1/72nd KP Cessna Crane x 2

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,

                 The Cessna Crane.Bobcat has always interested me and I built one in 1/48th scale some time ago in RCAF markings as a camouflaged operational trainer of 132 (Fighter) Squadron RCAF, WAC, Canada, 1942,.... see here, plus some of the photos from that thread ;

Unfortunately the Czech Model kit did not include the wooden propellers seen fitted to many RCAF Crane`s,....... I managed to obtain a pair of propellers from a friend who had trashed a Special Hobby Oxford kit! 

 

BUT,..... during my research I found some others that I would like to build,...... however I couldn`t afford another 1/48th scale kit,...... so,.... enter KP with their new 1/72nd model;

 

Now this new kit is very nice on the sprues,...... unfortunately, again it only has a set of the variable pitch metal propellers included in the kit and there are no optional wooden propellers,..... which is a shame as many RCAF Crane`s had wooden fixed pitch Oxford/Anson style propellers too,..... as well as the circular winter engine blanks.

 

One Crane that I do want to build is this senior officers run about, RCAF serial 8187 with the standard yellow scheme given liberal amounts of black trim plus a rank marking on the nose,..... I just wish I had a side view image too!;

 

 

I would also like to do a standard yellow trainer, one with a unit marking would be nice too,.... and the kit option from  4 SFTS at Saskatoon which has the RAF Serial FJ209 is looking favourite,.... I just need to research it first and here is a photo and artwork,.....it is looking like the wooden propellers and winter engine blanks to me? Hard to tell for sure; 

  

 

 

The colour is a quandry too,..... was it British style Trainer Yellow or was it a much brighter US Yellow? Here is a period photo of a Crane with the same unit insignia of 4 SFTS at Saskatoon on the rudder, it looks lighter than Trainer Yellow? It also has wooden propellers and the winter engine blanks;

 

A few more reference pics,.....

 

Wooden propellers;

 

A variation on the roundels, with C Type roundels applied too and an anti glare panel on top of the engines and nacelles,......this option is included in the kit decals, although it actually has wooden propellers which are not included in the kit;

 

A yellow aircraft with the variable pitch metal propellers, as found in the kit,.....

 

And a diagram of the cockpit;

 

So,..... on with the models!

 

Edited May 22, 2020 by tonyot

[tonyot]

Well onto construction,.......

,...... The sprues were sprayed using Humbrol Olive Drab for the interior and Grass green for the wheel wells, with the undercarriage painted silver and the engines painted black along with the instrument panel, control yokes and the leater sections of the seats, which were later dry brushed with dark brown.

 

The main main parts were removed from the sprues, cleaned up and their mating edges were sanded flat. I decided to add the windows before closing the fuselage halves but the openings have to be carefully made larger until the windows fit into place.  The cockpit was then assembled, detail painted and the decal harness straps were fitted to the seats ;

 

At the same time, the wings were assembled too and the canopy section had the framelines hand painted using black, then masked off ready for the yellow later

 

 

Pre sanding the mating edges pays dividends as the fit is now very nice and soon the fuselage halves can be joined and the wings can be attached;

 

And the tailplanes were fitted,.....needing one of the locating holes to be opened up,.....but nothing drastic and the fit is good. The nacelles were treated like the other parts, with the mating edges sanded flat and again this helped a lot,..... the nacelles are fitted here and the rngines are ready to fit after sanding. The canopy is also fitted too;

 

THEN,..... I did it all again a second time! 

 

And so here is where I stand at the moment;

 

Cheers for now,

                        Tony

 

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by tonyot

[ForestFan]

Looking good, I quite fancy getting one of these so will keep watching 

[Space Ranger]

Nice photos! The camouflaged Cranes are particularly interesting.

 

RCAF Cranes were painted Trainer Yellow. Cessna originally got the dimensions and proportions of the markings wrong and had to correct them, but they used the correct shade of paint.

 

I assisted Squadron in the development of the Czech Model 1/48 kit and provided some historical notes to KP for their kits. I am awaiting delivery of a shipment of the KP kits as I write this.

 

I'm also working on a book which will include the history of every Cessna T-50 built (AT-8, AT-17, UC-78, JRC-1, and Crane) and will post some historical info on those Cranes illustrated in your photos later. The photo of 8807 is particularly interesting, in that the airplane should have had its RAF serial (FJ156) applied instead!

[airjiml2]

4 hours ago, Space Ranger said:

RCAF Cranes were painted Trainer Yellow. Cessna originally got the dimensions and proportions of the markings wrong and had to correct them, but they used the correct shade of paint.

Do you have documents that prove this?  Most RCAF trainers were not Trainer Yellow, but Titanine RCAF Yellow.  The one exception were Stearmans that were painted with a U.S. Yellow.

