Roden 1/72 C-123B

[Unglued]

This will be a wheels-up, "flying" model of a Fairchild C-123B Provider. "576" began service with the USAF as 55-4576, and was then reregistered and reserialed several more times before ending up as it started, as "576." It was flown by Air America from 1962 to 1973, mainly in support of the not-so-secret war in Laos. It was converted to a C-123K by Fairchild Aircraft Corp. at Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1968. It survived the hostilities and was given to Thailand in the mid-1970s.

I'm not going to spend much time on the interior, as it's going to be all buttoned up, so this build should go fairly quickly. I'll spend a lot of time giving it a well-used look. It probably had a few patched bullet holes, the result of flying over jungle at low altitude. I have no idea what a patched bullet hole would look like. Can anyone help me with this?

Another question: Some of the 123Bs had wing tanks, but in the photos I've seen of this one, I see no tanks or pylons for them. I'm wondering if the Air America C-123Bs sacrificed the weight of the extra fuel tanks for the ability to take off and land on short strips with heavy loads. Anyone out there know anything about this?

No after-market parts will be used for this build. I'll probably use a combination of Mike Grant Decals, generic number decals and the U.S. flags from the Roden kit for the tail fin. I'm using Montex canopy masks, a fairly recent release, from what I understand.

Today I closed in the three wheel wells, and checked the fuselage halves for fit, just to make sure there was no gap before I glued in the decks and bulkheads that might prevent a good marriage of the fuselage halves.

From what I've seen so far, this is a pretty good kit. A little flashing here and there to remove, but not much putty will be needed, I think. Photos to follow soon.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Unglued

[ikar]

I used to see 123s from time to time and it's possible that that particular version never had tanks, just like some of the early C-130s were never designed to have pylon tanks.

With the 123 sometimes they put on jet pods like they did on one version of the AC-119. It could change from one version tot he next.

As far as the battle damage goes, I was not a mechanic and for the most part kept away from them and their work but it seems that the best way to replace a hole in the fuselage would be to remove that panel to the internal rib and replace the metal, then paint over it. Depending on how old the paint was the new panel would have brighter paint. I could be wrong. Like I said, I wasn't a mechanic.

[Rich in name only]

In 1/72 small arms damage would be very small.

Pick the caliber of fire and that's the size of the hole, except if a round goes through at an angle the hole will be oval shaped with the narrow diameter the same as the round.

For larger caliber, especially explosive, use WWII B-17s and B-24s as a guide.

For small caliber, a patch will be roughly two rivet rows wider: "roughly": rivets don't go to edge of patch, don't overlap, and will be a minimum distance apart, which I forget, but make it at least a diameter.

In this scale, I don't think there's a rivet tool that has a small enough pitch so maybe two passes to suggest close spacing--You'd need an old-time Swiss watchmaker's skills, tools, and magnifiers, to do it precisely.

The repair is no different than any other sheet metal damage so if you have references for that then you have what you need.

For large caliber there may be some doubling on structure.

So, 37 mm at 1/72 is just over .5 mm so your patch will be roughly 1.5 - 2 mm wide.

Here is a photo of "Patches" (Google C123K Patches)

Another is at https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5186/13969142369_3337610e05_b.jpg

Note that the door has two patches, Also behind the nose antenna and below the lower window.

[Unglued]

In 1/72 small arms damage would be very small.

Pick the caliber of fire and that's the size of the hole, except if a round goes through at an angle the hole will be oval shaped with the narrow diameter the same as the round.

For larger caliber, especially explosive, use WWII B-17s and B-24s as a guide.

For small caliber, a patch will be roughly two rivet rows wider: "roughly": rivets don't go to edge of patch, don't overlap, and will be a minimum distance apart, which I forget, but make it at least a diameter.

In this scale, I don't think there's a rivet tool that has a small enough pitch so maybe two passes to suggest close spacing--You'd need an old-time Swiss watchmaker's skills, tools, and magnifiers, to do it precisely.

The repair is no different than any other sheet metal damage so if you have references for that then you have what you need.

For large caliber there may be some doubling on structure.

