RVHP 1/72 Beechcraft TC-12B Huron

[hsr]

Continuing with my trainer aircraft series this is my RVHP 1/72 Beechcraft TC-12B Huron advance trainer. The C-12 is the military version of Beechcraft's Super King Air and the TC-12B version was used to train Navy multi-engine (future E-2) pilots. This is my first RVHP complete kit and I would rank it as middle of the road as far as quality of casting and fit. Interior detail was descent. The resin transparencies were mostly transparent. The landing gear was made from a stronger black resin. Unfortunately they give it a nose down attitude. The decals were printed on a continuous film so careful trimming was required, but they otherwise caused no trouble. The kit was the UC-12B version but since the TC-12's were converted from the UC-12's this only required a minor tweak to the aircraft data decal. RVHP makes a TC-12 boxing but it has markings for a US Navy Centennial aircraft that had early WW II markings so wasn't useful for my purposes. A couple of notes for anyone else doing this build are first,; the engine exhaust are too big for the holes in the nacelles and will require enlarging, something that will be very difficult once the wings are attached to the fuselage. The main gear doors are much to short for the wheel well openings* and the front gear doors are too thin and flexible to be used, so new ones will need to be made. My biggest disappointment is that despite careful measuring and cutting I still did not get the masking for the white borders around the stars and bars right. Decals with the border would have been really helpful.

 

So here it is:

 

 

Continuing with trainers next up is Declari's Diamond DA40/T-53

 

Enjoy

 

*I based this on a review build that I had read. I have since looked at a bunch of pictures and it looks like some of these had shorter doors with the wheel partially exposed when retracted and some had longer door and the wheel completely retracted. So I am not sure what is right. 

 

 

[noelh]

It's a pity trainers aren't more popular as they often make the most colourful subjects. Plus there's a huge variety of schemes. Particularly variants of the King Air and Super King Air. 

 

Nice one. 

[hsr]

1 hour ago, noelh said:

It's a pity trainers aren't more popular as they often make the most colourful subjects.

With the exception of Sword the trainers don't get a lot of love from the mainstream kit makers. Luckily there are the resin makers.

1 hour ago, noelh said:

Particularly variants of the King Air and Super King Air. 

 

RVHP makes a T-44 AKA King Air. I'll be working on that in a month or so.

 

Thanks

[TheyJammedKenny!]

This is excellent!  Looking forward to your results on the T-44, too!  The T-44 was the aircraft many of our USAF C-130 type-rated pilots did their multi-engine training back when I was in the service.  It was part of an effort to save money and consolidate resources.  IIRC, some of the navigators did their training on the T-44, too, as UNT was consolidated with the Navy's program after we reopened the Navigator/WSO/EWO pipeline.  

[hsr]

5 minutes ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

The T-44 was the aircraft many of our USAF C-130 type-rated pilots did their multi-engine training back when I was in the service.  It was part of an effort to save money and consolidate resources.  IIRC, some of the navigators did their training on the T-44, too, as UNT was consolidated with the Navy's program after we reopened the Navigator/WSO/EWO pipeline.  

The T-44C Pegasus replaced the TC-12B's (I think they proceeded them too) and I think you are right about them training navigators

 

Thanks

[busnproplinerfan]

Attractive plane, like the scheme. These are somehow civvy owned here and contracted to the air force for training.

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Lovely result Howard. 🏆

 

I have an RVHP B200 in the works (almost ready for paint) and about to start a B350 for a GB here (plus an MC-12 as well which has had parts cleaned up) which all came with white metal landing gear. I also think the deals for them are screen printed.

 

I have the wing/engines together on the B200 and will have to look to see if the exhausts will go in!

 

Looking forward to you next one.

[hsr]

1 hour ago, busnproplinerfan said:

These are somehow civvy owned here and contracted to the air force for training.

Same thing here with the Diamond DA20, DA40 and Cirrus SR20. All for primary training.

 

1 hour ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

I have the wing/engines together on the B200 and will have to look to see if the exhausts will go in!

Good luck with it.

[hsr]

2 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Looking forward to your results on the T-44, too!

The T-44 has the same color scheme as the TC-12 and I didn't want to do basically the same thing 2 times in a row, so I will build a couple of others first. 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

55 minutes ago, hsr said:

I didn't want to do basically the same thing 2 times in a row

LOL!  I can understand your wanting to give it a little break and work on something more "fun," like another Mercator (you've been there/done that), for example!  After all, I think the T-44 is just a stripped-down King Air, with no passenger seats, and rather old flight deck instrumentation.  One of the female pilots I worked with laughed when I asked whether it had "autoland."  I think she confirmed that it would be a rough landing!

[twinpin]

Very nice

[hsr]

 

On 4/27/2021 at 4:46 PM, TheyJammedKenny! said:

This is excellent!  Looking forward to your results on the T-44, too! 

 

Here you go

 

 

[Wulfman]

Beautiful Beechcraft, great build and finish !

 

Wulfman

[David H]

This KingAir pilot thinks it looks great. Very cool choice of paint scheme.

 

-d-