AT-37 Conversion to T-37 Tweet

I dunno how accurate you want to be but there's a ton of work involved in converting an A-37 kit into a T-37. The Tweet had smaller engines meaning that the engine nacelles in the wing roots were much smaller than they are on an A-37. The A-37 also had a beefed-up main gear with larger wheels & tires and deeper main gear doors. Not to mention the cockpit layout, tip tanks, IFR probe, and other minor external differences.

As for your original question, I'm not sure how to handle the engine nacelles and that's the main reason I've never attempted the conversion. IAC now that Sword has released T-38s in both 1/48 and

1/72 (Yay!) maybe we can dare hope that they or one of our other East European friends will bless us with honest-to-goodness T-37s someday...

Paul,

I'm looking for a site by a guy who did this, and I followed his example a couple times. I'll post or mail it to you when I find it.

Basicly it meant adding some card stock and putty then just carefully shapeing it. Just use alot of paticence.

Al is right, you'll have have something that looks real close, and you'll be shaving off some bitts, filling others, but with the work, it still looks good. Decals will be a pain too.

Don't know if this helps, but I'll look in my records for the site.

Rich

This is my first foray into modelling since the early 1980's, so I'm not getting too creative at this point. The only mods I'm doing is to the wing tips themselves -- the engine nacelles and tires will have to wait for another attempt. I cut the bumps off the bottom, sanded flat the hump off the back, and filled in all the holes where the armament hangs (boy, wouldn't that have been fun to have those in pilot training....).

I found this site that discusses it a little bit...I was hoping there's a better way to do it than doing it with putty...but maybe that's the best way. I had thought building the tip up with layers of thin styrene would work, but the contour is too complicated.

I have decals on order from Vince Maddux of VMDecals. He had a set in the works and modified them to look like the ones I flew at Laughlin AFB back in '87.

If I ever get it done, I'll see if I can't post a picture on alt.binaries....

Cheers!

p

Hey, here is another old tweety bird pilot. Saw an A-37 kit in hobby shop the other day, and was tempted to buy it and do the same thing. Let me know how it turns out.

How does the old 1/40ish Aurora T-37/A-37 stand up? I have one of each in the stash but never really looked at them. Is the A-37 converted from the T or which way? Silly question I'm sure, but do they each have their respective mods?

That's the one I was thinking of Paul. I think you will be well on your way with his help. I'd post mine, but the cat knoked a big glass brick on one and the other is still not finished. But it is a little better. Will be able to salvage the first so I can have a little AETC ramp action going. (two more t-38s in the pile too).

I picked up a third A-37 with the intent of actually doing one as a dragonfly. What a concept!

Good Luck Paul! post 'em when you finish! And I might have to look into those decals too.

Rich

Frank, I believe the A-37 came from the T-37. The 'T' had been around awhile before the attack version was mentioned in the mid-'60s. I used to get all of my info from "Air Progress" back then.

Just checked a reference and the T-37As were first delivered in FY1956.

I'd guess that the Aurora kit has the markings engraved in the plastic as so many of theirs did. It's been awhile since I saw one and I never really considered it for building.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Not bad but as to be expected from such an old tool it's not very detailed. The 'A-37' kit isn't actually either an A-37A or an A-37B since it doesn't reflect the modifications needed to install the GE J85-GE-5 engines. It's really just a representation of the two T-37Bs that were used to test the concept.

BTW, the T-37 was originally a Strombecker kit, as was Aurora's Temco TT-1.

Seems to me there was a kit of the real T-37. May have been Hawk. Seems to me it was one of those metalized jobs.

You're probably thinking of their T-33.

Strombecker in 1/43 scale, later reissued by Aurora.