 

Jim

[Space Ranger]

3 hours ago, airjiml2 said:

Do you have documents that prove this?  Most RCAF trainers were not Trainer Yellow, but Titanine RCAF Yellow.  The one exception were Stearmans that were painted with a U.S. Yellow.

 

Jim

What I meant is that they were painted the correct color of RCAF Trainer Yellow. Titanine RCAF Yellow. And yes, I have documents.

[Eric Mc]

I wonder if lighting conditions in Canada would make their Trainer Yellow aircraft appear brighter than those photographed in Northern Europe.

[tonyot]

Re the colours,....... I`ve found this wartime Titanine paint chart and there is no such colour (color) as RCAF Trainer Yellow,......only RCAF Yellow as Jim says; 

 

It looks a bit brighter than RAF Trainer Yellow,...... so I may go for something like Tamiya Chrome Yellow or Lemon Yellow?

Cheers

           Tony

[Shark444]

On the Bolingbroke MK.IVT I'm building I used an undercoat of Insignia Yellow (yes I know it's an American colour, but it's quite close to the Titanine RCAF Yellow) as a base coat and then added some drops of flat white and sprayed topsides and between panel lines. This gave the effect of a) subtle panel lines (Insig. Yellow), and gradual pant fading as these aircraft were hard used and abused.  Having stripped a LOT of paint from old BCATP aircraft prior to restoration, I can attest this is a god way to represent the real thing after a thorough service life.  

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Wowsers Tony you are cracking on with these beauties.  I am very interested in these and now KP have released will have to get hold of one.  Great work so far and can't wait to see when complete.

Keep up the good work

All the best

Chris

[tonyot]

Bit of an update,....... they now look like a pair of little yellow canaries care of Tamiya TS-47 Chrome Yellow;

 

The blue background makes them look a little bit darker than they actually are.

Cheers for now,

                        Tony

Edited June 1, 2020 by tonyot

[tonyot]

Well the Tamiya masking tape failed me again (a brand new one too!) and the black leaked underneath,.....I`ve cleaned it up the best I can,....and will have a go tidying it up with a small brush!

 

So a bit deflated with these at the moment!

Cheers

          Tony

[bigbadbadge]

Great work Tony, shame about the masking tape letting you down. Can you scrape off the offending paint with a cocktail stick?

Hope you are not too deflated fella, these will look awesome I am sure after receiving the TonyOT magic.

All the best

Chris

[Shark444]

1 hour ago, tonyot said:

Well the Tamiya masking tape failed me again (a brand new one too!) and the black leaked underneath,.....I`ve cleaned it up the best I can,....and will have a go tidying it up with a small brush!

 

So a bit deflated with these at the moment!

Cheers

          Tony

Tony, these look great - don't let the Tamiya tape get you down.  Go have a brew up and come back tomorrow with a clear head and a fresh outlook.  Re-mask and touch up - Hakuna Matata, baby!

 

Looking great! Now to continue my search for a 1/48 scale Crane...

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Tony--sorry that you had the little mishap.  In addition to a toothpick to remove the offending leaks, I might consider using a plastic polish, like NOVUS #2, applied using a Q-tip or something similar to slowly work it off, while masking off the dark color that you want to protect nearby to ensure a hard demarcation.  I love the assembly line.  

[tonyot]

1 hour ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Tony--sorry that you had the little mishap.  In addition to a toothpick to remove the offending leaks, I might consider using a plastic polish, like NOVUS #2, applied using a Q-tip or something similar to slowly work it off, while masking off the dark color that you want to protect nearby to ensure a hard demarcation.  I love the assembly line.  

Thanks mate,......I`ve got most of it off using a tooth pick and very light sanding,...... hopefully I can save them by touching up,.....we`ll see!

Cheers

         Tony

[tonyot]

On 6/9/2020 at 6:06 PM, Shark444 said:

Tony, these look great - don't let the Tamiya tape get you down.  Go have a brew up and come back tomorrow with a clear head and a fresh outlook.  Re-mask and touch up - Hakuna Matata, baby!

 

Looking great! Now to continue my search for a 1/48 scale Crane...

Halifax Modellers World in the UK have some, around £50 or so,...... Dave the owner does mail order and his phone number is;

01422 349157

Website here;

https://www.halifaxmodellersworld.co.uk/

 

Cheers

          Tony

[jackroadkill]

What a coincidence - I was looking at this very kit this morning, as Hannants has them in.  I love the look of the aircraft (not that I know anything about them) and I think I'm going to put one on my to do list.

 

Incidentally, what's that yellow Blenheim about?  It looks interesting.

 

I'll enjoy seeing how these develop.

[tonyot]

31 minutes ago, jackroadkill said:

What a coincidence - I was looking at this very kit this morning, as Hannants has them in.  I love the look of the aircraft (not that I know anything about them) and I think I'm going to put one on my to do list.

