Special Hobby 1/72 CASA C-212-300/400 'Long Nosed Casas' # 72489

At the end of the 1960s, the Spanish air force begun to look for a type to replace the then widely used transport aircraft, of which the longest-serving were the Ju-52s built in the 1930s.

The military issued requirements calling for a new transport and multi-purpose type and to fit these requirements, the CASA company brought forward their concept of a twin-engined, turbo-prop powered high-wing plane with fixed undercarriage and with STOL capabilities.

The project known as the CASA C.212 Aviocar was accepted and a mass production was launched both in Spain and in Indonesia, there under a licence.

First batches had all a short forward fuselage and were powered by various types of engines, later type designated C.212-300 sported longer fuselage, wings with winglets, more powerful engines, the TPE331-10R-513C and different propellers.

1998 saw the intoduction of the C.212-400 with TPE331-12JR-701C engines, upgraded avionics and higher payload.

It is no overstatement to say that the C.212s fly all over the world and the list of the operators might seem to be almost endless.

The C.212 keep flying with the militaries of the USA (C-41), Mexico, Central and South America (Panama, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina), in Europe, they were flown or still are in Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Malta, in Africa they can be found from the very Norht to the southern-most tip, flying for instance with Tchad, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe among others.

Down under in Australia the C.212s are used in the training of the local Red Barrets and also with the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment which operate them in Antarctica.

And in Asia, the type flies with operators in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines, among others.

The model kit portrays the long-nose variety and offers the markings of the No.44 Sqn SAAF machine flown in South Africa, a Venezuelan airframe in service with the Escuadrian Aeronaval de Patrullaje Marotimo and a Argentina-based machine in the colours of Prefectura Naval (Coast Guard).