Our modeler and
flight instructor friend Mr Ferdi Duman had been lost on an glider crash at a
very young age. A special award has been announced at the Turkish Aviation
Museum and I had decided to build something different. I have decided to scratch
build the THK-4 ex Russian Glider
called the US-4 by the information on the rare book “Scientific and
Technological Glider” which was published in 1935 by the
THK (Turkish Air League).
The US-4 is a design
of the Antonov. In1935, eleven US-4 sailplanes were manufactured under the USSR
licence by the KTF plant at Kayseri. The THK plant also built the same sailplane
which was called THK-4 and built 40 units. They remained in service until
1965
I started by the
arranging the drawings in the correct scale and I carved the wing from the hornbeam wood
and cut the keel, all stabilizators,
aerilons
etc.
I sanded the
wing and made the rib details with copper wires, taped the frame end
with a masking tape.
I made
the rib details with fishing line at the all other parts.
I used linden wood
for the cabinet and I gave all of the orginals to make the molds at the www.tersanemodel.com
for the cast resin. I used Amati 0.4mm plywood for the
cabin top, nose and the styrene sheet for the sides.
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I used the styrene
strips for the rest of the construction and painted the rigging in advanced .
The overall colour is the “unripe
almond green”
The model won the
special award. I would like to Thank Mr Mehmet Sekercioglu from PM models for his
idea, book and drawings, Mr Tuncay Deniz for his book Turkish Aircraft
Production, Mr Tolga Ozbek for his efforts for the award, prizes, friendship,
Cpt.
Selim Etger, Mr Ufuk Aydiner, Mr Tayfun Gerdan for the rarest photographs.
Tamer
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