 

Incidentally, what's that yellow Blenheim about?  It looks interesting.

 

I'll enjoy seeing how these develop.

Yellow Blenheim?.......Ahh gotcha,......that artwork,........no that is a Canadian Bolingbroke mate,...... sister of the Blenheim. Just google it and you`ll find loads,.....operational bomber, later used for training and coastal duties too. There are quite a few subtle changes to make and I built one here if you are interested;

You`ll enjoy the Crane kit mate,...... a nice looking aeroplane,....nicknamed the Bamboo Bomber!!

Cheers

          Tony

Edited June 12, 2020 by tonyot

[jackroadkill]

Just now, tonyot said:

Yellow Blenheim?.......Ahh gotcha,......that artwork,........no that is a Canadian Bolingbroke mate,...... sister of the Blenheim. Just google it and you`ll find loads,.....operational bomber, later used for training and coastal duties too. There are quite a few subtle changes to make and I built one here if you are interested;

You`ll enjoy the Crane kit mate,...... a nice looking aeroplane,....nicknamed the Bamboo Bomber!!

Cheers

          Tony

Hi Tony,  thanks very much for the info.  I'll check out your Bolingbroke thread - you've piqued my interest!

[tonyot]

Well I`ve had a struggle with these two,...... especially the black trim on the VIP aircraft,....... poor brush and thin paint plus rubbish masking and a shaky hand,...... but hopefully I`m there now after changing brush and waiting until my hand wasn`t as shaky,..it was hard trying to get the black around the nacelles symmetrical as it extended away from the nacelle and onto the wing;

 

So gloss varnish on and ready for the decals,...... I`m still trying to find a set of wooden Oxford/Anson style blades for the yellow trainer rather than the metal props provided in the kit,

 

Cheers

           Tony

[AdrianMF]

They are both looking great.

 

Talking of Oxfords, the picture of a cockpit back in post #1 is actually of an Oxford cockpit. Are the propellers the same rotational direction as the metal ones in the picture of post #1? If you aren't too bothered about the direction, I might have a spare pair from an AZ Envoy or Oxford. When I did a FROG Oxford last year in the Trainers GB I ended up making my own because all the spares went the wrong way. If you aren't too bothered about the direction, I might have a spare pair from an AZ Envoy or Oxford.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[tonyot]

26 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

They are both looking great.

 

Talking of Oxfords, the picture of a cockpit back in post #1 is actually of an Oxford cockpit. Are the propellers the same rotational direction as the metal ones in the picture of post #1? If you aren't too bothered about the direction, I might have a spare pair from an AZ Envoy or Oxford. When I did a FROG Oxford last year in the Trainers GB I ended up making my own because all the spares went the wrong way. If you aren't too bothered about the direction, I might have a spare pair from an AZ Envoy or Oxford.

 

Regards,

Adrian

Thanks Adrian,..... I`ve just double checked and the Oxford props turn in the opposite direction,...... so good call,..... however the Anson`s props turn in the same direction as the RCAF Cranes. So it looks like I need some Anson props,...... I may have to trash an old Anson kit if I have one? 

 

Also,... I did wonder about that drawing as the canopy framing looked more Oxford like,...... but it was labelled as a Crane and I just assumed it was a post war one or something,..... well spotted.

 

Cheers

            Tony

Edited July 9, 2020 by tonyot

[72modeler]

You have but to ask, sir! Do these help? (Waiting for somebody to do decals for Sky King's original Songbird, which IIRC is still in existence!)

Mike

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cessna_Crane_cockpit.jpg

 

http://silverhawkauthor.com/canadian-warplanes-4-the-second-world-war-cessna-crane_852.html

 

https://www.flight-manuals-online.com/product/cessna-at-17-uc-78-crane/

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cessna_Bobcat_cockpit_(11343087775).jpg

 

http://www.mikejamesmedia.com/cessna_t50_12.html

 

 

[Space Ranger]

1 hour ago, 72modeler said:

(Waiting for somebody to do decals for Sky King's original Songbird, which IIRC is still in existence!)

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the original Songbird at last report is nothing more than scrap. It went through many changes of ownership to be finally purchased by a Missouri cropduster who wanted the Lycoming engines for his dusters. It was pretty well worn out; in fact, its final flight (to Missouri) was on a one-time ferry permit with landing gear extended. The Missouri cropduster is now deceased, but the registration N67832 is still maintained by his wife, presumably for sentimental reasons.

 

Decals for Songbird were included in the Czech Model 1/48 kit, and I'll be happy to scan them and post them here for anyone interested. I assisted Squadron in the development of that kit.

 

Thanks for those links, especially that to silverhawk.com. That one was new to me.

Edited July 9, 2020 by Space Ranger