1:48 L-20A/U-6A - type 1 interior 3D decals for Dora Wings kit

A Canadian workhorse in army colors

The robust high-wing machine with a radial engine came about in the north as an aircraft for the pilot who takes off from a clearing and lands on a lake. The US Army chose it after a competition at the beginning of the 1950s and designated it L-20A; when the designations were unified in 1962 it became the U-6A. It served in Korea and in Vietnam, carried the wounded, liaison officers, cargo and observers, and became famous for its ability to put down where another machine had no chance.

Why two different variants

The same type does not mean the same interior layout. The machines differed according to the year of manufacture and according to their task: the instrument panel looked one way on the pieces from the first series and another on the later ones, and further differences came with conversions for ambulance or liaison service. The designation of the variant in the name is therefore not a decorative epithet but the key to which sheet matches your subject. Before buying it is worth comparing a photograph of the particular machine you want to build.

What to have ready

Thanks to the large glazing the cockpit is very well visible from all sides, so saving time is not advisable. Finish the floor and the side walls before the fuselage is glued together. Unify the transitions between the sheets with a matte varnish and at the end pick a few edges out with drybrushing, so that the surface does not look flat.

A few pieces of advice at the end

Spray the base in a shade close to the print, so that any gap at the edge does not stand out. Soak the sheets briefly, move them with a damp brush and soak the surplus water up. Glue the seats in at the very end.