Muroc Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 (edited) Hello, Here is a conversion of the Academy/Minicraft 1/144 B-24J into an early C-87. The C-87 was a cargo/troop version of the B-24D. It had a rather poor reputation, in part due to numerous crashes while flying “the Hump”. The nose art is “Hump Happy”. The decals are ALPS printed. The olive drab/neutral gray paint is Mr. Color lacquer. The conversion required modifying the nose to a shorter solid piece and adding many side windows. The small windows were done with Kristal Klear and decal film. The gun turrets are gone. The tail has been modified and corrected. The cowlings and engines are resin replacements. The canopy has been replaced. If I can fix some of the problems that popped up in this build, this resin conversion may be released by Muroc Models. The issues included the vertical fins being angled too far back and the kit sitting tail high due to long main gear struts. The 7 grams of weight I put in the nose was not quite enough to make it sit on its nose wheel (In the pictures the model is sitting on a down-slope to make it sit properly). The Minicraft B-24 is a bear of a kit. You can see that a second test build is under way with the cargo door opened up. This will be finished as a bare metal aircraft. Happy 2018 David Muroc Models Edited June 27, 2018 by Muroc add photos Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie D. Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Very nice! Looks great! I'd be interested if it ever made it to kit status. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muroc Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 Hello, I finally finished the second test build for the C-87. Took some photos this morning with the Mojave Desert as the background. The C-87 has a metal finish using Tamiya spray and Alclad. There are many B&W photos of this aircraft, as it was featured in a Life photo essay. The rudders may have been some color other than olive drab. The national insignia have a darker blue outline. The cargo doors have been cut out and a floor and bulkheads scratch-built. To make sure it would not be a tail sitter, I added lots of shot to the nose and a scale tripod under the cargo door. The conversion has been released. The conversion contains the following resin parts; fuselage halves, tripod, tail bumper, elevators, tail, antenna (2), pitots (2), cargo doors (2), tail fins, rudders, cowlings and motors. There is a vacuformed canopy and a tail window. The decal sheet has 4 different aircraft. I can be contacted directly at newmanispwest at yahoo dot com. David Muroc Models Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Looks great, nice to see some transport versions of these bombers available. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 David, Great work! Thanks for tackling an often misunderstood and little valued / studied aircraft. Very good presentation. R/ Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Britton Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 Is the resin conversion of 1/144 Minicraft B-24D to C-87 available? My father flew them in 1943-44. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 years back; there was an article in the old Scale Aircraft magazine about the Harriman Mission to Russia. The airframe is similar, but also shorter (if memory is right). I still have the article some where, and would love to do it. Why the length difference called out; I simply don't know. This would make a real nice 1/48th scale conversion when the new and far better B24's finally roll out. The Harriman airframe had the side windows and a solid nose (I think). I'll do some digging to see if I can find it again gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Harriman flew to Russia in a B24 bomber that was slightly modified. The area in front of the wind screen was roughly three feet shorter than the mass produced B24's. So it is not quite the same air frame, but still similar in ways. gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnEB Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 It would be fun to make one as described by Ernest K. Gann in his memoir Fate is the Hunter. He doesn't give a color (he flew them in both the North Atlantic routes and CBI under an American Airlines contract...knowing that might help you locate photos). One thing he did mention was at least one aircraft had a fixed .50 cal in the nose. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 18 hours ago, JohnEB said: It would be fun to make one as described by Ernest K. Gann in his memoir Fate is the Hunter. He doesn't give a color (he flew them in both the North Atlantic routes and CBI under an American Airlines contract...knowing that might help you locate photos). One thing he did mention was at least one aircraft had a fixed .50 cal in the nose. Hey thanks for the info. I have two or three Hasegawa B24's (love them), and have been on the hunt for the B24D for awhile. The quarter scale frame is just a little too big for me and the condo. Another interesting B24 is the one used an a gas tanker (C104?). And a British ASW B24 (how they call them out is confusing to this old man). This would be a great kit for Airfix to tackle in 72 scale. Hasegawa kits are hard to get and grossly priced. If they did a B24D, I'd probably end up with a half dozen for starters. (probably ten kits) The B24 and the Helldiver were the two most underrated allied air frames in WWII gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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