DrewP Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) Hello, all! With the Airliner Group Build only days away, I've chosen and started my build due to the fact that I will be gone the 14th-20th from modelling. Having been deeply inspired by John's Air Europe 737 diorama (here) and Ian's amazing AA 757 builds (here) and (here), I've decided to mash them together! Using Kurt's beautiful 757-200 RR kit and 26's Air Europe 757 decal sheet, along with Authentic Airliners' realistic cabin and cockpit windows decals, I'm going to be trying my first resin aircraft! Already, it's looking to be loads easier than Minicraft's and Eastern Express's 757s, and may even be easier than many injection-moulded kits. If anyone's looking to get into building resin kits, I highly advise you get a couple of Kurt's airliners to get you started. I've only done basic cutting-from-the-block sort of work and it's working beautifully. Only trouble for me is getting the "base resin" off of the engine inlets/fan blades (they're all one piece). Just a quick asking of advice, what's the best way to remove the two aft sections of the engines? They're pretty close together and my tiny sprue cutters don't fit around the block they're attached to. Progress so far is getting the wings', vertical stabilizer's, and horizontal stabilizers' resin attachment off and down to the connector tabs. The fit of the wings and tailfin is beautiful. Small problem on the port horizontal stabilizer, I managed to run down the connecter tab to a very small lip, but it still finds its attachment point and will fit just fine once super glue is used (error on my part!). I've gotten the tailcone's extras off, just needs a bit of sanding and more cutter work to get it to fit with the fuselage. From now on, the "resin attachments", "blocks", or whatever the technical term is, will be referred to as "extra(s)" for time's sake. I've slightly sanded a lip/crease across the top of the fuselage to make it less prominent, and soon I'll get it level with the rest of the aircraft. I've gotten the small resin film (flash??) that was present between the struts on the landing gear out and gone, along with separating the nose gear away from its extra. Test fit with the landing gear shows amazing accuracy, and the detail on each strut is phenomenal. Props to Kurt! The engines have insane amount of detail and are looking to be some of the easiest sub-assemblies ever made. Just two pieces for an engine?! Still to come is removing the rest of the engines from their extras, removing and painting the wheels/hubs, painting the landing gear struts, getting the landing put together, and gluing the engines together. Honestly, this looks to be a really quick build, but I don't want to rush anything. Any airliner kit, or and kit in general, with this much detail and effort put into creating it (once again, Kurt, GREAT job!) should get all the respect and carefulness anyone could give. Enough rambling, on with WIP photos. Any suggestions on what other sort of cutting tools I should use? The instructions for Ray's decal sheet are a bit on the basic side (in no way am I dissatisfied with them). The instructions only show the left and right side of the aircraft, and that leaves many of the extras (like A23, A25, and A26-A29) nowhere to be found. I can see what everyone raves about with these. Without even being on the kit they're stunning. Well, that's all for today. Hope everyone has a great week! Happy modelling. (Side note: if one of the mods, or hosts of the GB could move this once it starts, it would be greatly appreciated) All the best, Drew Edited July 11, 2016 by DrewP 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Will follow this. I flew on a couple of the AE 757s back in the mid 80s. Always fancied modelling one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timo Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) Hi Drew The AA 757 is a great kit, I've built a couple and was very pleased with the end result - looking forward to seeing your progress. Re the decals, you could e-mail Ray at 2-6 Decals who I'm sure would answer your queries - he is always very helpful. What I can tell you is: A23 - are the fuselage fire rescue 'cut in area' markings - see Boeing's fire & rescue guide for their location http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/commercial/airports/arff/arff757.pdf A25 - is the ram air turbine door on the lower fuselage behind the starboard main landing gear fuselage door - can be seen in this pic http://www.jetphotos.net/photo/8284964 A26 - look like the towing limit lines on the nose gear doors Not sure about A27-29. Regarding cutting, I used a very fine razor saw to remove the resin blocks as close as possible to the part and then finished with some careful sanding on a flat surface to achieve a good join. I also drilled in a couple of small locating pins into each part to help precise positioning when gluing together with CA (just like in an injection kit). Hope this helps Tim Edited July 11, 2016 by Timo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Hi Drew, Watching this with interest! Looks like you're nearly done with separating the engine parts from their casting blocks. Just need to stick some wet and dry down onto a hard flat surface and carefully sand away the excess resin. Shouldn't take too long. Use water though, to keep the resin dust down. Just had a look at the 26 757 detail sheet, A27 & 28 are probably not needed with this livery nor is A29 these are for dark liveries instead of A26 which are the tow limit stripes on the nose gear doors. Not sure if AE painted A23 on their aircraft or not, you'll have to check pics of the actual aircraft you're modelling. Looking forward to the next update! Cheers, Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 3rd Placer Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I too am interested in your build Drew, I must get one of these AA kits someday. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Hi Drew, Just checked and AE did have the "cut here in case of emergency" markings on the roof of the fuselage, parts A23. Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrewP Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) Hello! Thank you, Ian and Tim for the help with the decals. I'm curious as to where you two, Ian and Tim, find your information. I'm looking all over Airliners.net, planespotters.net, etc. and I can't find anything very useful. I'm interested in what you are looking at or searching for so I can do some of my own and not have to constantly ask questions and pester all of you... Thanks for tips on sanding and cutting. It's helping a lot! All the best, Drew Edited July 11, 2016 by DrewP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Hi Drew, I guess some of it is just knowing the plane well which comes from lots of research before a project. Often the most fun bit for me, I get to look at lots of pics of planes!! Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 While I will probably never build an AA kit due to cost I do like a nice 757 build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timo Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hello! Thank you, Ian and Tim for the help with the decals. I'm curious as to where you two, Ian and Tim, find your information. Hi Drew Those of us who work in the aircraft industry probably just know lots of stuff. The beauty of Britmodeller is that if you're struggling with something you can pick the brains of others to get answers. Just keep posting - always happy to help. Cheers Tim 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodadriver Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Now this really is up my street! I'm planning an Authentic Airliners 757 in LTU livery once Kurt has them back in stock and I look forward to watching the progress of your build. You've probably seen it but in case not there is a useful section about the 757 on the AA website The detail decal sheet is generic and not specific to Air Europe so not all the decals will be required for your model. F-DCAL do the same - a livery sheet and a separate generic detail sheet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinky coffeeboat Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 (edited) The 757 is a very graceful well balanced design, I like it a lot! Researching is the fun bit and I've often spent so much time looking at pictures that I've lost valuable building time. It's a well worn phrase but pick the actual aircraft you'd like to make, search on the usual picture hosting sites (Airliners.net, planespotters.net, jet photos.net etc..) for that aircraft and study it closely. This way you may spot where each decal goes and some peculiar features. The Authentic Airliners kits are great and I've got a 757 to build too. The thing is though, I'd like to make many but can't justify the expense. We're well and truly overdue a decent injection moulded kit. Jeff Edited July 12, 2016 by pinky coffeeboat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teeradej Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Very interesting build. Resin kits were somewhat I kept myself to stay away but construction of this kit is quite eye-opening, looks much easier than I though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrewP Posted July 13, 2016 Author Share Posted July 13, 2016 You've probably seen it but in case not there is a useful section about the 757 on the AA website The detail decal sheet is generic and not specific to Air Europe so not all the decals will be required for your model. F-DCAL do the same - a livery sheet and a separate generic detail sheet. 1) Yes, I found that their guide would be helpful with the smaller resin bits and photoetched parts (another first for me. Aaron Skinner's book is giving great guidance on how to handle those!). I printed off that whole webpage, which came out to about 11 papers. 2) I noticed that the day after posting. Ian's and Tim's helpfulness on those decals made that apparent. Once again, I am not the smartest cookie. The 757 is a very graceful well balanced design, I like it a lot! Researching is the fun bit and I've often spent so much time looking at pictures that I've lost valuable building time. It's a well worn phrase but pick the actual aircraft you'd like to make, search on the usual picture hosting sites (Airliners.net, planespotters.net, jet photos.net etc..) I agree. I remember reading someone say it looked like a bullet, and I couldn't agree more. Definitely one of the best looks Boeing has designed so far. Looking at pictures of planes (and taking some myself) are sort of a happy pastime to me. I even got a picture of the Asiana 777 at LAX just a week before its accident at SFO. It gave me the chills when I saw the first pictures from that accident coming out. It's a miracle there was such a low fatality rate (RIP to those 3 girls). Anyway... Thanks for that extra site, jetphotos, I'll have to check it out. Anyone know if there is a JustPlanes video on an Air Europe 757? AE ceased in early March, 1991 and I' not sure about when JustPlanes started other than the year (also 1991). It's a very slim possibility, but maybe there's a chance? Resin kits were somewhat I kept myself to stay away but construction of this kit is quite eye-opening, looks much easier than I though. Trust me when I say this: I've only just removed the parts from their extra blocks, and the only thing I have to do now is glue, paint, and decal! It sounds so simple because it is. The only "do-it-yourself" sort of work I've had to do was lightly sand a seam across the top, and that took 20 seconds at the most. The only "hard" work I've done is trimming and sanding, but that comes with every kit. This one is a breeze. I strongly suggest if you ever have an interest in resin kits, buy yourself one of Kurt's. Starting small will definitely cost less, like one of his 737s or DC-9s. You'll fall in love, guaranteed. Thanks for all the helpful comments and kind words! All the best, Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrewP Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 Work shall continue. Progress might slow down, but nonetheless, it will be done for the Group Build. So far just sanding off the extras, fitting, and planning what to do next. Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 The 757 is a very graceful well balanced design, I like it a lot! Researching is the fun bit and I've often spent so much time looking at pictures that I've lost valuable building time. It's a well worn phrase but pick the actual aircraft you'd like to make, search on the usual picture hosting sites (Airliners.net, planespotters.net, jet photos.net etc..) for that aircraft and study it closely. This way you may spot where each decal goes and some peculiar features. The Authentic Airliners kits are great and I've got a 757 to build too. The thing is though, I'd like to make many but can't justify the expense. We're well and truly overdue a decent injection moulded kit. Jeff They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it's quite true. My eyes behold no beauty in the 757; it's an unfortunate travesty reminding everyone of the worst outcome of trying to fit a wide-body nose onto a narrow-body fuselage. But this is likely due to the fact that I grew up in the era when Boeings were pretty, and Douglases were functional works of the airplane maker's art, purposeful and muscular, so my aesthetic sense was likely spoiled for the products of the 1980s. I also think that bulldogs are cute, so this serves to illustrate how my aesthetic sense was warped by my childhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme H Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 At last someone is doing an AA kit, and the 757 no less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrewP Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 quick update: settled into new house, sorting through boxes to find supplies, got some superglue from the crafts store. Also, I just received a notification that Kurt has more 757's in stock, so if you're interested in building a 757 (and I highly recommend Kurt's kit, if you are) you should head over to his website authentic-airliners.de. Don't know about when building will resume, but should be done for the GB. All for now Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timski1 Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 I’m hoping to start my AA 757 soon, need to get glue first! :’) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now