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C-54 Skymaster 1/72
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The highest quality airplane and ship models available! More Info »
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This collectable model represents the C-54 Skymaster, the Army Air Forces long-range cargo lifter of World War II. The C-54, the military version of the DC-4, also helped win the first real clash of the Cold War, the Berlin Airlift. Painstakingly built from Philippine mahogany by skilled craftsmen using a wealth of detail, this 1/72-scale model C-54 makes a great gift for any aviation enthusiast or history buff.
Developed by Douglas as a four-engine successor to their highly successful DC-3, the DC-4 first flew in 1938. Airlines were wary of the airplane's complexity and operating costs, but the start of World War II shifted the innovative aircraft to military service. With a strengthened airframe, the C-54 served worldwide, and after the war, became the military's primary cargo lifter.
The Berlin Crisis in 1948 brought fame to the C-54 as the aircraft flew coal, food and supplies to the blockaded city. With its tricycle landing gear, the C-54 was easier to unload than the C-47 Skytrain, and airlift commanders made the C-54 the main aircraft of the effort.
Gail Halvorsen, an Air Force C-54 pilot, gained fame as the "candy bomber" after he began dropping candy bars by small parachute to waiting children. Other pilots followed his example, and "Operation Little Vittles" brought three tons of candy to Berlin's children – and a propaganda coup for the West.
After the Korean War, the C-54 was replaced by the C-124 Globemaster as the military's main cargo ship, but it continued in service until 1972. The C-54 "Sacred Cow," President Harry Truman's Air Force One is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Several DC-4/C-54s remain in civilian service today.
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