The Little World

When I saw the advertisement for the PM models from Metro Hobbies in Melbourne I was struck by the low price and the unusual subject. At $ 19 each I could afford two, so I got the Beech 18 and the AT-11. The 18 is serving in a civilian role for Alberta Central Airways but the AT-11 has joined the US Army.

As did the real ones – this model is joined at the fuselage with the Beechcraft 18, but probably started life as a Matchbox mould. The chiefest difference is the glass nose. This led me to think it was going to be a ho-hum copy of the 18, but the internet provided me with a chance to escape the boredom.

There are a number of AT-11’s preserved and some are doing the air-show circuit right now. A YouTube feature on one shows it to be equipped as a bombing and gunnery trainer, complete with multiple internal bomb tracks, two doors, and a small upper turret. More searching turned up wartime photos of just such a rig, so with this in mind I started.

The basic sprue trees are reasonably agricultural but I think this one is a little truer than the 18 – the tail and wings agree more readily. There is still a charming skew-whiff about the cockpit and nose, but I am not bothered that much – for $ 19 it could look like a pretzel. I am grateful for the clarity of the windows.

The basic call out and decal supply could deck this out as a Turkish, Brazilian, or US Army Air Corps ship – I was torn between the last-named and the Brazilian, but the discovery of a turret and fairing in my spares boxes decided the issue. I cannot regard this as definitive, but it is certainly typical. As typical as an air-show survivor would be.

The bare bottom is where new bomb bay doors will be scribed.