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1/72 F-27 Friendship


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Hello Modellers

Here is my build of the re-released Airfix kit - built a few years ago, actually.  The decals are from Hawkeye Decals, who specialise in Australian Civil subjects, among other things.

The scheme is for East-West Airlines in the 1960’s – a quite attractive colour combination in my view.

It’s a rather crude kit, by today’s standards, but the small additional sprues (in the latest release) are very welcome; since they provide the radome nose and 4-blade, square-tipped props.

The main tasks I undertook to improve the kit were:

  • Heavily sanded the plan-view profile of the nose (needs to be a lot “sharper” than what the raw parts provide;
  • I got out the Dremel tool and went to town on it with a course sanding drum.
  • Extended the rear undercarriage to give a slightly “nose down” stance.
  • From my point-of-view, if the legs are not lengthened, the plane sits too low in the rear.
  • Increased the angle of the tail spine by inserting extra plastic fillets;
  • Scratch-built main u/c doors to better replicate the real appearance;
  • Scratch-built a matching starboard air intake at the rear (carved from a piece of sprue).
  • Added bulged fairings at the roots of the horizontal stabilisers (made from spares box drop tanks).
  • Increase the width of the main wheels with plastic card – rather anaemic-looking if left as-is, in my view.

I note it is now almost impossible to find the re-released kit anywhere – obviously it sold well! 

I want to build more, so I am keen to see Airfix get it back onto the market again.

Hope you like.

7c40c041-6bfa-41fc-b812-f5dc2cf425d9.jpg

IMGP2056.jpg

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That's lovely Kapam. Always loved going with my Mum to collect Dad off the East-West F-27 when he'd been to Sydney for work. 5 or 6 in the evening in an Armidale winter and waiting 'till the Friendship left again. We were so close you'd get wafted with warm exhaust gas as she turned around to head out to the runway again. And never cover the ears against that lovely scream from the Darts - sacrilege! Can see, hear, feel and smell it now over 40 since!

And just noticed this is the "City of Armidale"! Fantastic!

 

Cheers, Matt

Edited by bombernut
Missed something
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1 hour ago, Antoine said:

Missed that, but I've the Esci one, and wonder how they do compare.

Thanks for your comments - much appreciated.

As for your question, it's the proverbial "can of worms" to compare the Airfix and the Esci.

I have owned both kits.  What you want from your build has a bearing on which kit is preferred.

If you want the most accurate shape and proportions I think the AIrfix is the one to go with.

The Esci kit has much better production values but is let down by some shape issues.  I'm not one to measure things, but looking at the kit with a half-critical eye suggests the Esci fuselage is a bit too small in overall cross-section and the engine nacelles seem rather distorted compared to the real thing.

By the way, there are still some who identify shape issues on the Airfix kit - top-to-bottom fuselage depth is one I hear about.

However, I think that is a modification I can pass on.

It would be nice to have the Esci tooling quality with Airfix's better shape accuracy.

Others may chime in on the two kits and the debate may rage on forever. :hmmm:

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36 minutes ago, bombernut said:

That's lovely Kapam. Always loved going with my Mum to collect Dad off the East-West F-27 when he'd been to Sydney for work. 5 or 6 in the evening in an Armidale winter and waiting 'till the Friendship left again. We were so close you'd get wafted with warm exhaust gas as she turned around to head out to the runway again. And never cover the ears against that lovely scream from the Darts - sacrilege! Can see, hear, feel and smell it now over 40 since!

And just noticed this is the "City of Armidale"! Fantastic!

Yes, I chose "City of Armidale" because I rather like the place, although I am from Maryborough (Qld) myself.  Thanks for your description of the sights, sounds and smells as the F-27 taxis away.  It brings back huge memories of Maryborough airport in my young days!  Alas, East-West did not service our town - but Ansett and TAA F-27's certainly did.

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Beautifully done! I remember F-27s at (I think, but might be misremembering where I saw them) Cairns in the 70s. Also remember seeing DC-3s in Bush Pilots Airways colours.

 

DennisTheBear

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6 hours ago, kapam said:

Thanks for your comments - much appreciated.

As for your question, it's the proverbial "can of worms" to compare the Airfix and the Esci.

I have owned both kits.  What you want from your build has a bearing on which kit is preferred.

