Challenger350Pilot

Here's the latest WIP post on the MD-11:

Impressive for sure. And in 1/200 scale!!??!! you must use magnifying lenses to do the "small" work. Quite nice indeed.

Looks really great so far...off to a good start! Keep going...this will be a long, tedious, and rewarding build...took me over a year to complete my Connie, but in the end, I breathed a sigh of relief and pride...it turned out well. Patience my friend...looking forward to following this! As a note on the Paul Fisher tragedy...yes, the California wildfires were very tragic, and very personal for those of us that have supported Paul for years. My Connie has Fisher engines and props. After ruining the engines themselves, Paul was kind enough to send me replacements at no charge...before the fire. There was a fund begun for the Fishers with a goal of $10,000. I think at last check it had reach way way more than that. Paul is a special guy, and his shop contributed much to the world of model building.

Wings on! Now to allow this thing to cure for a while.......

Hi Ian; Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I do use the brushable filler sometimes. Its good for very small jobs, and often requires a few applications to fill enough. I generally let it dry for about 24 hours before attempting to sand. As for Milliput...I have never used it before, so I cannot give an intelligent comparison. As for the Alclad...I almost have the knack for it...almost. There are a couple of good You Tube instructional videos on how to prepare a surface, apply the primer, and then the finish. I have learned through trial and error...mostly error. What I have learned is that preparation of the surface is paramount...smooth, sanded with fine grit, almost to a shine. The primer is important to achieve the finish you are intending. Black works well for the darker finishes, and white works well for the brighter ones. I have also found that spraying it in abundance will hide the "sandy" look, and achieve the smooth consistent finish...I did this on the MD-11. Key to note is that when applying decals onto Alclad, that water and solutions can stain it easily. I have resolved to not use solutions and only rinse and wipe clean the soapy water from the decal...works well to hide the stains and to remove them altogether. There have been recommendations to seal the Alclad with an acrylic finish, such as Future, but I have not done this.

Finally took the plunge last fall and spent a small fortune on a 1/144 scale Authentic Airliners MD-11, and I am so glad I did...worth every penny! I began the build soon after arrival, and wanted to bring everyone in on the process. This entire build is being chronicled carefully, as I will eventually write a detailed booklet as to "how I built this." So jump in, and here we go..... Upon opening the box, the kit is carefully packed and separated for easy inventory. Though my kit was packed well, it still had a couple of minor "rashes" that required some small repair, but nothing that was a show stopper. I did contact Kurt at AA with the complaints, and he promptly answered with an offer to replace anything that was defective or not to my satisfaction. Much appreciated, and a true demonstration of the quality that the kit represents. The fuselage is one cast piece, and very heavy, with enough nose weight not to cause worry when it sits on the metal main landing gear. The wings and horizontal stabilizer are also one piece, with acute details that are precisely cast. There are a few small parts, such as flap hinge fairings, the hot and fan sections of the engines, all landing gear struts and actuators, and two small clear nav lights for the wings. Not to worry...they ARE different sizes to match the mismatched cuts in each wing. I did not use these, but rather fashioned my own nav light lenses. There are large flashings on the tail piece and the hot and fan sections that need trimming with a sharp cutting tool. Wear a mask when cutting or trimming or sanding! The dust from the resin can be most irritating. She's being finished in the "widget" livery, as one of the earliest MD-11 deliveries to Delta Air Lines. I'm using Tamiya gray surface primer, Tamiya TS-26 white paint, Alclad black primer, Duraluminum and Chrome finishes, 26 Decals, and Authentic Airliners MD-11 detail, 3D windows, raised detail sheets, and high shine metallic decals. At the completion, she'll be posted in the Ready For Inspection forum, with a detailed history of the real airplane. Hope you enjoy..... I began with the trimming and securing of the tail piece. Really a good fit together, after drilling a small trench to hold the epoxy. Then came putty and sanding to make it all flush..... Next the engine work... During the process of working with the hot sections, one of the small tabs broke off, so I had to fashion a new one. Small and tedious work... Once painted and assembled, I did NOT like the result, so I stripped the engines down, and started over.... And the engines finished.... And assembling the tail.... The winglets, wings, and horizontal stabilizers.... Small parts and gear... Fuselage work... Had to paint the nose because I knew for certain that the decal provided would not fit easily without cutting and coaxing, and would probably end up wrinkled anyway.... This weekend I've spent applying decals. I think she looks pretty good with her "clothes" on.... I'll post more soon...she coming along nicely. All that's left at this point is to attach the wings, horizontal stabilizers, gear, engines, then the photo etched parts. I can see the finish line!

Perfect! Will you post it in the WIP thread? Sure would love to follow your build.

I would echo the suggestion of taping on as many of the parts as you can, in their proper place, if possible, then determine the weight. The CG will move drastically as you add parts...better to know where its located, approximately, before adding the weight. Are you building a C-121? Take a look at these: http://nabe3saviation.web.fc2.com/modelc121.html https://modelingmadness.com/review/korean/us/usaf/cja121.htm

Absolutely stunning! This is a beautiful model, well done! And you converted a -8 to a 300? Very brave...and the dividends have paid off. It really looks very nice. You've sold me on the livery, too...isn't it rewarding to build a model of some favorites from way back when? Really like the engine work...wish you had taken a few pics up close of them. And...you have made me a believer and a fan of the high shine metallic decals from 26. I ordered a sheet and have been using them sparingly on my current project. Curious...did you use the landing gear from the -8 kit? looks like -8 wheels, that I thought were a bit beefier than the old -300 ones. At any rate...they look great....the whole thing is award winning.

