Beechcraft T-6A / NTA Texan II, Grand Models 1/72

Grand Models’ Beechcraft T-6 Texan II military trainer in 1/72 scale is the first greek, commercially available kit made of resin. Kit comprises 43 parts, finely moulded in grey coloured, good quality resin and there is also a fret with 28 brass photo-etched parts for interior & exterior detail. The clear canopy is vacuformed, pressed from fine quality clear, extra transparent plastic material, guaranteed that will not turn yellow after a few years. The kit features generally accurate outline and shape.

The decal sheet is both large and very generous, as it provides plenty of options: no less than eight (8) markings options for six (6) nations and their Air Forces (USAF, Air Forces of Greece (both standard and special anniversary schemes included), Israel, Morocco, Iraq and Mexico) plus one for a US Navy aircraft. Decal sheet quality is excellent (very thin film, excellent colours).

The kit is designed so that the fuselage comes in one main part (no left and right half), making life easier for the modeller and an appropriate metal nose weight is hidden inside the fuselage, in order the completed model to balance properly on its tricycle undercarriage. The one-piece wing has separate ailerons parts. Rudder and elevators are also separately provided, so all control surfaces can be assembled in any desired position.

The level of detail is exceptional, inside and out. The external detail is finely engraved and very realistic, with crisply recessed panels and subtle rivet lines, where appropriate, following exact plans and information from first hand aircraft research, at 120 Squadron HAF base in Kalamata and many expert modelers, who contributed to the design of the parts. Engraved lines may need some deepening with a scriber tool in some places.

Inside we have a very detailed cockpit, with ejection seats of outstanding detail: even the smaller cables and tubes stand out in the resin parts, ready for a very careful and rewarding painting. Control columns are separate items and look very convincing.

Both instrument panels have thin covers and instruments in photo-etched parts and decals, so it is easy to get a very convincing look.

Underwing racks are included, complete with ordnance, like twin 0.50 Caliber gun pods and external fuel tanks.

Undercarriage is very detailed, with nicely moulded wheels, legs and covers. The main wheels hubs have delicate engraved detail. The wheel wells are also nicely detailed and are correctly concave. Spinner and propeller blades are all separate items but the assembly of this step is very easy and straightforward. Blades are thin and sharp at the edges, and accurate to 1/72 scale.

Apart from a multi-page booklet with assembly instructions and paint schemes, a CD disc is also included with pdf format files and several pictures of greek aircraft, including the anniversary for 50 years of HAF’s 361 Squadron, easy and explanatory drawings, information on painting, color codes of the most popular paint brands and Federal Standards numbers.

Construction 

Assembly begins in the cockpit, which was painted with Humbrol Enamel No. 127. The respective decals were placed over the resin instrument panels, followed by the photo-etched parts over them, with excellent results. The side consoles were glued in place and painted with matt black. Ejection seats were also painted with the same color, then all details were easily highlighted with generous dark gray oil wash and some drybrushing.

Seat cushions were painted with deep blue and harness with dark grey and steel. The one-piece canopy was carefully cut/cleaned with a scalpel and “dressed” inside with appropriate Evergreen plastic styrene thin beams, using minimum traces of glue! All pieces of the cockpit were glued in place with a really good fit, the only exception being the seats, which needed a little sanding with a file on their sides, in order to sit a bit deeper to their final position. Next step was glueing the tail parts, first the horizontal and then the vertical surfaces and the rudder. Minimum putty had to be used to these joints. The main wing was glued in the fuselage using a strong 5 minute epoxy glue, to allow time for aligning it perfectly. (Cyanoacrylate instant glue was used for the rest of the built). By carefully wiping the seep out of the epoxy glue over the wing joint we eliminated the need for applying putty later.

The legs of the landing gear are thin and will require strong glue bonds. At this stage we temporarily placed the canopy in closed position (with a little masking fluid as a glue) and masked the legs of the undercarriage, preparing for painting.

Painting

The model was wiped with a soft lint free cloth wetted in alcohol to remove dust and dirt residues, in order to have a smooth, clean surface, ready to receive the first color. Using an airbrush we sprayed three successive coats of gloss white on all surfaces, legs and wheel wells. At the same time we checked for any blemishes and defects left over by sanding. When the paint had dried completely, we masked with tape all areas which should remain white.

Then we sprayed the Dark Blue: a mix of well thinned Humbrol No.14 and No.15 (at a ratio of 60% and 40% respectively). Alternatively we could use Gunze H328, adding about 15% white in it. Wing leading edges were painted with Alclad aluminum. Finally we masked and sprayed the black anti-glare panel on top of the nose. All main colors being already gloss, there was no need to use a varnish before applying kit decals. These are very thin and have sufficient carrier film strength, but they do require cautious movements to be properly positioned. A three to five seconds dip in the water are enough time. They perform so well that there is practically no need to use a decal solution over or under them.

The finishing touch was given by spraying two coats of satin varnish, by mixing mat and gloss Gunze varnish (at a ratio of 30% & 70% respectively). Last pieces to be glued in place were the open canopy, propeller, exhaust tube, and the model was finally completed, showing the beautiful lines of this aggressive little trainer.

Final words…

Overall, the T-6 Texan II kit is a very welcome addition to any 1/72 scale collection. Surely this is not a model for the newcomer to the hobby, but it is ideal for the average modeller, who is -more or less- familiar with resin parts. Whichever painting option you choose, the result will be really beautiful.

For more info: http://www.grandmodels.gr