Harvard I, MDC resin + Ocidental Replicas T6 Texan.

[Artie]

Hi all.....After some time trying to decide my next project, I've decided to build a Harvard I, using the MDC conversion set and an Ocidental Replicas' T6 donor kit.

I know there're some mods I'll have to do, but seems a nice and enjoyable project. As usual, and after trying to find (with no result) some info on the web, some doubts come to my mind....

Wich kind of seat did they had...??? Wich tyre pattern??? Any armament fitted at any point???

And finally....Any nice colour profile, pic, etc...???? Still undecided about colour scheme....!!!!

I know there're some excellent books out there, but my limited budget keeps me from purchasing them...

TIA and best regards....!!!!

 

[Troy Smith]

HI Artie

 

Doug McPhail who is a Harvard expert (he's written books on them) does not rate the conversion.....see

http://forum.aussiemodeller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20

sadly the photos have gone

Quote

Colin Ford very kindly scanned an article relating to the MDC Harvard Mk I/Mk II conversion kit yesterday and I am simply appalled. The long and the short of it is the MDC conversion kit is inexcusable and useless. Most such kits (relating to the NA-16 family) are the same because nobody in the modelling firms does his homework. The major problem in almost every case is the length of the fuselage and the shape of the wing. For instance, the Harvard Mk I is 15" shorter than a Mk II and has a completely different wing. The Yale, aside from its fixed undercarriage, is 8" shorter than a Harvard II and once again, has a different wing - and yes, it's different from the Mk I wing as well. 

The following are some of the comments I made in an email to Colin, along with photographs I provided:

One, the Mk I fuselage appears to be the same length as the Mk II in the photo where they are laid side by side. The area around the tailwheel appears to be exactly the same, but it shouldn't be. The rudder post was extended 6" on the Mk II and in fact the Mk II fuselage was a full 15" longer than the Mk I in total.
Two, there does not appear to be any mention of new wings - the Mk II wing is totally different in shape and size! I am attaching a photo from the Mk I manual which clearly shows that there is no forward sweep on the trailing edge of a Mk I wing - and the sweep back on the leading edge is much steeper than on a MK II wing.
Three, the conversion kit rudder is pointed! Where that idea came from, I have no idea.

This conversion kit has completely missed the boat. The mould maker and draftsman never saw a Harvard Mk I (note: at the very least, they made no attempt to compare the Mk I and Mk II) before they produced this unfortunate kit.
 

 

 

don't know what you'll want to do after this..... 

 

HTH

T

[ColFord]

Alternative is to go the Belcher Bits Harvard Mk.I which appears to be significantly more accurate than the MDC conversion, altho somewhat more expensive.  In the Belcher Bits conversion it is all the relevant conversion bits plus the Occidental T6 for all the detail bits.

 

http://www.belcherbits.com/lines/kits/bk9.htm

 

 

[Artie]

It's gone down the drain....!!!!!!!!!

It seems the only way is the Belcher Bits conversion kit.......Never thought the MDC kit was so inaccurate.

Thank you very much for your kind advice, Sirs....!!!

[Graham Boak]

The other way to approach it would be to start with a 1/48th Wirraway, which has the correct fuselage and wing to start with.  Little more than a prop and a canopy are needed, maybe intakes and exhaust depending upon options.   You are free to add slats if required by the example chosen.

 

I presume that there is a 1/48 Wirraway - sorry, not my scale.

[Troy Smith]

Special Hobby do a 1/48th Wirraway, which is decent for a SH AFAIK.

http://www.hyperscale.com/2009/reviews/kits/sh48054reviewgsw_1.htm

[Artie]

I'd like to give you a BIG thank you for all your help. Never thougt the MDC kit was wrong, so I felt very happy when I found it at Telford a few years ago...Sadly, I'd have to try a different approach if I want to build a Harvard I, and I'll take good note of all your suggestions.

Belcher Bits seems the better option, but as you've stated, a SH Wirraway would be an excelent starting point as well.

My third option would be the old (oldie but goodie) Sierra Scale vacuform kits. I've got a few of them in my stash, and I find them really nice kits despite their age.

 

Best regards from Tenerife...!!!

[Graham Boak]

You also asked about colours.  The majority of the photos I've seen show the mid-fuselage demarcation between the upper green/brown and the lower yellow.  Presumably as they got older they followed the same trend as other trainers, with the yellow being restricted to the undersurfaces and appearing on the wingtips; but older aircraft tend to be disregarded, and there's not an enormous number of photos of RAF training aircraft anyway (in the UK, at least).  Others were yellow overall.  At least one had a large chevron marking on the nose - I think that's in The Harvard File and if you are really interested send me a pm with your email, and I'll try to dig it out.  Who knows, I may even find others if I did.