At the time of its 1953 debut, the Piasecki H-16 Transporter was the largest helicopter ever built and was capable of carrying nearly 50 passengers. The company had envisioned it as a long-range rescue helicopter, and its load-carrying capability interested both the U.S. Army and Air Force, who evaluated two prototypes. The machine didn’t disappoint in its capabilities, but the crash of the second prototype in January 1956 led to the cancellation of the program, and the H-16 never saw production.
It was an unconventional aircraft in several ways, one being its having two separate engine rooms to house its twin Pratt & Whitney R-2180 powerplants. The prototype YH-16s went through several different modifications, including various stabilizer configurations and, as the YH-16A, conversion from the R-2180s to Allison T-38-A gas turbine powerplants, earning it the name Turbo Transporter. The follow-on YH-16B had upgraded Allison T-56-A turbines. The model represents the first prototype, though internet reference photos and videos also show differences in markings and appearance during its testing.
Molded in silver plastic, the Atlantis 1/96 scale H-16 Transporter plastic model kit features raised panel lines and rivets, and embossed guides for decal placement. On my sample, one belly half was missing its detail. Prominent sink marks were present, along with shallow ejector-pin marks and a little flash, but the basic moldings were nicely done. The two rotor heads were excellent.
A sprue of clear parts contains the forward bubble, shoulder rear view blisters, and an overhead crew observation window port. The parts are good quality and optically clear, but a bit on the thick side — typical for the kit’s 1955 first-issue vintage. Also included is a four-piece clear “globe stand” (older modelers may remember the “Revelving stand” in their kits), which may be used to display the model in flight attitude. A “collector’s card” also comes in the kit that features Jack Leynnwood’s superb box art on one side and a concise history of the aircraft and Atlantis Models on the other.
A basic but nice flight deck with consoles and controls is provided, along with two seated crew figures. A certain amount of detail is molded into the flight deck braces.
After cleaning up nuisance flash and mold marks, the fit of the sturdy parts was good, with no warping or short shots — locating pins and aids make assembly easy and straightforward. The rotor blades were molded with sharp trailing edges, and connecting them to the rotor heads was virtually a snap-fit. The short but fairly concise instruction sheet shows assembly and basic color and marking information as names only (red, yellow, etc.) with no FS references or established lines of model paints.
The instructions tell you to install the rotor hubs before the fuselage halves are joined, but they would be in the way when sanding the longitudinal seams. I left them off until final assembly. With a little planning, they can be secured with their interior retainers after the fuselage halves are assembled by accessing the rotor shafts through the open front fuselage and rear ramp area.
Surface detail suffered from filling and sanding large sink marks. I tried restoring some of what was lost using a rivet embossing tool, but the pressure needed caused me to pop the fuselage seam, setting me back a step. After repairing that area and following painting, I added rows of Mike Grant decal rivets to break up the large panels.
Reference photos show variations in markings, but the general finish was natural metal. I used Tamiya lacquer over black primer. The decals worked well, but the national insignia were smaller than the embossed pattern areas for them, which spoiled their appearance. The triangular unit badge for the tail looks like it could be a variation on the original Piasecki Helicopter Company logo, but I couldn’t find a match for it.
I couldn’t get the rear ramp to snap into place so it would operate. Instead, I glued it in the open position. The final assembly of fuselage, flight deck, clear parts, and rotors gave me a finished product that was an enjoyable build after only 14 hours at the workbench. The Atlantis 1/96 scale H-16 Transporter plastic model kit is suitable for beginning modelers as well as adventurous ones who’d fancy a detailed cockpit. That big, clear greenhouse bubble is beckoning.