LPS Hobby 1/144 Douglas Propliner Decals By Chris Banyai-Riepl

The classic Douglas propliners put out by Minicraft just cry out for some great liveries, and LPS Hobby has provided just that for both the DC-6 and DC-4 kits. All three of these sheets offer some attractive schemes from South America, providing something a little different from the usual United or Delta livery.

LPS144-5 is the sole DC-6 livery here, and it is for the Lóide Aéreo DC-6. This livery is an attractive white crown scheme, with the cheatline separating the natural metal undersurfaces from the white upper. The cheatline is in red, white and blue, with the stylish Lóide Aéreo eagle on the nose and fin. Also included are decals for the cabin windows and windscreen (the latter correcting the improperly-shaped kit windscreen), as well as outlines for the various doors. The Lóide Aéreo DC-6s had a crisp livery that is quite attractive, and LPS has captured it well.

The next sheet, LPS144-6, provides decals for the Aerovias Brasil DC-4. This plane is overall natural metal and has an attractive lightning bolt cheat line in red outlined in blue. The three stripes on the vertical fin are similarly outlined. There are several options provided here in the form of names for the aircraft, including General San Martin, George Washington, and Duque de Caxias. Pay close attention to all the notes in the instructions to make sure the specific aircraft you choose has all the proper markings in place.

The third and final sheet, LPS144-7, has the minimalist livery of Cruzeiro do Sul’s DDC-4s. Also finished in overall natural metal, these aircraft carry little more than the titles and registration codes. In fact, the only color to be found is the green and yellow diagonal stripe on the tail fin. There are two aircraft covered, PP-CCI (named Sirius) and PP-CCJ (named Canopus). Both this sheet and the previous one include decals for the deicer boots, cabin windows and windscreen, and door outlines.

These decals are nicely printed and provide some attractive options not often found in the mainstream aftermarket decal world. If you have some spare propliners and are looking for something new and exciting, these could be just the ticket. My thanks to LPS Hobby for the review samples. LPS Decals are available from Airline Hobby Supply.