Amiot AAC.1 Toucan - or a Ju-52 in a different guise - Ready for Inspection - Aircraft

ajmm

Posted September 28, 2017

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Posted September 28, 2017

The French built these after the war because they had all the tools left over in their factories from the German occupation in 1945 so why not? I built this for a Vietnam-Indochina GB over on KG144, there is a full WiP thread here.

This is No.414, Groupe Transporte I/64 'Béarn', Tan Son Nhut, Indochina, 01 October 1952

Toucans were used as bombers, general transports and paratroop aircraft in Indochina in the late-1940s until surplus USAAF C-47s (and later C-119s) reached the French Armee de l’Air and became the backbone of aerial resupply in that theatre. Toucans limped on getting increasingly knackered until the French withdrew from Indochina in Autumn 1954.

The Toucan had a walk-on role in Algeria and a few more French African states for a few more years, but was relegated to dusty corners of French aerodromes by the mid-1960s.

There are a few little differences that differentiate the Toucan from the Ju-52 proper - all are small enough that a bit of light scratch building will overcome them. You'd want to add some C-47 wheels, some square air filters under each engine, exhaust stubs on the outboard side of each wing engine cowling, a passenger door on the starboard side behind the cockpit and a conventional pitot (not the t-shaped torture implement on the Tante Ju). Phew. Not that it's that much work, really.

I got a severe case of early onset mod-itis on this, and proceeded to buy most of the available modifications in existence for the standard Eduard Ju-52 to convert it to a Toucan. This included the full Eduard etch set (including throttle quadrants and flap levers in the cockpit - nope, even squinting you won't see those); Armory Li-2 wheels (well I wasn't going to rob my Roden C-47 kit was I?) and Brengun BMW engines (actually these are not designed to be built on to the kit, but for dioramas - they caused me all sorts of headaches but are a big improvement on the existing Eduard plastic).

As I was doing all the interior I decided to pose the doors open and added a cargo load of ammo boxes, a crate or two, some rice sacks and a Brengun etched bicycle (the little 1:144 scale irony being that despite all these powerful transport aircraft, the Viet Minh bicycle and A-frame was what largely defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu, and so in Indochina). Can you see any of this? Sort of, if you're me and I know where to look; but no I can't really photograph it. Still, I had a load of fun doing it.

Decals were Berna decals' superb sheet. I totally failed to get the decals to conform to the corrugations on the fuselage and wing despite some vicious application of decal setting solutions. I painted the tail flash on and had to make my peace with the roundels separately - now I've told you it's really obvious I suspect.

Great fun - really enjoyed that build. My first serious effort with photo etch and I have to say I enjoyed the experience. Some build photos:

Thanks, as ever, for looking! I really recommend the Eduard or Revell 1/144 Ju-52 to anyone with a passing fondness for them. If you have an urge to add things to them like I did, so much the better. Xtradecal are releasing a Ju-52 sheet soon with an RAAF option and there are plenty of other aftermarket decal options out there - I may have another on my horizon...