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Revell Convair 990


Unkempt

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I was lucky enough to find a Revell Convair 990 Coronado for a ludicrously low price in a second hand shop, but when I got it home I noticed there were no transparencies. But, looking at the instructions, it looks like there weren't supposed to be any in the kit? Does anyone know whether there were any transparent parts in this kit? I've tried googling but can't find anything about it.

It's a beautiful aircraft, by the way.

Edited by Unkempt
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The kit didn't have any clear transparencies included unfortunately. Strangely however, the stand was moulded in clear plastic.

The windscreen and cabin windows can be glazed quite successfully with Microscale crystal clear or similar. Both the Microscale kit and the more recent F-rsin kit were moulded without cabin or flight-deck windows and so would not be of use even if they were to the same 1/139 scale of the Revell kit.

Hope this helps.

Chris.

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Ah yes, CV990's - our house used to be under the approach for Ringway's 24 runway (as it was named in those days); we could see the CV990's from miles away over Stockport pouring out black smoke.

I'd love to see a WIP of a Coronado - beautiful airframes.

Chris

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Thanks, guys.

The kit didn't have any clear transparencies included unfortunately. Strangely however, the stand was moulded in clear plastic.

Huh, I don't have a stand either.

To be honest, I haven't decided yet whether to build it or stick it on EBay. I just found it at random and it'd be nice if someone who really wants it gets it.

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In 1967 we went spotting as normal one Saturday. We could pick out a "smokey Joe" out as it approached over London. Swiss Air (Swiss Air was the only regular CV990 Heathrow visitor) inbound, no great shakes there then, until it landed...Air France! N5605 on lease from Modern Air Transport in natural metal and Air France cheat and fin marking. Blimey! Less than an hour later another Smokey Joe inbound here IS the Swiss Air. No, Iberia! EC-BJC on lease from Spantax with Iberia "written" above the Spantax Cheat line. I even remember the numbers. They flew with both all summer and possibly a bit longer. Maybe to take some of the strain of the Summer season.

Edited by bzn20
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Thanks, guys.

Huh, I don't have a stand either.

To be honest, I haven't decided yet whether to build it or stick it on EBay. I just found it at random and it'd be nice if someone who really wants it gets it.

Although it may fetch a few quid if you sell it on e-bay, I would build and enjoy it.

I'm sure there are a few here that would like to see one built up.

Chris.

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Used to see the Spantax ones at Gatwick too. On occasion the Swiss ones. And for a while there was one impounded at Gatwick in a blue with yellow fin bands scheme. Basically identical to the older Cathay colours but the green and white replaced by dark blue and yellow. N880JT wwas the reg.

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I think that was the Lanica 880. I cant remember the reg. but there was one at LGW for a while.

Swissair also had an 880, HB-ICL, on loan from Convair until the 990's "turned up". That came to heathrow a few times.

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The impounded one atLGW had all the winter runway snow clearers parked in front of it.Belonged to Indy Air. I have a couple slides of it among my thousands! Also recall the odd visit or two by the Modern Air ones. Black and orange cheat lines I recall.

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Hi Paul. That's the one, I couldn't remember, Indy air but something in the back of my head "says" Lanica had it aswell, I know it was ex Cathay.

Those Modern Air Transport kites were ex American A/L.

Spantax started into Heathrow a bit later (than 67) EC-BJC,JD and possibly JE too.

Edited by bzn20
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I have a picture of an Indy Air 880 with the blue cheat and on the fin, blue, white and red horizontal stripes.

I just Googled N880JT and got on Smugmug.com. Some great pictures.

Edited by bzn20
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  • 2 years later...

Its an Extremely rare kit, that's for sure. I built 2 of them and if you can look past the oddball scale, its probably the best injection molded 990 out there. Only issue is it represents the prototype configuration, before Revell learned about the drag issues and the subsequent aerodynamic cleanup mods.

Now that the 990 Type Certificate is up for sale, maybe some good drawings of the plane will fall into the right hands...

david

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ah yes, CV990's - our house used to be under the approach for Ringway's 24 runway (as it was named in those days); we could see the CV990's from miles away over Stockport pouring out black smoke.

I'd love to see a WIP of a Coronado - beautiful airframes.

Chris

I lived in Edgeley and the flightpath went across the back of our house. You certainly couldn't miss when the CV990 Coronado's went over!!

XVTonker

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Ah the Coronado, remember well seeing the Swiss ones thundering their way skyward out of Heathrow in the sixties, belching thick black pollution and shattering ear drums during one of our many jaunts to the roadside viewing area back in the days when airliners shapes were varied and extremely noisy. (Also recall the Spantax aircraft at Gatwick). Hard to remember what was harder on the ears, the 990, Caravelle or Trident !

As David points out it's a rare kit now and in mint condition fetches pretty high prices, personally I'd build it.....As far as I remember it was 1/135th scale, (Revells old 'fit the box' idea), first issued in 1962, then re-boxed in 1964 before being re-issued again under the Mexican Lodela label in 1975.

There's a Lodela boxing on US Ebay at the moment if you want some idea of value.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/REVELL-SWISSAIR-990-CORONADO-Famoso-jet-model-airplane-kit-H-254-Lodela-/152071745782?hash=item23682eb0f6

Nice old kit....

Edited by general melchett
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In 1967 we went spotting as normal one Saturday. We could pick out a "smokey Joe" out as it approached over London. Swiss Air (Swiss Air was the only regular CV990 Heathrow visitor) inbound, no great shakes there then, until it landed...Air France! N5605 on lease from Modern Air Transport in natural metal and Air France cheat and fin marking. Blimey! Less than an hour later another Smokey Joe inbound here IS the Swiss Air. No, Iberia! EC-BJC on lease from Spantax with Iberia "written" above the Spantax Cheat line. I even remember the numbers. They flew with both all summer and possibly a bit longer. Maybe to take some of the strain of the Summer season.

I think I might have both of those as 1/400 Aeroclassics diecasts, though I'm not sure about the Iberia one.

Edited by JosephLalor
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Ah, the Swissair ones disappearing in their own black smoke launching from LHR - oh, happy, happy days

(Alitalia DC8's did much the same)

SD

Was that due to water injection? 'Coal burning' jets seem to have been a feature of the early 1960s.

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I think it was more due to the nature of the basic J-79/ CJ-605 core. They smoked. Like. A. Chimney.

AFAIK, they never had water injection. Didn't need it. I could be wrong.

-d-

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