Platz 1/144 C-46ECM
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
In March 1964, the JASDF formed the Denshi Kunrentai ECM Training Flight at Kisarazu as part of the Koku Sotai Shireibu Hikotai (HQ) Squadron, with two converted C-46D Commandos. In May 1968, the unit moved to Iruma, and two years later added a third (E)C-46. By the mid-1970s, the C-46 was showing its age, and the unit replaced the first Commando with a YS-11 in early 1977. By March 1978, the last (E)C-46D was retired.
The Kit
This is the second release by Platz of their C-46 kit, and most of the plastic is the same as their C-46D release reviewed earlier. What is new are the ECM bumps and bulges, and these come on a separate sprue. Each of the three (E)C-46Ds had different antenna arrangements, and the instructions do a good job of detailing those differences. For overall construction, I'll refer you to the earlier review and just cover the new updates.
The most noticeable change in this kit is the new forward fuselage. This is due to the thimble nose found on two of the options. To use this nose, though, you'll have to cut the existing fuselage halves, and while there is no clear line, there is an interior bulkhead that marks the trim point. This makes it very easy to get the cut edge flat, as there is a large surface to sand down to. If you do not want to perform fuselage surgery, though, one of the options uses the stock C-46 nose, so you can build one of these options without any cutting needed.
For the two that have the thimble nose, even these are not identical. One has a longer radome, so if you choose aircraft 140, not only do you have to cut the fuselage down for the new nose, you also have to cut down the radome piece. The instructions are clear on the amount you need to trim off, but it will be tough to keep that straight as there are no lines to work from.
Moving on to the other lumps and bumps, there are quite a few on both the upper and lower fuselage. Pay very close attention to the instructions to make sure you're using the right ones for the right option. For those that like lots of big bumps, aircraft 145 has the most, while the one that requires the least modification also has the fewest add-ons to worry about.
For decal options, all three (E)C-46 aircraft are finished in similar schemes. They are all overall natural metal, and photos show them to be fairly dull and weathered aluminum. The nose and a rear fuselage band are in orange (provided as decal), while the tail has a red/yellow/blue chevron design. The three aircraft differ mainly in serial number, with the three aircraft being 91-1140, 91-1143, and 91-1145. The decals include stenciling and window decals, and are very nicely printed. While the orange is provided as decals, though, I would probably paint these areas.
Conclusion
This is a nice second release from Platz, as it offers some interesting C-46 options that we might not normally see. My thanks to Platz for the review sample.