Subject: Re: Please post on September 7
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Wlad Franco-Valias" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 14:50:24 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
ARC Air - Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.arcair.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Wlad Franco-Valias 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 9:57 PM
  Subject: Please post on September 7

  Gallery Article Template

  "1/48  Heller T-6G Texan" 

  by "Wlad Franco-Valias"
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here 

  The Brazilian Air Force, FAB, received 50 T-6G (serials 1650 to 1699) post-war and also converted earlier T-6 models to T-6G as well. They were used for training, liaison and armed reconnaissance. A visit to Rio de Janeiro in the late '60s and early '70s was always marked by the roar of T-6s flying from the Afonsos air base and other airports. My rendition represents a T-6D trainer converted to T-6G based the Aeronautics School at Afonsos, in Rio de Janeiro.

  The Heller kit is essentially a re-worked Ocidental kit with some minor details introduced such as new locating pins and tabs in some parts, and an enclosed main landing gear well. The quality of the molding is not at all what I remember from Heller in the early '80s. The plastic is soft and my kit suffers from many sink holes, dents, and a couple of short shot parts. Despite having the markings for a US T-6D and a French T-6G, it looks like the boxing was really meant to be for a Harvard. The canopy pieces cater for both styles of framing yet the rear piece has a curved lower edge as on the Harvard. Other Harvard traits are the reduced framing at the top of the canopy pieces, and a cut-out on the bottom right trailing edge of the engine cowling for the extended exhaust shroud. Unlike my Ocidental /HTC kit, it includes the "football" style DF antenna fairing, yet nothing else to cater for the D version.

  For improvements I separated the elevators and posed them deflected down as in real life; corrected the pitot tube; thinned out the engine cowling and filled in the exhaust cut-out; removed the rudder lights, though I had to put them back (make sure your reference is of the right version); added ignition wires to the front of the engine; hollowed out the exhaust pipe; added True Details T-6 wheels; and added MV Products light lenses to the wings, replacing the kit covers with clear tape trimmed to fit. I left the cowling unglued so I can remove it and show the engine detail. Something I discovered is the DF loop on the T-6G is mounted further back than on the T-6D so I repositioned it accordingly.

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg
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  I used most of the canopy pieces from my Ocidental T-6D as they are for a T-6G, and replaced the Harvard style rear canopy with a Squadron vacuform. The curved bottom edge of the kit part is incorrect for the T-6G and I would have to reshape the fuselage to accommodate it. I didn't use the whole vacuform canopy because I was concerned with all the masking and precision cutting needed.

  I primed the model with Alclad Grey Primer and  sanded it with Micromesh to remove the gritty texture of the plastic. The fuselage is painted in Alclad II Duraluminum and the flying surfaces with a mix of Tamiya Orange with some Sky Blue added to bring out a brownish tone. The instructions from my Ocidental T-6 kit, from where the decals came from, called for Daygloo (sic) Orange on the flying surfaces. In reality the orange used is not Dayglo; it's way more fade resistant and has a slightly brownish tinge to it. The engine has a mix of Alclad II Duraluminum and Steel with Tamiya Flat Yellow on the crank case. The exhaust pipe started with Alclad II Steel, then Model Master Rust enamel with Tamiya Smoke over it.

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  The initial paint finish was glossy enough that I did not use Future before adding the decals. As usual with the early FCM decals I trimmed the clear film as close as I could, used lots of Micro Set and then ran my finger nail lightly over the panel lines once the decal was dry. I then gave the model a final coat of Future mixed with Tamiya Flat Base (5:1) to tone down the shine.

  I found no reference pictures for this particular T-6G but I did find ones for other Brazilian T-6Gs in Airliners.net. A check of the serial numbers revealed one of them was also a converted T-6D and it looked no different than a factory built T-6G. The last image is the T-6D I used as color reference; it is mounted in front of a restaurant in Paraguaçú, Brazil.

  Happy modeling. 

  "Wlad"

  References:

  http://www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br/FAB/index.html 

  http://www.airliners.net/photo/Brazil---Air/North-American-%28Lagoa/1568457/L/&sid=39786c890dd5ea8cc5e7cac9700043bd 

  http://www.airliners.net/photo/Brazil---Air/North-American-T-6G/1302999/L/&sid=39786c890dd5ea8cc5e7cac9700043bd 

  Davis, Larry; T-6 Texan  in Action. Carrollton: Squadron Signal Publications, 1989

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 07.jpg
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  Photos and text © by "Wlad Franco-Valias"