Twin prop civil airplanes

[Drakendk]

Hi there fellow modellers.

 

Does anybody knows about any 1/72 kits of smaller civil twin engine prop airplanes like the Cessna 402, 414 or 421, or the Piper Aerostar?

 

It semes as there is not many kits out there. I can only find some very limited edition resin kits.

 

any suggestions?

[Graham Boak]

Hannants had some of the old Kleeware/Comet kits for sale in their Second hand section.- possibly the Aztec and the Beech Super 18.  There are of course lots of kits of the Beech 18,   There are a number of kits of the Beech King Air, mainly military but presumably convertible.    However it has never been a popular class of subject, just too ordinary I guess (and they don't kill people... not often, anyway.)  The Airfix Beagle Basset has just been rereleased.    There are always Islanders.

[Ben Brown]

As I’m sure you’re already aware, Gremlin Models made resin 1/72 C-402b, a 414, and a 421, among others: Link and VFR Models made a 3D printed Aerostar: Link

If you have access to a 3D printer, there a lot of print files of light aircraft available free on Thingiverse and usually for a small fee on Cults3D. There are several I plan to do in 1/144.

 

Ben

Edited June 19, 2024 by Ben Brown

[dnl42]

You'll need to sift through the results, but I did see twins in both lists

Cessna: https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?q=cessna*&fkSCALENORMALISED[]="1:00072"&fkSECTION[]=Kits

Piper: https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?q=piper*&fkSCALENORMALISED[]="1:00072"&fkSECTION[]=Kits

[Chief Cohiba]

The only fairly modern twin engine GA injection molded kit I know about is the A&A Beechcraft King Air, which comes in various guises, There are some kits from Business Jets, like various Gulfstream, and of course the more common single engine models like the Piper Cub or Cessna 17x, some rather dated, but still a good point to start from if you don't shy away from a little scratchbuilding. 

 

Other mainsttream models, like a Beechcraft Baron, or your Cessnas and Pipers, are if, only available in Resin, some by small manufactures with sometimes uncertain status. Scalemates is a good starting point for research, but availability will be on a different page.

 

It's for sure not like in military aviation, where you have any obscure variant of, say, a BF109 covered in any scale.

[Eric Mc]

I've picked up some (very) old Aurora 1/72 light aircraft at model shows recently. Only one was a twin though (Aero Commander 500).

[tempestfan]

3 hours ago, Eric Mc said:

I've picked up some (very) old Aurora 1/72 light aircraft at model shows recently. Only one was a twin though (Aero Commander 500).

If you hadn't mentioned them... there was also at least a Piper Aztec. It would be interesting to know whether the Aurora GA moulds were scrapped, or remained in the vast Revellogram toolbank and are now with Atlantis. 

And there is the Cessna 337, kitted by Airfix and Eidai (now Arii/MicroAce), but of course it's only a twin seater.

[klarkdame767]

Quote

 

You'll need to sift through the results, but I did see twins in both lists

Cessna: https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?q=cessna*&fkSCALENORMALISED[]="1:00072"&fkSECTION[]=Kits

Piper: https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?q=piper*&fkSCALENORMALISED[]="1:00072"&fkSECTION[]=Kits here is the full review 

 

I follow eBay auctions a lot. Sometimes I look at manufacturers' websites because they may have limited editions that are not available in regular stores.

Edited June 21, 2024 by klarkdame767

[Eric Mc]

Aurora did an Aztec and an Apache. I have an Aztec. The Apache seems to be an odd scale and not 1/72.

[Space Ranger]

13 hours ago, Eric Mc said:

Aurora did an Aztec and an Apache. I have an Aztec. The Apache seems to be an odd scale and not 1/72.

The Comet/Aurora Apache and Cessna 310 are 1/64 scale. VFR Models produces some very nice 3d printed 1/72 Beech Baron kits. Croco Models produced some 1/72 resin Aero Commander kits and a Beech Bonanza and Twin Bonanza. AirCast is producing some beautiful Cessna 310 models in resin, 1/72., as well as a Cessna 421.
 

The Cessna 337 is a 4-seat airplane, not 2-seat.

