This next build is going to be a little different. I have always been a fan of the 1950’s and 1960’s horror and sci-fi movies. One of my favorites is the Howard Hawks 1951 movie “The Thing From Another World”. The movie is set in the arctic at an outpost that ends up fighting an alien invasion. With that in mind, I will be using the Trumpeter 1/48 C-47 and converting it to a R4D-5 for arctic service. The scheme will be the “Tropical Tilly” used in the movie. For the conversion I will be using Lone Star Models (LSM) arctic C-47 conversion set. The LSM conversion kit includes numerous resin parts for the ski’s, cowls, exhaust, nose, and a set of decals for the Tropical Tilly and another R4D called the Que Sera Sera. For research I took some screen captures from the movie and found some color production stills in an old “Famous Monsters of Filmland” magazine.
Moving on to the start of the build, to begin with I assembled and built the cockpit. One of the things that I noticed was the kit control arms only had 4 thick levers. I cut these off and used some spare photo etch levers. The kit instrument panel is very nice. It consists of a back panel, a thin film with the instrument faces printed on it, and a clear front panel. These went together very well and look great. While I had some painted parts drying I worked on the nose of the aircraft. The R4D nose is a little longer than the normal C-47. The LSM instructions state to cut just forward of the nose panel line and graft the new resin nose on. After some measurements I determined that the nose needed cut 4.0mm forward of the panel line. The resin nose is a near perfect fit now.
Turning back to the cockpit I built up the seats. The kit provides a small sheet of photo etch that includes the seat belts. After painting them I installed the seat belts and then the control sticks. The next step was to build the avionics rack. The avionics equipment has some details molded on the face. One of the details is the handles of the equipment. I cut these off and replaced them with spare photo etch handles and then detailed the front of all the equipment. I am currently building and detailing the rest of the forward bulkheads.

Check out all the photos and details from start to finish in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-r4d-5-tropical-tilly/

10 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Great start, David @davids_models
That interior looks amazing.

Moving forward to the next scene in the R4D-5 TFAW build, I continued with the forward cabin details. The bulkhead behind the cockpit was detailed using cloth tape to replicate the padded section. In the next section where the radio/navigator sits I added a lens to the light and detailed the seat. In the movie is a scene where a crewman reads from a magazine article on how the Air Force states UFO’s do not exist. After some research I identified the magazine as the March 1950 edition of the “Air Force” magazine. I decided to take a photo of the cover, scale it, print it out on paper, and place on the table.

There is also a first aid box in the section behind the pilot. I made decals to properly mark the box. The forward section was then installed. Next I started on the cabin benches. These were detailed with photo etch loops and then the seat belts. With the benches mounted I checked how it mounts in the fuselage and marked where things line up so I can detail the fuselage. I filled the mold marks with putty and then trimmed the frame for the top bubble window. Since the window is not on the aircraft, I need to remove it and fill in the hole. The rear bulkhead was detailed and I started to add accessories for the interior. For the blanket rolls and satchel I painted and then weathered them with pastel chalk. Next I will be adding all the ribs and spars on the inside of the fuselage.

Check out all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-r4d-5-tropical-tilly/

11 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Great progress and wonderful detailing, my friend @davids_models!
The scaled down magazine is the icing on the cake!

Welcome to scene 3 of the R4D-5 conversion. This week I detailed the starboard fuselage interior. I used .02” X .04” styrene square rods to frame in the area. I also removed the bubble window atop the fuselage. The R4D did not have the bubble window. After removing the frame on the outside I used a thin sheet of styrene on the inside then filled the hole with white putty. Once cured I wet sanded it to contour the fuselage. I then went back to the interior details. I used .03” rods for the area across from the cargo door. From the reference photos these are larger than the upper section as they are used to tie down any cargo.

I used a piece of .04” X .04” square rod on the emergency exit window to make the release handle. The kit had the release handle molded in, but since I was adding the spars/ribs I needed to remake it so it was flushes with the ribs. I drilled part of the way with a 3mm drill and installed a photo etch handle into the section.

I then started adding the upper portion with .02” rods. This is very tedious as cutting and fitting each one takes time to trim and fit. It took a few evenings to install all of them. After I finished I checked the fit of the interior section. Next up is working on the port side interior then I can assemble the fuselage. I have heard the fit of the two fuselage halves on this kit requires some work so we will see how that goes.

Check out all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-r4d-5-tropical-tilly/

8 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Great scratch building, David @davids_models
This adds a lot of details.

Very realistic interior, my friend @davids_models!

Here we are at scene 5 of Tropical Tilley. This week I detailed at painted the port side of the fuselage. I also noticed that there is what looks like tie down straps along the fuselage above the seats. I used some extra photo etch extras and cloth tape to create these mounts. I scratch built some of the avionics panels near the cargo door and modified the panel in the middle of the fuselage. The next thing I worked on was the overhead console for the cockpit. After detail painting in I noticed in the reference photo that the edge near the hatch on top it was marked with “ESCAPE HATCH”. I added this by making a decal for it.

I then worked on trimming and shaping the interior bulkheads so the fuselage fits together. It is still going to require some putty but the gap is a lot smaller. Moving onto the cargo doors I removed the molded in handles off the crew door and replaced them with photo etch handles. The center light/ air vents for the cabin were detailed and the tail wheel assembly was built at detailed. The tail wheel hub required some trimming as it was too wide for the rubber tire. I installed all the windows and painted the circle in the middle with black rubber. Next I started assembling the outer wings. The kit includes landing lights in the wing. These unfortunately were molded in gray instead of clear. I drilled them out with a 4mm drill bit than painted the inside with chrome silver and filled them with acrylic gel to give them a realistic appearance of the landing lights.

I ordered some resin crates to add to the interior. These were painted with Tamiya desert sand and then washed with Vallejo Mahogany to give them a real wood look. I am now making the cargo straps and rope that will secure the cargo to the fuselage. The cargo straps are being made using the same cloth tape as described in my “Making Cloth Seatbelts” tip.

Making cloth seat belts for aircraft

10 attached images. Click to enlarge.