The versatile C-27J Spartan can adapt to almost any mission for transporting troops, medical evacuations, delivering paratroopers, air-dropping supplies, or transporting cargo. The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force have acquired several of these aircraft. Other countries, such as Greece, Italy, Lithuania, and Bulgaria, also have the C-27J in their inventories.
Inside the box are 12 nicely packaged sprues with 158 finely molded parts. Also included is a booklet with a photographic walkaround in color. The instructions include a brief history of the Spartan, a parts-tree breakdown, and a decal and paint reference guide, along with 21 steps to complete the model. Four distinctive aircraft can be built — two Italian, one Greek, and one Romanian.
Detail in the cockpit and the cargo area is outstanding, and you’ll actually be able to see a lot of it through the large windscreen. The interior of the aircraft is a kit of its own wrapped in a fuselage. The cargo door can be positioned opened or closed, as can the doors on the side of the fuselage.
Assembly of the outer fuselage is a chore; joining its three main components leaves a 1⁄8" gap beneath the aircraft near the front wheel well. I had to fill this gap with styrene strips and sand it smooth. However, the panel-line detail is nice and crisp.
The windscreen simply did not want to fit correctly. Filling and sanding is needed to smooth out the joints where fuselage and the clear parts meet. The wing assembly fit snugly into place and needed little work after it was glued in place.
Locating the proper parts for the version you choose to build can be a bit confusing. The instruction sheet is crowded, so finding this information can be difficult. Otherwise, the directions are easy to follow; I did not deviate from them at all.
The painting guide calls for FS36280 dark gray, but that color seemed light according to references. I chose Testors Model Master dark gull gray (FS36231) mixed with flat white to lighten it a bit.
The decals are very thin and settle into recessed details nicely with little or no solvent. The only areas where I noticed any silvering were places I missed giving a good gloss coat beforehand. Once the decals were in place, I traced panel lines with a lead pencil to help them stand out.
My Spartan took me about 25 hours to build, about what I expected when I opened the box. Overall I was happy with the kit. The fit problems were a bit of a letdown, however, especially with the moldings being so nicely detailed. Still, a builder with some experience should have no problem turning out a nice-looking aircraft.