1/144 Minicraft C-54/DC-4 in Early SAS Colors
I don't normally build airliners, and I never build anything that has a natural metal finish, but I wanted to do something for the SAS 75th Anniversary Group. I had the Minicraft C-54 kit lurking around, and I was able to find some decals that would work, so off I went. It appears that the early SAS DC-4s were actually C-54s that they obtained after the war, but I didn't do any research to confirm this. The decals are from Lima November and are very nice.
The build was uncomplicated thanks to the small number of parts in the kit. Everything went together without problems. I applied the natural metal using Humbrol Metal Cote Polished Aluminum sprayed straight from the can. The decals were thin and fragile, but I managed to get them on the plane without any major drama. The kit decals supplied the black de-icing strips on the leading edge of the wings, and the black strips on the tail were hand-painted.
Overall, an enjoyable build. In addition, it was fun to stray away from the normal things I build, although this will be the last airliner for a while. If you want more details on the project, please visit the SAS 75th Anniversary Group. Everyone stay safe. Cheers.
6 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Spiros Pendedekas said on October 13, 2021
Turned out really great, George! Stepping out if your modeling comfort zone twice (airliner + NMF) resulted in a truly wonderful model. Metal finish looks fantastic and so do the decals.
Your build thread was, as usual, very informative and pleasant to follow - thanks for the ride!
Congratulations!
John Healy said on October 13, 2021
Turned out great, George! I enjoyed watching this one take shape.
John vd Biggelaar said on October 13, 2021
Really awesome build, George @gblair
Building something different showed that even then you are able to create a stunning model.
The NMF looks awesome.
Loved following your build and did give me some ideas for future builds.
Pedro L. Rocha said on October 13, 2021
Beautiful work George, I also have an airliner to start for this GB and yours is very inspirational
George R Blair Jr said on October 13, 2021
Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten), John (@j-healy), John (@johnb), and Pedro (@holzhamer). I appreciate your kind comments. Now that I have built something shiny, I won't have to do it again for a few years. :o) Looking forward to your build, Pedro.
Bob Torres said on October 13, 2021
That really came out nice, it is a great looking build. I really like how the aluminum finish came out.
Greg Kittinger said on October 13, 2021
Nice change-of-pace build - looks nice in that livery. Well done.
Walt B said on October 13, 2021
Nice job on are really good looking plane. I had a friend who was building plugs to make a 1/48 Vacuform kit of the C-54. Not sure if he ever finished but sure would like one. Nice work on your mini-me version, it really does seem to have some nice looking detail for such a small scale.
Tom Cleaver said on October 13, 2021
The Revell 1/72 kit is all you need @gblair. Big enough for detail - and the detail is nice - but not so big you have to get a home loan for a hangar.
Tom Cleaver said on October 13, 2021
Dost mine eyes detect MULTI-HUE NMF here? Sure looks like it.
Nice work on this one, @gblair.
George R Blair Jr said on October 13, 2021
You are right, Tom (tcinla). The NMF from a spray can work well, so I decided to keep going. I sprayed some Vallejo aluminum on some of the wing panels, and when the world didn't explode, I pressed my luck by mixing some Vallejo Aluminum with a dab of Dark Aluminum and sprayed the control surfaces.
George R Blair Jr said on October 13, 2021
I appreciate the nice comments, Bob (@v1pro), Greg (@gkittinger}, Walt (@luftwaffe-birdman), and Tom (@tcinla).
Lis said on October 13, 2021
I'm fan of NMF and you made good job with it!
George R Blair Jr said on October 13, 2021
Thanks, @lis. This is my first NMF in about 30 years. Maybe I will try another in a few years. :o)
Bernard Bedeur said on October 13, 2021
That looks amazing George. I had to look up what NMF means !
Waiting to do this myself on a large model some day.
My Dad flew them (DC-4 ) for Sabena in Europe and the Congo. He loved multi-engined aircraft. I realise now why. They keep you up in the sky for longer than regular planes !
Super job.
Robert Royes said on October 14, 2021
Beautifully done!
George R Blair Jr said on October 14, 2021
Thanks, Bernard (@bernardbedeur) and Robert (@roofrat). When I first started flying C-141s, we still had some flight engineers who had been around long enough to have been crew members on props, mainly C-124s. Boy, did they have some stories. I bet you heard some cool stories from your father, especially if he flew in Africa.
Robert Royes said on October 14, 2021
I once took a flight on a Navy C-118{DC-6}, It turns out that it was the last flight of the aircraft and the aircraft commander.Both heading for the boneyard. He did invite the passengers for a little 'stick' time during the flight.@gblair.
George R Blair Jr said on October 14, 2021
Very cool, Robert @roofrat. The closest I came to that was deadheading to Iceland in a C-130. Flying in a prop plane is a whole different world.
Robert Royes said on October 14, 2021
I flew as a passenger in one of your C-141's, that was pretty cool too.@gblair
Louis Gardner said on October 14, 2021
George, @gblair
I'm sorry that I missed this build journal, but I will definitely go take a look. This one turned out very nice ! You made me laugh with your comment on doing a bare metal finish. The different tonal variations between some of the panels turned out magnificent.
I can only imagine what it must have been like to fly (or ride) in one of these. Dad told me some stories about the C-54's and C-47's that regularly flew into Berlin when he was part of the Berlin Brigade in the 1950's. Dad was stationed there twice, once right after he came back from Korea, and again later in the late 1950's and early 60's. During his last assignment in Berlin, he was part of the 39th SF Group which was attached to the 6th Infantry at the time. I miss him terribly, and each time I see something that reminds me of him, I remember a story or two about things he experienced.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I definitely checked the "like" box... 🙂
Csaba said on October 14, 2021
It was a quick build! Looks great - now I have to find time to finish my entry! 🙂
George R Blair Jr said on October 14, 2021
Thanks, Csaba (@pikofix). Looking forward to your SAS build!
Thanks, Louis (@lgardner). I appreciate your kind comments. I understand about memories coming up at unusual times. My dad was killed in a car wreck when I was 15, and memories come up at unexpected times. My mom died in her sleep a few years ago when she was in her 90s. I figured that was the way to pass on, but now I sometimes find myself worried about going to sleep. I flew a C-141 into Berlin several times in the 70s when you still had to precisely fly down a narrow corridor to get from Frankfurt to West Berlin. There was still the threat that the Soviets would shoot you down if you strayed out of the corridor, so we always carried a navigator and we always tried to be very careful with our flying and navigation.
Eric Berg said on October 14, 2021
Looks terrific George! My Norwegian Grandpa was named “Haakon”. Those decals sure turned out very nice!
George R Blair Jr said on October 14, 2021
Thanks, Eric (@eb801). I was wondering if Haakon was a person's name, or a place name, or something else. The decal set had markings for 3 different planes, each with a different name.