If you want the most accurate shape and proportions I think the AIrfix is the one to go with.

The Esci kit has much better production values but is let down by some shape issues.  I'm not one to measure things, but looking at the kit with a half-critical eye suggests the Esci fuselage is a bit too small in overall cross-section and the engine nacelles seem rather distorted compared to the real thing.

By the way, there are still some who identify shape issues on the Airfix kit - top-to-bottom fuselage depth is one I hear about.

However, I think that is a modification I can pass on.

It would be nice to have the Esci tooling quality with Airfix's better shape accuracy.

Others may chime in on the two kits and the debate may rage on forever. :hmmm:

 

Thanks a lot for those indications.

Despite having seen loads of F27 while living under Orly's R24 final during my childhood, can't remember enough to be able to find any shape issue with Esci's kit.

When time come, I'll try to gather informations and drawing, if possible.

I've got plans for one of thoses.

913_plan11_700.jpg

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39 minutes ago, Antoine said:

Despite having seen loads of F27 while living under Orly's R24 final during my childhood, can't remember enough to be able to find any shape issue with Esci's kit.

 

It must have been a LOUD place to live in ;)

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A short summary https://designer.home.xs4all.nl/models/f50/f50_engtxt.htm :nerd:

 

The most visible errors: fuselage too small especially from top to bottom; engine pods completely wrong shape (easily checked on any picture of the real F.27) forward of the wing,,, Too small stabilisators. I still have one - if I remember correctly the only part of the kit worth using were the props... if the particular F.27 full-size object you were basing your project on had that kind of props...

 

The Airfix has a number of errors (check  https://designer.home.xs4all.nl/models/f27/f27mod.htm

that are far easier to correct since the basics are more or less right. The ESCI is a far better kit but a terrible scale representation of a F.27

 

BTW I did some of the checking by myself before finding the web pages above; that was when the ESCI kit was new :winkgrin:

 

Cheers, Moggy

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Hello Kapam,

Excellent build. Noticed all the extra's you did with it. My compliments. Like mentioned by Moggy above, check this website from Meindert de Vreeze.

It will answer most of your questions. Meindert is super precise.

I think neither (airfix/Esci) are perfect, but personally I favor the old Esci. It depends on the builder, how far he would like to take the model apart. It is like changing a pillow in the living room, ending up with the whole room revised.(Time, lots of time and $). 

Still looking for decals from the Argentine Air Force for the F-27

Regards, Dirk / The Netherlands.

 

Edited by Orion
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12 hours ago, kapam said:

Thanks for your comments - much appreciated.

As for your question, it's the proverbial "can of worms" to compare the Airfix and the Esci.

I have owned both kits.  What you want from your build has a bearing on which kit is preferred.

If you want the most accurate shape and proportions I think the AIrfix is the one to go with.

The Esci kit has much better production values but is let down by some shape issues.  I'm not one to measure things, but looking at the kit with a half-critical eye suggests the Esci fuselage is a bit too small in overall cross-section and the engine nacelles seem rather distorted compared to the real thing.

By the way, there are still some who identify shape issues on the Airfix kit - top-to-bottom fuselage depth is one I hear about.

However, I think that is a modification I can pass on.

It would be nice to have the Esci tooling quality with Airfix's better shape accuracy.

Others may chime in on the two kits and the debate may rage on forever. :hmmm:

Give us a new tool F27 please please , i think that both are little wierd at some points

 

But nevertheless Kapam this is a very nice effort you made here.

The nose looks every inch a F27.

 

 

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1 minute ago, janneman36 said:

Give us a new tool F27 please please , i think that both are little wierd at some points

 

But nevertheless Kapam this is a very nice effort you made here.

The nose looks every inch a F27.

 

 

Not only the nose of course;)

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Thanks to all who commented.  It is greatly appreciated.

I was familiar with the links provided above and they are quite useful for making an accurate F-27 - though not comprehensive in every possible way (IMHO).

As many contributors have said, a new-tool F-27 would be excellent.

Not holding my breath though.

I would accept another production run of the current-tooling Airfix kit, if a new tool is beyond reach.  :shrug:

 

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Very nice indeed. I was just tidying up some decals today and saw I had this scheme along with several other Australian examples in the stash. When it comes my turn to produce one of these I hope it comes out as good as yours. Well done. AGW..

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