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Here is my latest update of an Airfix golden oldie - the Boeing 737 finished as G-BMEC of Air Europe while operating for British Airtours in 1983. Between 1983 and 1986 Air Europe and British Airways had a “swap lease” arrangement which gave BA access to Air Europe aircraft particularly in the winter months when their own aircraft were undergoing scheduled maintenance. It benefitted Air Europe by keeping their aircraft in the air when there was less demand for holiday charter flights. Updating the old Airfix kit to Advanced standards was good fun. Here is a quick run down on what I did: 1. Cockpit roof and windscreen replaced with spare part from Zvezda 737-700 (much easier to fit than the Daco part). 2. Zvezda kit used as pattern to reshape the Airfix nose. 3. Wheel wells opened up and main well fitted with a “roof” cloned from a Daco kit using Oyumaru and Milliput. 4. Lowest hinge on fin/rudder filled. 5. Daco p/e used for pitots and other small details. 6. Engines replaced with LACI JT8D-15s. These are beautiful and LACI have really nailed the appearance of the Advanced engines, at least to my eyes. You also get the choice of open or closed thrust reversers. Fit to the Airfix wings is adequate rather than good but the end result is way better than I could have achieved by modifying the kit parts. Paint is Halfords Appliance Gloss White and Racking Grey with metallics from Tamiya and AK Interactive. Decals are a mix of Classic Airlines and Flightpath with detail decals from the spares box and an Authentic Airliners windscreen. Coroguard is also by Flightpath. Thanks for looking and constructive criticism is always welcome. I haven’t decided on my next Airfix update but a Trident and an A300 do their best to catch my eye any time I’m in the loft. Dave G Posing with another couple of Airfix upgrades - the DC-9 and Caravelle: The gorgeous LACI engines assembled and primed:

Airfix 1:144 Boeing 737 TwoSix 'Air Europe' Decals. Airwaves Etched brass galleys Plus my own scratch building Ok, I went a bit mad here and didn't know when to stop. It started out as an attempt to improve the old 1960's Airfix kit of the Boeing 737-200, and just kept going and going as I had more ideas. I already posted what the improvements were in my second attempt but which got finished first. Basically it was; - Replace the cockpit glazing with the part provided in Daco's 737 kits. - Scratchbuild some interior detail for the cockpit, including the flight crew. - Open up the main and nosewheel bays, which are just shallow opening on the kit - Improve the engines. They are too short in the kit, and have the early 'skinny' pylons only applicable to the first 100 or so machines produced. - The passenger cabin windows are just little square shapes. I filed the all top and botton to open them up to oval shape. - I had a etched brass set for the forward integral airstairs, so they were added. - Adding the Airwaves etched brass detail set, which consists of the forward and aft galleys. - Then I decided that a few rows of passenger seats were necessary. - I though a base would be nice, so made one. - As I had opened the luggage bay and fitted a floor, it really needed a loading vehicle to park there. - I has a set of etch brass luggage wagons, but no tug. Both this and the luggage wagon are scratch built, and generic rather than replicas of actual vehicles. - A tow bar on the nose would be nice. So I scratched on up from rod & tube. Must make a tug though! - Finally, it needed some passengers walking out. These are unpainted from Noch, and its taken me weeks to paint them all. The model represents G-DDDV known to its crews not as 'Delta Victor' but as the 'Dirty Vicar'. She followed my father around after he retired from British Airways, and made subsequent comebacks with Air Europe and then Gulf Air. G-DDDV appeared in all 3 liveries. There is a little figure of 'Viking dad' sitting in the left hand seat, just visible through the cockpit. Enough talk, on with the photos; Crew visible in cockpit; The little scratchbuilt vehicles; Improved wheelbays; Some of the interior bits; Thanks are due to member Skodadriver who supplied me with the Daco clear cockpit part and silver frame decal, enabling me to go a bit mad and do this! Cheers John