Overview
Designed as a pressurized airliner, the Curtiss C-46 found its major success as a cargo aircraft with the USAAC. Capable of carrying twice as much as the C-47, and possessing large cargo doors, the C-46 gained a name for itself in the China-Burma-India theater, flying over the Himalayas. Post war, the C-46 continued on in the US Air Force, as well as other countries such as Japan, Cuba, and Egypt.
The Kit
While the C-47 is well known in the model realm, the C-46 has managed to evade manufacturers for the most part, with just the William Bros 1/72 example as the main kit available. Those wanting something smaller were left with few options. Miniwing has rectified that with this release, a nicely detailed 1/144 C-46D kit. Molded in tan resin, the model features recessed panel lines, a cockpit interior, and decals for two options.
Construction starts with the fuselage, which is split into right and left halves, with a separate one-piece rear fuselage and vertical fin. The cockpit contains separate seats, control columns, a rear bulkhead and a floor. The vacuformed windscreen should keep a lot of this visible, so it is good that it is in there.
With the fuselage together, the rest of the assembly is straightforward. The wings are solid, which might pose a problem in that they are rather heavy and there are no locating tabs or pegs. I would strongly recommend reinforcing these wing joints with brass rod. The engine cowlings are separate, while the propellers are overly complex with separate blades and hubs. The landing gear is well detailed for this scale, although one might want to replace the main strut with brass for strength.
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The decal sheet is small, but C-46s didn't have much in the way of markings. The two examples are both finished in olive drab and neutral gray. The first is from the 4th Combat Cargo Group out of Burma in 1945. This aircraft has Smiley's Airliners written on the fuselage sides. The second option is from Air Transport Command at Chabua, India in 1944. This aircraft has the last four digits of its serial in white on the tail, and the name of the base in yellow on the fin tip. The decals look good and should have no problems in application.
Conclusion
This is a very welcome addition to any 1/144 collection, whether military or civilian. Given its export role as well, there is no shortage of attractive schemes for this kit, including the ones provided in the box. My thanks to Miniwing for the review sample.
