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Roden 1/48 Fairchild AU-23A Peacemaker

By Gerry Nilles

History

Originally designed and built by the Swiss firm Pilatus as the Turbo Porter, and subsequently built, under license, by the Fairchild Company as the AU-23A Peacemaker this aircraft filled a unique need it the war in South East Asia. Capable of operating from rough as well as short jungle landing fields, so common in the area, the Peacemaker not only acted as a light transport but also as mini gunship. It firepower consisted mainly of the XM-197 a three barrel, lightweight, version of the M-61 Gatling gun. Used by the USAF, the CIA as well as other countries in the area, including the Royal Thai Air Force, the AU-23A was the right aircraft for the type of warfare on going at the time.

The Kit

Although I would not recommend this kit for the novice, mainly because of the number of small parts, it is a relatively easy build. Overall fit is good with the exception of a little filler needed where the wings join the fuselage, the horizontal stabilizer joins the tail section and around the nose area. In addition, the clear pieces for the cockpit doors required some trimming to get them to fit properly. One other heads-up I should note is that the styrene has a tendency to be a bit brittle so be careful when removing delicate parts from the spru trees.

Detail wise the XM-197 tree barrel Gatling gun, is quite an interesting subassembly in its own right. It has been describe as a mini kit within a kit. When completed it adds a definite point of interest to what could be said is a less than exciting aircraft. However, there is couple of things you should be aware of if you decide to use the XM-197. First, the ammunition storage container should be located on the centerline of the cargo bay floor in order to properly lineup with the gun. The instruction sheet has it positioned incorrectly. Secondly be very careful when bending the ammunition feed mechanism, as noted above the plastic is somewhat brittle and easily broken.

Painting & Markings

Deciding to go with the USAF scheme obviously both the making and the painting is very straightforward. For paint, I went with Tamiya's TS-28 Olive Drab 2 lacquer. The kit decals went on well. However, they require an extra dose of Walther Solve-A-Set decal solution after they had dried in order to get rid of the silvering. The photos here show the model before I did that second dose, and so show some of the silvering.

Conclusion

This is an easy kit to build if you have some experience. When finished it looks good with well-done details, especially if you add the mini Gatling gun. My thanks to Roden for the review sample.