Some model kits don't just sit on a shelf — they tell a story. The two engine kits from Atlantis Models featured here represent two pivotal chapters in American aviation history: the thundering radial piston era and the dawn of the turboprop age. Build one, build both, and you'll have a display that stops anyone who walks into the room.
Atlantis 1/12 Wright Cyclone 9 Radial Engine — Kit #M6052
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is one of the most storied piston engines ever built. It powered the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the Douglas DC-3, the Grumman F4F Wildcat, and dozens of other aircraft that defined the WWII era and early commercial aviation. At its peak, the Cyclone 9 produced over 1,200 horsepower from nine cylinders arranged in a single radial row — a masterpiece of American engineering.
Atlantis's 1/12 scale kit captures every fin, pushrod, and cylinder head with impressive fidelity. The kit is molded in red, black, gray, and bronze — color-accurate right out of the box — and includes a "stub" propeller and an adjustable service rack dolly for a ground-crew display setup. An 8-page illustrated STEM booklet rounds out the package, making this one equally at home in a classroom or on a hobby room shelf.
- Scale: 1/12
- Skill Level: 2
- Kit #: M6052
- Includes stub propeller, service rack dolly, and STEM booklet
Atlantis 1/10 Allison Prop-Jet Engine — Kit #1551
If the Cyclone 9 represents the peak of the piston era, the Allison Model 501 (T56) turboprop represents the bridge to the jet age. This engine powered the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the Lockheed Electra, and the Convair 580 — aircraft that are still flying today. The Allison's combination of turbine efficiency and propeller thrust made it one of the most reliable and long-lived powerplants in aviation history.
Atlantis's 1/10 scale kit gives this complex engine the room it deserves, with detailed turbine and reduction gear sections that make the inner workings of a turboprop tangible and understandable. Like the Cyclone 9 kit, it's a fantastic STEM teaching tool as well as a serious display piece.
- Scale: 1/10
- Kit #: 1551
- Detailed turbine, compressor, and reduction gear sections
Display Them Together
Side by side, these two kits make for a compelling conversation about how aviation propulsion evolved over just a few decades — from the brute-force reliability of a nine-cylinder radial to the smooth efficiency of a gas turbine spinning a propeller. They're a natural pairing for any aviation enthusiast, history buff, or STEM educator.
Both kits are in stock and ship in 3–5 business days. Pick up one or grab the pair — your workbench (and your display shelf) will thank you.
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