Crop Duster to Fire Bomber to Attack Aircraft - the AT-802

I was just looking for this kit last week in 1/48.  There are options in 1/72 but I was unable to find a crop duster or a fire bird in 1/48.  Perhaps with some conversion you could modify this military version in 1/72

https://www.scalemates.com/topics/topic.php?id=34607

I would put money down in a heart beat for both the crop duster and the fire bird.

Hello Brian!

Funny thing - there's an aircraft called M-18 Dromader and I believe it's related to the air tractor via some licence production or stuff like that:

They use them for firefighting for like 30 years now. Many years ago they were stationed about ten clicks from our summer house, so we used to take bicycle trips to the airstrip to watch them take off and then return from patrols, dumping two tons of water into a nearby pond.

Scalemates list a resin model of that baby:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/grand-models-gm-72008-pzl-m-18-dromader--1085934

Rumors had Saddam turn some of those into remotely-controlled chemical bombers!

Have a nice day

Paweł

I came across a 1/32 or a 1/35 scale resin model of that a/c on pintrest once.I don't know who makes it though. 

I have a close friend who flew the Air Tractor 802 as a fire bomber.  He liked the Garrett powered airplanes the best because the power response was instant.  A PT-6 takes a little longer to spool up from low power.  We do need a model of the Air Tractor.

Pawel, I don't think there was any development connection between the Air Tractor and the Dromader, just similar responses to the design challenge, I think.  There are some Dromaders in California, I used to see one at Hanford in the central valley.

I do have in mind modifying the Revell Stearman into a crop duster.  I used to work on N3N crop dusters but my Karaya 1/72 kit will be stock.

So far as I know, the first conversion of a crop duster to a fire retardant aircraft was an N3N, done at Willows, California.  The N is a bit bigger than the Stearman and handled the R-1340 better.

Hello John!

After checking it out more throughly the Dromader is related to Thrush Commander - more details here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL-Mielec_M-18_Dromader

One of the Polish export hits!

Have a nice day

Paweł

...and Thrush is related to Air Tractor , all started by the same man, Leland Snow. I Flew the 502 but not the 802. No kit in 1/48 At all. 

Well, between all of the birds designed or based on Snow's design (radial powered), and the newer aircraft (Cessna 188, Piper Pawnee PA-36, Air Tractor 502 - 802, and the alterations thereof) with turbo prop powerplants, one might think that we could find a decent model of something, in a decent scale. Frankly these are some awesome birds. Funny looking but amazingly flexible.

From last year's Alliance Airshow at Ft Worth, TX ... half cropduster, half firefighter, half floatplane.

Air Tractor is located in Olney, TX

IIRC, you can find a 3D printed Air Tractor in a COIN format,  off-scale and less than smooth printed finish.  Check Shapeways

Is this what y'all are talking about? I took this at a seaplane fly-in at the seaplane base in Tavares, FL a few years ago.