Thank you! And thank you to everyone for your kind comments and observations. Currently working on an Authentic Airliners 1/144 scale MD-11; hoping to post a work in progress thread in the coming week or so.

Oh yes, I did have to add weight to the nose. A substantial amount, to be sure, but I don't know exactly how much. Its hard to judge scientifically how much to add, especially when the model is modified as much as this one with resin, pewter, zinc, and brass. My rule of thumb when having to add weight to keep the airplane sitting on all three is "add until there's enough." Simple as that seems, it works for me...not scientific by any means, but it gets the job done. The landing gear are all metal, so they can handle the stress of large weights on a large model. I found that once I added what I thought was enough weight, actually wasn't. And I discovered this long after the fuselage halves had been assembled and reinforced, puttied, sanded and primed. To test and see if I had enough, I pressed tooth picks into the gear holes, and set her down on a flat surface...she dropped to her tail! For the remedy, I drilled a small hole in the nose forward of the nose gear bay assembly, and dropped in small round fishing line weights until she sat upright, then I poured in Elmer's wood (water based) glue to hold the little balls in place, allowing it to cure with the open hole for about 10 days. When I was satisfied it had cured hard enough, I closed the hole with Tamiya white putty, sanded and primed, and continued on. What an ordeal...my non-scientific method worked! She's heavy...but she sits upright like she's supposed to.

Nicely done, as usual, Ian. Good model...good photos...good airplane.

Indeed a wonderful job! I do like the weathering you've done, and the way you've brought out the panel lines...especially the engines. This gets a WOW!!

Just beautiful, John. The finished product looks so real. I made some comments in the WIP section, without realizing that you had finished up. So may I echo what ahs already been said?? This is a beautiful rendition of a beautiful airplane. you have captured the L-1011's majesty in your work. I especially love the Nazca details, thought they can be finicky at times. If you hadn't mentioned the "clunky" to-scale kit flaps/slats that you used, they wouldn't have been noticed as "clunky." The wings, flaps, and slats, are beautifully done. Paint work is quite nice, highlighting the detail of the airplane. Job well done!

BRAVO, John!!! Love this feed...and really really love the details of your build of a beautiful model. Very few birds are as majestic and command respect as the L-1011, and you have done her some amazing justice here. I must agree that the to-scale cut out flaps from the kit make it looks slightly "clunky," but certainly NOT distracting. You did a marvelous job on the wings. The Nazca details, though I have found them to be a little tedious and finicky at times, really make the model pop into realism. At 1/200 scale, your eyes must be a bit tired and droopy by the end of your work session. Job well done...looks so good.

Really like this a lot. Job well done.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Reminds me clearly and instantly of the old aviator's classic movie "Island in the Sky" with John Wayne. The presentation of your photos, especially the outside ones are truly brilliant. The low winter sun captures her lines perfectly; she looks like she is sitting proudly in a field waiting for her next assignment. Nice job. Really nice indeed.

Well...maybe...yeah. But does the real airplane have darker fans? At any rate...this is really really reeeeaaalllly nice work, Ian. I am certainly one for detailing when its reasonable. I have followed this build somewhat, and have been so impressed by the undertaking. The end result has been worth the wait, and hopefully worth the time and effort you've put in for it. This is outstanding, and a real eye pleaser. Love the A340; and I agree with your assessment of the differences between the 500/600 and the 777-200/300 that can form personal preferences. Congratulations on a job well done.

Well...another fine work! In spite of the import duties and "cut-shut" molds, you've done this proud bird some great justice. Looks fantastic. I really like the fans; are those in the kit, or did you mold those yourself, or are they etched? They look quite nice, adding a good bit of attention to detail.

Looks beautiful! after all that detailed decal work, will you need a vacation? To rest our eyes and brain? WOW! Very nice work indeed.

This is really good! I love the cockpit and the figures; even if they aren't seen well, YOU know they are there, and YOU know the work you put in to accomplish such a detail. Job well done!

Wow, Ian! This is just superb, as is your custom. What a lovely build in a lovely livery of a lovely bird. The pictures and presentation are absolutely convincing...they look nearly real, especially the close ups. Your workmanship is outstanding, and the attention to detail is spot on. Thank you for sharing this. Really like the 3D windows...looks like that little bird is packed full! And...I am so impressed with the silver metallic high shine decals from AA. I was hoping someone would use and review them. Its motivating to order a set and try them myself.

Wow! What an ambitious project; and fully understand how hard that must be physically to cut out the flaps ad slats. But the hard work and patience will pay off in a model well done. Looking forward to the progress AND the finish! Nice going!

Just realized that I had seen your finished post earlier...but somehow it popped up again on the recent list...no worries, I suppose...it deserves MORE praise.... My my my! This is FANTASTIC!! I'm amazed at how "easy" you make the conversion from the MD-11 sound. This is a great livery on a great model, and you have finished splendidly. So very inspiring. I am currently working on an Authentic Airliners MD-11, and enjoying the work; seeing your work here pushes me on to get cracking! Such good finishes on the white, grey, and natural surfaces. Thanks so much for sharing. Wow wow wow.

Quite a nice completion indeed on such a beautiful classic airliner. A job well done. Thank you for sharing.