A gentleman approached our club looking for a modeler to repair a model he bought. He asked me if I were interested. I said yes. He purchased it from Larry Schramm. The gentleman worked on the mini guns on the AC-47’s from 1970-1972. He’s had the model in his possession for 39 years now.
The repairs were minimal. It needed a good cleaning. I replaced some missing antennas, and repaired one of the guns. It wasn’t in bad shape, considering all the moves he made with it.
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I used distilled water and q-tips to remove the dust. I used compressed air, in very quick bursts to clean out inside the model. He even had a frame made telling Larry’s story.
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Larry Schramm’s 1/48 scale AC-47 “Spooky” Gunship Saga
How a chance visit to a newspaper/magazine shop in Lafayette, Louisiana in early 1986 led to a 39 year ownership of Larry’s model.
The front page of the January/February 1986 issue of the “FineScale Modeler” magazine peaked my interest as it indicated that an AC-47 was “Showcased” in the issue. The caption went on to explain that it was “An Outstanding 1/48 scale AC-47 gunship”.
Having worked as a gun mechanic on the AC-47 7.62 mini guns from 1970-1972 while in the Air Force the magazine was purchased and found that the modeler was Larry Schramm. Larry went into great detail on how he had constructed the model in the article and indicated that Testor had considered the model for the “Best of Show” award at the IPMS national convention in Atlanta in 1984. The model didn’t win the award but Larry was thankful for the honor to be in the running.
Larry was living in Wisconsin at the time and was contacted with the help of the editor of “FineScale Modeler” and asked if he would be willing to sell the model to someone who had a special interest in the AC-47 and had fond memories of working on the mini guns. He agreed and the model was shipped from Wisconsin to Lafayette, Louisiana with no damage noted.
Since that time the model has moved, due to employment relocations, to Baton Rouge and New Orleans, LA; Atlanta, GA; and Houston, TX.
Larry’s model now resides in Louisville, KY with its grateful owner who is forever thankful to Larry some 39 years later.
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Larry still lives in Wisconsin and I see him semi regularly at the local club meetings. I’ll share this story with him. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear it.
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That’s a great story about this very special build by Larry. Thanks for sharing it.
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Paul, (the individual that purchased the Model from Larry) is extremely proud of it. He even displayed it at our club’s yearly invitational. (Display Only). He brought the framed article from FSM to accompany it.
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That is a cool story, and I love how it comes full circle with Tim knowing Larry and being able to share this story with him!