Chase C-123 Provider 1/72 Scale Mahogany Model

Introducing the ready-built AC123T Desktop Model. This 1/72 scale model was handmade with precision and accuracy to produce the finest model that will be the centerpiece of your collection for years to come. This model is a perfect gift for pilots and aviation enthusiasts alike. Not too big or too small, this model features a wingspan of 18.5 inches and a length of 12.75 inches. This model features a very accurate paint scheme with realistic panel lines.

This collectible model represents the C-123 Provider, a cargo lifter that served in a variety of roles, including spray aircraft in Operation Ranch Hand. As late as the early 1980s, Army jump school students made some of their first jumps from these aircraft. Painstakingly built from Philippine mahogany by skilled craftsmen using a wealth of detail, this 1/72-scale model C-123 Provider makes a great gift for any veteran, aviation enthusiast or history buff.

The C-123 Provider is an unusual aircraft – it was originally designed as a glider. Chase aircraft designed the airframe as an assault glider in the early 1950s, but developed two powered versions – one with radial engines, the other with two jet engines. For an assault transport that might operate from unimproved areas, low-slung jet engines would have been susceptible to foreign object damage, so development on the jet version was dropped.

The C-123 served with both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Coast Guard. The C-123K model, with jet pods under each wing, performed well, and the Air Force modified 180 early model C-123s to the new standard. The C-123Ks flew resupply missions, as well as spray mission as part of the defoliation operations as part of Operation Ranch Hand.

Final versions of the C-123 were finally retired from the Air Force inventory in the 1980s, and other government airframes were retired in the 1990s.