Kit: No. 4809
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Czech Model, distributed by Squadron Mail Order, 1115 Crowley Drive, Carrollton, TX 75011-5010, 972-242-8663, www.squadron.com
Price: $29.95
Comments: Multimedia, 60 parts (49 injection-molded, 9 resin, 2 vacuum-formed), decals
Pros: Good fit, good resin seats with harness, excellent decals
Cons: Not much detail for cockpit, landing gear, and wheel wells
Based on the Beechcraft Bonanza, the T-34 was designed as a military primary trainer. In service since 1953, the piston-engined Mentor has been used by both the U.S. Air Force and Navy.
Between 1977 and 1990, more than 350 Navy B models were converted to turboprops and redesignated T-34Cs. Most naval aviators spent time in “Charlies” on their way to pure jet trainers such as the T-2 Buckeye or T-45 Goshawk. T-34Cs will be replaced by new T-6 “Texan II” trainers during the next few years.
This is the first 1/48 scale kit of this important trainer. The plastic parts are made in the Czech Republic, and Squadron’s True Details adds a resin cockpit tub, seats, wheels, and exhaust pipes.
The shiny gray plastic has fine scribed panel lines and is a little softer than usual. The resin seats are well-done and have harnesses molded on, but the cockpit tub, nose gear well, and wheels would have been better made in plastic. I used the plastic wheels, because the resin ones looked too squashed.
Small plastic parts such as the nose gear doors, strakes, and antennas are too thick for the scale. There are no positive locators for installing the resin cockpit tub or the back-seater’s coaming. You just have to fuss with them until they look right. None of the photos I’ve seen show the small navigation antennas (parts B22) on the fin; I probably should have deleted them.
The fit was good, and I didn’t use any filler. Even the canopy, once it had been trimmed, fit well. The resin nose wheel well (part R3) was the most difficult part to install. Its contours don’t match the interior of the fuselage halves. It would be better to carve a larger opening in the nose and let the edges of the resin well sit flush with the outside of the fuselage. This would also make the model sit nose-high, as it should.
The instructions specify adding weight to the nose, labeled as both .05-oz. (which is nearly nothing) and .5-oz. You’ll need plenty more than a half-ounce of weight to make the model sit on its nose gear. I packed lead weights into the available space, and it barely balances on the gear. The stout nose gear strut can handle the weight.
Shallow raised lines are molded into each side of the nose showing where to mount the intake parts – a welcome feature.
The assembly instructions make sense, but the two-view color-and-markings diagrams are incomplete. Several decals in the kit are not shown, including the wing codes, rescue arrows, and stenciling. There is no provision for the prominent wingtip navigation lights. I masked and sprayed these areas with Alclad II chrome and then simulated the bulbs with Tamiya clear red and green acrylics.
The most difficult step of the project was achieving a nice gloss paint job. I used Testor Model Master classic white and international orange for the trainer scheme. Many T-34Cs have deicer boots on the wings and empennage. I used black decal stripes to add them to my model.
The kit decals are thin and in register, but a bit fragile. They had a tendency to curl under the backing paper while sliding off. I pushed each into a puddle of water on the model to solve this problem. Setting solutions (even the mild Micro Set) worked too well, so I used it sparingly, and only on the decals that went around curves.
Most of the 40 hours I spent on my T-34C were in painting and masking. Compared to most models, this one was easy to put together. If you collect modern U.S. Navy aircraft in 1/48 scale, you’ll need this one.
Al Jones