C-131 Samaritan

Convair C-131 Samaritan airplane model. The C-131 is a USAF transport version of the Convair 240/340/440 series commercial airliners. The first Samaritan, a C-131A derived from the Convair 240, was delivered to the Air Force in 1954. It was similar to the T-29 trainer (also based on the Convair 240) flown by the USAF since 1949 to instruct navigators, bombardiers and radio operators. The C-131 was acquired primarily for medical evacuation and personnel transportation. While some T-29s also saw duty as staff transports, a few C-131s likewise were used for training and testing. In fact, the first prototype of the Southeast Asia vintage side-firing "Gunship" program used the C-131 airframe. Nearly all of the USAF's C-131s left the active inventory in the late 1970s, but a few were still serving in Air National Guard units in the mid-1980s.

Mahogany Wood. Scale: 1/72. Wingspan 17 inches, Length 13 inches.