RAF Harvard Mk.1 1/72 conversion detail

[phat trev]

Academy T-6G and some pictures of an Early RAF Harvard Mk.1 (ok I have used the Wirraway line drawing but that is all I have)

I see there are a lot of alterations needed:

*New rudder and wing tips

*Shorter fuselage/ steeper nose before the cowl? if this correct and would chopping off a little from the nose be ok?

*Fabric fuselage sides (stringers)

*Venturi on the sides of the fuselage for instrumentation

*Did the Early RAF Harvard have the extended exhaust over the top of the wing to provide heat for the cockpit?

*Strengtheners on the tail?

*Different Canopy- I was thinking of adapting the Academy issued parts with extra strengtheners but not sure how to tackle the different extreme rear section.

* Cockpit alterations- RAF style instrument panel and spade grips. The interior colour RAF interior green or US equivalent? RAF bucket seats and belts?

Hope this provides some food for discussion? I have read posts on BM concerning differences.

[RJP]

Watch out for the wing.

The trailing edge to the Harvard I's wing was a straight line from tip to tip. Later machines (with their longer noses, shared with the T-6) had less sweep from the centre section joint outward.

Falcon makes a Harvard canopy for the Academy kit in set 30: http://www.falconmod...rvax/set30.html

Edited October 1, 2012 by RJP

[phat trev]

Watch out for the wing.

The trailing edge to the Harvard I's wing was a straight line from tip to tip. Later machines (with their longer noses, shared with the T-6) had less sweep from the centre section joint outward.

Falcon makes a Harvard canopy for the Academy kit in set 30: http://www.falconmod...rvax/set30.html

I can see a slight kink in the trailing edge, thats going to be a hard one to correct in this scale!? as for the canopy, It looks to prehaps be a case of seperating the extreme rear of the clear canopy and prehaps sanding a bit from the base, it would not be as 100% accurate as the falcon option but I would not be wasting the other canopys in the set as I have no use for these.

[FZ6]

Czech master do a conversion set for the harvard which includes canopies and an exhaust. It's not that expensive either.

[RJP]

The wing is simpler than it sounds. The centre section including landing gear is unchanged. All you need do is saw the outer wing off at the centre section joint (on the real thing it's covered by a flange, the big ridge seen on all Harvard/T-6 kits) and reattach it at the proper angle. Check a good drawing to see if you need to shim it out or shorten it down but there's not a lot to it.

Edited October 2, 2012 by RJP

[Scott Hemsley]

What about using the 'old' Ventura Wirraway (is it still around?) as a base kit and cross-kitting parts from a Heller/Acadamy Harvard, along with a scratched item or two? The Wirraway gives you the proper wing and a very close proximity to the Harvard 1 fuselage, complete with the fabric covering. Throw in a Falcon canopy and you're well on your way to a Harvard 1. If the Ventura kit can't be found, what about the Special Hobby release?

Scott

Edited October 2, 2012 by Scott Hemsley

[ROGERD]

MDC do a complete fueslage conversion- not sure about the wings or canopy though

rogerd

[phat trev]

The wing is simpler than it sounds. The centre section including landing gear is unchanged. All you need do is saw the outer wing off at the centre section joint (on the real thing it's covered by a flange, the big ridge seen on all Harvard/T-6 kits) and reattach it at the proper angle. Check a good drawing to see if you need to shim it out or shorten it down but there's not a lot to it.

Brilliant fix. Thanks RJP

[KRK4m]

As Harvard Mk I and the Wirraway are exactly the same aircraft there's no problem at all. If you take a Special Hobby Wirraway the only items needing replacement are:

• the rearmost part of cockpit canopy (fixed in Harvard, movable in CAC - use the MPM BT-9)
  
• the crankcase front (geared in CAC, d/d in Harvard - file off or use another R-1340 from spare parts bin)
  
• the propeller (three-bladed in CAC, two-bladed in Harvard - use any other Harvard/Texan one)
  

Minor shape corrections are also needed for the rudder lower part (Harvard I used the newer BC-1/SNJ-1 rudder), fin surface (corrugated in CAC, plain in Harvard), upper front fuselage (removing the Wirraway guns), carb air intake, exhausts and antennas. Nevertheless I found this solution much better (cheaper, faster and less complicated) than bothering with T-6G fuselage length and covering, fin/rudder/tailplane outline and size, wing span and sweep, aileron span and chord, a.s.o.

[Test Graham]

I confirm that using the Wirraway is a much better approach - chopping the later wing is not as simple as it seems. One point to beware is that Harvard Mk.Is were fitted whilst in service with outboard slats to cure (or at least alleviate) the viscous wing drop at the stall that plagued early NA16 variants. Hence the later wing and extended fuselage. (The first drawing has not realised that the later fuselage is longer.) Your choice of aircraft to model may have had or lacked these slats.

If you can find an MPM BT-9 with a non-yellowed canopy good luck. The BT-9 also has a different (smaller, squarer) windscreen to the Harvard. There are a number of sources that have offered the longer rear canopy but as far as I know only Falcon still do, which is fine as it is by far the best but unfortunate as I think it is only available now as part of the US Aircraft in the RAF set.

Ventura never did their Harvards - you are thinking of High Planes, which is indeed nice. The old MPM Wirraway is best avoided, being too fat (and with yellowed canopy, I don't doubt).

[ben_m]

Great information so far in this thread, thanks. I never knew the Wirraway was so close to what we needed for a Mk.I Harvard.

The MDC conversion set is for 1/48. The 1/72 CMR conversion is for an AT-16, which is a Harvard Mk.IIb (according to Wikipedia).

KRK4m's list seems easily surmountable. I was looking at the Special Hobby instructions here and (although it isn't marked as not used) part A7 looks to be a gun-less front fuselage upper that isn't used in the construction steps. It also looks like the kit doesn't have the early Wirraway's fin corrugations. With a new prop and canopy, the rest could be easily scratch built.

[phat trev]

Great information so far in this thread, thanks. I never knew the Wirraway was so close to what we needed for a Mk.I Harvard.

The MDC conversion set is for 1/48. The 1/72 CMR conversion is for an AT-16, which is a Harvard Mk.IIb (according to Wikipedia).

KRK4m's list seems easily surmountable. I was looking at the Special Hobby instructions here and (although it isn't marked as not used) part A7 looks to be a gun-less front fuselage upper that isn't used in the construction steps. It also looks like the kit doesn't have the early Wirraway's fin corrugations. With a new prop and canopy, the rest could be easily scratch built.

The Wirraway was probably built as an unarmed trainer also? this might explain the part A7 in the kit, or the company were going to expand on the range at a later date!

I did not know the Wirraway and Havard I were so closely related either (but then they do look so similar) this is why I have buthered my academy T6