worcesterjohn

lovely model..could only be improved by adding a tiny 1/72 pipe on the wing, that has been put down absentmindedly by "Killer" Caldwell !

Great stuff..well done. Seeing other modellers doing well with brush painted models gives us Hairy Stickers confidence When are you going to scratch build the four Argentinians sat on the fuselage ! 🤣

Ok so this is the neat little kit I have bought as the basis for this build. It's basically an old Airfix Vertol Kit with additional decals, but I like the additional boxart which I think is a "version" of the artwork used on the hard to find Tamiya kit of the same subject. The kit is produced by Modellbaustudio in Germany and they also used to supply vacformed square replacement windows, but currently the mould has gone missing ! I have a few version of the airfix kit to choose from in my stash ! This is the kit parts and decals As you can see it also gives the option to build the Pan Am version too. The biggest issue will be the windows, as most of the New York Airways Vertols had seven rectangular windows as shown here. I'm a pretty inexperienced modeller, so trying to turn the four round windows in the kit into seven rectangular windows neatly, feels like a big ask. However luckily I have found some images of early New York Airlines Vertols that just have extra round windows..see below Adding two new round windows in the spaces on the fuselage and then using spare windows from one of my other kits seems like a much simpler solution, so that's what I'm going to go for I think. Anyway, I'm finishing off an Airfix F86 Sabre at the moment, but as soon as it's done I will get on to this build. Looking forward to it.

This is a project I have fancied having a go at for a while. As a young man I was captivated by a line in a Jodie Mitchell song that says “Helicoper lands on the Pan Am roof, like a dragonfly on a tomb”. New York airways, a subsidiary of Pan Am really did fly a regular service from the centre of New York, from the top of the Pan Am building to the various airports around NYC. They mostly used twin rotor Boeing Vertols that later developed into chinooks that still give us a thrill when we see them flying to this day. I will be using an Airfix Vertol/Sea Knight kit as the base, with decals supplied by Modellbaustudio in Germany. The windows will be they key area of work, as the New York Airways versions differed from standard Vertols by having more windows, which were usually square rather than round. Anyway I’m looking forward to the challenge and will share more pics of the original aircraft and a bit of history as I progress. Thanks for letting me join this group build....my first GB ever 😱

Hmm I have a few options for this GB now..I’m putting together the pieces of a New York Airways Boeing Vertol project at the moment that would fit the brief nicely, but could also build a Revell 2CV I have in the stash and also a Tamiya Bell X-1 “Mach Buster” that is waiting to be built.

I'm no expert and Giorgio's post above seems the best answer..but I would just add that my rationale would be "which are the coolest aircraft" .........answer.....the F9F Panther and the F3D Skyknight are the coolest ! Although the Skyknight is hard to get in 1:48 there have been a couple of limited run Kits made, so they are "out there". Both Czech Models and Collect-Aire have done them I beleive. P.S. Don't google "Czech Models" while your significant other is around..you generally get 150 pages of a scantily clad Eva Herzigova or Petra Nemcova before you get anything in 1:48 scale !!🤣🤣

Fascinating story, brilliant model, wonderful stuff !

absolutely fantastic, what a wonderful project and beautifully done. I can smell those Hot Dogs !

Nice build of a great looking aircraft, I’m a newbie too, so no advice from me other than, keep reading this forum..it’s such a great source of knowledge and encouragement!

Gorgeous model, looking forward to seeing the diorama.

Lovely build, some of the early helicopters can look a bit ungainly, but the Sycamore is a very elegant aircraft with a wonderful name.

Great looking family ! There’s a lot of canopy involved in those models, the original aircraft designer must have loved greenhouses...I wonder if the pilots grew tomatoes !

I love the little penguin on the DC3, I hope that doesn’t denote a “kill” 😭 great builds of very interesting subjects

I very much doubt that...There’s a reason none of the photos are proper close-ups ! 😱

Reini, that's hugely helpful..a mini masterclass ! I don't have an airbrush. so I will have to recreate your effect with a brush and a rattlecan (I've picked up a tin of Testors Model master Dark Sea Blue, so we'll see how that comes out) The weathering stencil is an interesting idea, I'll look into it and I've been recommended the Flory washes before so will I'll get some of the grey. I guess the secret is to avoid overdoing it, as from all accounts the Sea Blue Gloss was tough as old boots and the carrier based aircraft in particular were very well looked after, so often looked surprisingly clean. Thanks again for revealing your secrets