1/144 b737/200...airfix or eastern express?

[Mike Esposito]

Which is the better kit? Looking for more accuracy than ease of build. I would prefer engraved lines, but accuracy would trump that.

Thanks

Edited April 21, 2015 by Mike Esposito

[feoffee2]

Hi

Eastern express are not the best kits and require a lot if work but is like them and they look like a 737. I would say the airfix kit is better and requires a lot less work.

Thanks

[Jessica]

About the only thing the EE kit has going for it is the -ADV engines. In all other respects it's a poor rip-off of the Minicraft kit. The Airfix kit is superior in terms of actually having a finished model someday. Engines are available from the usual suspects if you must have them.

[Skodadriver]

Forget Eastern Express. Among other issues it has oddly shaped wings which could be corrected but why do the work when the more accurate Airfix kit is available?

If you really want the ultimate 737-200 there is Authentic Airliners but at a price.

Here's what can be done with the Airfix kit in the right hands:http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234972025-airfix-1144-boeing-737/

Edited April 21, 2015 by Skodadriver

[Mike Esposito]

Thanks. Want a 737 in my collection. Was looking at the Revell 800, but it irritates me that I have to pay for engines and winglets and decals. Too much money.

Maybe the Airfix kit with decals and aftermarket engines.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Mike Esposito

[wally7506]

If you want a 737 then grab a Skyline Daco kit!!!

or

the Minicraft kit with Pas Models resin engine fronts

[pinky coffeeboat]

Thanks. Want a 737 in my collection. Was looking at the Revell 800, but it irritates me that I have to pay for engines and winglets and decals. Too much money.

Maybe the Airfix kit with decals and aftermarket engines.

I understand what you mean, it would be nice if RV updated their moulds to improve the accuracy of the engines and winglets; but I'm sure they won't.

But since you are thinking about the Airfix kit with aftermarket engines (I remember they cost me £12 from Authentic Airliners) then why not get the RV kit with either Braz (£10 for the engines and £3 for the winglets) or Authentic Airliners (£18 for a full set)?

The Daco 737 series are very nice indeed. Require little in the way of improvements and come with a set of high quality decals. I would take these in preference to the Minicarft offering though.

Just a thought.

Jeff

Edited April 22, 2015 by pinky coffeeboat

[Skodadriver]

Thanks. Want a 737 in my collection. Was looking at the Revell 800, but it irritates me that I have to pay for engines and winglets and decals. Too much money.

Maybe the Airfix kit with decals and aftermarket engines.

Your heading to the thread says B737-200 which the Revell kit ain't! Neither is the Daco Skyline kit although Wally is right and it is by far the best injection moulded 737 kit of any version.

Although you can buy replacement engines and winglets for the Revell B738 you don't have to. It is perfectly possible to modify the kit parts as described here:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/75911-correcting-the-revell-737-800/

[Ben Brown]

Another possibility is to convert a Daco -300 into a -200 using Authentic Airliners' engines. I found it takes about as much work as filling and sanding the Airfix kit does, and you end up with a much better representation of the subject. The only other parts you'd need to source are some new nose wheels from an Airfix kit, or Revell's Fokker 100 or BAE-146 kits. Also, unless Braz has changed their design, their engines are too short, as are Airfix's:

Ben

[Skodadriver]

Another possibility is to convert a Daco -300 into a -200 using Authentic Airliners' engines ...

Sounds intriguing. Can you post some pictures of the final result?

[Ben Brown]



Sounds intriguing. Can you post some pictures of the final result?

Sure! Once you get past the fear of cutting up an expensive kit, it's actually a fun build. Conversion notes are below the photos.

Here is the unpainted model. You can barely see where I cut a small section out of the wings and glued the wing tips back on. The fin and horiz. stabilizers have been sanded to shape, and the fuselage cut. The engine mounts have been cut off and the tops of the wings have been rescribed. The engines cover the scars on the undersides of the wings. Kurt's engines are almost plug & play on the Daco kit, and only need a tiny bit of filler to blend them into the wings. I made things difficult for myself by building an early -200, so I had to modify the pylons. If you're building an Advanced, you just glue the engines on, unmodified. You can also see where I accidentally took a chunk out of the trailing edge of the starboard wing while removing the -300's engine mounts.

And, with paint & decals:

737-300 to 737-200 conversion

1. Remove 44 scale inches (7.8mm) from forward of the wing and 60 scale inches (10.6mm) from aft.
2. Fill the cavity in the fairing, forward of each wing.
3. Reduce the wingspan to 93 scale feet (1.85mm each wing)
4. Reduce the horizontal stabilizer span to 36 scale feet (6mm ea. stab)
5. Reduce the chord of the wings outboard of the engines (works out to less than ~.7mm on the model).
6. Fill the outboard spoiler on each wing
7. Remove the fin fillet and reshape
8. Add Authentic Airliners JT-8D engines for Advanced, modify the pylons for early -200
9. Use Airfix -200, Revell Fokker 100, or Revell BAE-146 nose wheels
10. Early -200’s Krueger flaps stopped just outboard of the landing lights.
11. Add upper rudder counterbalance for Advanced, upper & lower for early -200

Edited April 22, 2015 by Ben Brown

[Skodadriver]

That's a fantastic piece of work Ben.

If I'd only seen the finished model and hadn't known how you did it I would have assumed it was the Authentic Airliners resin kit!

[Mike Esposito]

Don't have the courage to cut up a 40+ USD kit.

[pinky coffeeboat]

Lovely work Ben and a nice colour scheme too. I wouldn't have the nerve to cut up a Daco kit (I'm still hesitant about chopping up my Minicraft DC-8s).

[Ben Brown]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

Regarding cutting up an expensive kit: Beer helps....

Ben

[Mike Esposito]

Beautful piece of work this. Really excellent.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Mike Esposito

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Thanks. Want a 737 in my collection. Was looking at the Revell 800, but it irritates me that I have to pay for engines and winglets and decals. Too much money.

Maybe the Airfix kit with decals and aftermarket engines.

It is not hard to modify the engines with some putty to reshape them ( a few examples in the forums here on how to do it) or to reshape and extend the winglets (again examples around on the forum).

[VMA131Marine]

You could always switch to 1/72 scale and get the Big Planes Kits 737-200. There's this, for example:

http://bigplaneskits.com/shop/uncategorized/737-200-british/

Edited April 24, 2015 by VMA131Marine

[pinky coffeeboat]

You could always switch to 1/72 scale and get the Big Planes Kits 737-200. There's this, for example:

http://bigplaneskits.com/shop/uncategorized/737-200-british/

Great kits. I've started one of mine and its going together nicely. Well worth thinking about getting one.

[Mike Esposito]

Good idea, but too big.

[Ben Brown]

It would be great if BPK scaled their 1/72 kit down to 1/144. They'd sell a ton of them.

Ben

[Mike Esposito]

I would love to see that...

Edited April 27, 2015 by Mike Esposito