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Minicraft C-47 as Li-2


Foxbat

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I saw a cracking scheme for a Czech An-24 on Hannants' site last weekend. Somehow though, this isn't it. Strong drink may have played a part.

This is the Minicraft C-47A (which itself comes with a couple of really nice decal options) which I will attempt to build with suitable minor mods to represent a Lisunov Li-2.

The Kit:

Li-2Kit1.jpg

And the decals:

Li-2NewDecals.jpg

Naturally because I'm starting late, I'm going to do the most complicated scheme.

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I've got the major part of the airframe together, and whilst the kit is a bit 'old school' it hasn't been too bad. The first coat of silver is so I could tell which bitsof black were overpaint from the interior and which bits were gaps. Almost none of the latter fotunately, but there was a slight step right along the fuselage top. A little work with a sanding stick (my first time) and all was well.

The fin leading edge and the wing trailing edge behind the engines took a little persuading to stay together, but all is now good.

Li-2Airframe1.jpg

I started carving down the engne mounts as the Li-2 doesn't have the prominent lumps and bumps the C-47A has. Then I noticed Minicraft had thoughtfully supplied different mounts and cowlings for all versions on the one sprue, so that saved a job. More pics once I have the engines mounted.

Andy

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It doesn't have prominent lumps and bump because it has a completely different shape - the Wright engine is 9 cylinders with a larger diameter than the twin-row 14 cylinder P&W. Fortunately this is the engine that the machine was originally designed for, so it has a simple round "dustbin" cowling with parallel sides. The C-47 cowling tapers to enclose the smaller-diameter engine.

I hadn't realised that the Minicraft came with the Wright engine. This makes it even more surprising that the Eastern Express Li2 (not a copy of the Minicraft, honest) didn't!

Perhaps I should get a Minicraft C-47 to do an Li2. But now there's the Roden as well.

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  • 1 month later...

Slight change of plan. There are a number of differences between the C-47A and the Li-2 (according to one source that number is 1200).

Having got to this point:

C-47Silver.jpg

it would take more work than I had time for to make even the rudimentary changes needed, mainly because the kit uses decals for windows the cargo door, and post war Daks have less windows than there are window spaces in the Czech decals plus different sized cargo doors with the hinges in different places because the Li-2 relocates the passenger door to the starboard side of the fuselage.

So, my C-47 is now a late war C-47 - a D-Day survivor with the invasion stripes removed. I'll freely admit this scheme is entirely the result of sloth and ham-fistedness on my part, but it still looks good.

Pics to follow in an hour or so when I have the undercart on.

Edited by Foxbat
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Well that was entirely expected. One undercarriage support strut snapped with the small part making a successful bid for freedom. Not sure how to fix it in the next few minutes - it's tiny and I don't have anything readily to hand that is big enough to glue, small enough too fill the gap AND strong enough. Hey ho, anything could still happen in the next half hour.

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What could happen? I only lost a prop blade too. Found it, repaired it, slapped what was left together and took a pic:

C-471.jpg

I'm calling it finished, but only because I'm to polite to call it what it deserves.

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