Hoping to finally show winter the door with something a bit breezy and tropical: the Revell (ex-Matchbox) DHC-6-300 Twin Otter in the sunny livery of InterCaribbean (formerly Turks & Caicos) Airlines.
As one of Matchbox’s better late issues, the kit holds up reasonably well in its current Revell/Germany release. Old options still included are skis and floats as landing gear alternatives, and choice of the blunt short nose (used on military aircraft) or the longer tapered ‘shovel’ nose I used on my civil build. Build was pretty much out-of-box, with a few minor add-ons.
The kit’s completely blank cabin got some basic ‘seat shapes’ to have something visible through all those windows. I slipped several fishing sinkers into the nose, to keep her solidly on all three wheels. The simplified landing gear itself got a semblance of brakes for the main wheels, and scissors for the nose strut to replace the solid triangular chunk on the molding. Remaining additions were mainly assorted exterior bits and bobs such as windscreen wipers, aerials, and slightly more petite pitot heads to replace the large kit parts. Last necessary fix—for a grounded bird—was to remember to feather the props, since they do so automatically once hydraulic pressure bleeds off.
Decals were home-made, based on the lovely photo of the same aircraft on the Airline’s own website. Paints were mainly Tamiya acrylics, with special Testors fluorescent acrylics for some of the bright tail colors.
There are a few things I’ll do differently next time…one structural, one cosmetic. As to structure, the kit’s main gear axles are especially spindly, and might best be replaced with heavy-gauge wire or even paper-clip sections. The cosmetic fix will be more challenging: the kit’s windscreen isn’t quite wide enough, and the ‘A pillars’ (to use an automotive term) consequently too wide; this does much to lend a ‘blocky’ look to what is supposed to be the Twin Otter’s fairly sleek cockpit area. (There are some other problems with this area on the kit, but that’s for those far more expert than I.)
All in all, a nice winter-beating project. I hope you enjoy the pics.
There are very few “Civilian” planes that catch my eye…
But, I LIKE THIS ONE !
Nice job on the Yellow … That color always gives me "Fit’s " when I try doing anything with it. ( I “usually” give up and pick a different color … darker … thicker… to cover up the Yellow. )
I suddenly have a “Hankering” for a Mai-Tai … or a Planter’s Punch …
I, too, do far more military than civil aircraft…and that actually helped with the YELLOW.
The color on the real aircraft is what any ‘interwar’ a/c enthusiast would recognize as ‘Chrome Yellow’…which I happen to have some experience with. A dash of orange in the flat yellow, and it was good to go!
The kit—even the original Matchbox version—is ridiculously easy to find. Revell actually has (2) versions in current release: one in RCAF markings, and one in the livery of the Swiss Topographic Office. [Mine was the latter, but I believe the kits themselves are identical except for the decals included.]
They can be found here on Scalehobbyist.com. (As oft seems the case, Squadron is currently showing ‘In Stock Soon.’). Probably readily available at ‘all the usual’ vendors.
I have one of the Revell kits in my stash, and thanks to you I am now inspired to make a Twin Otter my next project. I think I’ll do the West Coast Air float plane version, based in Victoria Harbour, Canada.
Hadn’t got that far … just liked the floats when I pulled out the box from the stash.
The body of the plane is white, and the tail is Night Blue, with the golden bird logo as well (looks like a bird with very long, slender wings, an albatross?). The engines are also blue.
