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After having finished up 2020 with a couple of "boom-boom" military planes, I feel 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" single-engine light 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. Consulting my logbook, I see I have something over 120-hours in Tampicos! Harry (Bangseat) graciously sent me one of his prototype kits, with my promise to test build it and report back any problems. Here we go! First, a bit about the TB9 Tampico: (From Wikipedia) The Socata TB is a series of light single engine piston aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company SOCATA. The letters TB within the designation stands for Tarbes, the French city where the aircraft is manufactured. The TB series have become widely used training and touring aircraft and are often used for instrument training. They are defined by their superior (and contemporary) fit and finish and interior size compared to other four-seat single-engine aircraft, they are relatively roomy at 49 inches (124 cm) at the shoulder, plus or minus. In part, this is due to the fuselage having a pronounced "round out" above the wing. Adding to the actual spaciousness, the side windows extend up well into the roof line, giving the Socata an airy feeling. Due to the larger fuselage, and relatively heavy weights, TB series aircraft have lower performance figures than a similarly sized and powered but narrower aircraft [I can attest to that!], and the trade-off of speed for comfort is often cited by TB owners. (From AOPA website) The standard Tampico has a 160-hp Lycoming 0-320 and a fixed-pitch propeller. The Tampico includes fabric covered front bucket seats that two pilot reports called 'comfortable', and large windows that extend over the top of the fuselage and down the sides to the elbow level, allowing a better than average outside view compared to similar aircraft. Cabin entry is via two gull wing doors located on either side of the cockpit. Pilot reports judged the circuit breaker panel, located at knee level, difficult to check, and complained about visibility over the Tampico's long nose during a best-climb-rate pitch attitude. Plane & Pilot Magazine reports that the slotted flap system utilized on the Tampico helps to simplify landings and reduce the stalling speed. At full flap deflection, the stall speed is decreased by eight knots. Aerospatiale's fleet of single engine aircraft were praised by AOPA Pilot Magazine for convenient cockpit layout, but noted that the similarity of the vertical engine and fuel gauges at the top center of the instrument panel makes it initially difficult to quickly distinguish among them. The center section of the instrument panel contains the avionics stack, circuit breaker switches, engine controls, stabilator trim, fuel selector, and a hand-held microphone that extends down and then out between the two front seats at arm level, an arrangement reported 'convenient' and 'comfortable'. The fuel system includes two 21 gallon wing tanks, with 40 gallons of usable fuel, for about 3 - 4 hours of endurance. The Tampico is known to be a docile and comfortable aircraft. The control forces are heavy, giving a steady and solid feel to the aircraft. One drawback is the slow cruise speed, reported averaging 95-100 knots true compared to the advertised book figure of 107 knots. Climb is reported as anywhere from 700-1000 fpm with the climb prop installed. The Tampico has a wide center of gravity limit allowing for a reasonable combination of passengers and baggage. N507PC, of 1 World Aero at Fort Meade, MD. This is one of two Tampicos I flew for my primary pilot training. Here is the other one: This is me on the afternoon of October 22, 2011, having just passed the flight exam for my private pilot license. I should be smiling, but instead I was just worn out. It had been a very long day! A few detail shots: Interior U And, the cause for one of my more "interesting" landings: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's take a look at Harry's 3D-printed kit... Box art could be better (LOL) 20-odd parts, nicely wrapped: A nice, single-sheet set of instructions: U Fuselage: Some light surface striations from the printing process which, Harry assures me, will sand out easily: Nose cowl and propeller parts: One-piece interior and some very fragile looking control yokes: Nice detailing on the wings, but again, those striations will need to go away: Unfortunately, the large wing pieces arrived slightly warped (the bane of 3D printing). Hopefully, a hot water bath will allow me to straighten them. Stabilators: Landing gear items. I hope the legs are stronger than they look. And lastly, a single clear piece for the cockpit roof and canopy glazing. I'll see if I can clean this up, or instead use it to make a vacuform replacement. I must say, I'm very impressed by this kit. It has the sexy Tampico-look and detailing is very nice. Assembly should be very straightforward. It's also the only game in town for a Tampico, in any scale. The main challenges result from the 3D printing process: removing surface striations, addressing the wing warping, and improving the clear part. Also, Harry has forewarned me that significant nose weight will be needed to prevent a tail-sitter. There's not much room forward of the main gear, so he recommends using Tungsten putty vice lead.