Minicraft Lockheed Constellation Air Force EC-121R "BATCAT" 1/144

[THarrison351]

My son got this for me several years ago because he knows the Connie is one my favorite aircraft. Tiniest scale model I've ever built. The least detailed also. Reference material is really lacking. Colors were not what I hoped for, but it is what it is. Relatively easy build, the biggest issue were the gear doors. I added some thin wire to reinforce the attachment. Not a weathering person either. I like factory fresh. I added a few extra decals from a nice Caracal decals set. Paint is all Tamiya. I have four aircraft left in my stash, and the plan is build one a year until they're finished. Thanks for looking!

Decal sheet did not include prop ring of death stripes, plus they were terribly out of registration. The insignia was especially affected. The Caracal decals were a good cover. Both were made by Cartograph

Weirdly cambered nose wheels, but the axles are not moled that way. I may have overdid it a bit. Props are pitched for reverse

Other than flight controls, there are no panel or door lines on the fuse and wings.

Gear details were meh

First paint, this and the light green were the only colors I was relatively happy with. The olive drab was too light.

First prime, going to need a few more spots of putty.

[TransAmMike]

Looks great Tim.   First airplane I ever flew in when I was about 6 years old in 1951.  My Dad was career Army and his first overseas posting in the Army (after being in the Navy during WW2) was Honolulu and a MATS transport was what we flew there in.    And yep it is a cool Airplane.

[shoopdog]

Very cool build. Love to see planes posted here.

[PappyD340]

Looks great!!

[Hard_2_Handle_454]

Never seen a military version before.  Looks like something my dad would have built.

[THarrison351]

On 7/7/2024 at 3:18 PM, TransAmMike said:

Looks great Tim.   First airplane I ever flew in when I was about 6 years old in 1951.  My Dad was career Army and his first overseas posting in the Army (after being in the Navy during WW2) was Honolulu and a MATS transport was what we flew there in.    And yep it is a cool Airplane.

Thanks so much! Many years ago I was at an air show and the Breitling Connie was there. I'd seen plenty of pictures, but to see it fly was something else. 

On 7/7/2024 at 9:50 PM, shoopdog said:

Very cool build. Love to see planes posted here.

Thank you!

On 7/8/2024 at 7:26 PM, PappyD340 said:

Looks great!!

Thanks!

On 7/13/2024 at 12:29 AM, Hard_2_Handle_454 said:

Never seen a military version before.  Looks like something my dad would have built.

Thank you! Yeah, they started as cargo aircraft, C-121s. Then some were converted to AWACS with the big antennas on the top and bottom. This aircraft and another like it were once like that too, but the antennas were removed for their Vietnam mission.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yup, the Connie is one of the most beautiful machines ever built by man.

I had a friend who flew some of the last of the commercial Constellations as they were being replaced by jets, told a story about how, at the end when the big radials were getting tired and overhaul wasn't considered economically feasible, they'd just cover the oil pressure gauges and cross their fingers.

I was familiar with the EC-121 AWACS aircraft, but never knew of the specific "BATCAT" variant until just now.

 

[slusher]

Great build!!

[JNordgren42]

That's a great build of one of the most beautiful aircraft ever created. The Air Legends Foundation recently completed a restoration on a C-121A and made it flight worthy again. It's an incredible sight to behold.

https://youtu.be/GCZLfDFLhJI?feature=shared