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American 707 from Heller 1/72 kit


Whisperjet

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Hi guys

 

I'm currently working on a 1/72 Heller Boeing 707. I just wanted a big plane, so I had no particular airline in mind when I started it.

Now I discovered the 26 decals set for an American Airlines 707.

I assume I can make one from the Heller kit (engine types etc)?

 

Now I was wondering about the livery. I'm considering using very thin adhesive aluminium foil for the bare metal look. But judging from the pictures the AA 707s were never really shiny/polished? Or is it just the old pictures?

 

It looks like the wings and the wing/fuselage transition were painted in light grey + coroguard? 

 

See a picture below of my trial. Is it an overkill?

 

Thank you and best regards from Switzerland.

 

Stefan

 

24w8z81.jpg

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The Heller kit represents an early 707-320B and is almost right for American Airlines 707-320B/Cs. Tiny details differ -- more importantly landing gear doors (AA 707-320B/Cs had two side doors, rather than the single door on earlier aircraft) and less importantly engine side inlet doors (AA's were the repositioned, larger, later type that Heller does not represent). Homework using photographs pays off.

 

American Airlines had their aircraft highly polished at service entry. The finish lasted four or five years before fading progressively. I remember this from a posting on the Airlinermodelling Yahoo group by a former American Airlines employee. Homework pays as regards the period into which you are placing your model. Metail foil has two sides -- shiny and "brushed", so you can experiment. But why ask us? Do what your eyes suggest is suitable, and aim to please yourself!

 

Corrosion protection to top and bottom wing and tailplane inspar areas was standard on Boeings from the early-mid Sixties, so all AA 707-320B/Cs did have it. The wing/fuselage fairing was fibreglass, and painted in Boeing Airplane Company grey -- a light grey with beige-ish overtones which you can mix yourself or buy ready mixed from more than one paint maker ("BAC grey").

 

---

 

Just to add that JAT Yugoslav 737-300s, which entered service highly polished in 1986/7 faded very badly by 1990. AA seems to have cared for their machies better, though the mirror look often faded badly, especially on cargo aircraft. Look at photographs and make your own mind up.

 

 

 

Edited by skippiebg
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AA aircraft started out highly polished, but as time went by the polish dulled. Pick a photo and match it with your model. The wings and tailplanes were standard Boeing grey/corogard, and there was varying amounts of grey on other parts of the aircraft as well, most notably the radome tail cone, and w/c servicing doors.

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Hi

 

Thank you very much for your feedback. 

 

The foil I am intending to use can be found in most hardware stores. I bought a roll of 50m which is 50mms wide. Apparently it is used for insulation. 

 

Regarding the American Airlines color scheme, I am still trying to find out which ares were painted (or not).

 

Were the wings (except for the Coroguard) and the tail fin polished metal as well? They appear to be different on pictures. 

What about the engines? They look flat as well?

 

Any inputs are welcome!

 

Thank you

 

Stefan

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The wings and tailplanes were painted in Boeing grey except for the leading edges (and of course the corrogard inspar areas). The engines were unpainted, but dulled quite quickly. The suck-in doors on the nacelles were grey, as well as a portion of the turbocompressor hump. Only a few small panels at the top of the fin were grey; the rest was bare metal.  Here's a representative example:

Boeing_707-323C,_American_Airlines_AN188

Photos of the starboard side are difficult to find, but here's one showing the lav service door just above and aft of the nose gear doors:

70315.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 12/21/2016 at 3:23 PM, Whisperjet said:

Hi

 

Thank you very much for your feedback. 

 

The foil I am intending to use can be found in most hardware stores. I bought a roll of 50m which is 50mms wide. Apparently it is used for insulation. 

 

Regarding the American Airlines color scheme, I am still trying to find out which ares were painted (or not).

 

Were the wings (except for the Coroguard) and the tail fin polished metal as well? They appear to be different on pictures. 

What about the engines? They look flat as well?

 

Any inputs are welcome!

 

Thank you

 

Stefan

Are you talking about aluminum duct tape?

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

No doubt this has been said a million times on metallic finishes, but this takes me back to the rub-n-buff days of the 70's & 80's..that's all we had, apart from the trusty 'kitchen foil fixed at differing angles/tacky gloss varnish adhesive' method!! Hmmm...strokes chin....

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On 3/23/2017 at 3:58 PM, Fazzman said:

No doubt this has been said a million times on metallic finishes, but this takes me back to the rub-n-buff days of the 70's & 80's..that's all we had, apart from the trusty 'kitchen foil fixed at differing angles/tacky gloss varnish adhesive' method!! Hmmm...strokes chin....

At least now we have better foil adhesive.

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