Pilatus PC-12/45 - Okavango Delta rescue airplane - 1/72 Amodel

[Dennis_C]

Hello to all!

 

Here is my latest completed model - Pilatus PC-12/45 - that I finished as part of 'Give Piece a Chance' group build here on the forum. 

 

 

As I was making this model I learnt quite a lot about Pilatus PC-12 but also about the small Okavango Air Rescue team and about Okavango Delta too. Pilatus PC-12 model is quite unique on the market to this day being the only widely available single-engine airplane of such class (7-9 passengers). There are some smaller single-prop aircraft such as Piper Meridian typically with up to 6 capacity including the pilot. Beechcraft developed a Denali model which I think is the only directly comparable to PC-12. But that is not yet in production. Pilatus PC-12 is being produced for over 30 years already with over 2000 aircraft sold so looks like it is a very commercially successful airplane. And quite beautiful too!

 

 

The Okavango Air Rescue team is serving Okavango Delta basin from the Maun International Airport located respectively in a Maun town which is a gateway to Okavango river delta. As I was able to understand from public sources, Okavango Air Rescue company is a not-for-profit organization being funded by patronage system and providing free rescue to its patrons visiting Okavango Delta as well as to local population. And I believe in an emergency they will rescue other tourists but for a fee. The company was founded about 15 years ago by air rescue professionals from Switzerland and now operates two Pilatus PC-12 airplanes as well as couple helicopters.  

 

 

I will not write Wikipedia information about the Okavango Delta. I could only say that now I've placed Botswana on my to-do travel destinations list. Not sure how soon I could be able to go there - but this red Pilatus will be reminding me about that idea.

 

The Amodel kit is definitely not in the Eduard or Tamiya league. In particular, my kit had some mismolded areas on the fuselage bottom side. On the other hand parts fit each other okay. Even windows were transparent and well fit the openings. Externally the model looks very much like real Pilatus PC-12. For example, lower fuselage side has some noticeable shapes that were reproduced seemingly accurate (but had to be restored after treatment of mismoldings). Amodel seems appropriately catered for variations between different PC-12 configurations. Also the kit has some nice photoetch parts including super tiny static electricity dischargers. A nice touch. On the other hand some better resin or 3D printed engine exhausts could be very beneficial as plastic parts are very agricultural. 

 

 

I also made a good amount of scratchbuilt updates:

- first and foremost I added a scratch passenger cabin with seats and medical beds

- added couple minor parts to the pilots' cabin

- another big update was replacement of rudimentary piece of plastic in the front wheel well with a representation of a real wheel bay

- added some details into the main wheel bays

- added some walling to the intake to remove the 'cave effect'

- I made properly rotating propeller

- lastly added wire antenna at the tail fuselage

Other than that it is a out-of-box project. No aftermarket was used as none is really available. More information on my updates with pictures are available in the build thread in the GB forum

 

 

Couple last points on the model - red colour is Tamiya XF-7 covered in two major runs by gloss microscale finish. Decals are Decograph printed and coming from the box. They behaved excellently!

 

 

Some more close up pictures of wing tips, undercarriage and tail area with those navigation lights and static dischargers  

 

 

Lastly I have some special pictures for you. Firstly obviously Pilatus PC-12 next to Pilatus PC-6

 

 

Next is a pair of my business jets (or turboprops) completed so far

 

 

and next I pulled together all four red-painted models that I have in collection. Someone mentioned in my build thread that Pilatus PC-12 makes a nice splash on the shelves - just wanted to show that there are luckily a bit more than just one red splash already!

 

 

Thanks for watching! And happy modelling to all of you

 

Kind regards,

Dennis

Edited May 19 by Dennis_C

[Way Out]

Dennis that is not a type you see modelled every day, it a very tidy example as well, thank you for explaining the purpose of Okavango Air Amblance 

[Toryu]

Beautiful. Thanks for posting it with your other models - some unique examples there!

[Dennis_C]

Hi folks, and thanks for the likes and comments!

18 hours ago, Way Out said:

that is not a type you see modelled every day,

 

17 hours ago, Toryu said:

Thanks for posting it with your other models - some unique examples there!

I do find it more rewarding to myself - adding models to collection that not a lot of other modellers have  Not a great fond of building another Bf-109G or F-16 (you still can't have enough Spitfires )

[Toryu]

On 20/05/2025 at 12:18, Dennis_C said:

adding models to collection that not a lot of other modellers have

 

Me too!

 

On 20/05/2025 at 12:18, Dennis_C said:

you still can't have enough Spitfires

 

The RAF would have been happy to possess just a fraction of the Spitfires in 1940 that have been posted here 😇

 

[Dmitriy1967]

A very beautiful model and an interesting story about an airplane.

I looked at the satellite images of Maun airport and saw this red plane there! 🙂

[Dennis_C]

11 minutes ago, Dmitriy1967 said:

A very beautiful model and an interesting story about an airplane.

I looked at the satellite images of Maun airport and saw this red plane there! 🙂

Exactly I also checked that one is parked there at the very end of parking area. Also on the Okavango Air Rescue site there is a map with rescue radius from their base in Maun. They also write on the web-site that they provide flight courses there. 

Circles indicated 15,30,45,60 and 120 minutes evacuation time.

Edited May 21 by Dennis_C

[Phoenix44]

Very nice! I first visited Maun in 1984, on a year off between school and university. I visited again some 10 years later but haven't been back since. The Okavango is unique, an extraordinary place in flood time. A great model.

[Dennis_C]

18 hours ago, Phoenix44 said:

Very nice! I first visited Maun in 1984, on a year off between school and university. I visited again some 10 years later but haven't been back since. The Okavango is unique, an extraordinary place in flood time. A great model.

Thank you for the comment! This model actually opened for me what Okavango Delta is. A truly unique hydrological and biological place on Earth. And an interesting tourist destination. Not something I knew about before despite I think I have quite profound knowledge of geography