AC-47 Vietnam Gunship

Monogram, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Mark Leon

Monogram's 1/48 scale AC-47 is available online from Squadron.com

I was happy to come home today and find a LARGE package on my doorstep.  My new AC-47 had arrived!  The first thing I noticed about the box was that Revell has revived the familiar red/white/blue Monogram corporate logo, which is nice to see again.  There is no Revell logo to be seen anywhere on the outside of the box, you don’t find a Revell logo until you get to the instruction booklet inside.   

The box is large, but it needs to be.  Upon opening the box (top-opening, thankfully!), one finds a VERY sturdy cardboard box filled with well-packaged plastic.

Monogram's 1/48 scale AC-47 Vietnam Gunship comes molded in medium gray plastic.  The parts are almost flash-free, and the molding is just about perfect, which I found surprising.  With the age of these molds, I really expected to see softer details, but the details are crisp and just about perfect.  I saw no sink marks on my copy - ejector marks are small, and all will be invisible when the model is constructed.

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Thumbnail panels:

The sprues look to be the familiar C-47 sprues that I remember when I first saw this model in the plastic model section of my local K-Mart when I was a young boy in the late 70s.  The one exception is the sprue with the cargo floor now contains all sorts of Vietnam-era goodness – miniguns, ammos cans, flare racks, gun sight, blast curtains, and the correct paddle-type props.  All the bits you would have had to buy in resin, steal from another kit, or make yourself to build an AC-47, are all here in this kit! 

Additionally, the original props are included, so you certainly could build this model as a WWII Gooney Bird, but I can’t see why you would want to with all the sweet bits provided to pack the inside of the plane!  The only drawback of the included plastic is the single-row engine faces; the molding is kind of soft, and I think some resin replacements would definitely be noticeable.

The decal sheet provided is nice, if small.  The colors are good, and the sheet is in register.  An instrument panel decal is provided if you don’t want to paint the panel, or would like to punch out the decals for your instruments.  Decals are provided for two well known AC-47s, ‘Spooky’, and ‘Casper’.

Revell has a real winner here, at a price that can’t be beat.  I have seen this kit as low as $21.99 on the web so far.  Don’t let the raised panel lines turn you off, this is a very accurate kit that should, from first appearance, go together with only a little more effort that a model from one of the big Japanese manufacturers. 

If you feel like spending 4 times the money (and still not getting the parts for a gunship!) just to get inaccurate engraved panel lines and fish-bowl rivets, you should wait for Trumpeter’s upcoming release.  I am sure the folks at Trumpeter are losing much sleep over this re-release! 

Revell is on a good course with their recent re-releases - I can’t wait to get my PBY-5A when it comes out.  Now if they would only bring back their 1/48 Invader as a B-26K…

Reviewed sample provided courtesy of my wallet.

Review Text Copyright © 2008 by Mark Leon
Page Created 25 May, 2008
Last updated 25 May, 2008

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