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Challenger350Pilot

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  1. Challenger350Pilot
    Hi John! Thanks for the kind words. You'll love the 1/144 scale builds, and I am so glad that the WIP post was useful to you. Also glad your 747 arrived! I'll look forward to following your WIP!
  2. Challenger350Pilot
    She's all done! Posted in RFI here:
  3. Challenger350Pilot
    This is the Authentic Airliners 1/144 scale MD-11. Anyone who has built an AA model can testify that this is not an average model, nor do they take a routine process to finish. The solid resin casts present unique issues that are challenging in their own right, but with patience and persistence return great reward. This is my first AA build. I’ve wanted to build an MD-11, in particular the AA kit, and thoroughly enjoyed learning a “new” process that took me outside of the usual “box” of model airliner building. I decided before beginning that I would finish her in the early Delta Air Lines “widget” livery, choosing in particular N801DE. This MD-11 began her life with Delta in 1992, outfitted with a cheat line stripe on her #2 tail mounted engine, which stood out as “different” than her sisters in the fleet. I am not aware of any subsequent MD-11s at Delta that carried that cheat line. She led a distinguished life at Delta, flying from Atlanta to Osaka, Brussels, London, Frankfurt, among many others, as well as some domestic routes. At some point, she was painted in the newer Delta “stripe” scheme before she was retired and stored for a while at Montreal. She began flying again for World Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, then again for World, and finally ending up at UPS, where she was outfitted in 2008 as an MD-11F. She STILL flies today as a freighter! In fact, as I write this biography, she is actually (in real time) flying as N294UP (under UPS livery) from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Ontario, California! She's painted with Tamiya TS-26 white, Alclad Chrome and Duraluminum, household enamel that was blended especially for the wings and fuselage fairings. I used 26 laser printed decals for the livery and some of the details, Authentic Airliners 3D windows and details, some Nazca decal details, and .06mm red model train lenses for position and navigation lights. Hope you enjoy the pictures! There is detailed post in WIP of the building process of the model…you can access it here:
  4. Challenger350Pilot
    Wow Phil, this is a fascinating and very challenging build, as usual for you. Looks beautiful so far. As for the painting...I have made it a rule to stick with same-branded paint when spraying. Seems its more sure that they won't react and cause new problems. For example, Tamiya primer with Tamiya final color. Enamels with enamels. I definitely don't use Testors, and have not used Revell. Tamiya TS-26 is about the purest white I have found...bright, and won't yellow over time, and doesn't seem to be affected by some sun in the room, though not direct. This build is going to be beautiful for sure! Thanks, too, for you detailed WIP...very helpful and definitely inspirational.
  5. Challenger350Pilot
    Thank you, Phil. I really appreciate your kind words. She's actually finished, and I am about to post her on RFI. You can see her there in all her glory. I'll put a link here so you can go directly to the post. You should try it! Its ALL I do, and have ever done. With a few exceptions when I was very young. The challenges in building airliners is unique, and they post completely different journeys than do any other model.
  6. Challenger350Pilot
    Amazing. Truly amazing. This will be huge in every sense of the word, from designing to building to...where will that thing be displayed!!??? All the best! We'll ALL enjoy this build!
  7. Challenger350Pilot
    Might be time to start wearing gloves from here on in. Many a new curse word has been formed by modelers leaving unintended fingerprints that were unremovable in the most obvious places. Rubber gloves work well, providing a little anti skid so that chances of dropping the model are reduced somewhat. Yeah...i dropped my Connie more than once during the build process. The expressions I used are probably still floating out over Georigia somewhere. The wheel wells look great. Can’t wait to see how the Alclad sheen goes. Been wanting to experiment with that...be interesting to see what you think of it.
  8. Challenger350Pilot
    Let’s see....which do we hate more....masking or sanding?????? Looks great! Good masking job....spray away!
  9. Challenger350Pilot
    Yeah, it sure is getting along nicely. I agree that sometimes we see too well. It can be very frustrating, but at the same time, very rewarding, as this model is showing. Its going to be beautiful. Your attention to detail, regardless of how well you see, is amazing. Try masking over the wheel wells, not "in" them. I used some paper towel wadded up and carefully inserted into the wells, which kept the spray from getting in there, then taped over the wells and carefully cut away the excess. Those plastic bags from the grocery store, you know the ones...that will litter the landfills for the next thousand years, come in handy for large areas of covering. They easily form around corners and complex curves, too. Looking really good! Great progress! Hang in there!
  10. Challenger350Pilot
    Finished up some details, and did a little correction here and there...she'll be in RFI soon!
  11. Challenger350Pilot
    Thanks, Dave, for your kind words. I have read lots of posts in a few forums that kind of down play the Mikro Mir and EE MD-11 kits. I have not seen one before, but I've seen pictures. I understand that some of the parts are not accurate, the engines are not accurate, and the big one is that the wing assembly mating to the fuselage assembly can be a real challenge. I'll eventually acquire one...I actually enjoy the challenge. Be encouraged to continue yours...never "bin" one...keep it, finish it, or use it for spares! All the best! Thanks for perusing the post here.
