Viking Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Airbus A320 EtihadRevell 1:144. Review Build The Airbus A320 is one of the most widely used airliners today, and is the middle sized version, with the A318 & A319 being shorter, and the A321 longer. All share the same basic wing, with the most noticeable difference being the fuselage length. Go to any civil airport in the world, and chances are you will see one of these, if not several.The Revell kit has been around for about 20 years now, and was recently released with a new decal sheet for the latest Etihad livery.Review Here To get the slightly pearlescent look, I used womens nail varnish thinned and sprayed via airbrush, which worked well. Were I to do it again, I would use a slightly lighter base coat as I feel that the final shade is a touch darker that I was aiming for.There are issues with the engines in this kit which are discussed in detail in the Work in Progress thread. 99% of purchasers of this kit will not be bothered by these issues, but for those who like to pursue accuracy, you will need to consider these points. The kit only has CFM 56 engines, only 1 of Etihads A320's has these (Reg A6-EIZ). Thanks to member 'Lesthegringo' for first pointing this out. It does not look like A6-EIZ has been painted in this scheme yet. It is still in service with Etihad, so may be repainted in the future. All the rest of Etihad's fleet use the V2500 engine. You can get these from Revells other A319 or A320 kits. As these other kits also have the CFM 56 engines, you can still build them. If building a V2500 powered machine, most of Etihads in this new livery have the new curved up 'Sharklets' on the wingtips, rather than the small endplates. Foe sure, A6-EIC has the end plates supplied in the kit, and has been painted in this livery. At the moment this is probably the best bet for finishing this model. In a further twist, all the engine decals in the kit are for V2500 engines, despite them not being in the box. Despite these minor problems I thoroughly enjoyed building this kit, the decals are beautiful and behave perfectly. You'd pay almost as much for it as an aftermarket sheet, as you would for the whole kit. The livery is really unusual and to my eye, quite attractive. So on with the photos. And finally, with the my recently completed Boeing 777 in the previous Etihad livery. It also shows that the A320 is a touch darker than I would have liked, due to the base coat i used. Both were painted with the same nail varnish as a top coat, (And despite what it says on airlinercafe, the cheat line on the triple 7 is straight . I accept that in some photos in can look like there is a wiggle in it, but that is due to compound curvature towards the front end. In real life it is fine. ) Thanks for looking, John 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchem Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Running out of superlatives John.so I guess I'll just have to start making some up. Gob-smackingly splendiferous ! :thumbsup2: Thanks for posting. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Very, very nicely done John. I've decided I need one of these too - so seldom when the kit decals are actually what one would want, AND are of decent quality. Always felt a little sorry for Etihad though - right in the shadow of Emirates. Have actually had corporate clients of mine bring selfies of themselves in the Emirates A380 showers, but would kill to see the suite / apartment, with servants that Etihad operates between Abu Dhabi and London. Thanks for showing us what is possible, Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringbag Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 And finally, with the my recently completed Boeing 777 in the previous Etihad livery. It also shows that the A320 is a touch darker than I would have liked, due to the base coat i used. Both were painted with the same nail varnish as a top coat, (And despite what it says on airlinercafe, the cheat line on the triple 7 is straight . I accept that in some photos in can look like there is a wiggle in it, but that is due to compound curvature towards the front end. In real life it is fine. ) Thanks for looking, John It really couldn't have been displayed with anything other than the Triple Seven Lovely job as usual Matey. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I'd be very happy with that (& the 777!). What shade & brand of Nail Varnish do you use? I really want to do this scheme... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr B Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Lovely work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Lovely job again John, I like that scheme too, think it's really eye catching! Shame about the engines, even more of a shame that Revell didn't give both types as they have in so many other of their kits! Cracking 'bus! Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Great build and review John What base coat colours did you use for each model to make the top coat look so different? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foghorn Leghorn Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Now that's a bit tasty! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adi Turcu Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 John, how do you fill the windows after painting? You don't have to sand them or annything? Great looking finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodadriver Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Wow John, that really is beyond superb. The A320 and 777 has to be the best pairing I've seen on here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epeeman Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 John Another lovely airliner model you have put together and a really colourful livery as well. I wish I could put one of these together as well as you! Regards Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark4700 Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Excellent work. Love the colour scheme. