Fisher Model & Pattern | #3213: Ryan STM-2/PT-20

Reviewed by Kevin Futter

When Paul Fisher released his 1/32 Ryan PT-22 Recruit kit a couple of years back, it made many folks happy. But of course, being modellers, many of us immediately began asking after its inline-engined cousin, the STM/PT-20. Not one to disappoint, Paul has now followed through with a terrific kit of this iconic trainer.

The kit ships in a stout box that is more than capable of protecting the resin parts inside:

The only identifying mark is a sticker on one end of the box. Inside, all the components are carefully protected with bundles of tissue paper, and major components such as the fuselage, one-piece wing and floats are individually wrapped with more protective tissue paper.

This ensures that the contents are not able to shift around in the box unduly, thereby protecting them from damage. Nice one Mr Fisher!

What's in the Box?

If it isn't obvious already, this is a resin kit, although the inclusion of photo-etched parts and decals probably qualifies it for the now-passe label of "multimedia kit". The breakdown of parts is roughly as follows:

2 resin fuselage halves
1 resin wing
2 resin floats
4 resealable bags of resin components
1 photo-etched fret
1 decal sheet
1 sheet of printed instrument dials
1 instruction booklet

Major Components

The major resin components in this kit are the two fuselage halves, a one-piece wing, and two solid floats:

The forward fuselage interior features some nice structural detail:

The detail on the floats is also impressive:

These are solid resin, and remarkably heavy!

I did spot a minor casting issue on the leading edges of the wings however:

This should be easily sorted with your favourite filler and some sanding sticks. The wing surface itself has some very subtle ribbing details moulded in:

The effect is difficult to capture on camera, but looks terrific in person.

Detail Parts

As noted above, the resin detail parts come in four separate resealable bags:

Two different types of engine cowling are provided, and both feature exquisite detail and casting:

The wheel spats are also very nicely detailed:

Just watch out for the rough area on the bottom of each that will need cleaning up:

It's worth mentioning that the two struts that bridge the floats appear to be moulded around a wire core for additional strength. A nice touch, as is the "L" and "R" tags moulded onto the sprues for the handed float attachment struts.

The Clear Parts

Two windscreens are provided, one for each cockpit, and they are cast in clear resin:

While not quite as clear as the finest injection-moulded parts, they are still very nicely done, and will be further enhanced by a dip in your favourite floor polish.

Photo-etched Fret

The kit comes with a single fret of photo-etched detail parts:

These are mostly for the cockpit, including instrument panels and seat harnesses, but also include a set of flying wires for use with the wing bracing. Interestingly, while the instructions note that they are provided, they still recommend using EZ Line or monofilament instead.

Also provided is a small sheet of paper with the instrument dials printed on them:

You get two spares, and while they're not printed in the finest resolution you'll ever see, they should appear perfectly fine in situ. Note that my photograph has altered the colours of the original print; they are in fact black with white dials.

Decals and Markings

The kit comes with a very nice decal sheet, designed by Luuk Boerman of Dutch Decals and printed by Fantasy Printshop:

They are crisply printed with good colour density and perfect registration. Markings are supplied for four aircraft:

Ryan PT-20 '62' - Ryan School of Aeronautics, San Diego USA 1931
- Bare metal fuselage and yellow wings
Ryan STM-2 A50-12 (ex S-27 RNeth. NAS) General Reconnaissance School, Cressy, NSW, Australia, 1942
- Green and brown uppers with yellow undersides from the mid-fuselage
Ryan STM-2 A50-28 (ex S-48 RNeth. NAS) 10 EFTS, Temora, NSW, Australia, 1942
- Overall yellow
Ryan STM-S2 S11 Royal Neth. Naval Air Services, San Diego, USA, 1940
- Dutch floatplane version - bare metal fuselage and aluminium lacquer wings

This is a great selection of schemes, and though I might be biased, it's great to see two Aussie versions on the sheet too. It'd be great if the aftermarket decal vendors got behind this kit and provided even more options.

Instructions

The instruction booklet consists of five A4 pages, stapled together and printed on both sides. It guides you through the build with a series of explanations and accompanying photographs, including plenty of hints and tips for getting the best result out of the build.

There's no parts map and nothing is numbered, so I recommend reading through the instructions carefully, making sure you can identify each part and understand where it is meant to go before proceeding. Both the photos and explanations are pretty clear however, and an experienced modeller should have no difficulty figuring it all out.

Conclusion

Overall this is a terrific kit. The nature of the medium means that it is better suited to the experienced modeller, but it should be no more difficult to build that a limited-run injection-moulded kit. With quality casting, great decals and clear instructions - not to mention a great subject - this kit seems like a winner to me. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Fisher Model & Pattern for the review sample.