The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world. It can carry outsize and oversize cargo intercontinental ranges and can take off or land in relatively short distances. Ground crews can load and off load the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings. Other features of the C-5 are:

• Able to take off fully loaded within 2,530 metres and land within1,493 metres.
• High flotation landing gear with 28 wheels sharing the weight. Nose and aft doors that open the full width and height of the cargo compartment to permit faster and easier loading.
• A "kneeling" landing gear system that permits lowering of the parked aircraft so the cargo floor is at truck-bed height or to facilitate vehicle loading and unloading.
• Full width drive-on ramps at each end for loading double rows of vehicles.
• A system that records and analyses information and detects malfunctions in more than 800 test points.
• The C-5 is similar in appearance to its smaller sister transport, the C-141 Starlifter, although the C-5 is much larger. Both aircraft have the distinctive high T-tail, 25-degree wing sweep, and four turbofan engines mounted on pylons beneath the wings.

The Galaxy carries nearly all of the US Army's combat equipment, including such bulky items as its 74-ton mobile scissors bridge, from the United States to any theatre of combat on the globe.

Four TF39 turbofan engines power the big C-5, rated at 43,000 pounds thrust each. They weigh 3,555 kilograms each and have an air intake diameter of more than 2.6 metres. Each engine pod is nearly 8.2 metres long.

The Galaxy has 12 internal wing tanks with a total capacity of 194,370 litres of fuel -- enough to fill 6 1/2 regular size railroad tank cars. A full fuel load weighs 150,820 kilograms. A C-5 with a cargo load of 122,472 kilograms can fly 2,150 nautical miles, offload, and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles away from the original destination -- all without aerial refuelling. With aerial refuelling, the aircraft's range is limited only by crew endurance.

Background

Lockheed-Georgia Co. delivered the first operational Galaxy to the 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., in June l970. C-5s are stationed at Altus AFB, Oklahoma; Dover AFB, Delaware; and Travis AFB, California AMC transferred some C-5s to the Air Reserve components starting with Kelly AFB, Texas, in 1985; followed by Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.; and Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts.  In 2004, Tennessee Air National Guard, Memphis , Tennessee . retired their C-141s and converted to C-5A's.

In March 1989, the last of 50 C-5B aircraft was added to the 76 C-5As in the Air Force's airlift force structure. The C-5B includes all C-5A improvements as well as more than 100 additional system modifications to improve reliability and maintainability. All 50 C-5Bs are scheduled to remain in the active-duty force, shared by comparably sized and collocated Air Force Reserve Associate units.

Based on a recent study showing 80 percent of the C-5 airframe service life remaining, AMC began an aggressive program to modernize the C-5. The C-5 Avionics Modernization Program began in 1998 and includes upgrading avionics to Global Air Traffic Management compliance, improving navigation and safety equipment, and installing a new autopilot system. Another part of the plan is a comprehensive re-engining and reliability improvement program, which includes new engines, pylons and auxiliary power units, with upgrades to aircraft skin and frame, landing gear and the pressurization system.

This modernization program will restore aircraft reliability and maintainability, maintain structural and system integrity, reduce cost of ownership and increase operational capability well into the 21st century. 

The above text courtesy of courtesy Air Force Link - http://www.af.mil/factsheets

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The Model 

I built this kit as part of the recent ARC Heavies Group Build. The kit is long out of production, the kit was originally issued by Niito and subsequently re-boxed by Entex, Testors and Revell. The moulds for this kit went missing in the 80s and rumours about them include being sunk in Tokyo Bay!  For its age the kit holds up well against today’s offerings from Tamiya and Trumpeter.  My kit came moulded in white and clear plastic and partially assembled (with the rarity of the kit – it can fetch up to $100 on EBay, I took what I could get!).

For such a large kit there are not that many parts (in the order of around 80) most of them being for the undercarriage and wheels.

Construction is straight forward. The wings when attached left a large step which had to be attacked with files and sand paper to eliminate it. Lost detail was rescribed. The only other issue I had was inserting the windscreen clear piece into the cockpit opening, I did not like the loose fit and each time I test fitted it I would drop it into the model. Not a good thing to happen when glue has been applied.  So I discarded it and made windscreen frames from strip plastic. Then I filled the openings with Testors clear cement when painting was finished.

My kit came with decals for a high visibility 80s era aircraft. The decals looked slightly yellowed so I decided I would do a current scheme Air Mobility Command Battle Grey aircraft. I searched Airliners.net for reference pictures. I found one particular aircraft with over 10 pictures so I decided that would be the one. I had a set of decals made up by a local decal producer based on the kit sheet for the current markings.

I painted the model with Xtracolor AMC Battle Grey and Testors Metalisers, some decals required a white background so I masked the tail band area so the band would not be discoloured. I should have also done this for the flag decal but I used the flags from the kit decal instead.  As it turned out one of the flags for the kit sheet was printed flying the wrong way and I had to cut it up and move the star field so it was oriented correctly. 

The model was finished off with some scratch built antennae, flat coated and my feeble attempt at weathering. Things on the still to do list is to mask and paint the air to air refuelling reference markings (which are white).

Overall a great kit and a good build, recommended for all those that have an interest in transports (and if you can get your hands on one!).

Ray

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