At our TCAH meeting yesterday a friend brought in his AMT Stinson Reliant. Sure would like to get one- I bought one a few years ago at a flea market but it was missing the cowl and windshield.
But then, that AMT kit wasn’t the best anyway. Why does no one not make a modern, decent kit of a Reliant in any scale? That airplane has to be one of the prettiest airplanes ever! It was so iconic of the golden age of private aircraft, along with the Beech Staggerwing. Geez, civil aircraft just get no respect
I agree - Civil aircraft get no respect. I too would like to see both of these in a modern kit, preferably in 1/48 scale. I have both of the AMT kits and wouldn’t complain if they came back, bad as they were. I also would love to see a Cessna 180-185 and a Piper Pacer in a standard scale.
There is a nice kit of the Staggerwing! Thanks, Roden! There are two versions- one with military livery, one in the classic factory private markings. I bought mine too soon- the military version, though I built it as a civil version (had to make my own decals including the Beech speedbird). I thought it was a very nice kit, good interior detail and a seperate cabin door which I installed in the open position.
You get no disagreement here either Don. A good Reliant would be great. I have the Roden Staggerwing in the works right now (the later kit with the speedbird decals). How about a good 1/48th scale Cessna 208 Caravan, or a good DHC-6 Twin Otter in the same scale, or a good Canadair CL-600 CJR in the same scale, or a good Beech 18 that doesn’t cost an arm or leg, or a ???.. the list goes on and on. Your right, civil aircraft don’t get no respect.
No respect is right! I’d love to have a model of a Rockwell Aero Commander, because I often rode, and took unofficial flying lessons, in the one my employer owned back in the 60’s, during business trips.
I did see a really beat looking one recently, locally, but it didn’t seem right- the seats were too big and there was no aisle between them. Don’t see how pilots and passengers could get into it!
I imagine most of them have gone to the junk heap, by now.
The PM D-18 isn’t that bad a kit, and it certainly is cheap enough. It comes with military or british civil livery. But I like to do the D-18 in plain NMF, and black decals aren’t that hard to make. I have built two of them, have another kit on the shelf. I want to do a really polished NMF like one I saw pics of in a museum (I think it was the Beechcraft museum somewhere down south. Previous ones I did in alclad just plain aluminum.
Big fan of the Reliant here too, although I must admit the Staggerwing is my personal fave. Anywho, I just picked up the re-release kit of the AMT Reliant at my LHS in AZ. It looks like this is a new March 2015 re-release. Here is a link for those interested.
My friend Bob Maderich dropped by Thursday after picking up some paints for me (I am recouperating from surgery). He said he saw a couple of the old AMT Reliants on theie shelves. I felt good enough to run up there yesterday, but they were all gone. But they said indeed they were available and in stock at their distributor. So I ordered two, hope to get them Saturday. They are like $24 bucks apiece. They are not the greatest kits, many decades old. I will probably get resin engines for them as the very prominent engine is probably the worst part.
Don, I have the kit, started it but only glued the wings together and glued main gear legs on fuselage. Send me an address and it will be on it’s way to you, my pleasure.
The Roden 1:48 is a very nice kit. Here is a shot of my finished kit.
I ordered my kit before they had the civil version, so this is the military version with homemade decals. I had a diagram of the Beech Speedbird and other markings so it was pretty easy. The kit decals for the civil version are very similar to what you see on mine.
Picked up my order of the Reliant at LHS yesterday- got only one instead of two, distributor was out. Apparently these things are selling well!
Looking at the kit, it is good for its age. Still can’t decide whether to replace the engine. The one in the kit isn’t that bad, but those Engines and Things ones are so nice. Only really bad part are the steps- much larger than they should be. These will need to be either filed down or new ones made. Full interior with seats, control wheels and panel- and, a pilot, which I probably won’t use. Both cabin doors are open- I will glue on in, depict other open. I love open cabin doors showing interior better, as you can see by my staggerwing!
Nice stagger. The antique aero/auto museum in Hood River OR has one in the collection that is still airworthy, and yellow as well.
Would not mind a Shrike in Bob Hoover livery. His is in the Smithsonian collection. he could do amazing things with that bird. Got to see him in it at Reno a couple of times with the dead stick loop and landing (grease job on touchdown)
Thanks Flyinyak for that link to the Stinson kit. Snapped mine up, shipped within hours (still a long wait before it makes it to Australia though).
So now my stash has the Stinson and the Roden Staggerwing, both in 1/48, lined up to be built. Look forward to the day when they sit side by side on my shelves.
And meanwhile, down in the 1/72 scale section of the stash, I have kits for an Airfix DHC Beaver float plane and a Matchbox Noorduyn Norseman float plane (with a diorama in mind of both planes floating together on an Alaskan lake, both painted up in non-military livery).
And over at eBay, no luck so far in my search for an old 1/72 kit of the Auster Antarctic, with skis, to accompany my Ford Trimotor Antarctic expedition. People bid silly prices for these things, that I am not prepared to pay. Patience required …
As far as I am concerned I have countless hours of civilian aviation modelling to keep this beginner to the hobby very amused. Love all these planes.
