There have been several versions of this kit released over the years; from a standard military C-47, to an AC-47 gunship to the basic DC-3 airliner they all share the same mold. With the exception of the AC's gattling guns, all include a nice fitting airframe, covered in recessed panel lines and are molded in either white or green plastic.

With the exception of one slight modification required, this is among the easiest models one can build. By following the kit's instructions the model will literally "fall together." For all of these kits I've built, there's very little need for filler or putty.

To modify the kit between versions, Italeri has included both a cargo door and a passenger door. Simply chose the appropriate configuration for your subject. In my case, I needed to install the cargo doors.

The wing is assembled from five pieces; the upper, outer-wings, lower, outer-wings and the lower wing center section. Before gluing everything together, I super-glued a pair of tabs to the backside of the joint. These tabs were cut from scrap plastic sheet and provide an extra surface to glue to. Without them, the wing joint simply cracks and no amount of glue with keep it closed. Finally, as the wing and fuselage are about to be jointed together carefully line up the joints between the rear fuselage and the wing fairings. I've always need some filler here to level all three parts out. With the main assemblies finished, it was time for me to start painting.

Since I had been asked to build this model for a co-worker, I didn't have a choice in colour scheme. The example wanted, was Canadian Pacific Airlines' last white paint scheme. Since no decals existed for this scheme, some custom decal work would be needed.

I first started by painting the model white and silver, using Testor's Model Master enamels. Quite a while later, I masked the red stripes on the fuselage and vertical tails, and brushed painted them with Chevy Engine Red. Now came the fun part. Luckily, the aircraft that carried this colour scheme was CF-CRX, the same aircraft that Leading Edge Decals did in a later scheme. As a result, I was able to steal the registrations from that set. Mike Grant did the decals for the goose logo and Canadian Pacific wordmark. For those who haven't been saved by Mike's efforts, he's a godsend for those of us who choose obscure model subjects. Both decal manufacturer's responded to Gunze's Mr. Marksofter.

Now that the model was painted and decaled, I added the landing gear, propellers and aerial antennas. Removed the masks, and my DC-3 was done.

This kit has, for the past years set the standard for Italeri kits. Respectable fit, adequate detail, recessed details and affordable prices all have become hallmarks of the Italeri line. Considering this kit can still be had in the $25 range I recommend this model to anybody, from first time builders, to experts wanting to stretch their scratch-building skills. More importantly, my co-worker was very happy to finally have his DC-3.