Does anyone know the airplane make used in the movie "The Thing From Another World", and if their is a model of it?

Preety sure it was your basic Douglas C-47. There are plenty of models of it.
Go to www.squadron.com and do a search.

Its a C-47... at least in the original movie! I forget if it has skis or not for the Arctic. Italeri had an issue of their kits set up with skis... The C-47/R4D

I think Minicraft has a 1/144 R4D as well.

If you just want a C-47 there are tons... Revell Germany has it in 1/48, Italeri/Airfix have a 1/72 kit, Doyusha has a 1/100 kit, Revell has the 1/90something scale old Monogram DC-3/C-47, and Minicraft makes it in 1/144. I think Hasegawa sells it also in 1/200.

And trumpeter just released a super-detailed one in 1/48.

Avoid the Trumpeter kit unless you want to spend $149 on a hunk of junk...

The kit is not based on a C-47 so much as it is the Chinese or Russian Li-2. The window arrangement and many details don't match US planes. There are also shape issues. Some people say the heavy engraved rivets are overdone. You are better off IMHO with the older Monogram/Revell kit and its 1/3 the price or less!

There is a lot of discussion of the Trumpeter kit on Hyperscale... If you do buy it, you still should get the Monogram/Revell kit for parts to correct inaccuracies in the Bugler kit.

Dang, that's too bad, I didn't know about that.

The kit was a big disappointment. The cost is outrageous and while it has a lot of detail, its not a super accurate kit and really doesn't offer anything greatly over the 1970s vintage Monogram kit. The Monogram kit is simpler, but they got more stuff right and less wrong.

Sadly a lot of Trumpeter kits are really hit and miss.. the hits are super (1/32 Bearcat, Messerschmitt 262, 1/48 Wyvern...) but the misses are real bad... (1/32 P-51, 1/48 C-47, 1/48 Vigilante...)

Next up from Trumpeter...the TU-2 Bull/B-29..lol

Thanks, I knew the Skytrain had some problems, but not that many.
I'm not buying the spendy kits as often, I'd really be bugged to drop over a hun, and get an edgy kit..thanks!

Is there anybody that seen that movie The Thing that knows what colors were used on the c-47? The movie is one of my son's favorites and I want to make it as close to the real thing as possible

Without looking at the movie its probably in standard post war colors... either natural metal or metal and white.

The original movie was in black & white.

The original movie was in black & white.

Yes I know that. What does that have to do with the color of the real (stock footage?) airplane.

You can still tell what colors planes are from b/w pictures. Unless the movie plane was painted in some non standard color you wouldn't expect. All of the movie scenes may not be of the same plane anyway as they used a cockpit section mock up, stock footage etc.

This preserved plane is in standard Arctic markings.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skew-t/3741684349/

You might be interested in this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Aviation-Art-Douglas-C-47-Star-of-1951-Sci-Fi-Classic_W0QQitemZ280107295255QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAr t_Prints?hash=item4137b22217&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14&_trkparms=|293%3A1|294%3A30

It has skis like the Italeri Arctic kit...

The Plane in the Movie is an R4D as for colors should be natural metal.

Thanks for your help. The colors I'm concerned with are the two colors at the tail. There is one that goes around the body just before the tail, it looks to be yellow or orange. And the tail has a darker color.

The color on the tail would be His vis Arctic orange.Testors makes one.

Here is a fun R4D Photo...

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~tcg/R4D%20on%20Pillar%20Apr%2062%20T3.jpg

Obviously taken at the "Antartic Aviation Museum"

Hi !

ESCI made a ( 1/72 ) R4D with ski's . You can probably still find them at model shows and swap meets . Like most ESCI kits , it would be very inexpensive to purchase .

Regards ,

GK

You could get that kit but aside from the 1960s Airfix C47 the Esci kit is about the worst C47 on the market. Italeri's is the better kit to start with, and its currently available under the Italeri and Airfix brand names.

You could get that kit but aside from the 1960s Airfix C47 the Esci kit is about the worst C47 on the market. Italeri's is the better kit to start with, and its currently available under the Italeri and Airfix brand names.
Yes , I agree with you . You are absolutely correct .

GK