So, 37 mm at 1/72 is just over .5 mm so your patch will be roughly 1.5 - 2 mm wide.

It occurs to me that small-caliber bullet holes in 1/72 might better be done with ink-jet decals. Thanks for the photos and advice, Rich.

[ikar]

This may or may not help:

[RKic]

IKAR, you are legend! You have been a wealth of great historic photographs. That B-24 scene would make for a killer diorama!

[Rich in name only]

Hmmm.... what to do with 7 B-24s, not counting the 4 1/48th or PB4y-2s....

[ikar]

I'm still trying to figure out how that tail gunner saw anything to shoot at with his glass replaced by armor. Good thing he did too, but I just don't see any type of scope or anything he would use.

[RKic]

I thought it was just really dirty and grungy plexiglass. I thought you could kind of see the shape of the one mechanic's leg through it.

[ikar]

Look at the lowest part near the frame where it's all chewed up. If that's plexiglass, it has got to be the thickest, hardest glass I've ever seen.

Maybe he had something that he disconnected after each mission so he wouldn't lose it, ike the eagle eye scopes they Kadena F-15 guys attached to their HUD frames.

[Unglued]

Call me crazy, but wouldn't it be better to comment on off-the-topic subjects in private or in another forum? I do appreciate comments that have to do with the C-123B. Just sayin'.

[ikar]

Yeah, we did get a bit off.

But we will call you crazy if that's what you want.

[RKic]

Sorry, Unglued.

I hope to see you post progress shots soon, so we can discuss your build.

[Unglued]

Here's a bit of "progress," using the term in the loosest possible sense. The main fault I find with this kit so far is a lack of good attachment points for the parts. For example, the main gear wheel well housing has nothing to indicate where it's supposed to be positioned. I glued it to where I thought it should go, which turned out to be almost 1/8" from where it actually should go, right next to the door opening. If I was going to finish the interior, I'd have really been miffed at this point, because the deck wouldn't have fit correctly without a lot of modifying, or without breaking loose those wheel well housings. Now I'm just glad no harm was done. I didn't need those housings anyway, as I'm displaying this model with the gear doors closed. I didn't need that blankity-blank-blank deck anyhow.

Before, this happened, I was going to install the floor, thinking it might add strength to the fuselage, but looking at it now, I don't see how it could. I added three tabs of .080 styrene on the port-side fuselage, which not only makes the bottom joint a stronger, but will help straighten out the warped fuselage and hopefully save me some puttying and sanding.

For my purposes, I didn't spend much time on the cockpit, as no one is ever going to see it. I did build it according to the instructions, just for drill, and it fits together fairly well, however I think I may be getting too old for 1/72. After I have my cataracts removed this winter, I'll see. I'm a little out of my element here in my winter digs, where the only space to build anything is on the kitchen counter. Lucky for me, I have a very loving, understanding, forgiving, patient wife. :lol:/>/> More to come.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Unglued

[ikar]

Looks like you're having as much fun as I am.

If I might make a suggestion. If the fit is needing those strips along the fuselage, you might want to run a couple pieces up the edges of the cargo doors, just in case.

[Unglued]

Looks like you're having as much fun as I am.

If I might make a suggestion. If the fit is needing those strips along the fuselage, you might want to run a couple pieces up the edges of the cargo doors, just in case.

Yeah, like the gear doors, Roden didn't give us anything to slow those parts down from falling into the Chasm of Darkness. Trouble is, the doors are thicker than the fuselage. I'll think of something. Maybe fill it up with sponge pads so I can press down until it's flush, glue it, and hold it there until it's dry. Or maybe hire a very small person to hold it from the inside? :D

[Rich in name only]

Looking good!

Saw much better after cataract surgery (both). Had option for near or far-sighted after and chose far. For closeup I could see better still using drug-store readers.

These days cataract surgery isn't a big deal though you'll have a few days of free-time from closeup stuff.

[Unglued]

More progress. A bit of trouble getting the humongous rear cargo door down and flush, but it turned out OK. Seems funny that a real C-123 probably has a million rivets, but this model has none. Wings and engines are next.

[let_models]

Looking good Unglued! Keep them coming more, I like Air America subject!

