Caracal Models CD 14402: C-131 Samaritan

Caracal Models has produced a new decal sheet for the Roden 1/144 C-131 Samaritan. Though as of this writing, only the CV-340 has been released, the 131 is basically the same aircraft and release of the military version should be quite soon.

The sheet offers six different markings options, five of them are USAF with a Navy plane thrown into the mix. The C-131 was originally delivered in overall unpainted metal. Later they got a white upper fuselage and fin and still later the lower surfaces were painted in ADC Grey (FS 16473). Navy planes had the lower surfaces in light gull grey (FS 16440).

Many planes were used by ANG units as trash haulers well into the 1980s before being retired and in some cases replaced with the C-26. All the ANG planes had cargo doors.

Here are the six options:

JC-131B Samaritan 53-7791, Wright Air Development Center - USAF

C-131A Samaritan 52-5801, 1st Aeromedical Transport Group (Light), MATS

C-131D Samaritan 54-2809, Massachusetts ANG (see photo)

C-131B Samaritan 53-7814, New Mexico ANG

C-131B Samaritan 53-7811, Texas ANG

C-131F Samaritan BuNo. 141023, NAF Mildenhall, US Navy

The sheet includes wing walk areas and cheat lines. It has insignia for two planes and it looks like you might be able to build two models with what is on the sheet if you use markings from the kit to augment them. Nose that the black nose on the navy plane (which is longer than the USAF types as it houses a radar) will need painted. Same goes for the blue forward cowling on the Massachusetts plane.

The decal sheet is superbly printed by Cartograf.  

December 2019

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Thanks to www.caracalmodels.com for the review sheet. Price includes US shipping. Get yours today from this link or have your local shop order it for you.

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