C-747B Camel

Back in the late 1960s, the USAF was in the market for a very large strategic transport. They ended up choosing the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but Boeing's offer was seriously considered. Boeing did okay, though--they just reworked it into the 747, arguably the most successful wide-body mass-transit airliner in history.

What if things had gone the other way, though? The USAF, even with the C-5, did consider buying 747s as transports in the 1980s, and did end up buying a few as airborne command posts (the E-4 NACP) and of course as Air Force One. Iran and Japan also put 747s to work in a military capacity. So if you were an air force who needed strategic transport and didn't have the money for C-5s, it makes sense...hence my fictional air force's adoption of the C-747B Camel, based on the 747-200 airframe.

This was pretty straightforward to do, using the 1/225 scale Minicraft kit and giving it a military paintjob. The windows were filled in with a pen, as was the tail and fuselage markings. I also added a Boeing flying refueling boom--early 747s were capable of being modified into emergency tankers, and Iran's 747s are configured as such. The boom is a little out of scale, but it looks all right.