JC Wings 1:400 McDonnell Douglas MD-81 N980DC Diecast Model

1:400 Diecast: McDonnell Douglas MD-81 N980DC "GE36 UHB Demonstrator" (JC Wings XX40181)

N980DC is manufacturer serial number 48000, line number 909 — the prototype McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series airframe, first flown on 18 October 1979. After serving as the type's engineering testbed, the airframe was modified to become the flying demonstrator for the General Electric GE36 Ultra High Bypass (UHB) open-rotor engine, a joint GE–SNECMA program investigating unducted fan propulsion as a fuel-efficient alternative to conventional turbofans. In this configuration N980DC flew in 1987 and appeared at the 1988 Farnborough International Air Show — one of the most discussed experimental aircraft of that decade. The GE36 program did not reach production, but the aerodynamic and acoustic data gathered on N980DC shaped subsequent open-rotor research. Engine data: P&W JT8D-209 for baseline operation, with the GE36 mounted on one side for test flights. Total airframe hours at the time of its experimental phase: approximately 364 hours.

Livery & Visual Detail

The model captures N980DC in McDonnell Douglas house demonstrator scheme: white and light-grey fuselage with a distinctive horizontal cheatline combining a near-black upper stripe and a maroon/magenta lower accent line. "MCDONNELL DOUGLAS" appears in small maroon text below the cockpit windows; large maroon bold "MD-80" lettering runs along the center fuselage. The registration N980DC is printed in black on the aft fuselage ahead of the tail-mounted engines. The vertical stabilizer carries the "MD-80" marking horizontally in maroon. Classic straight wingtips with no winglet modification. Tail-mounted twin turbofan nacelles without chevron nozzles — consistent with JT8D powerplants. Rolling gear fully deployed.

Model Craft & Collectability

JC Wings produced this release in diecast alloy at 1:400 scale under item number XX40181. A scale model of N980DC occupies a very specific niche: it documents an aircraft that existed at the intersection of civil airliner design and advanced propulsion research. No other MD-80 airframe carried this engineering history. Collectors of experimental or testbed aircraft, or researchers focused on open-rotor engine development, will find no equivalent diecast subject in the MD-80 family.

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