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Modeling Marine Aircraft Group 25
The C-47 is a popular choice among scale modelers, but its naval counterpart, the R4D, is much less so. Models of MAG-25 aircraft are extremely rare. Why?
In part, that's because a comprehensive published photographic record of the unit's aircraft did not exist until 2017. It's also probably true that the Marine Corps made decisions about tactical markings without consulting scale modelers or decal manufacturers*, resulting in markings that appear extremely subdued compared to the exciting liveries applied to ETO and even some CBI aircraft. If you're looking for a unique challenge, however, you could end up with the only MAG-25 R4D at the local show, and these hard-worked aircraft offer all manner of weathering options.
Over time, I'll be adding more information and resources to this page. Why a page on scale modeling? In part because I've fielded a handful of requests over the years, and in part because I was introduced to the hobby by my grandfather, a MAG-25 veteran, when I was about four years old (a 1/72 USAirfix AC-47). But perhaps more importantly, as both a modeler and a historian with kids, scale modeling can be a neat way to learn about history and share it with younger generations.
-Will
*I'm being sarcastic, of course, all in good fun. Even the gaudiest aircraft markings mostly served some purpose, and if it wasn't functional the Marines saw no need to paint it on.
Available Models (periodically updated)
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