Lockheed L-212
Electra Junior
“with Gun Turret”
 

Special Hobby, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Glen Porter

 Special Hobby's 1/72 scale Electra Junior is available online from Squadron.com
 

This is not the Emilia Earhart aircraft, but the military version as supplied to the Dutch East Indies Airforce in 1939/40. With a dorsal turret that could be partially retracted and fitted with a 303 machine gun plus another 303 in a fixed position in the nose and up to eight 100 pound bombs carried under the wing centre section, the Dutch bought 36 of the 130 Electra Juniors built.

Special Hobby have already released the Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior (Earhart's aircraft) in fact I think I saw one presented here on Hyperscale recently in her colours. Most of the parts in this kit are the same except for the turret, cockpit canopy, decals and instructions.

All the major parts, fuselage, wings, engines, tailplane and under-carriage, are in plastic with very fine engraved panel lines. Cockpit interior, turret details, prop hubs, spinners and blades plus other external bits are in resin with the level of detail we have come to expect from this manufacturer.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

One of the uncertainties about MPM releases is whether the clear parts will come injected or vac-formed. This kit gives you both. Canopy and turret are vac-formed while the side windows come in nice clear injection moulded plastic. There are two turrets (one spare) and although there are two canopies, one is for the civilian Model 12 and not used here.

The only nit I could pick with this kit is the cavity for the dorsal turret which has to be opened by the modeller although the instructions do show you where and how big it should be. I would have preferred Special Hobby to have it open and supply a plug for the hole if the turret is not used but then that’s just me. Lazy.

While talking of the instructions, they're a bit confusing concerning the turret options. They keep mentioning option “D” but it doesn’t have a turret.

The decals, by Aviprint have perfect register and give markings for three aircraft, one, L208, in two different colour schemes, L205, in over-all silver and a third which escaped to India and was given British markings and serial.

I've got to hand it to MPM (Special Hobby), they keep coming up with aircraft that other manufacturers wouldn’t bother with and giving them unusual markings.

Let's hear it for MPM.

Highly Recommended.
 

Thanks to MPM/Special Hobby for the review sample.

Review Text Copyright © 2005 by Glen Porter
Images Copyright © 2005 by Brett Green
Page Created 20 October, 2005
Last updated 06 November, 2005

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