1:72 B737 upgrade to -300/400 etc

[atdb27]

Hi Folks,

I'm about to get the B737-100 kit (Thanks Ant Phillips) and would like to update to a more modern 3/4/500 series.

I know it will involve much work! Engines being a major change/issue!

Should look good next to a 1/72 Concorde

So are there any good plans/drawings or refs for the B737 family in any scale that I could work from please?

Adrian

[Richard E]

I'm about to get the B737-100 kit (Thanks Ant Phillips) and would like to update to a more modern 3/4/500 series.

I know it will involve much work! Engines being a major change/issue!

Other than the fact that [a] you've got the 737-100 in your hands and they cost about £60.00 is there a reason why you haven't thought of building one of Welsh Models' 1/72nd scale Boeing 737 300 or 500 kits?

Edited May 4, 2009 by Richard E

[keefr22]

Hi Folks,

I'm about to get the B737-100 kit (Thanks Ant Phillips) and would like to update to a more modern 3/4/500 series.

I know it will involve much work! Engines being a major change/issue!

Should look good next to a 1/72 Concorde

So are there any good plans/drawings or refs for the B737 family in any scale that I could work from please?

Adrian

It's not just the engines you'll need to change to make a -300 from a -100 Adrian, there's the small matter of the latter having a 6ft 4inch longer fuselage. So maybe a -500 would be a better bet? But the -500 wasn't used by that many airlines, so choice of markings is limited. Other changes to the NG were modified leading edge slats & a new dorsal fin, & a longer nosewheel leg. The intakes in the wing/body fairing were also different in some 100 aircraft to the 200/300.

Keef

Edited May 4, 2009 by keefr22

[atdb27]

Keef,Richard

Thanks for your comments so far,

Good point about the Welsh Models kit BTW!!!

Have got my one at a VGP (Very Good Price)

I think there was also a Fine Scale article on making this kit with some mods updates etc?

Does anyone have this write up please?

PM me if you can scan/supply etc.

Adrian

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

I think there was also a Fine Scale article on making this kit with some mods updates etc?

Does anyone have this write up please?

Adrian

Adrain,

Which kit are you talking about here? The only 737 article I recall could have been a 1/72 Aurora kit in Janet Airways marking? which was an injected kit.

[Alan P]

Contact Jennings Heilig for your one-stop shop on the conversion. He seems to be the best source of this info that frequents these boards. I think eng could also help you as he does/did line engineering on the -400.

Good luck!!

Al

Edited May 5, 2009 by PHaTNesS

[RNZAF]

If it is the Aurora 1/72 100 kit, why dont you just do it as a 100, it will take enough extra detailing work with the kit as it is and there are a wide range of 100 decal sheets out there. Then as Richard stated you can buy the Welsh 300 or 500 to compliment it.

[woody37]

I too am wanting to build a 733. I want to do the BMI Baby Billboard colours. What is the best model to get to achieve this ?

Is the Welsh model resin or Vac Form ? Never done either before, but Vac Form looks scary !

[keefr22]

I too am wanting to build a 733. I want to do the BMI Baby Billboard colours. What is the best model to get to achieve this ?

Is the Welsh model resin or Vac Form ? Never done either before, but Vac Form looks scary !

It's listed on the Welsh website as 'multi-media' - which with their kits usually means vac-fuselage, resin wings, stabs & fin & metal undercarriage. But I've never owned one, so that's a guess on my part! Welsh vac-form parts are usually very well done & easy to work with.

Keef

Edit:

I was assuming by your post that you mean you want to do one in 1/72? If not, the best 144th 737 New Generation kits on the market are Daco's. These are followed by the minicraft kits, which whilst not quite in the same league are simple to build & can be made into very nice models that look like 737's!

Edited May 5, 2009 by keefr22

[atdb27]

If it is the Aurora 1/72 100 kit, why dont you just do it as a 100, it will take enough extra detailing work with the kit as it is and there are a wide range of 100 decal sheets out there. Then as Richard stated you can buy the Welsh 300 or 500 to compliment it.

Might just do that.

Cheers

Adrian

Adrain,

Which kit are you talking about here? The only 737 article I recall could have been a 1/72 Aurora kit in Janet Airways marking? which was an injected kit.

I think that is the one Buddy. Have you got a copy of it?

