seaplane around directly into the path of the oncoming fighters, firing at one as it passed barely 3 metres above his shattered cockpit.

Twice more Wiegmink used the same tactic of turning into the path of the Spitfires and firing his wing guns with his observer opening up from his position in the rear cockpit.The Spitfire broke formation and trailing a long white plume of smoke disappeared towards the English coast as the remaining fighters regrouped and attacked again from behind.

The RAF pilots now realised they were up against a skilled and determined pilot so fell back taking up position on either side as they took turns crossing across the Arados tail and raking it with cannon fire.With the seaplane now shedding fabric from its damaged wings, an engine faltering and a dead gunner behind, Wiegmink made an abrupt left turn unexpectedly catching a Spitfire turning in the opposite direction. Wiegnmink fired immediately and to his amazement the Spitfire flipped over on its back with black plumes of smoke and crashed into the sea just as Wiegmink’s own aircraft nosed in.

Miraculously he survived the impact and managed to escape the upturned float plane hanging on until he was rescued by a nearby German E boat where his wounds were dressed and he was taken back to the French base.

The Arado’s served Germany well and flew the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean, Baltic, Aegean, Black, and North Seas. They were also operated by its axis partners Italy, Bulgaria Finland and even Japan who used it alongside their Aichi E13A’s as part of joint German/Japanese operations in Malaya.

During 1944-45, Soviet forces captured numerous Arados along the Baltic coast of Poland and Germany including a spare parts depot. As a result, 37 Arado Ar 96 aircraft fitted with Soviet radio equipment were integrated into the aviation element of the Soviet Border Guard where they served in the Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific coastal areas, until 1955.

[KalebB]

Well with it being an Italeri product I suppose these kerfuffles are abound to exist! Innovative way to figure out how to solve the problem though

Those clamps look very nice, shame they don't sell them anymore as you said

[BigWall]

It's looking really nice Digger!

[digger303]

Well with it being an Italeri product I suppose these kerfuffles are abound to exist! Innovative way to figure out how to solve the problem though

Those clamps look very nice, shame they don't sell them anymore as you said

Thanks. Yes I would buy another set of these clamps, preferably and little bit longer for the bigger jobs. When I bought these I had to order from the UK and it was the second production run. Both runs sold out very quickly. I had to order from a hobby shop which I no longer remember the name of, but it might have been Flory's.

It's looking really nice Digger!

Thanks BW I appreciate that.

[DRUMS01]

Despite the challenges, you have it looking real nice.

Looking forward to see it with colors on it.

Ben

[cor]

Its coming together and looks pretty good so far. Are you using the alu foil on it?

[digger303]

Its coming together and looks pretty good so far. Are you using the alu foil on it?

Sorry no ali foil.


Small update.
Toe trailer is progressing, no sure what colour it should be so I'm just going for a hardwood deck and galvanised frame.
Sorry for the crappy pic, not my forte at all.


Got the camo on. I come up against a little problem with the engine cowling. When I go to fit it to the fuselage I'm finding the engine exhausts prevent it from locating properly so much so that to get it to cement together the engine ends up tilted and to get it sitting right it has nothing to glue to....

[Tomcat64]

That looks great with the camo applied - but that's a bugger with the cowling, hopefully you can figure out some strategic fettling to get it to behave

[ForeverPlasticKits]

Very nice build, like the one in 1/32 scale is really wonderful!

[digger303]

That looks great with the camo applied - but that's a bugger with the cowling, hopefully you can figure out some strategic fettling to get it to behave

Thanks I hope so too.

Very nice build, like the one in 1/32 scale is really wonderful!

Very kind words thank you. The 1/32 is mostly streets ahead of this I would think, but it should look nice lined up with the other builds.

[BigWall]

The deck looks great!

[digger303]

The deck looks great!

Thanks.

Just a short update.
Camo is on, gloss varnish, decals which fought me always turning and folding on themselves and then I added a wash to bring out the details. The panel lines are a bit broad and the wash keeps coming out yet it does work at a subtler level.

Still working with the wash here just it's time to go to bed. I'm using a lot of q tips.



cheers

[ForeverPlasticKits]

The result is really good!

[BigWall]

It's really looking great!

[digger303]

The result is really good!

It's really looking great!

