Scale aviation modeller international

Casa C-212-100

Special Hobby 1/72 Casa C-212-100 by Carmel J Attard

MANUFACTURER: Special Hobby

SCALE: 1/72

KIT NO: SH72344

TYPE: Injection moulded

PARTS: 102 useful parts plus 118 parts

indicated not for use.

DECAL OPTIONS: 3

HISTORY

T

he design of the Aviocar

Casa 212 goes back to

the late 1960s, when

the Spanish Air Force’s ageing

fleet of Junkers Ju52/3s (T2),

Douglas DC3s, and Casa 207

Azors (T7) needed replacement.

A specification for the new

transport and multi-purpose

aircraft was issued to meet

the air force’s needs.

The Spanish company Casa

proposed the C-212, a twin-engine,

turboprop powered, high wing,

fixed undercarriage cargo aircraft

with STOL capabilities. A simple,

unpressurised machine intended as

a 16-seat passenger transport, the

all-metal construction airframe

has the empennage rather high

behind the inclined rear fuselage

section. The hinged tailgate ramp

enables light military vehicles to be

embarked on board, the loading of

large size cargo, or paratroopers to

jump out of the aircraft. It can also

be used as a photographic survey

aircraft, a crew ambulance, for

SAR duties, or as a crew trainer.

When the Casa 212 project

was accepted, a pair of prototype

machines was produced, with a

first flight in 1971. The Spanish

military assessed the suitability

of the C-212 while using a small

pre-production contract of eight

aircraft. Large-scale production

was then commenced based on

the large number of orders from

all around the world. The type was

also license-built in Indonesia.

A number of subsequent versions

were designed and built, differing

by the engine type, lengthened front

fuselage section, larger tailplanes,

or added winglets. The original Casa

212-100 was equipped with Type 331-

5-251C engines. Follow-up versions

were the Casa C-212-200 with more

powerful engines and the C-212-300

with a longer nose, winglets, more

powerful units, and different style of

propellers. Since 1984, the C-212-400

has been produced, having more

developed power plants, modern

avionics and increased payloads.

Other Casa 212 versions range

from VIP transport to maritime

patrol airframes (with large radomes

and/or sensors in the front fuselage

and top of the tail fin). The C-212 has

been in service worldwide and over

all continents. It was used with the

military in North, Central, and South

America and is still flying in Europe

with the air forces of Sweden,

Spain, Portugal, France, and for a

time with Malta Armed Forces.

Others were flying in

the continents of Africa and

Australia and other countries in

Southeast Asia. Total production

has exceeded well over 400

machines and the type continues

to appear in the sky throughout

the world in a variety of roles.

THE KIT

The Casa 212 comes in a standard

Special Hobby box, with artwork

depicting a Spanish Air Force

aircraft taking part in a para-drop

exercise. The kit is produced in

medium grey styrene and contains

five sprues, plus an additional sprue

of clear parts. There are 102 parts

and a further 118 are indicated not

for use. This is a clear indication that

many more releases of the Casa 212

are planned; the parts indicate that

-200, -300, or -400 series are all

possible based on the basic model.

56 • JUNE 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

KIT REVIEWS

056-65-Reviews-0618.indd 56 11/05/2018 16:01