C-54/DC-4, any decent models out there?

[The Rat]

It's not one of the first aircraft that springs to mind when thinking of models, but surely there must be one.

My 'whiffer' idea is this; the USAAF likes the new bigger transport, but finds it difficult to load things through the rear cargo door unless they are at a major facility with provision for lifting equipment. After some dingbat forgets to put the support under the fuselage one day a heavy load at the rear tips the tail slowly toward the ground. Fortunately there is nothing other than paint scratches, but a new version is born from the experience - a C-54 taildragger, and is much easier to load and unload at forward bases.

Feasible? We all know that most tricycle gear models are notorious tailsitters anyway (and so are many real aircraft), this one uses that to advantage.

[Aircav]

Heller did a DC-4 if my memory serves me.

[dragon]

Didn't Minicraft do one some time ago?

[Geoff_B]

Mach 2 do one, but not sure on its quality....

DC-4/C-54

G

[Radish]

Heller did a DC-6.
Revell a nice odd-scale DC-7C which has just been re-released.
Minicraft do a DC-6 and a DC-4 (I think)  

[The Rat]

DOH! Smacks forehead after remembering that ARC has an Airliner Modeling category. They may know...

[Jennings]

Here's the history of DC-4/C-54 kits:

1975-ish:  Rareplanes 1/72 vacuform.  Best left to history.

2004-ish:  Minicraft 1/144 injection molded.  Pretty good.  Mastered by Platz in Japan.  Kind of basic, but not bad.

2005-ish:  Mach 2 (old French for "piece of crap") 1/72 injection molded.  Better than the Rareplanes vac, but not by much.  Has some major shape problems in the nose, and is, well, a Mach 2 kit.

J

[The Rat]

Thanks J! Now to check the shelves at Aviation World.