Alex1978 Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 My first big build after nearly 4 months of forced absence due to our house renovation...What would be a better start than a 747 ? Lots of cursing had been heard/read about the Revell 747-400,esp. for the Iron Maiden release being a very bad kit. Well to be honest...yes its a truly awful kit. I built the Revell 747-400 British Airways version that comes with Rolls Royce engines,and being, apart from the engine types,the same kit,those moulds were not as problematic as with this offering here. Lots and lots of excess plastic on virtually every part (these would have well given enough material to do another kit),very thin moulded parts,one engine half was unusable. Luckily I had some replacements in my spares box. Adding the shape issues that plagues the 747-400 kit,it is a shame that Revell didn't put in some more effort in this release or even better,created completely new moulds. Esp. the Iron Maiden version tempted probably many modelling unexperienced people to buy this kit,the results can be frustrating and off putting,a shame as it would have been a nice and original entry into the world of airliner modelling or modelling in particular. The owner of my local modelshop told me about some very disappointed customers who bought this kit and tried to build it. Experienced modellers will have probably much less trouble with it but here Revell surely missed a chance here and one can only think of being cheated by this company. If one make a repack and put this kit in an Eastern Express box,no one could tell the difference... Well,having learnt some lessons while building the BA Landor 747-400,I thought I will have another go on a Revell 747-400 and get me one of these Iron Maiden kit. Corrections / alterations I did on this build; - Correcting the noseshape,but not widening the front end,and using decals for the cockpit windows - Replacing the locator pins on the elevators with aluminium wires to give more stability - Adding hydraulic cables son the main gear - Putting in some sprues in the wing section of the fuselage to strengthten this section for a better stability when gluing in the underfloor plate - Replacing the APU with a plastic pipe cut to shape - Sanding down the wing halfs on the inside before glueing together to get a better wing profile.The wings are too thick out of the box - Using the Flying colour detail decal set for the 747 to enhance the overall appearance Once every part was cleaned,filled and sanded to shape and corrected where needed,the build itself was pretty straight.Problems came when dryfitting the wings...One wing half was a bit shorter than the other,thus creating a gap at the fuselage join.This was corrected by cutting a piece of Evergreen plastic to shape and glued on the lower wing root. I find it much easier to build and paint the parts in sections and then put the model together.It safes a lot of masking and time. By doing so on this kit,I had to correct all parts upfront to guarantee a smooth fit. Small gaps that could not be prevented were filled with Crystal Clear and these sections were then painted in the required color after drying. Paints used for this build;Tamyia Pure white from a rattle can for the fuselage,Revell white airbrushed on the engines, Testors Canadian Woodoo Gray for the wings and landing gears,Mr.Color Super Metallic Chrome Silver for the leading edges and engine inlets. The coroguard panels are a mixture of Revell grey 374,Silver 90 and black 08. The fuselage received a cote of Testors metallic sealer after the white was on to give it a smoother,more realistic look. After the decals were on,a cote of "Future" was applied to seal them. The decal set,again a superb work of quality from Daco,are very nice to apply and also the big fin decal went on and around the edges just beautifully. Overall and despite the faults with the kit,I enjoyed this build and the final result is better than I expected. Its a unique livery and makes this 747 a very special one in every Jumbo collection. On with the photos,taken on the new balcony and my critic (Kitty) 40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 That is a fantastic job, you've certainly nailed the looks down to a T. Great work, you should be justly proud of this. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Superb. Great album too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Fantastic. Just got some tickets this morning to see IM in Liverpool 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stesca Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Fantastic, what a great job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doozer1974 Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Great job! The moggy looks very realistic too - is that the new Airfix one? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders154 Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Fantastic job I'm not sure I would let a cat get that close Rodders 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whofan Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, woody37 said: Fantastic. Just got some tickets this morning to see IM in Liverpool Great build, the problems you said you had ended up as no problems at all! There's quite a nice article on Ed Force One in the new Airliner magazine, some excellent photos. And, I've got my ticket for IM in Birmingham Edited October 22, 2016 by Whofan Spelling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thank you Whofan. And thanks for the hint on the Airliner magazine.I hope I can get one.English magazines are a bit rare in my hometown,esp. aviation related ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Hi Alex, You've certainly licked this into shape! That nose profile looks spot on, impressive! Love the light weathering around the rear fuselage too. Keep up the good work! Cheers, Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29Triplex Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 I'd just like to echo Parabat's comments above, Awesome ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringbag Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Cracking job Alex. Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Hothersall Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Great build. Saw the real thing earlier this year during their world tour, after their Perth concert. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndM Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Impressive build, looking at your result its hard to believe that its a difficult build. Its perfect in every way ! You have beefed up the area over the cockpit because its too flat and the area between the cockpit and the nose cone was straightened, right ? Got the Lufthansa version of the Revell 747-400 for a very good price but while being a Maiden fan i don t want to spend the money for this rather expensive release and need cockpit and cabin decals as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchem Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 17 hours ago, Alex1978 said: Excellent !!! (you've passed the test and you certainly have the best "with something else" photos) ...Liking what you've done with the balcony ! ...and the model is pretty good too ! Best Regards mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Fantastic work indeed. Bravo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Modeller Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 A fabulous build Alex and a stunning model, you must be very pleased with it? This has to be one of the best liveries ever to adorn a 747 and the Revell kit is one that has definitely been added to my Christmas wish list!! :tasty: Kev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 2 hours ago, BerndM said: Impressive build, looking at your result its hard to believe that its a difficult build. Its perfect in every way ! You have beefed up the area over the cockpit because its too flat and the area between the cockpit and the nose cone was straightened, right ? Got the Lufthansa version of the Revell 747-400 for a very good price but while being a Maiden fan i don t want to spend the money for this rather expensive release and need cockpit and cabin decals as well. Thank you very much. Actually ist quite easy to correct the nose without much work. Glue in the clear part cockpit window,then put filler over it.After dry,sand the whole cockpit area to shape.On the sides sand down in a diagonal line towards the nose.This will ensure the correct shape for the cockpit window place where the decal will be placed later. Also sand away the "hump" bellow the cockpit window and rounden the nose cone by slightly sanding it back. That way building up the roof doesn't need to be done. Some may want to widen the front end by cutting out the window lines and widen them up.But I left that area untouched.Looking at the model from the side,one won't notice the difference.You can see that the front end is a tad too narrow only when looked on the model from above. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 1 hour ago, mitchem said: Excellent !!! (you've passed the test and you certainly have the best "with something else" photos) ...Liking what you've done with the balcony ! ...and the model is pretty good too ! Best Regards mike Thank you Mike. Of course I haven't forgot about the "Cat - request". They are still a bit shy with the new balcony,so I had to place the lady kitten on the table myself.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Stunning simply stunning 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 Thank you everyone.Gives me the confidence to start my other Revell 747-400 any time soon. Just still undecided yet about the livery...United Airlines 1993 CS or Qantas Wunala Dreaming....or I get me an additional -400 and do both. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod bettencourt Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 THAT ROCKS ! Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris148 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 stunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shan Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 wow, fantastic. a fitting tribute to the best band in the world!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booty003 Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 On 22/10/2016 at 6:59 PM, Whofan said: Great build, the problems you said you had ended up as no problems at all! There's quite a nice article on Ed Force One in the new Airliner magazine, some excellent photos. And, I've got my ticket for IM in Birmingham Outstanding piece of work - looks stunning - flawless! I've got my tickets for Liverpool as well - taking my son - his first gig!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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