Gumbie Air Services Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I want to build a DC-4 in 1/72 scale, is it possible to convert a Heller DC-6?, if so, what needs to be done? I also want to build an ATL-98 Carvair to the same scale. I know the Carvair is available in 1/144, but I would like bigger, and I think that Heritage Aviation Models could make a conversion set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 There was a two part article in Scale Aircraft Modelling a long time ago. But Its going to be a hard slog! Itw as bad enough building my Mach 2 kit and finishing it as a Buffalo Airways one. You may have seen it here. From a -6 to a -4 will entail shortening the fuselage, altering the fin, changing the engines....... Rumour has it there may well be a new injected kit coming .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Hi Gumbie. As Paul said, SAM did a 12 page 2 part article in the 'Ian Huntley Column' series on converting the Heller/Humbrol 1/72 DC6b, in Vol 7 No 9 (June 1985) and Vol 8 No 10 (July 1985), these articles included scale plans by Ian Huntley. Robin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelldoc Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Save your time and wait. modelldoc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 In the meantime you can always build a 1/144 DC-4 by Minicraft. A very nice kit. And a DC-6 to go with it to give you an idea of how much there is between the two types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garryrussell Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 There was a 1/72 Vac Form Carvair many years ago...J&L??? Might still be able to get one?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 The Rareplanes DC-4 is an excellent kit, if you can find one and aren't afraid to tackle vac-forms. It can also be built as a Canadair North Star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Red Roo do a conversion set, which gives you all you need - https://www.redroomodels.com/conversions.php?manufacturer=1. This only shows the update set for the Mach 2 kit, but Gary will be able to fill you in on the Heller set. Also search down through this page - I'm sure this topic has been discussed before ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 You need this https://www.redroomodels.com/conversions.php?conversion=1618 and reasonably good modelling skills or, if you buy a Mach 2 kit, you definitely need this https://www.redroomodels.com/conversions.php?conversion=1619 This is perhaps easier than the Heller route but, arguably, will not give you quite as accurate a kit, unless you lengthen the Mach 2 fuselage. I have it on pretty good authority that the Uncle Tom Cobley Modellwerken 1/72 injection DC-4 will be very good indeed with fully detailed l interior (including toilets) and is slated for 2019 or 2021 as they are high resolution 3D scanning the entire aircraft including the interior. It will be their very first injection model and they are doing it in collaboration with Eduard MA. It is hoped it will retail for under three hundred pounds although this doesn't take future inflation into account. The Carvair you perhaps should wait for as we have a joint project with some other company to do a decent conversion for one - it's still a 'feasibilty study' at the moment. A combination of the existing vacform and the Red Roo parts will give you a pretty decent one - I know of two guys building them at the moment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbie Air Services Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Thanks for all your advice, I'll wait a little while longer and see what turns up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garryrussell Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Sorry, but, although I appreciate the efforts, the high quality DC 4 sounds like something containing many part most modellers will not want or need at a price few will be able to afford. Some of us won't even live that long and that is the generation that will most want it. Things are getting too complicated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Hemsley Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Guys --- If you still want to do the conversion in 1/72, I did one a while back for a Canadair North Star. Check out the build in the 72nd Galleries on the IPMS 'Buzz" Buerling site*. There's also a link to the full build article within the gallery entry for the North Star. Whether you're building a DC-4 or a Canadair North Star/Argonaut straight from the Heller kit or x-kitting, the build article should shed some light on your project. *sorry, but it wouldn't allow me to copy n' paste the direct link. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 That would be this article, Scott? