Kit: No. 14440
Scale: 1/144
Manufacturer: Minicraft Models Inc., P.O. Box 3577, Torrance, CA 90510, phone 310-325-8383.
Price: $9
Comments: Injection molded, 46 parts, decals. Pros: First injection-molded kit of this type, overall accurate shape, good decals, one-piece forward fuselage makes cleaning up around the windows easy. Cons: Poor fit, props and engines lack detail.
Boeing’s Model 377 transport, introduced in 1947, was a descendant of the B-29/B-50 Superfortress bombers. The double-bubble fuselage and churning quartet of R-4360 engines made it one of the largest production aircraft of its time. Boeing developed an aerial tanker (the KC-97) as well as the Stratocruiser airliner from the 377.
Minicraft’s second issue in the Boeing 377 family is the C-97G Stratofreighter. Panel lines are engraved but soft. The overall impression of the parts is heavy, but the landing gear is crisp and petite. The front faces of the engine cowls show no cylinder detail. A beautifully printed decal sheet is included, with markings for a Minnesota Air National Guard C-97G.
I assembled the fuselage first, after painting the inside flat black. There is no interior detail, but you wouldn’t be able to see any through the small cockpit windows anyway. I added 1/2-oz lead sinker per the instructions even though my instincts told me it may not be enough – I was right; the model ended up balancing fine on its landing gear until the wheels were added. Flattening the tires didn’t help, so be sure you add more weight than I did.
The entire upper nose is molded in clear plastic, which makes it easy to fill and sand the seam without marring the windows. The radome fit on the nose with no problems. The stabilizer halves fit well to each other, but I had to trim the lower portion of each and the mounting stubs on the fuselage to improve the fit there.
The trailing edges of the wings should be sanded down for a more scale appearance. My sample had molding flaws on the lower surface, but they were easy to sand away. Each engine nacelle is composed of two pieces. Their four tabs should fit into the wings, but they were oversize, and I removed them.
The engine cowls were narrower than the nacelles, so I had to file down the ledges on the nacelles, then use filler and sandpaper to get the cowls to fit.
The wings incorporate tabs that interlock inside the fuselage and provide extra strength. The trailing edge of each wing needed to be trimmed to allow it to fit in the recess molded into the fuselage, but the rest of the recess is too wide, resulting in gaps that must be filled.
The landing gear is delicate compared with the overly thick gear doors. The propellers are too thick, inconsistent in shape, and lack hub detail. I was kept busy for an hour or so filing and sanding to improve the shape of the props.
My paint job represents a slightly worn C-97. I used Testor aluminum, then went back over with a slightly darkened silver around panel lines. A light overcoat of straight aluminum produced subtle weathering. The kit decals went on without a hitch and was followed by a coat of AeroMaster clear satin.
The finished model produces a good representation of the transport. The disappointing propellers, lack of engine detail, and missing shimmy damper on the nose gear strut diminish its accuracy, though. If you can overlook these, you can add a C-97 (or an airliner) to your 1/144 collection after about 20 hours of building time. Beginners might be frustrated by the fit problems.
– Chuck Davis