Hi everyone ,
I’ve started searching the internet for info on the support aircraft used by the USAF Aerobatic Thunderbirds .
I have the 1/72 scale Mach 2’s C-54 Skymaster and C-123B Provider along with Italeri’s C-119G Flying Boxcar kits .
I realize there are no aftermarket decals currently available for these support aircraft , so I am resigned to masking the different scallops on the tail fins and nose of each aircraft .
However I believe that Scale Aircraft Modelling magazine did an issue with some nice color profiles of these Thunderbirds support aircraft with their Vol 28 No.9 November 2006 issue .
I recently emailed the publisher and unfortunatly a back issue of this magazine is not available and I have searched around ebay and have not been able to locate one either .
I kindly ask if anyone has any info they could pass on as to where I could find some color profiles or painting instructions for the three Thunderbirds support aircraft I would like to do in 1/72 scale .
Kind regards ,
John .
BTW , I do have Squadrons C-123 Provider book which has a couple of B&W photo’s as well as the back cover showing a color artwork of the Thunderbirds C-123B Provider but that’s all the info I have so far .
I decided to buy Minicrafts 1/144 C-54 USAF Thunderbirds kit and I’ll use the instruction painting guide from the kit for my Mach 2 , 1/72 C-54 build .
I also bought the 1/144 R5D-3 (C-54) Blue Angels kit to use as a guide for a second Mach 2 C-54 kit in my stash .
The Thunderbirds support aircraft project has grown to include the Blue angels support aircraft , starting from 1946 with the 1/72 MPM Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor right through to the C-130 Hercules .
I also spent the last couple of evenings buying over the net Thunderbirds and Blue Angels decals and kits , so I’m going all out in 2012 and build one of each display aircraft as well .
Over 30 different kits including Anigrands 1/72 F7U-1 Cutlass which comes with Blue Angels decals and a Airmodel vacuform C-117 (R4D-8 Super Trooper conversion for the Italeri C-47)
I don’t have any specific decals for the 1/72 C-121J Blue Angels Constellation but I may have enough spares from other decal sheets to combine together .
Anyway , hopfully the kits and decals I recently bought will arrive before Christmas , they will make for a great present for myself from Santa and I can get everything organized for an early 2012 start , it will probably take me most of the year to build all of them .
John .
I just discovered your post about the Thunderbirds support aircraft. I made models of these many years ago. My collection was featured in the now discontinued Scale Modeler. Please send me your e-mail address. I can send you photos of my models and a copy of the magazine article. gdking@metrocast.net
Thank’s for the help Gordon , it is very much appreciated . [Y]
I sent you an email with my details attached .
Thank’s again .
Kind regards ,
John .
Hi John: I misplaced our e-mailso amy posting my message here. How are you doing with your Thunderbirds project? A fellow modeler from Germany saw your post and my reply. I sent him a copy of the article. Gordon
Hi Gordon ,
The project is going a little slower than I hoped . However I have done some interior painting on the C-119 and I can glue the fuselage windows in next , then close up the fuselage halves . The Mach 2 C-123 provider has had most of the parts sawed from the sprue and I have started cleaning those up . I needed to use the rotor craft motor tool to cut and grind most of the C-123 parts to clean them up , quite a messy job , so I set up a bench in the garage to do the bulk of the grinding , which saved messing up my work area inside . Mach 2’s C-54 doesn’t need as much grinding and sanding . so those fuselage halves are ready for some interior painting . I was thinking of cutting open the side cargo door on the C-54 but that will mean making a whole floor section for the rear and probably a couple of bulkheads as well . Mmmm maybe ?
I haven’t taken any WIP pic’s so far but I’ll post some of the fuselage halves with the interior glued in place just before I close them up .
I appreciate your continueing interest Gordon , Hopfull some pic’s in a week or so .
John .