Airfix´s Dakota Mk.IV, what variant of the C-47 is?

[Sturmovik]

If things go well and I manage to land the days correctly, I´ll be able to visit the Big H in June, planning to buy a decal sheet with an Argentinian C-47A TC-34, plus the Dakota Mk.IV from Airfix.

My question is, what version of the C-47 does the Dakota Mk.IV represent? Would it be the C-47D? And if so, were there any external differences between the C-47A and C-47D?

I´m not familiar with cargo aircraft, my favourite planes tend to be Luftwaffe fighters.

Thanks in advance!

[Sydhuey]

Dakota I - C-47

Dakota II- C-53 troop only variant with no cargo door

Dakota III- C-47A

Dakota IV -C-47B

[Sturmovik]

Just now, Sydhuey said:

Dakota I - C-47

Dakota II- C-53 troop only variant with no cargo door

Dakota III- C-47A

Dakota IV -C-47B

Were there any external differences between the C-47A and B?

[Admiral Puff]

The main difference between the two was that the C-47A had unsupercharged R-1830s, whereas the C-47B's R-1830-90Cs were supercharged (because that variant was intended for work "over the hump" in the CBI theatre). The usual way to distinguish them is that the 'A had shorter carburettor intakes (inlets aft of the cooling gills) whereas the 'B's intakes came further forward. As with many aspects of the DC-3/C-47, this wasn't a hard and fast rule, and some 'As can be found with the longer intakes. To further confuse things, the 'B's superchargers were often removed post-war to make the C-47D, although the long intakes usually remained. As is so often the case, it's best to try to find a photo of the aircraft you want to model and be guided by that.

[Sturmovik]

@Admiral Puff I wasn't able to find any photos of TC-34 with the carburator intakes, they were removed a long time ago. I did however, find a photo of TC-33, which has the short carburator intakes, and I'll assume TC-34 had those too.

Does the Dakota IV from Airfix have the short intakes? If not, I'll buy the Italeri kit, they come in that kit.

[Admiral Puff]

I think that's a fair bet, and yes, the Airfix kit has the short intakes (and IMHO is a much better kit!).

[Sturmovik]

4 minutes ago, Admiral Puff said:

I think that's a fair bet, and yes, the Airfix kit has the short intakes (and IMHO is a much better kit!).

Plus, you can add the windows at the end of the build. Would you mind showing me a photo of the intakes on that kit or the part number? I can't find them on the sprue photos.

[dnl42]

7 minutes ago, Admiral Puff said:

The main difference between the two was that the C-47A had unsupercharged R-1830s, whereas the C-47B's R-1830-90Cs were supercharged (because that variant was intended for work "over the hump" in the CBI theatre). The usual way to distinguish them is that the 'A had shorter carburettor intakes (inlets aft of the cooling gills) whereas the 'B's intakes came further forward. As with many aspects of the DC-3/C-47, this wasn't a hard and fast rule, and some 'As can be found with the longer intakes. To further confuse things, the 'B's superchargers were often removed post-war to make the C-47D, although the long intakes usually remained. As is so often the case, it's best to try to find a photo of the aircraft you want to model and be guided by that.

Indeed. Also, some C-47As had a tropical air filter (on the cowling) that, if you look too quickly or have a poor picture, you could confuse with the supercharger intake of the C-47Bs and some C-47As (mostly on the nacelle). Another issue are the antennas, which can be very different.

 

As noted, having that contemporaneous photo of the subject is critical. The caution with which you should always regard restored aircraft is particularly important with the C-47, as many saw substantial post-war service and maintenance.

[Sturmovik]

2 minutes ago, dnl42 said:

As noted, having that contemporaneous photo of the subject is critical. The caution with which you should always regard restored aircraft is particularly important with the C-47, as many saw substantial post-war service and maintenance.

No issues regarding restored machines, all the C-47s here had been either scrapped, are in a derelict state, and only one has been preserved in a museum.