Early Snowbirds Tutor

The Arrow Graphics decals worked perfectly, despite being more than 25 years old. 

Arrow Graphics always had history of the markings included. 

The Hobbycraft kit is very basic and has some inaccuracies, but as far as I know, it is currently the only 1:72 kit in existence. 

Clear parts in place. The canopy is very thick. 

Alclad 2 white primer/filler is my choice for finding surface defects. 

I airbrushed the whole airframe with Tamiya Gloss White. 

Testor's Model Master Acrylic Guards Red is a good match for the CAF colour from that period. 

The nose gear doors and smoke oil tanks. 

Alclad 2 Polished Aluminum over gloss black for the leading edges of the wings and tail surfaces. 

Tamiya NATO Black is used for the anti-glare panel. 

The roundels went on very well.  

The Snowbird logo on the rudder was adopted for the 1973 season. 

No pitot tube in the kit, so I scratchbuilt my own from styrene rod. The spiral stripe on the pitot tube is a strip of red decal material. This is very tricky! 

The tip of the pitot is made from stretched sprue. 

A green navigation light from CMK Resin finishes off the wingtip. 

The 1971 colour scheme for the debut of Canada's Display Team. 

The kit also has no oil line details for the smoke system on the Snowbirds version, so some styrene rod was used, pre-formed and connected with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. 

The ends of the smoke oil lines are formed where they enter the tail fairing. 

I made the rear smoke pipe fairing from an aluminium printer's plate. 

The lines in place with Tamiya Tape for attachment straps. 

Fine solder replicates the lines from the oil manifold to the tanks. 

Fine solder bent into a U shape replicates the smoke oil tubing. 

Glue the closed end of the solder U into the pipe fairing. 

Use a round tool to bend the solder into place. 

The finished pipes look very convincing. 

The kit landing gear is far too long! 

First, I cut the main gear struts and removed the correct amount. 

The nose gear had to be shortened as well. 

Then drill a hole in the center of the struts. 

Same process for the nose gear. 

A short length of styrene rod will strengthen the connection. 

After shortening the struts, it looks more accurate. 

I did the 1973 scheme on the starboard side, with the new Snowbirds logo on the rudder. 

This is the 1971 scheme, with "The Big 2" logo on the rudder.