The Airfix Tucano T.1 in 1/72 Scale is actually pretty good for a 90's kit! Build & Review

The Tucano was a training aircraft used by the RAF as a progressive step before pilots moved onto jet training in the BAE Hawk. Having a long service life, being introduced into service in the late 1980’s it would train future fast jet pilots for over 30 years, being retired in 2019.

Join me in this video as I build and review the 1/72 scale plastic model kit of the Shorts Tucano T.1 from airfix (code A03059)

Thanks to Hamish's Heinkels for his contribution of the historical segment, his channel here:

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This video is intended for adult scale model enthusiasts.
Model Minutes holds no responsibility for any accidents, damage or injury that could occur as a result of attempting to replicate any steps depicted in this video. This video is intended for entertainment only.

Unless specifically indicated, all products have been independently purchased.

Music used from Epidemic Sound:

#Airfix #Tucano #Modelkit

[ShuttleFactoryScaleModels]

That is one wonderful looking Tucano. Also great save with the diorama, in order to stop the dreaded tail sitting effect. To solve you issue with the weight to stop the tail sitting effect (for future builds of tricycle landing gear aircraft models). I'd recommend getting a cheap set of fishing weights/ fishing line sinkers. They really handy for stopping tail stitting and are also really handy if you want to pick up fishing as a hobby!

[PSPmaster]

The reason you are getting a rough finish on your varnish could be down to a few things.
Your air pressure may be too high, or you may be holding the air brush too far from the model. (I suspect the latter, given what I could see in the vid)
This causes the varnish to dry in mid air as its flying to the model, resulting in a rough finish.
With gloss coats you want to spray them on quite heavy and wet... just before it starts to pool up.
Hence working in bright light really helps to see whats happening.
Using a specialised thinner rather than water will help too.. only a few quid.
It is quite a fine art and notoriously difficult to get a smooth gloss coat.
However, it is almost certainly not the airbrush itself.
Luckily gloss coats can be polished down pretty well to improve the finish, either with a microfiber cloth or wet sand with very fine sandpaper.
Also, never spray the canopy.

[Kickback-dmzt]

Great build and it's a great kit. I know I mentioned it in the live stream but for those who don't know the real aircraft was replaced by the beech craft /Raytheon T-6 Texan 11 which is an American licensed made copy of the Swiss Pilatus PC-9M.

[harrygrant]

Hey. Matt hope your well try buying liquid gravity from amazon its amazing i use it on all
My tri landing gear planes

[fiftiesbinman]

For an old kit its not all that bad.... looks great in the black... and love you solution to the tail tipping :-) no one would ever know....

[stuff]

Nice save with that little diorama to hide the tailsitting! Quite nicely tooled and very well built! I love all of your models :)

[Vespa_adventures]

Looks great in black. Good work on the build!

[bugler]

I won a flight in one with the Shorts Test Pilot with the Air Training Corps in Belfast. I have the same model to build but unfortunately I can’t find my log book to remember which airframe I flew in.
But I still have a great memory of that day. So different from the Bulldog and Chipmunks we were used to. 😊
Thanks for the insight into the build. I’ll use this advice soon hopefully.

[SimbianMinistry]

Nose-weights... I bought a tin of 500 airgun pellets around 5 yrs ago - price sticker on it says £3.49 - Still got around a hundred left. They weigh almost 1g each and can be squashed with pliers to fit anywhere there's a gap.
I use 1 pellet per gram required, plus a little blu-tack to hold them, and job's a good-un.

[caioapgs]

Amazing Brazilian plane, so great almost everyone has/had at least one for training, and as if that wasn't enough it looks beautiful, I would recommend building a FAB EMB-314 Super Tucano sometime later just to add to the collection, I believe Hobby Boss has one.

[RedtailFox]

I have to say that I have found your videos extremely helpful in furthering my own skillset in this hobby. The diorama base you made for this kit was the perfect thing for the 1:72 scale Tamyia Spitfire Mk.I that I am building for my grandfather to display next to a Gun Camera (from a Spitfire) that is in his rather large Camera Collection. I suspect I will be making a LOT of these smaller bases for my future fighters (and larger ones for Bombers) in the future.

[tail_lamp]

Lovely build, enjoyable to watch and now makes me want to pick one of these up myself!

[jamdiversified]

Did you thin the Black paint? I know it's meant to be airbrush ready but I like to add a couple of drops of Vallejo flow improver and even a couple of drops of Vallejo airbrush thinner to their model air paints. I use a cheap 30 AUD ebay airbrush and it goes down nice and smooth when I do this. I did note when I used model air paint straight from the bottle it was a bit rough looking and tends to clog the airbrush.

[grahamariss]

Quite ironic that the tooling is good, because the RAF's Short's built Tucanos are notorious for their liberal tolerances so that not only does not one quite feel the same to fly, but if you precisely line them up at one end on the flight line, you get a wiggly line with the other ends.

[FESTRIKEEAGLE-iwnl]

There’s something about turboprop aircraft that really speaks to me

[plasticalchemist]

Have built one of those a while ago and now seeing this one think I need another one.

[adder]

Any advice for where to get these Matt? I've struggled to find them anywhere, even Ebay!

[markshellard]

Looks good 👍🏻 I have the poppy edition in my stash

[VFCproductions]

Good job - impromptu diorama time!

I have a sheet of lead on hand for this sort of thing, but have certainly considered getting liquid gravity as others have mentioned. My dad has just finished another Tucano and this time managed to get it to sit correctly so it can be done!

[valborchardt]

Hello again from South Africa. Thanks Matt, much enjoyed. Take care