Roden's kit was pretty good out line shape, I did have their NC-123K kit, it was similar with your kit and an extra sprue parts for the version, the only thing I complain so far was the horizontal/vertical stabilizer was too thin when you try to glue both pieces together...

let_models :)

Edited October 29, 2015 by let_models

[Unglued]

I'm having the usual fun while learning about this airplane. I came across some good war stories. In "AIR AMERICA: A DAILY ADVENTURE on Friday, May 2, 1969," author John Kirkley wrote: "Udorn Thani was a 20 minute flight due south across the Mekong River and site of one of the largest U.S. Air Force bases in Thailand. Here we worked out of AB- I or Pepper Grinder. AB-1 was where we loaded humanitarian supplies i.e., live pigs, chickens, water buffaloes, white rice and passengers. Pepper Grinder was where we loaded "hard rice" e.g., ammunition, howitzer shells, rockets and bombs, as well as 55- gallon drums of aviation gas going to up country Laos. Today's 10,000 pound load of 250 lb. bombs and 50 caliber ammunition would be re-supplying the T-28s flying out of Long Tieng, Laos, aka, Lima Site 20 Alternate (LS-20A)."

Another Kirkley quote: "Air America was the perfect occupation for anyone who enjoyed living on the edge in an exotic environment."

"The first C-123 into LS-36" was written by Charley Moseley, a kicker on a real hair-raiser. You can read it here My link

[Unglued]

The Provider is coming along. Nothing fancy, here. Just a solid, utilitarian airplane.

The R-2800 Pratt & Whitney engines are fairly well detailed. Each has 21 parts, and the cowlings each have 7 more! Pity that they are almost completely hidden when the cowlings are installed. After the props go on, only a suggestion of the engines will remain. :(/>/>

I'm very pleased with the parts fit of this model, aside from the previously mentioned lack of attachment points for some parts. So far, I haven't used any putty at all, a record for me. Even the wing roots are good. ("good" definition: adj.; acceptable, tolerable, good enough) I'm not going to try to improve on the seam between the fuselage halves. The engraved seams are deeper than any of my glue joints.

The clear canopy fit pretty well, but the windows along the sides of the fuselage drove me almost to tears. I'll see what they look like when the mask comes off, but i suspect I'll be pushing some of them in and filling the openings with Micro Kristal Klear.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Unglued

[Unglued]

Here's a photo of recent progress. The landing lights were installed with great difficulty, as they didn't come close to fitting. I don't have my air brush in my winter digs, so I'm painting mainly with rattle cans. Started with Tamiya light gray primer, then with Tamiya TS-17 Glossy Aluminum. The nacelles and anti-glare section on the nose were painted with Tamiya PS-4 Blue (which looks much brighter in a photo taken with flash than it does in daylight or natural light). The natural-metal look turned out fairly well, or at least it's a good foundation for what's to come. I'll let it dry a couple more days, then brush on a coat of Future. Then comes decals and weathering, and a coat or two of Micro Flat to kill the shine. From the photos I've seen, the working C-123s had very little shine. I'll save the remaining fiddly little parts until the finish is finished.

[Unglued]

Since this bird has to be shipped to Alaska from Washington State, I'm calling it done. I'll smoke up the nacelles a little when I get home to Alaska, where my airbrush stays. Only the wire antenna and the pitot tubes on the nose remain to be installed. They wouldn't survive the trip if I glued them on. If I had to build this kit again, I'd spend about two weeks sanding the parts before I ever glued anything together. The plastic has a naugahyde-like texture. The fit of the important parts was good. The main problem with fit was the way Roden moulded the parts. They were almost impossible to clean up and make look presentable. The windows took a lot of time to shape to the openings in the fuselage. I'm pleased with the overall look, though. It doesn't look very good in flash-lit photos, but it looks fine from three or four feet away in normal light. It's going to hang near the ceiling of my dark man cave, and only a couple of my buddies will ever see it, and they'll have had a couple of drinks first, so what the hey. Building it was fun, and it will be an important addition to my collection of Vietnam War era aircraft.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Unglued

[flyingdragons75]

Sweet Fairchild! It makes me wanna build mine