COBI Douglas C-47 Skytrain (Dakota) #5743

2 reviews for COBI Douglas C-47 Skytrain (Dakota) #5743

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jaycob C. (verified owner) – December 9, 2024

   A beautiful set from Cobi! The features and details in this set make for a great display piece that’s also strong enough to be played with. The stand is very nice and sturdy and actual windows on the side makes a nice touch. I definitely recommend this set for any aviation enthusiasts. It pairs beautifully with the other Cobi WWII sets

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Dustin G. (verified owner) – January 4, 2025

   WOW what a great set! The current model for the C-47 by COBI is a nice improvement on the older model the 5701. The new set is larger, has improved air scoops on the engine cowlings, a larger cargo door, stronger struts for the main landing gear, an improved wingbox where the wings attach to the fuselage and a strong double plinth display stand that has clear plinths’ so it has the elusion of the aircraft just lifting off.

   The C-47 and the civilian model DC-3 were primarily manufactured in two different locations in the US, Oklahoma City, OK where 5743 planes were built and Santa Monica, CA and several places under license around the world. For an aircraft rapidly approaching 100 years of age, there are many C-47’s and DC-3’s still flying around the world, some in military service and quite a few in civilian aviation as freighter and aerial firefighting aircraft. There is such a high demand for parts world wide for this plane that even wrecked and unairworthy planes are sought after for premium prices just for parts.

   *The US Air Force flew a version called the AC-47 “Spooky” gunship in the VietNam War and was the forerunner to the AC-130 “Spectre” Gunship which is primarily an aerial artillery platform for ground troop support and is valued by troops on the ground world wide.

   Hopefully COBI will produce a version of the AC-47 Spooky Gunship in the future!

   Here is a list of Air Forces around the world that still fly this airframe;
   Bolivian Air Force
   Colombian Air Force
   Salvadoran Air Force
   Guatemalan Air Force
   South African Air Force
   Royal Thai Air Force

   The C-47 (Skytrain) and the DC-3 (Dakota) are flying in large numbers in North America mostly as freighters and aerial firefighting applications with the largest number being flown by Buffalo Airways in Canada in the Northwest Territories. Buffalo is very popular with aviation enthusiasts for flying WWII and Korean Era Warbirds, they even had their own show on the History Channel called Ice Pilots NWT that ran for 8 seasons.

   Most episodes of Ice Pilots can still be viewed on demand or on YouTube and Buffalo has their own YouTube channel which is very popular, they actually restored a D-DAY C-47 from an unairworthy air frame into a certified airworthy aircraft and have taken it to many air shows around North America, they had over 100 episodes where the airframe was stripped down and totally rebuilt, the series was called Plane Savers on YouTube.

   Buffalo, in addition to flying the C-47 also flies it big brother the Curtis C-46 Commando which is very similar but quite a bit bigger along with Boeing DC-4 and DC-6’s along with the Lockheed L-188 Electra which is the civilian version of the P-3 Orion and also uses the same engines as the C-130 in all of its variants which was and is flown across the world as a Anti-submarine aircraft and electronic warfare platform.

   The C-47 and DC-3 have a bright future ahead of them, there is a company called Basler Turbo Conversions based in Oshkosh, WI that takes the air frame, totally strips it down with new control surfaces, avionics, engines and upgrades to the flight control system that they are registered as brand new aircraft called BT-67’s. They are in the simplest explanation a C-47 or DC-3 with turboprop engines that have higher speeds, longer range and higher cargo capacities compared to the original aircraft and they are about 5-6 years behind on orders due to the popularity and reliability of the aircraft, also it is getting harder and harder to locate the original airframes around the world, many of the currently flying C-47 and DC-3 once retired will be sent to Basler for the rebuild and upgrade to BT-67 aircraft.

   For the next 100 years or longer, the venerable C-47 and DC-3 will continue to fly around the world in one form or another.

   Again, another highly detailed model from COBI and one of my favorites in my ever growing collection of US Military sets from COBI!