(Nederlandse tekst vind je hier...)
Brief History and changes
The Fokker F-27 Friendship (click here for details on the real aircraft) was developed after the second world war to "capture the market served by the DC-3 Dakota". The F-27 evolved into the most successful turboprop, with more than 600 sold in various countries on all continents.
The F-27 flew in several versions, mostly as mark 100/200/300/400.
The F-27 mk.500 is extended 100 cm in front of the wing and 50 cm aft of the wing compared to the smaller F-27 versions.
Models of the F-27:
ESCI 1/72 model
Airfix 1/72 model
Revell 1/96 model
(1) ESCI model
ESCI depicts a F-27 mk. 400 Maritime patrol aircraft. The model was issued in the eigthies and nowadays may be hard to find. It is a nice model to look at with fine panellines. However, unfortunately the kit is not accurate in dimensions and shape.
The biggest flaws are:
- The fuselage nose does not have "enough body": it is to pointy in shape. The fuselage diameter is overall 2 mm too small which also give a "not correct" impression.
- The fuselage cross section is nearly a circle, but there should a kink in the cross section at the "floor". The shape of all windows is also not correct.
- The tail cone with the vertical tail is "too fat" and does not follow a very correct outline.
- Wing: gaps at flaps and ailerons are fare too small. The engine nacelles should be set 3 mm more outboard. The shape of the engine-wing fairing on top of the wing is "too fat" and "too round".
I made the ESCI model a long time ago in some sort of desktop model with a stand, as seen here...
A better alternative is to use the older Airfix F-27 kit
(2) Airfix F-27 in 1/72 scale
Although it is the oldest F-27 model in 1/72 , it is quite good in basic outline! The kit is pretty old and appeared in various boxes and decals/paint schemes:
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These kits had the than standard short nose and propellers for the Dart 6 engines of 12 feet. The later F-27 aircraft with often the Dart 7 obtained propellers of 11 feet 6 inch, so a 6 inch less (in 1/72 about 2 millimeter less diameter). At the rear fuselage, an air scoop for the airconditioning is situated and most aircraft had 2 scoops so 1 at port and 1 at starboard.
Airfix kit released Mid 2009 , no. 05003
Box art of F-27 flying over Uluru/Ayers Rock in mid Australia; I visited Uluru in 2005. The kit has optional parts for also the longer nose and also optional the later smaller diameter props with squared tips that became quite standard on later F-27.
Excellent decals for various schemes:
real photo of NLM plane...
Parts layout of the revised kit (with extra sprue with separate nose options and two extra smaller diameter propellers):
The kit has quite some inaccuracies. To get a more accurate model, essential is to improve the shapes and refine some areas to get a nice good representation of the real thing.
Check out the modelling Report on the Airfix F-27 here.......
(3) Revell F-27 issued models in scale 1/96
This very old kit is for a Fairchild version on the odd scale of 1/96.
It not really good so is an item for the kit collector. It appeared in various boxes.
There were also some "metal kits" of the F-27, such a FOKKER F.27 in AER LINGUS IRISH AIRLINES in the odd scale of 1/105 and issued in the early 1960's.
If you want a later generation Fokker 50 or 60 model, check out the model options here...
References:
a nice book in Dutch language published in 1985:
- 50 jaar Fokker Friendship, Joop Gerritsma, Publisher De Alk, The Netherlands, ISBN 90 6013 268 8
- Fokker F27 engineers guide, Fokker Aircraft company, release 1980.
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last update August 14, 2009 about the Airfix F-27 model...