Group Build Title: 90 Years of the DC-3/C-47
Group Build Leader(s): @hudson29
Group Build Description: A campiagn to celebrate 90 years of one of the most important aircraft ever built.
Event Details: December 17, 1935 the first DC-3 took to the air beginning a most remarkable career. Outside of the wright Flyer, it is probably the most important aircraft ever built.
Let’s have a campaign or group build to celebrate this wonderful aircraft. It ought to include civilian & military versions as well as those built by Japan, the Soviet Union or other places. Also versions modded such as the AC-47 and turboprop mods would be welcomed. All scales included.
Start on December 17, 2025 & end on December 31, 2026.
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This should be a lot of fun. I love DC-3s and have an airline version in mind. Are there any kits of DC-2s? If so, I think it would be great to include them.
What do we want for an award?
Paul
If I can get my hands on a Monogram 1/90 AC-47 Puff the Magic Dragon, then I’ll be in!
I built the “Skytrain” version of this kit way back in the 1960s and have fond memories of it. I’ll bet there are other models of the AC-47 out there should you fail to locate the Monogram kit.
I have found that there is a DC-2 kit out in 1/72 scale. It is from MPM and looks good in the box. I have not found any TWA decals for this kit but there are DC-3 decals for a 1937 version. It looks like they could be used for the main marking but would need custom decals to be made for the rego numbers.
Paul
I could probably be talked into building the Roden 144 scale AC-47 as well 
I’m in!
Been meaning to do a Dakota for years. Have the Italeri Gunship in the stash and I would like to get an excuse to get Airfix’s new tool. Supposed to be a good kit.
I just received the new tool Airfix kit in the mail today. A quick 30 second scan of the kit in the box shows it to be streets ahead of the Italeri kit with much more subtle detail. I wonder how much trouble it would be to back date it to make a pre-war civil DC-3 . . .
Paul
1 Like
Would be interesting to see done.
Wonder if someone has done a conversion kit for it?
I had a look at the Airfix C-47 kit last night. It looks really good, just what I was hoping it might be. It is very much a C-47 and would be great for a post war civilian airliner. It will take some research to see what changes would be needed to backdate it to pre-war use. I can see the intakes on top of the cowls would be different and Airfix has made these parts separate easing that job. The cargo door would have to go as well and a passenger door added to one side or the other. Happily, the kit windows do not have the loop holes to allow the troops to fire their personal weapons at the enemy so another job eased.
Paul
1 Like
Presumably a pre-war civvy would need different seating too?
Was looking at some reviews and was surprised to see that the Dan-Air boxing still has the wartime bench seats along the sides of the interior. Wonder if it’s supposed to represent a cargo carrier rather than passenger?
Yes. Seating might vary quite a bit from example to example. I’m not sure I would bother too much about this in this scale. If the door is closed there might not be all that much visible inside.
Paul
1 Like
True. Maybe sections of extruded L shaped plastic to give the impression at least through the windows? Would hardly be worth extra expense and work.
Each to his own though.
I see we are not the only ones who have noticed that the DC-3 will turn 90 this year. There is an organization that has formed to raise money to help keep’em flying. They have an excellent logo:
Paul
2 Likes
I have been working on a number of projects including a Minicraft DC-3. It is NOT part of this campaign but I’m showing it here for interest and in hopes that someone might be able to point me in the direction of pre-war and early post-war antennas & DF loops. I have three airliner kits done now but for these small but important details.
This kit is surprisingly well detailed and it is a DC-3 rather than a C-47. There are some issues such as a poor wing/fuselage fit and an odd upward tilt to the nacelles. I corrected the larter by sanding the forward section at an angle to aim the center of thrust in the same direction as the center of forward travel.
The decals printed in Italy by Cartograph were TERRIBLE!!! They were printed sharply and in register and the colors were great – so, what’s not to like? First, they are impossibly brittle and took every opportunity to shatter with even the lightest of touches. Second, there was next to no adhesive – they would not stick unless no positioning was required an almost impossible situation. I ended up taking Elmer’s School Glue and diluting it with warm water and using that to stick’em down. What a PIA!
For the orange areas not covered by the decals or the many areas where the decals shattered into tiny fragments Tamiya rattle can orange sprayed into the cap and brush painted worked reasonably well.
Overall, the model looks pretty good considering my shaky hands and skill level. I will be building another of these Minicraft DC-3 shortly and a Roden DC-3 as well. Wish me luck and do LMK if you know of a good source for those illusive antennas.
Paul
2 Likes
