Heller 1/72 T-28C Trojan

This is Heller’s 1/72 Fennec, the French-built version of the North American T-28C Trojan, converted to a VNAF T-28C of the 516th Fighter Squadron. There are a few things that need to be altered on this kit to eliminate the differences between a VNAF T-28C and an original Fennec:

• The cockpit air-conditioning scoop in front of the windscreen needs to be removed, and the resulting gap filled and sanded smooth.
• The wing-tip navigation lights need to be removed as the ones on T-28Cs were nearer to the leading edge of the wing.
• An extra set of pylons need to be added to the wings as the T-28C had two pylons per wing instead of only one on the Fennec. I used the pylons of Heller’s AD-4 Skyraider for this T-28C.
• The armor plating on the sides of the cockpit needs to be removed. I didn't attempt to do that on this one since it was too tedious for me and it doesn't show up all that prominently anyway.
• I cut the flaps out of the wings and reworked them in to seperate parts so I could attach them in the lowered position, as is the case on any parked T-28C.
• I seperated the three canopy sections with a razor-saw so I could pose it in the open position, which greatly adds to the appearance of the model in my opinion. The Fennec had a slightly taller canopy than the T-28C and it should be replaced by an aftermarket canopy. I didn't do that because I refuse to pay more for a canopy than for the whole kit, and because, again, the difference is not that evident.

The flaps wer cut-out, and a piece of sprue was placed between the halves. I then filled with Tamiya putty and sanded it smooth, trying to preserve as much of the raised detail as possible by masking the flap with tape.

The general fit of this kit is very good. The raised detail doesn’t bother me at all. The cockpit detail is adequate, with nice seats, instrument panel details and sticks. Well worth opening up the canopy.

The landing gear is nicely detailed, with intricate struts and wheel-well details. The fit of the landing gear was good, but make sure you take care not allowing the nose wheel strut to sit too low.