KP 1/72 Cessna Crane Mk.1A
I don't usually build 1/72 scale models, but I have liked this plane since I first saw it in the old TV series Sky King (Yes, I am that old). I thought this kit might be a challenge when I got it, but I am recuperating from some surgery and this seemed like the perfect time to build it.
A little background:
This plane started out as the Cessna Model T-50 in the 1930s, a commercial twin-engine plane that was designed to be relatively easy to fly. In 1940, the US Army Air Corps began acquiring the T-50 as a trainer that would serve as a transition for pilots who were graduating from pilot training and then going on to multi-engine combat assignments. The T-50 was called the AT-17 Bobcat (as a trainer) and the UC-78 (as a light transport) while in the US Air Corps. The Canadians also bought the plane, calling it the Crane Mk.1. It was initially delivered with wooden props to Canada. This initial Canadian order was later to increased to 460 additional aircraft. In order to fill this large order, 182 AT-17s were diverted from an American order and delivered to the Canadians. These planes had the metal prop used by the Americans and were called the Crane Mk.1A.
I had built KP kits before and they were fairly primitive. This kit looked much more refined. The biggest problem I had was really self-inflicted. The floor of the actual plane is parallel to the belly of the plane until it reaches the wooden wing spar, where it is inclined up. The kit floor is completely flat. I decided to add the wing spar and incline the front floor. Unfortunately I had failed to consider that an instrument panel and rudder pedals would still need to fit. I ended up cutting the rudder pedals off so that the IP would fit. All of the extra work on the floor was invisible anyway. The worst problem with the kit itself was that the clear plastic pieces for the two rear windows on each side of the cabin were too small by far to fit. I used Micro Krystal Klear from Microscale to fill the spaces, which worked great.
This was the first model I have built in a while where I didn't use photoetch, masks, and all the other goodies. If I were to build this model again I would probably leave it in a showroom finish rather than use weathering. I have the 1/48 Squadron model of the Songbird from Sky King, which I intend to build as a military version. But that is farther down the build queue. Cheers
Nice work George ! George R Blair Jr ·
Sometimes after completing a model where I have added some dirt / grime on, I too have had second thoughts about it afterwards.
I like the look of a well maintained aircraft and for me it’s just as good.
There was a man who lived nearby at the Bob Lee Airport. He had a Cessna “bamboo bomber” in storage. He had a nice Stearman too. There’s not many of these Cessna’s left.
You have done a great job with your model. Sometimes we need to get back to the basics and when we do, we often realize that all of these extra bells and whistles like PE parts are not really necessary after all.
I definitely clicked on the “like” button.
Hopefully you can continue with your walking and building as you have been. Modelling is great therapy too.
Looks great! Sometimes KP kits can be a challenge.
Thanks, Robert (@roofrat). This one was a lot better than the old ones from KP.
Thanks, Louis (@lgardner). As an old T-37 driver, I have a soft spot for all things Cessna. I was thinking about all of those cold Canadian winters and I started piling on the weathering. These Cessna's were made out of wood, so they probably don't last long if someone doesn't take the time to save them.
Turned out well, George, great colour scheme. I hope your recovery programme continues successfully.
Thanks, George (@chinesegeorge). I love yellow trainers. Surgery went well, but I am a bad patient. I start feeling better and then do something that I'm not supposed to. One step at a time.
Very nice George @gblair. Nice to see something a little different. Is the Squadron/Encore version the same moulds as this kit?
I barely remember watching Sky King on tv back then. Wasn’t there a character named Penny? Spielberg should make a movie of the show since he’s still a kid at heart and loves prop planes.
Hope your health issues go away and all will be good.
Thanks, Eric (@eb801). The Squadron version was made by Czech Model and is 1/48. I think it will build up into a nice kit. I don't remember much either, but I do recall a Penny. My recovery would be quicker if I didn't keep doing stuff that I'm not supposed to.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Absolutely gorgeous, George! Love your cockpit improvements!
Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten), but the angled floor was the opposite of an improvement. Perhaps if I had planned ahead and measured how much to angle the floor before I did it. Planning ahead, now that's a concept I need to embrace.
Absolutely nice work on this one, George @gblair
The correction on the windows is perfectly done, a not so easy to perform correction at this scale.
With your skills this bird looks much bigger than a 1/72 scale.
Well done.
Thanks, John (@johnb). I was surprised by how clear the rear windows turned out.
Nice work again, George! Looks like a fun little kit.
Thanks, John (@j-healy). It is tiny compared to the Silbervogel.
Looks great! Nice work!
Thanks, Scott (@guitarhack5).
Nice looking Bobcat - or Crane. I got one myself a few years back.
Thanks, Chas (@chasbunch). It is a nice kit and builds up easily. Aside from the rear windows, everything went as planned.
A cool build of an unusual subject, George @gblair. I have never seen one of these built. The interior you did looks great, even without photo-etch. Yellow is hard to weather, but I think you did a convincing job. Happy you persevered in spite of challenges with the floor. It is interesting to compare this design with the Anson, which was a contemporary in Canadian service. They would have both been central to the Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada, which made Canada the "Airdrome of Democracy" - according to FDR. 131,533 Allied pilots and aircrew trained all over the country, more than in any other country involved in the CATP. This is probably more or less forgotten history, even to Canadians. I know about it partly because my grandmother's Norwegian-Canadian family hosted Norwegian trainees on their farm in Saskatchewan who were part of the contingent of students from occupied countries. Canada became their home away from home for a while. The prairies were cold in winter but the flying weather was excellent and the terrain very forgiving for forced landings.
Hi Colin (@coling):
I think I read that the Anson was in the same niche as the Crane. War-related training was growing so quickly that I suspect that there were plenty of customers for both airplanes. You don't see that spirit of selflessness and sharing any more. I have often wondered if we were in the same situation today if we would see the same response from the public. I was an instructor pilot in the T-37 in Oklahoma for 4 years. I think the topography and weather were very similar to Sasketchewan. Lots of flat, rolling fields of grain. Hot in the summer, and in the winter we would get ice storms and freezing winds that would sweep down out of Canada and turn Oklahoma into a giant freezer. I remember one winter walking out to my car and finding 4 inches of solid ice on it. I stood there for a minute with my keys in my hand, then finally decided I wasn't going in to the squadron that day.
Very nice - I enjoy the unusual subjects!
Thanks again, Greg (@gkittinger). I'm always on the lookout for something a little different.