MPM Ryan PT-20 Trainer
1/72 scale
Kit No. 72084
Cost: $22.00
Decals: Three versions – One for U.S. Army Air Corps, and two for the Dutch East Indies
Comments: Engraved and raised panel lines; vacuform windscreens; parts for conventional fixed landing gear or floatplane version
History
The PT-20 “Recruit” was one of a series of trainers produced by the Ryan Aeronautical Company under contract to the U.S. Army during the 1930’s. The need for standard all-metal low wing monoplane trainers led the U.S. Government to contract out to several companies, including Ryan. The PT-20 was the first monoplane to enter service with the U.S. Army Air Corps as a trainer following a successful evaluation in 1939.
In 1941, the Army decided a new more powerful engine was needed to endure the rigors of training new pilots. Ryan Aeronautical replaced the inline engine of the previous version with a Kinner radial engine. The resulting PT-21 was so superior that many PT-16s and PT-20s were upgraded with the new engine, becoming PT-16As and PT-20As.
With flight training programs expanding across the United States, 1,023 more planes were ordered. These had an improved Kinner radial, no wheel spats, and the deletion of the main landing gear fairings. This became the PT-22. The Navy also ordered the Recruits and re-designated them as NR-1s, and the Netherlands ordered 25 Recruits and called them NR-3s. The Navy used these trainers until 1944, and the USAAC would retire the Recruit at the end of World War II.
Today there are flying examples of each variant to be found across North America. There are also examples operated by warbird enthusiasts in the UK and Australia.
The Kit
First released in 1999, the PT-20 is one of many limited run injection molded kits produced by MPM that fills a missing niche in 1/72 scale offerings. This PT-20 is a nice complement to the 1/48 scale Testors version released several years earlier (1983). The kit comes on a single sprue and is fairly detailed for its scale, featuring engraved panel lines, raised detail on the twin instrument panels, and a choice of floats or fixed landing gear. There are no resin or photo-etched parts, so it appears the real time on this kit will be spent painting it and cementing on support wires, which are not included.
The engraved detail on the spats for the fixed landing gear is definitely part of the kit’s charm, and the decals provide a choice between U.S. Army Air Corps or Dutch East Indies Air Force. MPM’s decals appear to be of high quality, having color that rings true and markings that are completely in register. Best of all, they have not used the “crutch” of giving you a decal for the instrument panels in lieu of providing a measure of injection molded detail, which is often done in this scale. There is a single, small vacuform blister which if properly trimmed will form the two windscreens for the instructor and the student-pilot.
This kit is a great offering of an important trainer, and the only one the author is aware of in 1/72 scale, the only other kit being the Testor’s (formerly Hawk) kit in 1/48 scale. It is a bit pricey, but the cost is not unreasonable given that it is a limited run kit with sporadic availability — it was re-issued by Special Hobby in 2004. My only critique of the kit is its propeller, which looks a bit wide for the scale. It may be best to replace it with a comparable propeller for this type from Aeroclub. Definitely recommended.
A “yellow wing” U.S. Army Air Corps version appears at left; at right are the paint scheme and markings for a wartime PT-20 belonging to the Air Force of the Dutch East Indies.
The third decal option is for a floatplane version, also in Dutch East Indies service, circa 1940.
References
- www.warbirdalley.com
- www.wikipedia.org