[AZ Model]
Auster AOP in 1/72 scale
The Auster A.O.P (Air Observation Post) was a further development of the British Taylorcraft Plus C. This was at the end nineteen thirties and in 1941 production started for some 100 aircraft. Taylorcraft model E became the Auster III and also got simple wing flaps.The Auster mk.III got a De Havilland Gipsy Major 130hp engine. Nose shapes differ a bit depending on the engine installed for the version.
Crew of 2 and wing span 10,97 m. Length was 6,91m mk III.
The 1/72 Auster A.O.P mk.III kit #AZ72264 from AZ Model was released in 2009. The kit came in some different releases with different markings. (some other kit releases have other decals).
This is a short run kit with some 35 parts. A small resin bit is for the exhaust pipes. Austers used different engines and exhausts. A small single transparant hood is provided with fine inscribed frames.
Some smaller bits are to be made by the modeller. Some of these are suggested in the kit instructions.
The wing fabric looks OK with ribs but otherwise the kit is appropriately rather smooth.
This kit has markings for "silver dope" schemes of:
-1- Czechoslovak Army coded "IR-2";
-2- Netherlands Army coded "R-18"; the Dutch roundels are unusable as they have incorrect colours;
-3- Royal Air Force NJ894?
-4- Israel Air Force coded "VQ-PAS".
Not sure if the schemes are correct.
The kit was to be made in a different scheme: for an Auster flying with the ML-KNIL, the Dutch Army service operating the Dutch East Indies after the Second World War. Auster mk.III "R-64"/ registration MZ219 flew with the ArVa 6 of the ML-KNIL, Dutch East Indies 1946-1947. A few dozen Austers arrived from January 1947 in the Dutch East Indies. Main task was liaison and artillery observation. The fabric did not last long in the Tropics so many planes were reskinned at the local site at Buitenzorg with fabric and got painted silver dope.
The basic kit construction is OK. But use a fine cutter to remove the parts in soft plastic from the sprue and sand flush.
The wing halves assembly is better made stronger as they were to be cemented / butt joined to the single center transparant hood. So metal spar / rod was used and holes drilled in both wing halve roots and the front of the hood. Be very careful here to avoid cracks in the brittle transparancy. The metal rod was to be set later on.
In the cockpit I reduced the width of bench part #9 and some straps from tape added. For inside the cabin a sort of tube structure is provided, these are well visible. I needed to trim the various lengths to fit these in. The insides of the cabin interior were painted interior green.
The fuselage needed putty and sanding. The transparant hood fit is not perfect but acceptable.
The engine cowling does not fit very well. The Auster to be made had a single exhaust pipe so the resin PUR bit was shaved off and a pipe to be set later made scrap from tube.
The wing struts are thin and the intermediate bars #16 needed some trimming. At the gear struts, extra rod braces were added. Align for a symmetric assembly.
The hood was masked before the overall model was airbrushed silver dope with Revell Aqua Silver acrylic.
This Auster had the full rear window, some others had the rear section of the hood covered with linnen, so check photos. I used the IPMS Nederland Walk Around [ link ]. The few outside window frames were hand painted.
The few decals for the Dutch Auster "R-64" came from Flevodecals set FD72-034, this was a Dutch decal brand. These have correct coloured roundels.
After decalling was done, final details were added.
You get a few propeller types with the kit. I picked one, and that was painted black with yellow tips.
What is not indicated in the kit instructions are the 4 missing brace wires at the horizontal stabilizer. I used stretched sprue. I also saw a pair of horizontal trim surfaces below the stabilizer. These were made from scrap plastic card.
A single engine exhaust pipe was made from thin tube and installed below the engine cowling. I also added a pitot tube at the port intermediate strut from black sprue.
A long antenna wire was added made from PRYM line.
A small orange "pilot landing aid" rod was added in front of the cockpit. The tiny anti-collision lights at the wing tip were painted red at port and blue at starboard.
The overall model got a gloss varnish airbrushed with Johnson Pledge thinned with 10% Gunze Sangyo levelling thinner, shield off the transparant hood.
That completed this small Auster in 1/72 scale.
REFERENCES
- Nederlandse Austers, Geldhof en Dekker, Luchtvaartkennis 1983 magazine (Dutch text)
- Austers bij de MLD, Geldhof, Luchtvaartkennsi 1994-5 magazine (Dutch text)
- Auster, Balch, Warpaint 131, 2022
- Aeroplane monthly magazine Sept 1977, Oct 1977, May 1988
Internet:
- Auster in Dutch service, Dutch IPMS Nederland NedMil history pages (Dutch text)
- Auster Walk Around, Dutch IPMS Nederland.
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November 24, 2025