1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster DONE!

[smokeriderdon]

I have been itching to do this kit since I got a couple months ago. So I am at it! This kit is absolutely marvelous. If you have any interest in this aircraft at all, get this kit!

I am doing the Berlin Airlift version, not the MATS version on the box. I will have to get another so I can do that one I guess. I am going to try to reproduce the last pic minus the airman. Waiting for the resin flour bags I ordered to get here. Cant do any more with the interior until I do. Going to start on the landing gears and engines while I wait.

As others say, any and all constructive criticism or ideas welcome!





























The kit has the option of flaps up or down. Going with down, so had to remove the kit flaps. Never done this before.

 

[Quaralane]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

Work so far is looking really good here

 

[smokeriderdon]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

Thank you kind sir.

I got the resin flour bags today. They are HO scale which is 1/87. I thought they might be too small, but I like how they look. I painted them and then tried shrinking down the pic of the front of the bag. I got it small enough, but my printer cant print it clearly at that size. So I am going to get a fine point pen and write Flour and squiggly lines on them. I tried it a bit with a ball point to see kind of how it will work. Should be OK. I hope.

 

[smokeriderdon]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

OK. So a very helpful member of a FB page I am on cleaned up the pic of the flour bag I had so my printer could actually print the label small enough for the bags. As the real bags were heavy paper with labels applied, i simply printed them on regular aper. Then I used Elmers to glue them on the bags and hosed them down with dull coat. I like how they look.

Then I wet down the cargo floor and threw some flour on it. Knocked/brushed off excess and hosed that down with dull coat as well. This is the result.

I did notice when I was cropping the pics that I need to dirty up the bulk head to the crew area to match the fuselage walls.

 

[NecronautDrummer]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

This is awesome! Can't wait to see more!

 

[smokeriderdon]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

So, I got the inner fuselage put together. Then the outer went together. Unfortunately, I I think I had something a hair off as it didnt close up quite as neatly as dry fitting suggested it would. So I had seams to work on. And I have the WORST time dealing with fuselage seams. I have yet to get that down after all these years. *sigh*

I then built the engines, attached the wings, inserted the engines, added the cowls, proceeded to break off and lose the front half of one engine, find it over a week later and after ordering replacement parts, close it up with foam, primer with Mr Surfacer 1500, then use Alclad for the first time. *pant pant pant*

At this point, I am a bit more than 3/4 done I think. Landing gears, flaps, side doors and fiddly bits are about all thats left build wise. Then I need to figure exactly how and what for weathering and the decals.

I took a pic of the fuselage alone laying on my full size keyboard to give an idea how big this thing is.

 

[Quaralane]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

Looks to be coming along very nicely

 

[Go Flight]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

So far so good. Very nice!

 

[smokeriderdon]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

Well, I had some delays as the local model store is having issues keeping supplies in stock. Seems the owners/warehouse people dont want to give the manager what he wants. So they ran out of aluminum Alclad. I ordered it online. I also ordered the metal landing gears from SAC as I have already broken one tire off. Unfortunately, I did not know they had already produced a set for this kit or I would have gotten them sooner. So my next thing will be to remove the plastic kit gears (that should be fun. I super glued the snot out of them)

But I have sprayed some panels aluminum as well as all the control surfaces. Attached all of those and the nose cone. Need to work on the seem there. Then gear doors, props antennae and the like and weathering decals and will be done. I think.

 

[Belugawrx]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

Nice Alclad work going on there ;D
That thing is huge !!
Cheers

 

[smokeriderdon]

Re: 1/72 Revell Germany C-54D Skymaster

Thank you sir! This is my first time using it, so I am very happy with how its gone so far.

And yes, it IS a large model. And it is only 1/72.

Good warm up for the 1/48 AC-47, B-58 and B-1 kits I have waiting.

 

[smokeriderdon]

DONE! Yep, calling her finished. Except for the few things I noticed while processing the pics. For the sake of display at meetings and the like, I did not secure the canopy. Thats why it looks so out of whack. I did a good job on the flight deck damn it! I want to be able to show at least some of it off!

If you have this kit in que. BUILD IT! It has a few issues, but nothing terrible. Just be sure to build each section carefully. If you have one thing off, it will jack it up further down the line. Also, I HIGHLY suggest you get the SAC metal landing gear set. The kits fron gear is very flexible. The main gear are OK, but with the amount of weight you have to put in it to keep it from tail sitting, I dont think they could handle it. I broke one tire off just setting it down. I was able to retro the metal set into it.

I have another one already and plan on getting the Cartograff decal set and doing a different version. This will be a ways down the line though. On to the Revel 1/32 Tornado ECR!

 

[Belugawrx]

Wow,..that looks Great !
Very nice work on that,..Cheers

 

[Quaralane]

Turned out really well, there

 

[smokeriderdon]

Thank you gentlemen!

 

[NecronautDrummer]

Very nice work!