RAF Cargomaster

[PR19_Kit]

A place holder for my newly purchased Roden C-133 Cargomaster.

It's going to be in RAF Transport Command colours, probably 47 Sqdn., the backstory being that the RAF wanted their Thor IRBMs to be carried by RAF transports, so they bought a dozen C-133 Cargomasters.



It's a big box, even in 1/144, 'cos it's a big aeroplane, and I've already built the Thor missile, but it only has five parts. Pics maybe later.

It probably won't need longer wings, they're already pretty long anyway.   

[zenrat]

I've had my eye on one of these.  I'm interested to see how it builds.

[PR19_Kit]

The missile is an easy build, the two handling dollies that it sits on are VERY fiddly!

Here's the missile.



And the handling dollies.



All those strut things are meant to seat in TINY holes in the bulkeads and in each other, but they're SO tiny they don't offer any real location and you need 3 or 4 hands to hold everything in position.

[Wardukw]

Oh I love heavy aircraft..this one's amongst em..many engines and big ..perfect 😊😊

[Hobbes]

Hm, that Thor would be a nice loadout for one of my transports, I'll see if I can find one.

[Captain Canada]

Cool. I like this machine.

[McColm]

That would look great with a rotodome from a 1/144 Boeing E-3A, each to his own build.

[PR19_Kit]

Like many Roden kits, the C-133 has some socking great ejector pin 'lumps' in various places, if that's what they are. Some are on the inside of the wings, and unless they're removed right down to nothingness, the two wing halves won't fit. One wing half has the expected little holes to take locating pins on the other half, but there AREN'T any locating pins. Go figure. 

The two halves do fit together nicely though, but you have to align them yourself.

[NARSES2]

I find my Xacto chielse type blade perfect for those lumps. About the only time I use my Xacto set.

[scooter]

Hmm...drop testing air-launched Thors. 

[sandiego89]

It is a good kit of a great subject.  I added nose weights just behind the cockpit, I think it would be a tail sitter.   Good you are going for RAF decals, the kit decals were very fragile.   

1/72 Harrier for scale



Just begging for a Thor to go inside.  The visible ribs in the cargo deck only go in a little ways, but plenty enough for interest.  The kits give you the option for the A doors (pictured here) or the spilt B doors, best for a Thor.  The ramp supports were fiddly- get your tweezers handy. 





Modified the box a bit for storage.....





 

[kerick]

Hmm...drop testing air-launched Thors. 

Like the Minuteman dropped from a C-5 IIRC.

[PR19_Kit]

Hmm...drop testing air-launched Thors. 

And why not? Launched from half way across the North Sea (....or Germany....) the Thor would have got much further into its intended target.

I still wonder how they did that with the C-5/Minuteman combination. There must have been some FRANTIC elevator trimming going on immediately after the drop! 

[sandiego89]

I still wonder how they did that with the C-5/Minuteman combination. There must have been some FRANTIC elevator trimming going on immediately after the drop! 

I have been inside the exact C-5A that did the drop test- the only C-5 preserved at a museum, at the excellent Dover Air Mobility Museum, Dover AFB USA.  She has been restored with the best C-5 scheme- the original with and gray.  A dummy Minuteman is on the ramp beside it.  Docents are happy to take you inside the C-5A cargo deck anytime, and the upper deck is open on select Saturdays. They are happy to let you explore the C-133B also!!!  C-130 and C-141C are always open to explore. 

The Minuteman extraction was quite rapid, with massive chutes dragging it out the back, so I imagine the center of gravity shift was quite brief.

[PR19_Kit]

Green with envy mode full on!

I've been in a C-5 at RIAT once, but not that special one, and went in an An-124 the same afternoon, which was a real laugh, but that's another story.