Cheers

Adrian

[Jennings Heilig]

I'd have to rank converting an Aurora "737" (not quotes - it's only vaguely reminiscent of a 737 if you squint your eyes and stay at least 10' away) into a -300 or -400 right up there with converting the KMC "727" into a 727. Unless you're a masochist of the highest order, you'd be money, time, and sanity ahead of the game to simply buy a Welsh kit and be done with it. If you do want to convert the Aurora/Monogram kit, you're going to end up replacing about 90% of what you get in the box. You might as well scratch build it.

J

[atdb27]

I'd have to rank converting an Aurora "737" (not quotes - it's only vaguely reminiscent of a 737 if you squint your eyes and stay at least 10' away) into a -300 or -400 right up there with converting the KMC "727" into a 727. Unless you're a masochist of the highest order, you'd be money, time, and sanity ahead of the game to simply buy a Welsh kit and be done with it. If you do want to convert the Aurora/Monogram kit, you're going to end up replacing about 90% of what you get in the box. You might as well scratch build it.

J

Im only a masochist at weekends J!

Sounds like the doing 100 and getting a Welsh kit is the 'Sane' way to go.

Just one of those impetuous thoughts.

Thanks Guys

[woody37]

It's listed on the Welsh website as 'multi-media' - which with their kits usually means vac-fuselage, resin wings, stabs & fin & metal undercarriage. But I've never owned one, so that's a guess on my part! Welsh vac-form parts are usually very well done & easy to work with.

Keef

Edit:

I was assuming by your post that you mean you want to do one in 1/72? If not, the best 144th 737 New Generation kits on the market are Daco's. These are followed by the minicraft kits, which whilst not quite in the same league are simple to build & can be made into very nice models that look like 737's!

Thanks.

Never new about this, cheers

[eng]

I've got a Welsh 1/72, 737-500 and access to real thing for pic's or info. PM me any time if I can be of assistance.

I'd definetly avoid trying to mod a -100 to a -3/4/500, as suggested go for the Welsh -500 and make fuselage plug's if required. A long time ago there was talk of Denzil at Welsh making plugs for the -300/400 version but I don't know if this ever came to anything, should be fairly easy to do yourself.

Hope these snaps give you some inspiration -

Go for it!

Eng

[atdb27]

Hi Eng,

PM on it's way.

I did get up to GLA for a few visits but never with my camera

Isn't that always the way though!

Adrian

[eng]

Nose gear bay looking aft.

Another showing the leg from the front.

Aft l/h side of the leg.

Fwd view of the left main gear.

Aft wall of the main wheel well looking from the fwd r/h corner to the aft l/h side. The unit aft of the tank on the keel beam is the stby electric hyd pump. The long diagonal cylinder on the left of the pic is the brake accumulator and above the inner end of this is the flap power drive unit (the green item half way up the bulkhead with shafts from either side), on the roof at the top right of the pic is the landing gear downlock viewer for the crew to check the leg's are down and locked if dropped by gravity.

Wheel well from l/h bay looking to the fwd corner of the r/h bay (the large tank in the foreground is the stby reservoir on the keel beam between the bays, and the furthest tank is the B sys hydraulic reservoir) you can also see the inner side of the leg and sidestay.

This is taken from the r/h bay looking fwd and left, the tank in view on the roof is the smaller A sys hydraulic reservoir, and again the stby reservoir in the foreground. The large white unit to the right of the A system tank is the spoiler mixer unit (a mechanical computer) which gives the differential and proportional control of the flight spoilers (no's 2,3 on the left and 6,7 on the right.

Hope these are of some help Adrian, PM or email me if you have any questions or need more info,

Rgds,

Eng

Edited May 23, 2009 by eng

[atdb27]

Fabulous Eng.

There a great help thank you.

Adrian

Edited May 23, 2009 by atdb27

[eng]

Never occured to me until tonight but here's a link to a superb site with stacks of info and links -

http://www.b737.org.uk/index.htm

Rgds,

Eng

[kev67]

I am making the Welsh model 1/72 Boeing 737 T43-A, completed the main build and starting to finish the spray painting, if you need any assistance on building the Welsh models I would be more than happy to help.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26726329@N02/...495506/sizes/o/

[kev67]

Nose gear bay looking aft.

Another showing the leg from the front.

Aft l/h side of the leg.

Fwd view of the left main gear.

