IBEX
Plastic Models
is a new model company out of Israel and for their first offering they
have a T-6A Texan II model kit. This 1/48 scale multi-media model kit is injection molded styrene with
additional resin parts and 2 vacuformed canopies and markings for 10 specific
aircraft (8 American and 2 Israeli), but you can make a larger number of the
Israeli aircraft by mixing and matching serial number decals. The Israeli
aircraft include one with their Aerobatic Team. The
T-6A Texan II is a trainer aircraft used by 7 different countries including US,
Israel, Canada, Germany, Greece, Iraq and Morocco. The T-6 II was developed
from the Pilatus PC-9 Trainer and was heavily modified by the Beech Aircraft
Corporation of Wichita, Kansas to compete for the Joint Primary
Aircraft Training System (JPATS) competition in the 1990s. They won the
competition and the T-6A Texan II went into service in 2003 with the USAF and
USN. The
T-6A Texan II is operated by the USAF and the
USN. In July 2009, the first of 20 T-6As went into operational service
with the Israeli Air Force.
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
This model kit is molded
from styrene and features recessed panel lines (that are not quite as fine
as some of the leading Japanese manufacturers) and decals for the side console
detail in the cockpit. The canopy is vac-formed which is fairly standard
for limited production kits such as this and the plastic is a nice thickness
that will make attachment easier. You get 2 canopies so you can cut them
up to display this kit with an open canopy. This kit could benefit from
an aftermarket highly detailed resin cockpit for the superdetailers so they can pose the
canopy in the open position.
The small bag of 11
resin parts includes the ejection seats with molded in seatbelts, forward piece
of the nose with radiator intake, prop spinner, hollow exhausts, main wheels with
brake detail and a few other smaller parts. The seats are well detailed
and have molded in seat belts.
The front and rear
instrument panels are well done with finely done raised detail and will respond
excellently to dry brushing.
Decals are printed by
Cartograf and feature good color coverage and very crisply printed
stencils. You get individual serial numbers so you can model any aircraft
you choose by mixing and matching the individual serial number decals.
The instructions sheets
are in full color and provide all the info needed for assembly and
painting. Colors are called out in FS #. You will need 20 grams of
weight in the nose, but there is room for it and the instruction sheet shows
where to put it, which is quite helpful.
The 8 America and 2
Israeli aircraft include the following:
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Vance AFB, 8th FTS 01-3628. Aircraft is black and white with red
stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Vance AFB, 8th FTS 04-3723 Aircraft is black and white with red
stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Vance AFB, 33rd FTS 05-3771. Aircraft is black and white with red
stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Vance AFB, 33rd FTS 05-3742. Aircraft is black and white with red
stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Randolph AFB, 559th FTS 05-3848. Aircraft is black and white with
red stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Randolph AFB, 12th FTS 02-3642. Aircraft is black and white with
red stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Laughlin AFB, 84th FTS 05-3812. Aircraft is black and white with
red stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II USAF
at Laughlin AFB, 85th FTS 03-3683. Aircraft is black and white with
red stripe down the side of the fuselage (decal provided for stripe).
-
T-6A Texan II
Ser #400, Israeli Air Force Aerobatic Team. Aircraft is red and white
and Aerobatic Team markings included on decal sheet.
-
T-6A Texan II
Ser #492, Israeli Air Force Flight School. Aircraft is red and white.
Caracal
Models has a new decal sheet with with markings for 4 aircraft in 4
different paint schemes from 4 different countries (Canada, Greece Iraq and Morocco).
This is a very nice kit and it
is excellent that IBEX
Plastic Models
chose to do a trainer as their first model kit. The quality
of this model kit is very good, plus the price is very reasonable and it
does build up into a great looking model as can be seen in the 4
photos below of this model kit built as T-6A Texan II Ser # 484,
Israeli Air Force Aerobatic Team.
You can buy this kit directly
from the
IsraDecal
website.
Click here to order this kit. http://isradecal.com/?storeid=110&view=products&id=494051
Thanks
to IsraDecal
for the product sample.
Steve Bamford
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
|