Thanks Guys

[digger303]

Another small update.
Now this is the first time I've attempted a water scene and I don't have any resin for the water so I was thinking I would just use some paste and paint it a dark lake water colour with some gentle ripples or at least that's the plan.
I got some foam insulation and carved some of it way to make room for the plane. Now that's a wasted effort it seems I should have just carved out a couple of slots for the floats. Never the less this is where I am at now.


I made a small jetty out of balsa glued together with Ca so it didn't take long.


I then drilled out some holes along the edge so I could place pin heads. I had shortened them down considerably to about 3-4mm CA-ed them in and counter sunk as well. Makes it look a bit more real.


I was at Geraldton today and picked up some texture paste and a tube of aqua coloured acrylic paint. Lets see how artistic I can be....probably not much
Not sure if I'm going to be able to get it to flow well enough so it looks real enough around the jetty pylons.

[DRUMS01]

I really like this. First off your vision for the dio. scene, and second for your artistic bravery. I hope your plan works perfectly as I'm excited to see the results. Hat's off to you brother, now go get it.....I have faith in you.

Ben

[ForeverPlasticKits]

Nice work with the balsa, to create water area a good paint on crumpled aluminum foil gives a very good result for pennys!

[Garion77]

Wow ! full of talents ! that must be fun to do !

[BigWall]

Good luck! You can do it!

[cor]

Nice project. Good luck with the water.

[RangerNeil]

Looking forwards to seeing how the water turns out Digger - got two Sunderlands here that are going to need something similar.

[Tomcat64]

Just caught up with the last couple of updates & really looking forward to seeing how the water effects pan out

[DBMiller]

Damn, that went fast!
Those floats and the rigging would have driven me nuts getting them on correctly.

[digger303]

Good luck! You can do it!

Thanks for the vote
We shall see how it goes, made a few simple mistakes already.

Wow ! full of talents ! that must be fun to do !

Nah, it's causing me to procrastinate cause I don't know what I'm doing

Nice work with the balsa, to create water area a good paint on crumpled aluminum foil gives a very good result for pennys!

Took that on board ....thank you

Nice project. Good luck with the water.

Thanks...it's a learning curve.

Looking forwards to seeing how the water turns out Digger - got two Sunderlands here that are going to need something similar.

Well the jury is still out , but I can tell you the ammo mig water is just PVA glue and acrylic paint...make it your self much cheaper.

Just caught up with the last couple of updates & really looking forward to seeing how the water effects pan out

Me too....

Damn, that went fast!
Those floats and the rigging would have driven me nuts getting them on correctly.

Ah yes that was a issue. I knew it was going to be and I was trying to get the rigging to look right and not pull the float sub assembly
out of shape, but I still did...

[digger303]

Right the plane is built and mostly finished with a couple of dabs of paint to go to patch up 2 spots, but I'm declaring it finished and will paste the pic's in completed build spot.
As I decided to go with a diorama part way through the build I will continue with that here.

I glued down some Ali foil using Pva wood glue and then put some over the top and duly spread it out over the entire surface


It then does it's own thing and pools in all the low spots.

and when dry you can hardy see it. So I applied a second layer which filled in even more

I also then applied Mig's water ( boy do I feel like I got scammed ) and as it dries the paint colouring in it shows through


I have also bought my jetty up to a used standard.
I stained it using a black wash, then rubbed maybe half of it off using solvents and kitchen spill paper. Proceed to paint over that with water based light brown...rubbed that back as well. Used some light gray oil paint neat ( almost none on the brush ) rubbing in as stiffly as possible then a matte varnish over the top.

The earthen bank is a resin product from VMS. It's really easy to get a rough churned up realistic surface with it, but I want a smooth level flood plain look so it's trickier to get that, but I'm working on it.

The next issue is placing the plane in the water and as I just hacked a lump out of the insulation board it isn't exactly level. Stupid me for not thinking of this if I had I might have used 2 or 3 thin boards glued together and kept the water on a level cause water is always level on a lake even rivers have a level.
So now I'm thinking I should add a border to the styrene block that way I can get things back close to level, but once I pour the PVA ( Mig water ) in and set the plane in it there's no going back..... really just procrastinating



PS...The mig water is a fraction stiffer than normal pva and sometimes resists filling in gaps and holes. I guess add a tiny bit of water.

[ForeverPlasticKits]

I can't wait to see the next step of your diorama.

[digger303]

I can't wait to see the next step of your diorama.

thank you.....me too