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After having finished up 2020 with a couple of "boom-boom" military planes, I felt a need to offer penance to the modeling gods with a civil aircraft or two. A couple months ago, Bangseat posted pics of a 3D model he had printed and built. It was of a Socata TB9 "Tampico", a general aviation aircraft commonly used for flight training. The Tampico has a special place in my heart, as it was the plane in which I earned my private pilot license way back in October, 2011. I contacted Harry (Bangseat), who graciously sent me one of his prototype kits with my promise to do a test build and report back any problems. For details on my build, the WIP can be found here: This was my first time building a 3D-printed kit, and it was a learning experience for me. Harry's kit is a gem, and I finished it up in just two weeks' time. I could have done it much quicker, but I'm OCD about details and added quite a few to better model the particular airplane I trained in. With that introduction, let's get on with the pics! A good pre-flight inspection should always start with a walk-around: Now for some detail shots: I added an exhaust pipe, engine cooling vents, nose gear scissors, and blade antenna on the belly: I modified the cockpit to match the Tampico I trained in. This is as clear as I could make the transparent piece. Next time I do a 3D-printed kit, I might try vacu-forming the clear parts. Here's what is mostly hidden in the interior: All of the decals are home made, and my favorite is the "No Step" marking (for people who don't speak French). You can also see the steps, modified wheel hub, and brake line I added to the main gear. Pitot tube and flap actuators were added under the wing: Landing/taxi lights and wingtip position lights: White lights on the wingtips and tail were made from a small drop of UV-activated clear acrylic gel: Various antenna were added to the rear fuselage and fin: And, that about wraps it up. Oh, by the way, did I mention how tiny this plane is? Many, many thanks to Bangseat Harry for producing this gem of a kit! He did a great job with it and I'm thrilled to finally have a model of the plane I learned to fly in! Thanks also to everyone who followed this build and provided helpful encouragement & suggestions along the way. So, what's next? Well, here is a pic of the plane I earned my instrument rating in: and, look what the postman just delivered: Another tiny GA airplane, and me with old eyes and fat fingers! But, at least this one is made from honest styrene