Kyle Builds the Heller 1/72 T-28 Fennec - French Algeria Build Feature
Kyle Builds the Heller 1/72 T-28 Trojan "Fennec"
Heller 1/72 - Aircraft - Full Build Feature
This one started with the bargain bin. Kyle had always given Heller kits a pass - then he decided to actually try one. Having now finished his second in only a couple of weeks, he is beginning to think they don't deserve their poor reputation. Fit is acceptable, engineering is just about adequate, external detail is good enough - internal detail is perhaps a bit lacking. Lined up against the best modern kits, there is no comparison. But compared against other kits of similar vintage, they are actually quite good. Don't be surprised if the next build is another Heller kit.
This is the Heller 1/72 T-28 Fennec built in the markings of the French Armee de L'air, early 1960s, Algeria. The Fennec was the French version of the North American T-28 Trojan trainer, modified with an uprated engine and turned into what we would now call a COIN (counter-insurgency) aircraft. Just as French forces were leaving Indochina in 1954, rebellion sprung up in their North African colony of Algeria. After years of brutal civil war and armed intervention by the French, Algeria would win its independence in 1962.
Heller moulded the Fennec rather than the Trojan, meaning more work would be required to do the American version. Kyle chose this version specifically because it is underrepresented - fewer builds online means more reason to do it.
Heller 1/72 T-28 Fennec - French Armee de L'air, Algeria, early 1960s.
Front left three-quarter
Front right three-quarter
Back right three-quarter
Underside
How Kyle Built It
Full step-by-step breakdown with Wheels Wings TV tutorials where applicable. All products in stock at Wheels and Wings.
Several steps from this build were filmed as dedicated short tutorials on our YouTube channel - links are included in the relevant sections below.
Natural Metal Finish - Chainmail Primer, Then Gun Chrome
Primed with Vallejo Chainmail Silver rather than a standard grey or black primer. Mr. Hobby Gun Chrome then misted over the top - the darker metallic primer shows through the lighter chrome misting, creating a natural metallic variance across the airframe that reads as aluminium with the kind of tonal variation real aircraft skin develops over time.
Canopy Masking
This kit was used as the example piece for our canopy masking tutorial. The technique uses fine masking tape cut to follow the canopy framing lines and an Excel knife for trimming.
Rockets - US Dark Green
Wheels - Rubber Black
Tamiya XF-3 Flat Yellow
Engine and propeller tip detail.
Original Heller Decals and Spare Italeri Decals
Decals are a combination of the original Heller sheet and spare Italeri decals for the numbers, roundels, and stencilling. The shield and tail signs are the original 40-year-old Heller decals - and they worked very well, which is a pleasant surprise from a kit of this age. Applied with Tamiya Mark Fit Strong.
Exhaust Streaking, Lead Staining, Algerian Dust
Exhaust streaking airbrushed using a mix of NATO Black and a little Hull Red - the warm component in the black shifts the streaking away from flat grey toward the actual colour of exhaust residue. The same mix is applied into the engine. German Grey airbrushed straight up the centre of each exhaust pipe to represent lead staining. Wing roots treated with AK Dust Effect - appropriate for an aircraft that operated out of Algeria.
Front close-up - exhaust and weathering
Underside
Light Misting of Tamiya Semi-Gloss
A light misting of Tamiya Semi-Gloss Clear - preserving some sheen on the natural metal finish without going full gloss.
The Finished Build
Heller 1/72 T-28 Fennec. French Armee de L'air, Algeria, early 1960s. Don't be surprised if the next build is another Heller kit.
Back left three-quarter
Front left three-quarter
Front right three-quarter
Back right three-quarter
All paints and supplies used in this build are in stock at Wheels and Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping.
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