De Havilland DHC U-1 Otter by Hobbycraft

1/48 scale
Kit No. HC 1354
Retail: $35.00 (Out of Production, Varies)
Decals: Two versions – Royal Canadian Air Force, U.S. Army
Comments: Engraved panel lines, separately mounted doors accessing cockpit, option for floats or standard landing gear

History

The DHC-3 Otter is a single engine, high-wing propeller-driven aircraft designed and built by De Havilland Canada, designed to fulfill similar roles as the DHC-2 Beaver, with more power and loading capacity. Like the DHC-2 Beaver, it is a rugged short take-off and landing (STOL) utility aircraft, ideally suited for bush operations from unprepared airfields, or waterways when fitted with floats. Built at Downsview, near Toronto during the 1950s, it was initially designated as a “King Beaver” in order to extend the company’s portfolio of rugged, utility aircraft.

Passenger capacity was increased to around 10 seats, plus two crew, and power was provided by the 600hp Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp radial engine. It can be equipped with wheels, skis, floats or amphibious floats to suit operating conditions. The prototype (CF-SKX-X) was flown for the first time on December 12, 1951, and some 466 were built, finding a ready market with both civilian and military users.

Military users included the U.S. Army (200 aircraft as U-1A), Canada (66 as CSR-123) and the U.S. Navy (four aircraft as UC-1 (later U-1C)). Several other nations also placed orders, including Australia, Burma, Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, and Norway. Production of the DHC-3 ended in 1967.

A number of aircraft have been modified to turbo-prop power or fitted with larger piston engines such as the 1,000hp PZL ASz-62 radial engine. A fair number of these aircraft continue in service, particularly in Canada and Alaska and 67 were still listed on the FAA register in 2017, most of these being based in Alaska. The U.S. Army became the largest operator of the DHC-3 Otter (designated U-1A Otter) when delivery numbers reached 184 aircraft.

Additional military users included Australia and India, operating in its primary role as a rugged ‘bush’ plane which it still continues to this day. One of its more unusual application is as a Skydiving platform, where it has proved popular due to its stability even at low airspeeds. 117 aircraft were still listed on the Canadian Civil register in 2017, these numbers representing some 40% the fleet still registered worldwide and it is an amazing record over 65-years after the type’s first flight (although not all of these aircraft are likely to be active).

Specifications

Powerplant: One 600hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Twin Wasp radial piston engine
Wingspan: 58 ft. 0 in.
Maximum Weight: 7,981 lbs.
Capacity: Two crew and up to 10 passengers
Maximum Speed: 160 mph
Cruise Speed: 138 mph
Range: 820 nautical miles (nm) with reserves; 720 nm with reserves with 2,100 lb. payload

The Kit

Hobbycraft’s DeHavilland Canada DHC-3 / U-1 Otter is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 74 parts including 7 clear parts for the cockpit and cabin windows. The kit has above average exterior detail, featuring crisply engraved panel lines, and has ribbed surfaces on the both rudder and full-length flaps. The interior detail is fair; there is no cockpit sidewall detail but the separate main instrument panel features raised detail. The seats feature contoured upholstery.

The cockpit includes individually mounted seats, a rear bulkhead, and a separately mounted two-part control yoke. There are separately mounted doors accessing both sides of the cockpit, with windows in each, offering modelers the opportunity to depict an open cockpit by leaving one or both doors ajar. The airframe is faithfully recreated, including the wing fences on the upper surfaces of the shoulder-mounted wing. Finally, there is a choice of floats for the Canadian seaplane version or standard landing gear for the U.S. Army aircraft.

Markings

The markings are printed sharply and are fully in register with realistic color and no evidence of color bleed. The Canadian roundels feature separate markings for the red leaf which will have to be separately positioned in the white center of each roundel. The same is true for the red stripes of the Canadian Union Jack. Decals are provided for two aircraft. The first is an air-sea rescue plane of the Royal Canadian Air Force, circa 1956. This aircraft, tail code 3689, is in a scheme of overall aluminum and is fitted with twin floats. It includes markings for a thick orange flash on the fuselage bordered in black. The second version, tail code 52977, is for a land-based plane of the U.S. Army and appears in a paint scheme of overall Gloss White with a Gloss Red tail section and Gloss Red outer wing panels.

Conclusion

This is a nicely detailed kit of a rugged utility aircraft widely used as a bush plane throughout Canada and Alaska. Highly recommended.

Reference

https://www.baesystems.com/