Edited June 20, 2024 by Space Ranger

[26Decals]

There is also the BroPlan Vac-form  Piper PA-31-310 Navajo and PA31-350 Chieftain .

[thorfinn]

Not sure where your 'smaller' cuts off, but there's the old Matchbox DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.

It was rereleased a few years ago by Revell and/or Revell Germany. It's a nice enough kit, w/cockpit but no cabin detail, and has options for floats, wheels and skis. Plus the short military nose or the longer civil nose.

[tempestfan]

5 hours ago, Space Ranger said:

The Cessna 337 is a 4-seat airplane, not 2-seat.

Indeed - I actually had an Airfix cockpit section in my hands the other day. Not sure why my fingers typed twin...

 

3 hours ago, thorfinn said:

Not sure where your 'smaller' cuts off, but there's the old Matchbox DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.

It was rereleased a few years ago by Revell and/or Revell Germany. It's a nice enough kit, w/cockpit but no cabin detail, and has options for floats, wheels and skis. Plus the short military nose or the longer civil nose.

And another notch upwards - Hobbycraft had a Dash 8 (I think it was an 8), and with a similar size, there's the F.27. But I guess that's outside of "smaller".

[Space Ranger]

6 hours ago, 26Decals said:

There is also the BroPlan Vac-form  Piper PA-31-310 Navajo and PA31-350 Chieftain .

And where can I find them at reasonable prices?

[tempestfan]

20 years ago I would've said "just down your high street at your friendly superstore"... I miss those days, when shipping from the US retained a modicum of sanity...

[rob Lyttle]

Definitely the Matchbox Dhc Twin Otter is a very buildable kit, and flown worldwide in so many liveries. 

Airfix Vintage Classics range has the Beagle 206 (RAF name is Basset) and the Handley Page JETSTREAM in the turbo prop category--  it needs a bit of effort to demilitarise. Also the twin-jet Hawker Siddeley HS125 

Special Hobby do a nice Lockheed L18 Lodestar, and you can bash their Hudson into a very presentable L14 Super Electra. They even have the little L10 Electra but last issued long time ago and tricky to find. 

PM Pioneer relaunched their Beech 18 fairly recently in various military guises, can be a challenge to get a decent result. 

I regret to say that civil aviation is very badly served and if there wasn't a military version of the subject plane, then there's almost no hope. 

For example, when I finally managed to get my hands on the Special Hobby L10 Electra, the supplied decals were for the Spanish Civil War and (I'm not kidding...) the Romanian airforce 🫣😶

Oh, the DC3 (Dakota) is a twin! 

[chrispisme]

Great topic! 
I love G.A. and civil aviation subjects and, have built quite a few myself (some even on here) Amodel (may have a new name to AA models now) makes a Beechcraft 1900 C and D, maybe a 90? I think they also make an injected Beech 200- 250 

so many right colors can be used on these kits!

check as well, Arctic Decals website, he makes some beautiful civil aircraft markings, he does custom work as well, very reasonably priced!

[zebra]

There's also the Revell Dornier 228 and Matchbox Dornier 28. And the Amodel Bandeirante, Xingu and Jetstreams. Possibly getting a bit away from the original question with these though.

42 minutes ago, chrispisme said:

check as well, Arctic Decals website, he makes some beautiful civil aircraft markings, he does custom work as well, very reasonably priced!

I second that! I used his decals on a Dragon Rapide a while ago, they were excellent. He also has resin kits of a few GA types including the Piper Seneca.

 

It would be great to see injection moulded kits of a lot more GA types, and there's a chance Amodel, KP or similar will help us I suppose, but it's probably going to be resin for most of them.

[Cklasse]

20 hours ago, thorfinn said:

Not sure where your 'smaller' cuts off, but there's the old Matchbox DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.

It was rereleased a few years ago by Revell and/or Revell Germany. It's a nice enough kit, w/cockpit but no cabin detail, and has options for floats, wheels and skis. Plus the short military nose or the longer civil nose.

This is a basic kit that needs some work if you want an accurate model but is otherwise nice built OOTB.

This is my build post for info.

Otter on the sand

 

I saw one nice looking twin engine plane in the Chinese website. I might get it someday.

