This is the Minicraft, 1/144th C-54 Skymaster I built for the Berlin Airlift GB that Mosquito Maiden is doing. The general B.S. part of the instructions said this A/C # was one of several flown by 1 Lt Gail Halvorson, better known as the "Candy Bomber". He started a procedure of dropping candy bars under handkerchief parachutes to the German kids under the flight path on final approach into Templehoff, Berlin.
This was built pretty much OOB. I added a few panel lines, painted the leading edge de-icers instead of using decals, left the cockpit windows clear instead of simulating them with decals, put 28 BBs in the nose to keep it off it's butt and did a little weathering. I haven't bought any Alclad paint yet, so I did this one the same as my C-46, ie, Model Master enamel, Buff Aluminum Metallizer with different amounts of buffing. The panel lines are enhanced with a drafting pencil and the oil & exhaust stains are graphite powder. There are parts for a flare storage box that can be installed over the opening in the aft fuselage, but there is nothing in the plans about this and I didn't figure out what they were until I already had the fuselage joined together. Oh well, you can't see it anyway. This chute was the "bomb bay" for the Candy Bomber" and there are parts to have it open or closed. I spent about 14 hours on this machine over 3 days.
The ATC, (Air Transportation Command) patch has US Army Air Force on the bottom of it. The Berling Airlift was 1948 and 1949, AFTER the US Air Force became a separate branch of service in Sept of 1947, so these words are outdated.
Darwin, O.F.
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