An "Air Force" T-6

Hi All!

The movie “Air Force” is well worth watching if you like airplanes. It is not historical, there are many myths contained in the film, but the airplanes! Seen are RB-17C/B and D Fortresses, P-43s, P-39s, P-35s,Short Wing B-26s and T-6s. The T-6 is used as a Japanese and American aircraft in the film. It was apparently shot here in Florida, at the Sebring AFB.

The subject here is a T-6 substituting for an O-47. The sequence starts as an Observation Pilot takes the “Kid” ( Private Chester) up as his gunner. The Kid is the Second Radio and gondola gunner, he is also a new recruit and the youngest member of the “Mary-Ann”. The rest of the crew, working to repair the “Mary-Anne sees the Japanese attack the T-6, and when it is shot down ( pilot killed) the Kid takes to his parachute, and the dastardly Japanese strafe him in his chute on the way down, and when he gets on the ground and is killed.

After finishing the P-66, I needed an easy kit to build and pulled the Monogram T-6 from the stash. The kit follows Monogram's philosophy of adding as much detail as possible, with as few parts as possible. The kit is well-detailed. The cockpit will suffice all except those with AMD. The landing gear has brake lines molded on them. The Pratt and Whitney R-1340-49 Wasp 600hp radial engine looks good in the cowl with careful painting. It only lacks the baffles between the cylinders.

Assembly revealed no hidden pitfalls, just carefully fit parts and remove any flash. Fit is a typical 1970's Monogram, some fit well some are terrible. After being around the T-6s and the SNJ at the "Fighter Museum" here in Kissimmee, I left the rivets and raised panel lines as it is representative of the real plane. You will need filler on this kit. After careful pre-painting, the kit was assembled. I made three mistakes. First are the wheels. I used the kit wheels, but I needed P-51-style wheels. I allowed the carpet monster to devour a prop pitch weight and the gun mount (the mount was found later). After the seams were filled, filed, and sanded to my liking I wiped the entire model off with Isopropyl Alcohol. The model was painted with Vallejo Dark Olive Drab No.41 and Neutral Grey. Looking at the movie, and many pauses I determined the cowl ring to be yellow and it was painted with a tin of Humbrol "Authentic Colors" yellow, which has to be 50 years old! When the paint had cured, Future was applied for the gloss base, and the decals were applied using the Micro System. The National Insignia ( the movie has "Star and Ball" but to be historically accurate would have a red ball in the center of the insignia) and "US ARMY" came from an AmTech P-40E sheet and the serials came from an Aeromaster Number sheet.

When the decals dried, a second coat of Future was applied, and the model was then sprayed with a flat clear. When dry, I turned my attention to the clear parts. It started to go south when I attempted to attach the landing light covers. Both lept from the wing and did themselves in on the carpet monster, never to be seen again. There were some choice purple clouds ( I can curse like a sailor, 'cause I was one!) so onto the canopy. Well, they do not fit. I could only use the windscreen and the first two sliding hoods, as Monogram molded them so they could not be nested. I do not have the ability to heat and smash, so what you see is what you get.

The model represents a T-6 from the movie "Air Force" substituting for an O-47..

I enjoy building models of aircraft from the movies. I have a Spitfire and a Hispano from the "Battle of Britain", a Harrier GR.3 from "Mount Tumbledown", an F-47D from "Fighter Sqn.", a "German" Hurricane from "Captains of the Clouds" and now a T-6 from "Air Force". The Monogram T-6 is a solid kit that is in scale has a good shape and is well-detailed ( the gear has the brake lines molded on!) and with some TLC and basic modeling skills can be made into a fine model. Build some movie stars...its fun. I can recommend this kit to everyone.

Bruce

2 additional images. Click to enlarge.