[modelldoc]

Twin Prop's,

here is my collection:

 

Beechcraft 200 Super KIng Air:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/52915416133/in/dateposted/

 

DHC 6 Twin Otter:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/52482536518/in/dateposted/

 

Convair CV 440 (former 340):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/50500117653/in/dateposted/

 

Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer CC.Mk.1:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/49876935303/in/dateposted/

 

Dh.89A Dominie:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/49918384498/in/dateposted/

 

Lisunov Li-2:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/49730325801/in/dateposted/

 

De Havilland DH-104 Devon (Dove):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/47937957042/in/dateposted/

 

Ilyushin Il-14 M:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/46773909342/in/dateposted/

 

Lockheed 14 Super Electra:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/29172095667/in/dateposted/

 

Alenia HC-27J Spartan:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/27228840089/in/dateposted/

 

DC-3 CSR Dakota:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/37050925176/in/dateposted/

 

Canadair CL-415:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/33852101126/in/dateposted/

 

Fokker F-27 Mk 500 Friendship:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/32610003464/in/dateposted/

 

Mitsubishi Mu-2S:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/26956210031/in/dateposted/

 

NAMC YS-11:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16276455558/in/dateposted/

 

Douglas DC-3 Dakota:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16301575175/in/dateposted/

 

DHC-6 Air Ontario in flight for Air Canada:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15944859128/in/dateposted/

 

DHC-6 Twin Otter:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15944972290/in/dateposted/

 

Curtiss C-46:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16132109145/in/dateposted/

 

De Havilland Canada Dash 8 - 100:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15845269917/in/dateposted/

 

Dornier Do 228-201:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15399469303/in/dateposted/

 

Dornier Do-228-100:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16017127321/in/photostream/

 

Dornier Do-28 D-2 Skyservant:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15833041539/in/dateposted/

 

Beagle Basset CC Mk 1:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15991386125/in/dateposted/

 

Britten-Norman BN.2 Islander:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15698722979/in/dateposted/

 

Beechcraft C-45:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/13510816643/in/dateposted/

 

Antonov An-26 Curl:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/12051213283/in/dateposted/

 

Short Skyvan:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/8103630283/in/dateposted/

 

Bristol Superfreighter:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/7996549474/in/dateposted/

 

Handley Page Dart Herald:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/7387071596/in/dateposted/

 

Transall C-160 P Air France:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/7387057478/in/dateposted/

 

Nord 2502 Noratlas:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/6817754331/in/dateposted/

 

Vickers VC.1 Viking:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/6817740827/in/dateposted/

 

Handley Page Jetstream:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5323610449/in/dateposted/

 

Have a look

modelldoc

[Space Ranger]

I forgot to mention that Aurora’s Aero Commander is smaller than 1/72; about 1/85 IIRC, and has no landing gear, like the other Comet/Aurora light twins. If you want a true 1/72 Aero Commander, the Croco resin kits are your only option. Comet also did a Beech 18, but it’s about 1/60 or so and has no landing gear. Makes a very nice “desk model,” however. 

Both Pavla and KP have done kits of the Cessna T-50, a very popular light twin of the post-WW II period, and there are multiple boxings of the KP kits. I had a small input into the design of the KP kit, and can vouch for its accuracy. And KP has just released an Aero 145 Czech light twin in 1/72.

Edited June 21, 2024 by Space Ranger

[Drakendk]

Thank you so much for all your helpfull responces.

I guess i have to go on ebay and buy some of the rather pricy resin kits 🙂

 

[rob Lyttle]

There's a nice plastic kit of the Beech 18 in 1.48 scale. A good size for working on but not what you asked. It goes by the military name of C** Expeditor, maybe C45?? Fairly current and should be easy to find. 

Any model clubs near you? They're good for swaps and trading, and annual model shows usually have traders present. Often some old," recycled" and out of production kits that have sat in stashes for years. 

Beware some of the crazy Ebay prices 😜 

[modelldoc]

I forgot this little bee:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16841287690/in/dateposted/

 

modelldoc

[Hook]

If you're including Eastern European aircraft as well:

 

Cheers,

 

Andre