AT-6 Cockpit

Right Bob,  the only thing I did was fill in the trough for the machinge gun in the cowling and add a P-51 tail wheel.  I just wanted a generic T-6 factory fresh.  The B-26 has electric motors for the props and working landing lights in the wings.  Power fed through bodies of two ground crew via sub minature jacks at their shoulders in bomb bay.

Melgyver

I have just used Scotch Tape, glossy type over the lens area.  Trim it along the panel line and it is perfectly clear and "to scale" thickness!  I've had one on my B-26 Marauder since the early 1980's and it still looks new.

 

I have just used Scotch Tape, glossy type over the lens area.  Trim it along the panel line and it is perfectly clear and "to scale" thickness!  I've had one on my B-26 Marauder since the early 1980's and it still looks new.

UPDATE... I now understand what was previously mentioned about the front end fit issue. In case some of you are following along and are going to build this kit, just try to use a good eye and be prepared to do a lot of sanding. That will help with the fit issue. Recently I have been chewing up a lot of time getting the landing light lenses to fit. The one thing that you can do to help out will be to sand the petruding landing lights down a lot. Also I had to do some sanding on the clear light lenses. I now have to figure out how to restore the clarity. I do have some 3M Lens Polishing compound that is left over from when I did the Headlight Lenses on my Wife's car. I will try it on these small lenses and maybe it will work... hopefully? ? My ease recovery build is slowing down a little bit. Later...            Bob

I might have a Game Plan change. I just noticed that this kit has the long exhaust tube for cold weather use: Canada eh? So, if anyone out there knows if a set of decals is available for a WWII Canadian Harvard/ AT-6  Trainer I would sure appreciate it. Also I think that they were Yellow, so hopefully someone knows the correct shade of Yellow. Did they use the RAF Trainer Yellow, or one of our colors? By the way, I'm still wonderin' about my last question which is what color to paint the inside of the cowling: Interior Green, Yellow or Green Zinc Chromate, Natural Metal, or some other color? I do not want to go any newer than WWII so hopefully I can come up with something. Thanks for any help.                    Bob

rangerj

You would generally find interior parts of the WWII vintage aircraft painted with zinc-chromate primer. It is a yellowish color. The cockpit interiors were generally interior green (FS color? anyone). A few years back I was at "Thunder Over Michigan" and there were about 10 AT6, SNJ, Harvard (Canadian built AT6s). There was a discussion about the "differences" in these variations of the aircraft. Would anyone like to point out some of those differences? Are the differences mostly in the interior or under the cowling. I was not looking for anything at the time, but they all looked the same to me (other than paint schemes).

You would generally find interior parts of the WWII vintage aircraft painted with zinc-chromate primer. It is a yellowish color. The cockpit interiors were generally interior green (FS color? anyone). A few years back I was at "Thunder Over Michigan" and there were about 10 AT6, SNJ, Harvard (Canadian built AT6s). There was a discussion about the "differences" in these variations of the aircraft. Would anyone like to point out some of those differences? Are the differences mostly in the interior or under the cowling. I was not looking for anything at the time, but they all looked the same to me (other than paint schemes).

Cowling Question: What color is the inside of the cowling? I'm building the mid war Trainer version. Should it be interior green, bare aluminum, grey primer, or something else?                 Bob

I apologize for the image quality on the Shutterfly link. I would like to use photobucket but it is now out of control. The delay times are so excessive that it will no longer function for me. It worked for the last two years until recently.

Ok. Here are the cockpit pieces. I'm trying to keep this thing simple... remember this is supposed to be a "Recovery" build. The Instrument panel decals are discolored in the photo. THey are the kit decals. It took a lot of work to get them to lay down. I used several coats of Solvaset and a number of jabs with a fine sewing needle to allow the Solvaset to work better.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CcOHDJmxctnqg

10 - 4. I did notice that the front panel is broken up into sections. I'll make sure that I cut and apply the decal for each section seperately. Thanks for the input.                                    Bob

I would leave the detail (it's pretty "soft"), cut the decal for the seperate panel and put a good dose of micro-sol on the decal to snuggle it down.

OK It's feedback time again. I am at the point where I have to do the Instrument Panels. I'm going for a "Recovery simple build". Has anyone ever used the decals supplied in the kit for the instrument panels? They look like they would be ok. Also if I use them should I sand off the fine raised detail or risk having the instrument decals fall in place with the existing raised details? It sort of looks like the raised details would fit the decals. Plan "B" is to paint the instruments but I'm trying to do a simple reduced stress build... sort of.

