Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) I got this 1/72 Airfix (E-3) B707 kit a couple of years ago from PacificMustang (Bruce) part started, well actualy almost finished as he did not want to finish it up. As I had already built a good old RAAF Seven Oh I pondered what I would use it for. Along came the Recce GB over on ARC and I decided I would use the Flightpath JSTARS conversion to bring it back to life. Wolfpak decals released a sheet with markings for 93-0597 which was originally delivered to QANTAS as a B707-338 VH-EBU. Double win! 72_AF_E-8C_03 by Ray Seppala, on Flickr Unfortunately, the aircraft suffered major damage during mid air refueling when a tank in the wing over pressurised and ruptured (due to a test plug being left in the fuel vent system after maintenance) back in 2009. In 2012 the aircraft was reported to have broken up and parted out in Al Udeid, Qatar. So I started on the E-8C today. Mostly scribing and drilling out cabin windows and doors. The engines needed some disassembly so I could fill the huge holes where the turbo compressor are attached on 3 of the engines. The Flightpath conversion comes with a number of scribing templates. I had to carve out some of the fuselage for a missing cabin door Also had to fill some poorly rescribed panel lines and fill some for the new rear cabin doors at the trailing edge of the wing root. Finally I glued the missing etch door to the fuselage. That's it for now Edited July 8, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image links updated 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foghorn Leghorn Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 I have realised I fitted the etch door in the wrong position, so now I have removed it and have the chisel out a new recess for it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Interesting rebuild. I look forward to seeing the next instalment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyTiger66 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I'm watching this with interest Ray. Is this a similar mould to the Heller C-135FR, or did Airfix do their own? I haven't seen it before. Best regards Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 Tony, the E-3/B707 and KC-135 kits are totally different moulds. The E-3 originated from Heller (they modified their B707 moulds and Airfix re-boxed it) where as the KC-135 originated from AMT in the USA (Heller, Esci and Italeri have re-boxed various KC-135 kits from AMT over the years). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelglue Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Wow interesting thread. I've never looked twice at either the AMT or Heller/Airfix model due to the size of the beast. Good luck and I shall be back to see more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) RH cabin door fixed now... Also fitted the canoe radar ...and have been filling and reassembling the engines Edited July 8, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image links updated 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Hello Ray, 1/72, eh? That will be quite a large model. I've never seen an airliner kit bigger than 1/144 other than the Airfix Concorde (I dare say that I haven't looked hard enough). Your work on it is looking very good, and the background details are interesting, if scarey - and expensive <shudder>. Cheers, Alex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 (edited) Well having built a few B707s I can show you a comparison of 1/72, 1/100 and 1/144 Edited July 8, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image link updated 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Excellent! Thank your very much . Cheers, Alex. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 20, 2016 Author Share Posted August 20, 2016 (edited) After gazing at a few pictures I realised I need the make some minor mods. All E-8s look like they had a cargo door mod carried out on them either in airline service or during the JSTAR conversion process. So I scribed a cargo door in I also noted a couple of issues with the engine pylons, firstly that the No 1 engine had the Turbo Compressor (TC) hood fitted (production 707s did not have a TC fitted to No 1 engine), and secondly that the TC inlet had been reshaped and blanked off. So out with the card stock, putty, files and sand paper. Top pylon is unmodified, center TC hood modified and bottom pylon has scratch built ( still in progress) TC hood installed Edited July 19, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image links updated 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomjw Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 Got to follow this. Absolutely awesome work. Cheers, Tom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 26, 2016 Author Share Posted August 26, 2016 Not much progress, I have been working on the TC hood for the No 1 engine and have finally started to re-assemble all the engines. Some more sanding and putty to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlamgat9 Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Blimey that etch is very hard work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 (edited) Engines almost ready for more sanding and rescribe [/url] Edited July 19, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image links updated 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Wow. A E-8 JSTARS, thats something you don't see everyday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 (edited) Been distracted with a few other builds and while I wait for some replacement decals I turned my attention back to this one this arvo. Added the etch antenna and some white metal GPS antennas. You need to 'laminate' two pieces form most of the etch ones, A pain trying to get the two sides aligned before the CA grabs. I thin out of nine done so far I might have got 2 with the sides aligned properly. I was about the use one of the conversion set intakes when I noticed it was a tad big. So I made a new one of better size, the supplied white metal one above what I made. And after a little putty and shaping Edited July 19, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image links updated 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted October 7, 2016 Author Share Posted October 7, 2016 (edited) Work continues, the rear intake was again scratch built from some tube and putty And the some etch fitted to the wheels and gear legs Gear legs installed so the lower fuselage antennas can be fitted Edited July 19, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image links updated 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted June 22, 2017 Author Share Posted June 22, 2017 (edited) Hmmm.... 8 months on the side table of doom, not bad! As in my usual manner, I see someone building the same type as me (different scale in this case) on another forum I decided to drag mine off the side table of doom (no room on the shelves at the moment) and see where it is at. As I recalled I had to confirm some nose antenna placements and stopped there. Out came the kit and the Pe and I decided to finish installed the antennas. I pretty much sorted out the positions of the antennas and fitted them. Then I realised why I had stopped, the PE antennas in the conversion set are too big, they almost look 1/48 rather than 1/72. I could live with it along the fuselage but they looked far too out of place below the radome. So there placement under the nose was short lived and I replaced them with smaller plastic replacements. They need some cleanup and final shaping after the glue sets. This meant I could use the oversized ones elsewhere. The conversion set is lacking a few extra antennas that have been fitted since it was released. I also added some more plastic replacement on the lower rear fuselage since I found it easier to make replacements out of strip and fit them. I also carved out the lower surround of the front port door and added a PE part, hinges and door handle have to be installed as well to this and rear port door in due course. Looks like the area needs a tidy up as well. Edited July 19, 2017 by TrojanThunder Image links updated 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew White Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Nice work! Love the "707/135" series of aircraft...I'm a bit partial to them I suppose, was an E-6A/B crewman. I built one (E-6) years back using the Flightpath conversion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Great stuff ! Interesting build. like the PE set 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted June 22, 2017 Author Share Posted June 22, 2017 5 hours ago, Andrew White said: Nice work! Love the "707/135" series of aircraft...I'm a bit partial to them I suppose, was an E-6A/B crewman. I built one (E-6) years back using the Flightpath conversion. Nice to see you here Andrew, seen your larger USN builds on other forums, like the E-6 (which I have to build) and your P-3 AEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew White Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 2 hours ago, TrojanThunder said: Nice to see you here Andrew, seen your larger USN builds on other forums, like the E-6 (which I have to build) and your P-3 AEW Ahhhh Christ, I didn't even bother checking the name there on the post! Keep up the great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 So, all image links for the build have been updated. Some progress has been made. I was not happy with the rear intake so I have been reshaping it; putty, file, sand, repeat.... The engines were given some more work and I started to attach them to the wing, in boards first The out boards were bugging me, the rear edge had been damaged on both so I attempted to repair them with some card and super glue. After a few applications, I was still not happy with them so I robbed another kit of the rear nacelle sections and replaced them. Once the putty has been tidied up and the pylons rescribed they can go one the wing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now