ESCI – 9019 – R4D-5 SOUTH POLE PIONEER

Description:

R4D-5 SOUTH POLE PIONEER

This is for us the most interesting variant of the ESCI DC-3 line, variant of kit ESCI – 9014 – TWA Douglas DC-3 LINER, and also release in 1981. The kit depicts a R4D-5L variant, a variant of the R4D-5 which was a variant of the C-47A with 24 volt electrical system instead of 12 volt as the original C-47A, and modified to operate in the Antarctica, with the most noticeable change of a ski landing gear but includes features of the R4D-8L as the JATO assisted take-off rockets. It worth it to mention that for this variant ESCI also retooled the main sprue with the two fuselage halves, as the kit also features the different nose of the R4D-8L housing a radar, and effort that ESCI did not often when creating variants of main kits.

We can’t judge the accuracy of this very specific variant, not even to discern if it’s a R4D-5L or R4D-8L but anyway it builds into a really nice model with bit of work and has no competitor as nobody else depicted this particular variant, a crucial aircraft into the race to “win” the Antarctica.

This is one of the hardest to find ESCI DC-3 variants.