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eng Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) Beautiful result, never in a month of Sunday's would I have thought of thinning nail varnish as a topcoat! Looks like Boots cosmetic dept might become more popular with the men! One wee thing I picked up on in your post was the mention of similar wings across all the A320 family, this is only true for the 319/320, the 321 is a whole different ball game internally and externally. Externally the inboard and outboard flaps differ in that they have an additional 'flap tab' at the trailing edge (Boeing would call it an aft flap), basically this creates an extra slot in the flap system and improves the efficiency. As a result of this there are a series of smaller fairings that cover the tab operating mechanisms, these are clearly visible in underside shots of the wings or when the flaps are retracted. The Revell A320 kit has these moulded in but they should be removed as are not applicable to any A320. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qrS0aQpcVcM Internally the fuel,tank arrangement is different, each wing on the 319/320 is split into an inner and outer cell with a solid rib with transfer valves at rib 15. The A321 just has a single cell in each wing. All types obviously have a centre wing tank as well. Hope the useless info may help someone out there, and once again tremendous effort on that tricky paint scheme. Rgds, Eng Edited June 2, 2016 by eng 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 very nice A320 - and a stunning triple 7 too lovely surprise 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 Thanks for all the kind comments folks, it is much appreciated. John, how do you fill the windows after painting? You don't have to sand them or annything?Great looking finish. Adi, I leave the window open until all paining is complete. Then I fill each one with micro 'kristal kleer' (like a white glue) which dries clear. The silver outline decals then go on top. I'd be very happy with that (& the 777!). What shade & brand of Nail Varnish do you use? I really want to do this scheme... Radleigh, It is NYC 'Mulberry Street' thinned with Wilkos cellulose thinners. The base coat was Citadel Ushabti bone, but I now think it was a touch too dark I would add white to it if I do it again.There is more info in the 'Work in Progress' thread. One wee thing I picked up on in your post was the mention of similar wings across all the A320 family, this is only true for the 319/320, the 321 is a whole different ball game internally and externally. Externally the inboard and outboard flaps differ in that they have an additional 'flap tab' at the trailing edge (Boeing would call it an aft flap), basically this creates an extra slot in the flap system and improves the efficiency. As a result of this there are a series of smaller fairings that cover the tab operating mechanisms, these are clearly visible in underside shots of the wings or when the flaps are retracted. The Revell A320 kit has these moulded in but they should be removed as are not applicable to any A320. Hi eng, thanks for the comments and info. I did indeed walk around several make up counters looking for the right nail varnish until I couldn't stand the funny looks I was getting! Much easier to get it via Amazon. Thanks for the extra info on the actual wings and the youtube link, it all adds to the knowledge base. There is a section of the 'Work in Progress' thread showing the offending small fairings, and how they look before and after removal. It is probably worth repeating here for anyone building any of the A320 or 319 Kits; 10. The wings have the extra flap tracks of the A321 version, which need to be removed. A chisel type blade is ideal for this. Shave off most, and finish off by sanding. The engraved split flap lines also need filling in. Thanks again,John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eng Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Sorry John, I never saw that you had a section about the A321 flap fairings in your WIP thread. Hope the info was some help regardless. I have access to 1:1 scale models of these so if you need any further info, feel free to drop me a PM. Eng 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 Sorry John, I never saw that you had a section about the A321 flap fairings in your WIP thread. Hope the info was some help regardless. I have access to 1:1 scale models of these so if you need any further info, feel free to drop me a PM. Eng No problem eng, I appreciate everyone who takes the time and trouble to comment and add to the knowledge base, especially when they have a close working knowledge of the real thing. That short video of the retraction sequence could come in handy for anyone doing a dropped flap model, i.e the Zvezda A321. Your comments were very welcome! Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Superb job on this Airbus.Just bought it too and was thinking of how doing the correct colour. Your nail varnish option is splendid.Notes taken... And a great line up with the 777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conflats Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 John What a fantastic build. The detailing looks brilliant I hope my one turns out half as good. Conor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Excellent, as always Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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