X Scale 1/144 ATR 42-300
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
The ATR 42 was developed as a joint venture between the French Aérospatiale and the Italian Aeritalia to produce a twin turboprop high wing regional airliner. First flying in 1984, The ATR 42-300 joined its launch customer, Air Littoral, a year later in December 1985. In 1990, American Eagle purchased a large number of ATR 42s and ATR 72s, making the ATR 42/72 a much more common sight at US airports. FedEx further fueled this with their adoption of the type as a regional cargo aircraft. The ATR-42 is still in production today as the ATR 42-600 variant and will continue to be a common sight as a regional commuter airliner.
The Kit
X Scale has turned to a smaller subject compared to their earlier releases with this new kit of the ATR 42-300. Molded in gray plastic, the kit features recessed panel lines, a detailed interior, two types of props, and decals for an American Eagle ATR 42-300. The parts breakdown is somewhat logical, given the fairly straightforward design, with the upper wing and lower main wheel sponson both incorporating part of the fuselage. The engines have separate exhausts and lower scoop, and the landing gear is very nicely detailed.
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Jumping into the actual construction, the cockpit is the starting point, and there is a lot to do here. The instrument panel has a separate middle console, while each of the two seats come with separate bases. There are separate rudder pedal pieces and control columns, along with two side consoles and a rear bulkhead. This completed assembly then fits into the fuselage halves, along with the nose gear well. The nose gear is equally well detailed, with separate oleo scissors, landing lights, and retraction strut. The last piece to add to the fuselage halves is a small insert for the four antenna bumps on the upper fuselage. The instructions don’t suggest any weight in the nose, but it might be a good idea to add a bit, just to be sure.
The main wheel well is next, with a four-piece interior assembly fitting into the lower sponson piece. Two landing light covers are provided in clear that fit into that piece as a nice touch. For the engines, these have a two-piece separate exhaust pipe and a separate lower nacelle scoop, making for a fairly detailed nacelle assembly. This fits onto the lower wing halves, which then fit onto the one-piece top wing. The flap and aileron horns are molded separately, as are those for the stabilizers. The vertical fin is separate as well, and that will take a bit of attention to make sure it is aligned properly, but once the wings are on that shouldn’t be too tough.
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The final details include the main landing gear, which is made up of four pieces for the strut and actuator, with an additional two struts and a four-piece assembly for the main wheel doors. The nose gear has two doors and solid wheels, as with the main wheels. The kit includes masks for the wheel hubs, making painting these much easier. The propellers come with either a regular or a feathered option, and there are a handful of antennas to add to the fuselage before turning to the painting process.
The American Eagle scheme in the box is a colorful but fairly simple scheme, with the wings and most of the fuselage painted in white, with the lower fuselage in natural metal. The decals provide the fuselage cheatline, titles, and tail markings as well as some small details. As all of these will be going down over mostly a white airplane, the colors should be quite vibrant.
Conclusion
This is a great choice of subject for X Scale, as the livery potential is high and as a regional airliner, it is a common sight at many airports around the world. The kit looks like an easy build as well, which adds to its potential. My thanks to X Scale for the review kit, I’m looking forward to getting this one on the workbench.