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) http://agapemodels.com/2011/02/14/aftermarket-sets-dana-kophers-dc-4c-54-resin-conversion-set/ Don't know if these is still available. I'm in the middle of converting a Heller DC-6 to a C-54 from scratch using only modified kit parts and parts from the spare box. Its not the easiest conversion to do. But I'm confident it will turn out okay. The fuselage has been cut just forward of the wing and have a 32,6mm plug removed, Directly aft of the wing root another cut and a further 17mm plug was removed. I chose to use my razor saw and remove the kit windows row entirely, inserted and super glued a 3mm thick clear acrylic strip, which was then sanded to shape and flush with the rest of the fuselage. Polished with micro mesh 3600-12000 grid wet and dry abrasive cloths, awaiting a final coat of clear. Backside of this method is that all those crystal clear oval windows is acting as small magnifiers. Still debating if I have to scratch a simple interior for it, just in case. I'm leaning toward not to do it. Chose this method for the oval windows row because I'm building this aircraft http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/4/8/4/0827484.jpg Have the decals for it and is going to use the decals as a template for masking the windows to ensure a 100% fit with the decals. The vertical stabilizer have been shortened a little and cut very roughly to shape. Final shaping is planned when the fuselage is glued together. The horizontal stabilizers is shortened and sanded to shape, still need to glue a small plug where the wing root joins the fuselage. The trickiest part of the conversion in my book is the engines, propellers and nacelles. Especially, when I have decided only to use modified kit parts or spare box items. Had four engines in my spare box from two scrapped Italeri C-47's these has been cut aft of the cooling flaps 14mm long and is going to be be joined to the wing nacelles via a 5mm plastic card plug. Since these engines is smaller in diameter than the DC-6 engines some sanding will occur. The propellers is another culprit, the propellers from the scrapped C-47 have the right shape but is looking a tad small. Took the plunge and sanded the DC-6 props into shape instead, when the model is finished I'll decide which of the 2 sets is looking best. I don't claim this conversion I'm doing is a 100% measurement correct model. But does it look like a C-54 when finished? If it do I'm happy. Edited June 9, 2014 by hgbn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 http://agapemodels.com/2011/02/14/aftermarket-sets-dana-kophers-dc-4c-54-resin-conversion-set/ Don't know if this is still available. No it isn't but you can get the Red Roo versions which are the same but have a few extra parts - links above. These would have made your conversion job substantially easier. However you have addressed nearly all of the areas needing work and I look forward to seeing your effort in pictures. You need to modify the exhausts and astrodome and check whether a radar nose is appropriate or not. The underside profile of the fuselage needs a little work but our conversion does not provide more than a drawing for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I'll see if I can get a few shots of the current progress in the next couple of days. Hopefully tomorrow. Been filing and sanding the nacelles most the day, just need to smooth out the areas, so I can add exhausts, carburetor intakes and the oil cooler or whatever the intakes under the engines are for. You're quite right. A lot of time and tedious work could have been saved by using above said parts. Oh well I wasn't aware of these sets before I already had started cutting and sanding. Now its just to prove it to myself that it can be done. I like the challenge. However its more than likely that in the future when converting another C-54 I might invest in these parts.. Unless of course that a mainstream producer in the meantime offers a better kit of this subject in 1/72 scale... ( I'll need at least 6 C-54D/G total just to cover the Royal Danish Air Force variations) plus a couple of DC-4 for a SAS and a DDL aircraft. The radar nose, exhausts and other small items is on my list of to do. I'm considering to file and sand the radar nose out of a lump of solid lead, a notorious tail sitter like this bird need all the ballast it can carry as close to the nose as possible. I might add the support rod located in the tail hump as well. Looks like its present on all aircrafts when on Terra firma in all those available photos I have seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garryrussell Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 The Heller DC 6 already has the radar nose??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) Not the right one for my aircraft it seems. the Heller kit got the one with a even smooth curve. Ours had a slightly bulkier radome as seen here http://www.thunderstreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/c-54-skymaster-n-625-deense-lm-melsbroek-brussel-24-6-1967-coll-engels.jpg or here http://www.stall.dk/media/110524/skymaster.jpg Edited June 10, 2014 by hgbn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I think that a little milliput and judicious filing could get the shape correct, but of course that wouldn't weigh nearly as much as a piece of lead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 The Heller DC 6 already has the radar nose? That's right. Heller DC-6 has radar nose. DC-4 may or may not have radar nose. The Mach2 kit has one but it's NQR in shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 http://www.airliners.net/photo/Spain---Air/Douglas-C-54D-Skymaster/1022200/L/&sid=89e5305186c1abfda7690cd073ad4e65 A better photo showing the right type of radar nose used in the RDAF C-54D/G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Working on my own set 1/72 scale plans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Henrik, Can you do something about that nose? Eww! (But if that's what she looked like, I guess you're stuck with it... ) bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) I'm afraid it was as it looked for real. Edited July 5, 2014 by hgbn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 But I do agree that it isn't the most elegant radar nose solution done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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