I have some "walk around" and interior shots here.... http://s661.photobucket.com/user/fermisb/library/#/user/fermisb/library/Ref%20pics/SNJ-5?sort=3&page=1&_suid=137434883124700690398824514345

This is a restored SNJ-5 (Navy AT-6) from the airport I worked at.

Bob, here are a few pix of one of my mate's Harvards.

The tail wheel strut collaped, but I think you can try to scale the size and look at the basic shape of the tail wheel.

Also a few other pix that myght help.

Main gear

"donkey"

Canopy

wingroot/filler cap

QUESTION... What is the actual outside diameter of the full scale Texan tail wheel tire? Also what is the approximate outside diameter of the wheel itself? The kit's tailwheel assembly is very toy like, as some have described it. I will go to the Hardware Store and try to find the correct sized "O" ring and make my own once I get the actual sizes. Thanks for any input that you can offer.                        Bob

Bob H.

I have some good news for those of you who are following this thread. There are some respectable cockpit photos on one of my favorite websites. Go to www.maam.org for the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pa. Click on their Museum aircraft and click on their Texan. They offer a virtual tour with some good photos of both the front and rear cockpits. These are the guys doing the all out restoration of the P-61. Let me know what ya'll think. Later,                         Bob

Bob- thanks ever so much.  A great bunch of photos!

I decided to try to improve the appearance a little bit by opening up the exhaust. I think that it will look a little bit more realistic when it's completed. Also I tried to thin the bottom scoop to get it closer to the real thing. With the air intake I also thinned the walls and drilled it out. I will smooth out the walls before painting. I noticed that the air intake scoop has a screeen in the real thing. I might try to find some scale screen material and glue it in there. ( model RR photoetch has some ). Maybe I can spray some interior green soon.                  Bob

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CcOHDJmxctnmQ

I have some good news for those of you who are following this thread. There are some respectable cockpit photos on one of my favorite websites. Go to www.maam.org for the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pa. Click on their Museum aircraft and click on their Texan. They offer a virtual tour with some good photos of both the front and rear cockpits. These are the guys doing the all out restoration of the P-61. Let me know what ya'll think. Later,                         Bob

Thanks guys. Your thoughts are dulely noted. Yes, I did some trial fitting of the fuselage halves and the front part will ba a real @#$% to fit properly. Also I did see the photos on the above listed link last night. I have a few reservations. I did notice that in those photos the front shroud around the instrument panel is black on both the inside and outside, but the shroud around the rear panel is the interior green on the inside and black on the outside. I wish that I could see more in that set of photos. We'll keep on digging. I did invest in the Squadron aftermarket canopy for this kit. That may be a worthwhile investment. Meanwhile, back at the ranch........                      Bob

A while back I was fishing around for some Texan pictures too.  This is the best I have for cockpit reference, which unfortunately lacks the instrument panel.

[url]www.cybermodeler.com/.../t-6_walk.shtml[/url]

Cant help on the pics but I'll warn ya, the forward part of the fuselage is a *** to get fit properly on the revell kit, I've got 2 of them on the go right now, not having fun with that part.....

Ok. This will be fun but I guess I'm still back to my original question of good Interior photos of a T-6. There are a lot of them still flying so I am assuming that there are pictures... SOMEWHERE. I just don't know where. ( Please not the old black/white photos )

The Italeri kit is the Ocidental/Modelcraft/Heller mold. Two different kits. I have both and am working on several. I am planning to switch interior parts between a Revellogram and a Modelcraft harvard soon so that I can have something closer to a MKII model. They are both excellent kits. However, if you want a moveable prop, prepare to modify the hub with the Ocidental mold as they failed to include a prop shaft which will have to be manufactured. Also the Ocidental/ Italeri verticle stabilizer and rudder will require shims to obtain the correct fit and profile. Built straight from the box, the top of the rudder sits to high above the stabilizer.

DO I feel a small GB coming on LOL!

Theuns

Boy, this is a great thread!  I will be starting a T-6 soon!

On  the Texans I have painted and been involved with  (mostly ex-SAAF planes) the entire interior was green, incl the frame tubes, electric boxes, ect.

The levers for the mixture, pitch throttle ect were the same green, just with the color different on the "knobs" that sat ontop.

The switches were generally black with white markings and these all sat in the electric boxes.

Seat frame also same green, but there are wooden boards or floorplanks usualy just varnished. The rear  glare shield over the rear pannel was also green.

IIRC the 1/48 revell kit is the same as the Italeri kit? If so I have done one and have another in the stash and really like them.

If you want a very "bright" scheeme, google "SAAF T-6 Harvard", they were painfully bright!

Theuns