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1/72 - North American AT-6/SNB & Harvard IIB-IV by Special Hobby (Academy plastic) - released - new boxing AT-6C/D & SNJ-3/3C


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18 minutes ago, Max Headroom said:

Lebanese.....👍🏻

 

The Armycast decals include a rather attractive Lebanese scheme, they claim it's a T-6G but Googling it shows it to be a Harvard.

 

See here and here

 

It's got the short exhaust (but that's an easily replaced part anyway), and the short canopy fairing but has the earlier canopy (with extra frames), what mark of Harvard would this be?

 

This could be my 2nd subject :hmmm:

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It's a Mk.IIA or III basically a T-6D but I don't understand what you mean by the early canopy (with extra frames).  All the wartime version canopies were the same, apart from the rear section.

 

I must admit being a bit unsure how the RAF kept that many Lend-Lease Harvards after the war, as they were supposed to have been returned and the ones the RAF kept were almost entirely Canadian-built Mk.IIBs.  maybe they were a batch in an MU that was forgotten.

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

I don't understand what you mean by the early canopy (with extra frames).

 

Quite simply, early canopy = the extra frames in the sliding and centre portions, later canopy = T-6G canopy with fewer frames.

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@Wez certainly very ‘busy’ looking planes! However what I was remembering was a photo and side view in an old SAM where the machine had a RAF serial.

 

@Graham Boak We also kept Dakotas post war too and loads of Packard built Merlins for Spitfire 16’s. I can only imagine they were bought or gifted and ownership transferred.

 

Trevor

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On 3/24/2021 at 8:52 AM, 85sqn said:

It's a can of worms but basically North American produced the AT-6 variants. If these were exported to Commonwealth service they became known as a Harvard with the following variants:

 

Harvard MkII, Harvard MkIIa and Harvard MkIII. There is not really much difference between these and AT-6 A, C and D. They are 'Texans' and so have short exhaust, the shorter rear canopy with one less frame than the Canadian built aircraft and are usually fitted with undercarriage doors. The III has a 24V electrical system and the IIa had wooden fuselage panelling. Later in life these were upgraded to aluminium as per the II and III.

 

The Noorduym built Harvard is the MkIIb. It has a long exhaust with heater pipe that taps into the cockpit, no gear doors, longer canopy with extra frame. If used by the US it went by the designation AT-16. The IIb is what the RAF mostly used. 

 

Internal colours differ. With US built a/c in the US Interior green and Canadian built in the Green/Grey of most RAF aircraft of the period. Other differences will involve instrument panels and control columns.

 

There's more differences like armament but that covers most.

 

 

There is one thing I'd like to add I recently gleaned. Some of the early MkII's actually had the long exhaust. It is exactly the same part number as that used on the MkIIb and post-war MK4.

 

Verbatim from the oracle Shane Clayton - The long exhaust came out on the NA-66 (first Mk II's) and was used on the NA-75's, NA-76's (including AJ841 now Wacky Wabbit) NA-81's and all the Noorduyn-built Mk IIB's and AT-16's. It continued on to the postwar Mk 4. Same part numbers

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11 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

 

I must admit being a bit unsure how the RAF kept that many Lend-Lease Harvards after the war, as they were supposed to have been returned and the ones the RAF kept were almost entirely Canadian-built Mk.IIBs.  maybe they were a batch in an MU that was forgotten.

Maybe it was creative accounting, tell the US that all the lease lend ones you wanted to keep were written off in accidents where they might in fact have been British owned ones.  Just a thought, I'm sure fine upstanding British bureaucrats would never have sunk so low. :unsure:

Steve.

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10 hours ago, Wez said:

 

Quite simply, early canopy = the extra frames in the sliding and centre portions, later canopy = T-6G canopy with fewer frames.

It was described as being an ex-RAF aircraft.  The RAF didn't have any T-6Gs.

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Absolutely right the RAF didnt have any -G's which were remanufactured from the late 1940s/50s and issued outside the US under MDAP, then you have the Harvard IV from CCF....

 

The wartime machines had a bracer on the side of the sliding and fixed canopies - on the sliding canopy sides  these bracers had a T handle which you could yank and the central 'bar' withdrew two spring loaded spigots releasing the bar and allowing the glass to be pushed out either side to escape. Note the bottom of these bracers swells out at the bottom (they are not straight lines) to accomodate the handle. The top did not have an escape handle. 

 

I have seen several which had a one of the two piece side panels removable for photography etc  without pulling the T handle. IIRC Boscombe fitted them.

 

The -G and the IV had single glazed side panels and could have two-pane or single pane tops. In warbird circles they are all mixed and matched but of course many people prefer the single glazed panels as it improves visibility no-end though it spoils the 'wartime' look.  Then you have the different Harvard multi pane 'long turtle deck' mentioned above the T-6 short turtle deck- fixed - which was also on some Harvards, then the short swivel rear canopy end bit which wasnt fixed and per above could be swung over the head and pushed forward for gunnery - mainly for T-6s. As they could all be chopped and changed...check your references!

 

Lastly you have the awful single perspex glazed end canopy used on the -J and others. Bloody awful.

 

The Harvard/T-6/SNJ family is a minefield - many parts are interchangeable, many are not and some have been made to fit!

 

TT 

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  • Homebee changed the title to 1/72 - North American AT-6/SNB & Harvard IIB-IV by Special Hobby (Academy plastic) - schemes - release April 2021
  • Homebee changed the title to 1/72 - North American AT-6/SNB & Harvard IIB-IV by Special Hobby (Academy plastic) - released
On 26/03/2021 at 08:11, stevehnz said:

Maybe it was creative accounting, tell the US that all the lease lend ones you wanted to keep were written off in accidents where they might in fact have been British owned ones.  Just a thought, I'm sure fine upstanding British bureaucrats would never have sunk so low. :unsure:

Steve.

Slightly off topic, but one of my Father's first jobs when he joined the RAF in 1945 was taking a sledgehammer to a hanger full of Lend Lease Harley Davidsons. 

Couldn't be sold on, and too expensive to ship back to the US.

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40 minutes ago, John_W said:

Slightly off topic, but one of my Father's first jobs when he joined the RAF in 1945 was taking a sledgehammer to a hanger full of Lend Lease Harley Davidsons. 

Couldn't be sold on, and too expensive to ship back to the US.

 

The horror! 😬

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This looks like a nice box of bits and hard to believe it’s taken this long to get a Harvard IIb OOB (to a degree). I’ve never been overly happy with the way Academy moulded the wheel wells, however this will remain the best 1/72 option unless someone else comes around with a better one. 
Cheers.. Dave 

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  • Homebee changed the title to 1/72 - North American AT-6/SNB & Harvard IIB-IV by Special Hobby (Academy plastic) - released - new Avalon decals

Some of those schemes have all been done before either as a kit option or aftermarket decals. But still interesting options.

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