Roden 1/144 Douglas DC-3 Quick Build Review

By Steve Causey

Background

For an inbox first-look and history please visit here.

Quick Build

Modelers talk about "Shaking the box and out comes a completed kit." I've built a few, but not very often, and never with an airliner kit…until now. Roden's excellent kit of the storied Douglas DC-3 is a pleasure to assemble.

The box contains 30 parts on 5 trees in dark gray soft plastic. Instructions cover the build in 8 steps and are clear and concise. Color callouts are in Vallejo colors.  The excellent decals are for one version, TWA 34062 - they are glossy and have great register.

You will only need good sprue cutters and a sanding stick along with thin liquid cement. Assembly starts with the fuselage halves, make sure to include the plug that fits into the port fuselage half. This plug is the only part that I would use filler on.

The fuselage halves have no (or minimal) locators but this is no problem when assembling them, the fit is as close to seamless as I have seen in a plastic kit. The transparent cockpit enclosure fits very well with a few strokes with a sanding stick.

Wings are next and they fit great without glue. Only a small amount of sanding and some tape from wingtip to wingtip (to establish dihedral) is.

Landing gear and engines are next with a nice petite detail.

Antenna holes need to be opened up as per instructions, the carpet monster ate the stag horn ADF antenna so I used the football RDF that was on the sprue. You will need to use caution when installing the diatom sized landing lights but the fit, (once installed) is excellent.

Silver finishes are never very simple, but the fit of this kit goes a long way to help the modeler to achieve that result.

This is a great little kit, and I highly recommend it!

My sincere thanks to  Squadron Mail Order for this review sample!