  12. Challenger350Pilot
    Thank you, Mike! I think Red Bull is still flying their old DC-6, and she still looks pretty shiny to me! I just wish I could get my model to look as good as the old Douglas does! Regardless of the "finish," it means there's still an old propliner flying, and that is what counts!
  13. Challenger350Pilot
    Thank you, Astel. You have a memory that will last a lifetime. I mourn the era of those classic propliners gone by, but every once in a while I find myself at an airshow where one or two are displayed after they've been restored, or one flies by in her throaty splendor, or I land at an airport where a few are still being used as cargo haulers after more than 60 years of service. Glad you enjoyed the post; thank you for your kind words.
  14. Challenger350Pilot
    Always a red letter day when she stands on her own legs, gets her tail feathers and flap hinge fairings. Now she sits to cure before the engines are mounted.
  15. Challenger350Pilot
    Here's the beauty at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson.
  16. Challenger350Pilot
    Drips???? Eeewww. Drips can be super super frustrating. I’ve found that spraying just a little at the time can all but elimate the drips. Give it a short spray pass, then wait a couple minutes, then go again...repeat until you get the desired coverage. Spraying from cans is pretty uncontrollable; most of the paint goes everywhere but on the model. Rule of thumb...you can aleays add paint, but you can’t take it off...without a new battle on your hands.
  17. Challenger350Pilot
    Major milestones made today, for sure! Looks great! Just as it should. Bravo!!!
  18. Challenger350Pilot
    These are GREAT builds! You’ve made 1/200 scale look just fantastic! Really like the different metals finishes on the engines, and the weathering is just perfect. Thanks for sharing.
  19. Challenger350Pilot
    Looking good! Millimeter by millimeter, inch by inch....it’ll come together soon and be just right. Some of the PE parts can be very frustrating, but with a little trim here and a bend there, they’ll come together nicely.
  20. Challenger350Pilot
    Thank you, Michael. Hope you have a chance to go and look at the WIP...it was quite a journey. Really appreciate ALL the kind words over this build.
  21. Challenger350Pilot
    Nice job! well done. the weathering looks quite good. I really like the presentation next to the real airplane.
  22. Challenger350Pilot
    Sand, sand, then sand some more. Check little nooks and crannies (as they say) for any roughness or that may not look quite right to your eye, especially around curves, leading edges of wings and tail, seams, and joints...especially where the wings join the fuselage. Even round the tip tanks, Give the resin parts a light sand too...they come pretty smooth and may not take the primer very well without a smooth sanding. When I built my Connie, I installed the wheel wells and all the tiny parts before priming. The advantage was, that they were primed along with the model itself, sealing small seams and gaps around the parts and made detail painting them easier. At any rate, the PE parts must be primed...they won't hold paint at all if they're not. Don't prime the PE parts before you bend and shape them! The primer will crack off and you'll pull your hair out and begin to speak with other tongues! Be careful of bending them; I used a metal straight edge and my Exacto knife to bend them. Wish I had had a PE parts bender tool, but the straight edge worked nicely. The whole PE parts process isn't hard, just tedious, time consuming, and will try your patience. I found that I had to trim a few of the parts to fit properly. Test fit EVERYTHING. Once they're in...they're in. Removing them will destroy them. Go ssslllooowwww. Be patient; think things through before bending PE parts. They have a tendency to flip out from under your straight edge and fly across the workbench or onto the floor, disappear and never be found again. Have fun! Really looking to see good results when you post them. This is a great thread! You're doing marvelously!
  23. Challenger350Pilot
    Coming along nicely! Really glad you posted this WIP. She's taking shape and looking like she should. Keep up the good work!
  24. Challenger350Pilot
    I put off buying this one in particular for a long time, mainly because of the price. I kept debating whether to move ahead with the EE MD-11 or this one, and finally decided, what the hey...so I jumped in with both feet and here she is. The build has been a unique challenge because of the resin. New (to me) techniques, having to fashion a couple of broken parts, careful sanding and shaping, surface prep and painting. And this thin weighs a ton. Good thing it comes with metal gear. I too enjoy tackling lots of little parts, and will soon acquire an EE MD-11 for that reason. The Authentic Airliners kits certainly do not compare with anything else; they are in a class of their own...sort of a "boutique" kit, as I have read a reference to them. I feel your frustration with ordering from AA as well. I'm waiting for the DC-8-50 and B720 to roll around. I might suggest that if you want something specific, to email Kurt and ask him when he might be running a new batch; he'll be honest with you and tell you when or why not. The AA models are truly precision works...I certainly have enjoyed the different challenges.
  25. Challenger350Pilot
    Thank you, Orion.... I really appreciate your kind words. I must say that there are so many other models out there that far and exceed my work...its just a hobby for me. I take my time, and enjoy what I do, as I am sure most do. Once in a while, I strike a hot iron and do OK with one. I'm pretty proud of the Connie...it'll be a while before I do another 1/72 scale beauty...they are large, tedious, and demanding. I hop you got a chance to take a look at the WIP in this one. It shows details of her journey from box to finish line.
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