Aft wall of the main wheel well looking from the fwd r/h corner to the aft l/h side. The unit aft of the tank on the keel beam is the stby electric hyd pump. The long diagonal cylinder on the left of the pic is the brake accumulator and above the inner end of this is the flap power drive unit (the green item half way up the bulkhead with shafts from either side), on the roof at the top right of the pic is the landing gear downlock viewer for the crew to check the leg's are down and locked if dropped by gravity.

Wheel well from l/h bay looking to the fwd corner of the r/h bay (the large tank in the foreground is the stby reservoir on the keel beam between the bays, and the furthest tank is the B sys hydraulic reservoir) you can also see the inner side of the leg and sidestay.

This is taken from the r/h bay looking fwd and left, the tank in view on the roof is the smaller A sys hydraulic reservoir, and again the stby reservoir in the foreground. The large white unit to the right of the A system tank is the spoiler mixer unit (a mechanical computer) which gives the differential and proportional control of the flight spoilers (no's 2,3 on the left and 6,7 on the right.

Hope these are of some help Adrian, PM or email me if you have any questions or need more info,

Rgds,

Eng

Have you any more pictures of the undercarriage as I have the Welsh model 1/72 Boeing 737 T-43A and looking at it, the undercarriage legs look wrong on the kit, as the leg of the forward undercarriage goes straight up but you pictures show it does not

[Kev1n]

putting all this junk into a model is my kind of wierd behaviour....

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Have you any more pictures of the undercarriage as I have the Welsh model 1/72 Boeing 737 T-43A and looking at it, the undercarriage legs look wrong on the kit, as the leg of the forward undercarriage goes straight up but you pictures show it does not

Kev,

I think you will find EVERY 737 kit in all scales has got the nose gear strut wrong. I expect that it is for strength and reduced complexity in producing the kit. I can tell you the Airfix and Minicraft 1/144 kits are like the Welsh kit.

[kitnut617]

I got hold of some 1/72 'Janet Airways' decals because I was going to do my 737 (Monogram boxing) in those colours, but I should tell you I was told all the 'Janet Airways' 737's were -200's. You can get the decals from Draw Decals.

http://www.drawdecal.com/catalog.htm

I bought a Welsh Models 1/72 737-200 for it instead, these are very nice kits although I've not made mine yet, as said above, vac fuselage, resin wings, engines and white metal u/c and other small bits. You get a clear vac windshield and a full cockpit. I've got four of the 1/72 Welsh Models kits so far, all very nice and I should get on with them, especially the DH Comet in RCAF markings. If you scroll down the list a bit you'll find you can get some T-43A decals for this kit too.

BTW, the Aurora/Monogram injection 1/72 737 is really of one of the prototypes, but it is close to a -100, NASA used one of the prototype -100's for quite a while and I was able to find some decals to do this type. I got them from Hawkeye Models Australia.

http://www.hawkeyemodels.com.au/Site.htm

Look in the US Military listing here.

Edited August 30, 2009 by kitnut617

[TonyT]

I too am wanting to build a 733. I want to do the BMI Baby Billboard colours. What is the best model to get to achieve this ?

Is the Welsh model resin or Vac Form ? Never done either before, but Vac Form looks scary !

If you need pics of a baby one it is doable they live next door to me they had a couple painted as adverts for Board to the Rings, and visit Wales

Edited August 30, 2009 by TonyT

[kev67]

I got hold of some 1/72 'Janet Airways' decals because I was going to do my 737 (Monogram boxing) in those colours, but I should tell you I was told all the 'Janet Airways' 737's were -200's. You can get the decals from Draw Decals.

http://www.drawdecal.com/catalog.htm

I bought a Welsh Models 1/72 737-200 for it instead, these are very nice kits although I've not made mine yet, as said above, vac fuselage, resin wings, engines and white metal u/c and other small bits. You get a clear vac windshield and a full cockpit. I've got four of the 1/72 Welsh Models kits so far, all very nice and I should get on with them, especially the DH Comet in RCAF markings. If you scroll down the list a bit you'll find you can get some T-43A decals for this kit too.

BTW, the Aurora/Monogram injection 1/72 737 is really of one of the prototypes, but it is close to a -100, NASA used one of the prototype -100's for quite a while and I was able to find some decals to do this type. I got them from Hawkeye Models Australia.

http://www.hawkeyemodels.com.au/Site.htm

Look in the US Military listing here.

The only niggle I have found with the Welsh model is the two section centre resin bit, I think it would of been better if this was vacform as there is no room to add extra detail as it is a solid bit of resin where the wheel wells are, also the tail hinges were in the wrong place