28mm Pulp Aircraft: the Beech Model 18

Introduction

Last week, I showed a small, 2-seater aircraft in 1:48th scale that I intend to use for Pulp wargaming: the Avia BH-11.  Whilst this will be useful, I really need an airliner for my next intended scenario.  However, an iconic 1930s plane such as the DC-3 has a wingspan of 95 feet.  At 1:48 scale, that's very close to 2 feet (60cm) across!  A German Ju-52 trimotor has almost exactly the same dimensions, so that's no better.

On a 3' gaming table, a 2' wide model would dominate, leaving little room for anything else.  Equally, the cost of such a large kit and the storage requirements of the completed model are offputting.  So, what to do?

Instead of looking for a medium-sized airliner such as the DC-3, I decided to search for much smaller twin-motor craft.  Here's one that I found...

The Beech Model 18

The Beech Model 18 (also known as the "Twin Beech", or "C-45 Expeditor" when in USAAF service) was a small transport aircraft that was produced in surprisingly large numbers.  It typically carried about 7 passengers (compared to the DC-3's capacity of 30 or so).  The Model 18 first flew in 1937, so it just about fits in the Interwar period that I desire for Pulp adventures.

Because the original is a relatively small craft, the 1:48th scale model has a wingspan of marginally under 1 foot (30cm).  That's much more manageable on a wargames table!  I've included a 28mm figure for comparison purposes, as well as a home made set of steps.

So, what can I tell you about this model?

• It's built from a kit by ICM, though I believe that Revell have also released a kit from the same tooling.
• The kit is fairly easy to find online; there are a number of sellers who offer it.  I paid around £20 for mine, which is significant but not prohibitive.  Your circumstances may differ, of course.
• The interior is fully detailed, with instrument panels, controls and seats.  Normally, I would assemble a model fully before undercoating, painting and sealing it.  In this case, I had to paint the sections separately before final assembly - and then fill & touch up the paint around the joints.

• No crew figures come with the ICM kit (& probably not with the Revell one either, I imagine).  However, I added a pilot from another kit.  He's just about visible in the left hand, front seat.  Apparently it's convention for the pilot to sit in the left seat for a fixed wing aircraft, but the right seat in a helicopter!
• I've cut down the propellers and added "spinning disks" instead, as I want my model to be preparing for take-off.  Opinions in the scale modeller world on the effectiveness of this technique seem to be fairly negative, but it works for me.

• For the most part, the pieces fitted together well.  However, two area were problematic.
  Firstly, the seats had some very thin and brittle parts (the frames/legs).  I broke quite a few of these when trying to cut them from the sprue and even had to replace one shattered seat frame completely with wire.  Fortunately (or unfortunately, considering the amount of effort I put into these), the passenger seats can't really be seen inside the completed model.
  Secondly, the undercarriage is composed of a large number of spindly struts.  Assembly of this was complex and I think that these are easily the most fragile part of the plane.
• I haven't fitted radio aerials to the model; these would probably be in the way when wargaming and don't add hugely to the overall appearance.
• The colour scheme and markings are entirely fictitious and my own work, though I did take inspiration from some real life airlines.

Conclusion

The ICM Beech 18 kit makes a nice model that is a very good size for 28mm figures and not hugely expensive either.  However, it is primarily intended as a scale modeller's kit rather than for wargaming.  Consequently it was a bit more intricate to build than I might have desired.  The big concern I have is how fragile it will be, though as a static centrepiece for a game it shouldn't have a lot of handling.

A 28mm Pulp aircraft: the BH-11

Introduction

Anyone who has been following my blog recently will know that I'm preparing to play more Pulp Alley, specifically Scenario 2 ("Final Flight") from the Perilous Island campaign.  That scenario is set at an airport somewhere in Africa, though it could just as well be Latin America, Asia or elsewhere.

I've been collecting figures to make the necessary crowd of agitated civilians (although I think my version will be quite a weeny crowd).  However if it's an airport then I'll need something else as well: terrain and aircraft models.  Here's the first of them.

The Avia BH-11

This is a 1:48th scale model of an Avia BH-11; a 2-seater Czechoslovakian sports/trainer plane that first flew in 1923.  As such, it fits well into my Pulp timeline (interwar, so think Indiana Jones - any time from about 1920 to 1940).

28mm wargaming figures are often regarded as about 1:56 scale.  There aren't any 1:56 scale model aircraft!  I'll probably regret being as definite about that, as someone may well point out an obscure range somewhere, but generally speaking it is true.

Aircraft modellers stick to either 1:72 or 1:48.  The former is really much too small for 28mm figures, though it would probably work well enough to represent craft flying high over a battlefield.  1:48 is a bit too big, but not impossibly so - especially if you stick to smaller real life aircraft.

Most of the pictures in this article show one of my 28mm pilot figures standing beside the plane.  Judge for yourself how compatible he is in size.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of 1:48th scale aircraft kits.  However, not many of them come from the Interwar period - and those that do are mostly warplanes.  The Avia BH-11 model is one of the few exceptions to this, fortunately for me!

This kit is released by SMER and has one overwhelming advantage, at least in terms of being my first 1:48th scale aircraft model: it was very cheap!  The model only cost me a few pounds, so if it turned out not to be suitable for gaming then I could afford the loss.

So, how was the kit to build:

• Assembly was easy; parts are fairly chunky and fitted together very well.
• A seated pilot was supplied as part of the kit.  I didn't use this as, quite honestly, it was an awful model, little more than a blob of plastic!
• The undercarriage was slightly tricky, though not really difficult.  It's probably the most fragile part of the finished model though, so care will have to be taken when this is on the gaming table.
• The wing struts add interest, but without being very complex to assemble.  Also note that this aircraft doesn't have any rigging, so no wires and braces are needed!

I've copied a colour scheme, semi-faithfully, from a modern restoration aircraft.  For my purposes, it doesn't have to be completely authentic, it just has to look plausible.  The decals for the lettering are home made, but based on the original plane.  I think it works well enough...

Conclusion

This is a nice, cheap and relatively simple model that will do well for games, as long as it's handled with a certain amount of care.  I can see it being the ride for an early round-the-world aviator, or belonging to a rich enthusiast who likes to visit the more dusty and backward parts of the world.  Alternatively, it might be the cobwebby, old banger left in a corner of the flying field, just waiting for the hero to use it in his/her daring escape!  You decide...