Made in Ukraine

Background:

Based on the Grumman Mallard, the Albatross was developed to land in open-ocean situations in order to accomplish rescues. Its deep-V hull cross-section and keel length enable it to land in the open sea. The Albatross was designed for optimal 4-foot (1.2 m) seas, and could land in more severe conditions, but required JATO (jet-assisted takeoff, or simply booster rockets) for takeoff in 8–10-foot (2.4–3.0 m) seas or greater.

Most Albatrosses were used by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), primarily in the search and rescue (SAR) mission and initially designated as the SA-16. The USAF used the SA-16 extensively in Korea for combat rescue, where it gained a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy craft. Later, the re-designated HU-16B (long-wing variant) Albatross was used by the USAF’s Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service and saw extensive combat service during the Vietnam War. In addition, a small number of Air National Guard Air Commando Groups were equipped with HU-16s for covert infiltration and extraction of special forces from 1956 to 1971. Other examples of the HU-16 made their way into Air Force Reserve rescue and recovery units prior to its retirement from USAF service.

440px XJR2F 1 NATC NAN1 50 The U.S. Navy also employed the HU-16C/D Albatross as an SAR aircraft from coastal naval air stations, both stateside and overseas. It was also employed as an operational support aircraft worldwide and for missions from the former Naval Air Station Agana, Guam, during the Vietnam War. Goodwill flights were also common to the surrounding Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the early 1970s. Open-water landings and water takeoff training using JATO was also conducted frequently by U.S. Navy HU-16s from locations such as NAS Agana, Guam; Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii; NAS North Island, California, NAS Key West, Florida; NAS Jacksonville, Florida, and NAS Pensacola, Florida, among other locations.

The HU-16 was also operated by the U.S. Coast Guard as both a coastal and long-range open-ocean SAR aircraft for many years until it was supplanted by the HU-25 Guardian and HC-130 Hercules.The final USAF HU-16 flight was the delivery of AF Serial No. 51-5282 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, in July 1973 after setting an altitude record of 32,883 ft earlier in the month.

440px SA 16A Albatross on ground during Korean War The final US Navy HU-16 flight was made 13 August 1976, when an Albatross was delivered to the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida. The final USCG HU-16 flight was at CGAS Cape Cod in March 1983, when the aircraft type was retired by the USCG. The Albatross continued to be used in the military service of other countries, the last being retired by the Hellenic Navy (Greece) in 1995.

Civilian Operators
In the mid-1960s the U.S. Department of the Interior acquired three military Grumman HU-16s from the U.S. Navy and established the Trust Territory Airlines in the Pacific to serve the islands of Micronesia. Pan American World Airways and finally Continental Airlines’ Air Micronesia operated the Albatrosses serving Yap, Palau, Chuuk (Truk), and Pohnpei from Guam until 1970, when adequate island runways were built, allowing land operations. Many surplus Albatrosses were sold to civilian operators, mostly to private owners. These aircraft are operated under either Experimental-Exhibition or Restricted category and cannot be used for commercial operations, except under very limited conditions.

Proposed New Build
Amphibian Aerospace Industries in Darwin, Australia, acquired the type certificate and announced in December 2021 that it planned to commence manufacturing a new version the Albatross starting in 2025. Dubbed the G-111T, it would have modern avionics and Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F turboprop engines, with variants for passengers, freight, search and rescue, coastal surveillance, and aeromedical evacuation.

Variants:
• XJR2F-1 – Prototype designation, two built
• HU-16A (originally SA-16A) – USAF version
• HU-16A (originally UF-1) – Indonesian version
• HU-16B (originally SA-16B) – USAF version (modified with long wing)
• SHU-16B (modified HU-16B for Anti-Submarine Warfare) – export version
• HU-16C (originally UF-1) – US Navy version
• LU-16C (originally UF-1L) – US Navy version
• TU-16C (originally UF-1T) – US Navy version
• HU-16D (originally UF-1) – US Navy version (modified with long wing)
• HU-16D (originally UF-2) – German version (built with long wing)
• HU-16E (originally UF-2G) – US Coast Guard version (modified with long wing)
• HU-16E (originally SA-16A) – USAF version (modified with long wing)
• G-111 (originally SA-16A) – civil airline version derived from USAF, JASDF, and German originals
• CSR-110 – RCAF version
• G-111T – proposed new builds with modern avionics and turboprop engines.

(Edited from Wikipedia)

In the Box:

Right off the bat, there’s a distinct impression upon inspecting the sprues that this is not a “shake ‘n bake” kit; oh no. There’s flash to contend with and some of the smaller parts are a bit soft in execution. Additional work with a blade and small files will be needed on some parts prior to use.

That said, the surface details, both inscribed and in relief are scale-appropriate and nicely done overall. Some areas however are a bit soft and uneven and will require refreshing with files and a scriber prior to priming.

Assembly starts with a very detailed cockpit that includes multi-part pilot- and crew-seats, detailed yokes, and instrument panel details from a crisply printed decal. This is followed by nicely detailed main wheel wells, which are glued onto the inner face of each fuselage half.

Next, the large, square fuselage windows and small port hole windows (13 total) are glued into the fuselage halves. Some of the window parts have a noticeable texture that will have to be sanded out and polished prior to use. Die-cut masks are provided for the windows.

With an appropriate amount of nose weight installed (16 grams/0.56 ounces) the assembled cockpit is captured between the fuselage halves and the builder is directed to the two multi-part engine-cowl assemblies followed by the wing center section, composed of a single-piece, full-span upper part with right and left lower engine nacelles. This is followed by the left and right outer wing panels, each composed of upper and lower halves.

The next step in the build looks like a Red Flag Moment as the outer wing panels affix to the wing center section by nothing but a butt-join with no internal structure for alignment or, more importantly strength. I would suggest that a few moments scratching a spar-like internal support for each wing will be an investment in not seeing drooping wings a few years after your Albatross masterpiece is placed in the display cabinet.

With the addition of the single-piece horizontal stabilizer/elevator, rudder, and engine cowls (with integral engines), the airframe is largely complete.

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The rather complicated main gear retraction mechanism is replicated nicely with a correspondingly complicated, 7-part assembly. Similarly, the twin nose wheel is comprised of 8 parts.

With the landing gear affixed, the wingtip floats (from L and R halves) and wing fuel tanks (from upper/lower halves) are up next. The weight of both the tanks and floats on the outer wing panels is another reason to beef up the wing panel-center section join with internal structure earlier in the build sequence.

The model is finished off with the addition of a multitude of small airframe parts including handles, antennae, and balances made of both styrene and PE.

Color and Markings:

The decals by Decograph are crisply printed with good registration and scale-appropriate colors and densities. Markings for just one airframe are provided that of the Global Wildlife Conservancy Albatross PP-ZAT/FAB6535, which features a rather distinctive black, grey, white, and orange scheme.

For those who’d prefer your Albatross in a more traditional scheme, the folks at Sova-M have you covered with the additional kits below:

#72026: SHU-16B Albatross, U.S. Navy

#72027: UF-2 Albatross, Japanese Marine Self Defense Force

#72036: SHU-16B Albatross, Spanish and Chillean Air Forces.

Conclusion:

This is a very neat kit that will build into a nice-looking model but it’s going to take some extra work to get all of what’s provided in the box. As with most limited-edition kits, some time will be spent removing flash and refreshing parts with files and a scriber. Similarly, I suspect the larger parts will require a lot of test fitting to achieve a good fit but the result will be a model not often seen at the model shows. Recommended!

The review kit was kindly provided by Mike “The Weatherman” Millette.

Thanks again, Mike!