De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver by Hobby Craft
1/72 scale
Kit No. HC1393
Retail: $35.00 – 50.00 (aftermarket, out of production)
Decals: Two versions – U.S. Army and Royal Australian Air Force
Comments: Transparent fuselage, one-piece cowling, kit decals do not match box art
History
The De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, often referred to as the “best bush plane ever built,” is a rugged, short take-off and landing utility aircraft ideally suited for bush operations from unprepared airfields, or, when fitted with floats, rivers and lakes. It has been instrumental in developing far-reaching frontiers since it was first introduced in 1947. De Havilland produced approximately 1,600 before ceasing production in 1967. It is also the first single-engine utility aircraft to be turbine-powered, with De Havilland producing over 60 Turbo units before production ceased.
It can be equipped with wheels, skis, floats or amphibious floats to suit a range of operating conditions. Predominantly used for passenger and cargo transportation, it was widely adopted by the US armed forces for search and rescue missions. In a civilian role, it was utilized extensively in agriculture for crop-dusting and aerial crop-dressing over vast areas.
The design was broadly based upon the requirements of pilots flying cargo and passengers in and out of rugged, undeveloped regions rather than aerodynamic or financial design data. Almost to a man they emphasized that extra power and a good STOL (short take-off and landing) performance were crucial in such a multi-role aircraft. When De Havilland engineers responded that a major drawback would be poor flight performance, they were told by the straight-talking Canadians that “you only need to be faster than a dog-sled to be a winner.” Another important feature potential operators said the plane had to have was full-size cargo doors on both sides of the aircraft, so that it did not matter which side of the aircraft was tied-up alongside the jetty.
The prototype (CF-FHB-X) was flown for the first time by Russ Brannock on August 16, 1947 at the De Havilland Factory at Downsview, Ontario and some 1,631 were eventually built in Canada, together with a single Beaver 2, powered by a 550hp Leonides 502/4 engine. Initial sales were very slow at around 3 aircraft per month until an order for 970 DHC-2’s was placed by the US Army, which gave it the alternative designations L-20, or U-6A.
The type was widely exported, serving with the British Army Air Corps as the Beaver AL. Mk 1 and with the military services of around 31 other nations in addition to Canada, the US, and the UK. One of the most famous exploits came in 1958, when a New Zealand Air Force Beaver played a supporting role in Sir Edmund Hilary’s famous expedition to the South Pole. A turbo-prop version, the Turbo Beaver (DHC-2T or DHC-2 Mk III) was also built.
Despite De Havilland production of the Beaver coming to an end in 1967, Viking Air have obtained the type certificate for the aircraft which now permits them to manufacture new Beaver aircraft to join the hundreds that are still in use today. One famous owner of a DHC-2 Beaver is Indiana Jones himself, the actor Harrison Ford, who proudly proclaims it as his favorite aircraft. Many Beavers are still flying today, particularly in Canada and Alaska, in their original role although a growing number now serve in the leisure industry for pleasure flights and as lifting platforms for skydiving and aerial film activities.
The Kit
Hobby Craft’s DHC-2 Beaver is injection molded in grey and transparent plastic and consists of 55 parts. The cabin is fair with a main instrument panel bearing raised detail, two seats, a bomber style control yoke and a rear bulkhead. The remainder of the fuselage interior is bare. A nicely detailed radial engine with a two-bladed propeller and separately mounted spinner are provided, along with the one-piece cowling. The wings feature a dozen separately mounted flap and aileron actuators for the under surfaces.
What is unusual about this kit is the fact that the entire fuselage is transparent, so there is no need to worry about smearing cement on the cabin windows as you glue them in. Instead, modelers only need mask the window sections separately and with care prior to painting the fuselage. This may have been a cost saving measure on the part of Hobby Craft, but it does remove some of the challenge for modelers in what is otherwise a kit of simple construction. The key challenge, other than paint masking, with be to get the floats on and ensure they are properly aligned.
Markings
The decals show up one of Hobby Craft’s key deficiencies, which is that the kit contents can differ significantly from what is represented on the box art. In the case of the DHC-2 Beaver, the U.S. Air Force markings on the box art are nowhere to be found on the decal sheet. What is provided instead are U.S. Army markings for an L-20 Beaver operating in Alaska, a white aircraft with red flashes on the wings and tail. Also provided are markings for a DHC-2 of the Royal Australian Air Force, painted in a scheme of overall orange with silver floats. While they are not what is advertised, the markings appear to be above average in quality, thin with a serviceable semi-gloss sheen, bearing realistic colors and fully in register. Hobby Craft are notorious for this kind of thing, which in this case is not too bad, remedied by the purchase of aftermarket U.S. Air Force markings for the modelers who had their hearts set on the version presented on the box art. However, with other kits, namely the Su-25 Frogfoot, this manufacturer has gone so far as to show a box art aircraft bristling with under wing ordnance, but the kit inside does not include so much as a drop tank.
Conclusion
This will be a fun weekend build that appears very straightforward and not too challenging. While not bristling with detail, it remains a popular kit for lovers of bush aircraft. Highly recommended.
References
- https://www.dhc-2.com/
- www.vikingair.com
- https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland-canada-dhc-2-beaver