DHC-6 Twin Otter

Revell of Germany's 1/72 kit of the DHC-6 Twin Otter caught my eye at the local model shop, and I picked it up because it was different from my steady diet of purely military aircraft. I'm glad that I did, because the kit was a lot of fun to build and paint. I chose the yellow paint scheme shown on the box, but there are two or three other paint schemes as well. I also really liked the options that this kit offers. You can choose from two different nose options (the short option shown on the box art and a longer two piece nose section), three different landing gear options (wheels, wheels with snow skids, pontoons) and if you choose the pontoon version, there are a couple of extra rear horizontal stabilizer pieces (canards?). There are two different decal options as well. The plastic parts themselves are pretty good. I believe the molds are originally from matchbox and most of the panel lines are raised. Some engraved lines outline the doors and flaps, rudder, etc. Fit was mostly good - I did have to use putty on the fuselage halves on the top of the plane, one the wing roots and a bit around the engine to wing fittings. The propellers needed a bit of sanding to even out the thickness of the individual blades - some were thicker and wider than others. There is some detail in the cockpit including chairs and control wheels for the pilot and co-pilot. There is a small instrument panel that attaches to the inside roof of the cockpit, and the normal pilot facing instrument panels. Most of this detail is pretty difficult to see once the model is completed, but it is there. Decals were actually quite good. I used a bit of solvaset to settle them down and I didn't get any silvering on any of them. I did end up cutting apart some of the decals for easier application (mostly the stripe along the passenger windows - otherwise there was a clear section that would have covered the windows). There were a couple of tricky areas during construction. The supporting wing brace that attaches to the landing gear nacelle affects the angle of the wing, so care must be taken to align these parts carefully. The main landing gear axles are very fragile, so again take care removing them from the sprue and while attaching the wheels. Overall, not a perfect kit, but still a very fun one and I would recommend it.

This kit builds into a great looking aircraft. I regularly traveled in the real aircraft and this brings back memories. There are options for the nose—the short as shown on the box Art, and for some of us the more familiar long nose. Take your time and look ahead in the instructions. It makes the build more enjoyable. You don’t need super modeling experience to get good results but the options to add detail are wide open.

bad fit nimble the axles for the landing gear melt with a drop of glue complete junk