Don's Custom Models
|
 |
History
The Cessna T-50 Bobcat first took to the air in 1939, and quickly found its way into military service as the UC-78. A simple design consisting of a wood and steel structure covered with fabric, the Bobcat was used as a light personnel transport in the Army Air Corps and the Navy. The T-50 also served with the Royal Canadian Air Force, where it was known as the Crane Mk. I. After the war, the Bobcat soldiered on in the civilian market, achieving a bit of recognition in the television series "Sky King." Out of over 5,000 Bobcats built, there are still many flying today, with roughly 400 flying in the United States alone.
The
Kit
This little aircraft makes for a little model in 1/144, with the finished model fitting within a few inches square. Cast in tan resin, the kit comes with a one-piece fuselage/wings/tailplane assembly. The rest of the parts are cast separately and include landing gear, engines, and propellers. A small decal sheet, a set of scale drawings, and a single photo round out the package.
Taking a closer look at the pieces show that Don has thought this one
out carefully. The landing gear are wire-reinforced for strength, a nice
touch. The casting of the 
one-piece
main assembly is engineered to put all the mold lines in easily accessible
places, making cleanup simple and quick. It took me all of about five
minutes to remove the large mold plug and clean up the flash on the fuselage
sides.
The engines are nicely detailed, although some extra work will be needed to clean out the engine nacelles. The engine nacelles are also the weakest point on this kit, as they are of different chords. Since they appear the same diameter, the simplest solution is to just fill in the gap and rescribe it, which should not take more than a few minutes with epoxy.
The
decal sheet is simple and provides decal windows, a black cheatline, and
N-numbers, for a single civilian example. They appear to be ALPS-printed,
so they are likely to be very thin and will need some care in applying.
For those who want something a little different, finding the right size
of roundels for a Canadian or Army Bobcat should not be too hard.
Conclusion
This is a very nice little model that should build up into a good replica
of Cessna's Bamboo Bomber. The amount of work needed with this model is
far less than many other models, due to its simple construction, so it
could be the perfect weekend project. For ordering information, visit
Don's website.
