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PH-BGO, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - 1/144 Revell 737-700


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Friends,

 

My name is Andrew and I, obviously, am a new member on this site. This being my first post, please allow me to briefly self-introduce. I'm from the States, currently located in Los Angeles, CA, and have been building models intermittently for the past 20-ish years. I used to build airliners regularly about 10 years ago, but have not built any models in the past two years. I recently answered the call to build some airliners again, and so here we are!

 

The reason I joined this site, among other things, is because a lot of the references and resources I came across in my return to modelling led me here. I have found an incredible amount of new information on this site, along with some amazing model builds, airliners and otherwise. In short, my current modelling psyche has been heavily influenced by the members here, so I hope to make my own small returns.

 

Enough babbling! The present model is the historic Revell 737-800, cut down to the length of a -700. The last time I built one of these I used resin engine and winglet replacements, but this time I wanted to build the airliner without aftermarket pieces. As such, I modified and reshaped the winglets with sheet styrene, a-la Viking's sticky in the Civil Modelling forum, and used styrene tube to create the engine intakes. Panel lines were preserved and/or re-scribed, because I'm one of THOSE guy when it comes to panel lines, and antennas and pokey-things were scratched from brass rod and/or styrene sheet.

 

I'm not 100% content with the build: It has obvious problems that I'm happy to acknowledge, but it feels good to build an airliner, learn some new techniques, and actually finish my first model in years. And my apologies for the picture quality: My cell phone has seen better days, and my girlfriend took my lightbox for some project she's working on...

 

PH-BGO, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines:

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kVWjG30NAtKXLmaiRWY51G9lVkKxC33R3smJ4hgW

414nyPxlyf0BuFRiQcdgYmh4Aa1NPGr8PHyvgPbxr50a487wDelONtFGUk9dVs7JcZhvJP3oRL7Efkxu

 

Edited by Ridgeline
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Hi Andrew,

Welcome to BM and congratulations on your first airliner for 10 years! I've been through those drought years and it feels good to get going again doesn't it.

Well done with your work on the engine intakes and winglets they look good. Nice detailing too! Did you use the Draw decal sheet? I'll have to remember the doors are too tall for the moulded rain gutters if I use any of his 737 sheets! I wouldn't mind a KLM 737 myself.

Can I recommend windows and windshields from Authentic Airliners for your next build, which I'm guessing is the Zvezda 767 I see lurking in the background?

Cheers,

Ian

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Hi Andrew.

This modelling drought seems to be infectious. Hopefully there will be a cure developed soon which will cure mine.

Lovely job on the 737 and looking forward to seeing your next offering.

 

All the best.

 

Chris

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Very, very nice indeed.  :goodjob:

 

Congratulations on doing without aftermarket parts.  I did a 737-600/700/900 trilogy a while ago and after modifying the engines for the first model (the -900) I was only too happy to fit the others with BraZ engines!

 

I hope this will be the first of many airliners you post on Britmodeller.  As you say, there is an amazing amount of information on the site and some truly wonderful models.  I've been modelling for over fifty years and building 1/144 airliners exclusively for about twenty of those years. I'm still learning from other Britmodellers and being inspired by their wonderful creations.


One suggestion for future builds.  If you're like me and prefer window decals check out Authentic Airliners' "photoreal" windows.  I reckon they're one of the biggest improvements in airliner modelling in the last decade.

 

Dave G

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Simon, thank you for the welcome! Your kind words are much appreciated.

 

Phil, thank you also! The KLM scheme felt like a good challenge since its not an all-white scheme. I also picked this particular livery, Bird of Paradise, to dedicate to my girlfriend, which helped to keep me motivated since she kept asking if it was done yet. :lalala:

Gerrard, I appreciate it! I had forgotten how hard it was just to get the fuselage rounded... Then trying to keep the panel lines straight... Then trying to paint straight lines on curved surfaces...

 

Michael, very kind! Hopefully each one gets better as I knock the modelling rust off.

 

Ian, it definitely feels good to get a model finished! I did, in fact, use the Draw Decal sheet. I really like his silk screen stuff, and I know the decals won't let me down. But, yes, you're right to notice the door heights relative to the rain gutters. The worst part is that I shaved the gutters off and replaced them with brass rod. I wish I had measured the decals more carefully before making that modification... Also note that the door spacing on the right side is apparently one window longer than the door spacing on the left side. I'll have to go back and count the windows to figure out what went wrong, but one can see that the SkyTeam logo on the right side is not in the same place as it is on the left. The rear doors, over-wing exits, and white KLM heralds are all aligned, but the front doors are not.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on the Authentic Airliner decals. I had come across them recently, and I'm definitely going to order a few sets for the next builds... As to which airliners those are, they could be any of the half-dozen Airbuses or full-dozen Boeings sitting on the shelf. :penguin:

 

Chris, it does seem to go around. I find that the best cure is being inspired by someone else's build. The problem, of course, then becomes having two dozen models on the go simultaneously, all from completely different genres of prototypes, and all which end up shelved when the drought hits again!

 

Dave, smart move with the engines. I actually had three pairs that I assembled simultaneously so the rest are ready to go, but I'm still eyeballing the BraZ parts... Actually, I saw that Authentic Airliners sells his 737-NG engines separately also, and they look amazing, so another option to consider... Thanks for the direct link to those decals... I keep meaning to ask if I can order decals and a kit together, since they're on separate sites....

 

I definitely hope to share some more builds and contribute around this site. As you mentioned, a lot of good information here and a huge amount of inspiration to take my modelling up another notch.

 

Thanks to all for checking-in!

 

Andrew

 

 

Edited by Ridgeline
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Hello Ridge,

As a Dutchmen, it is always good to see your own National Airline presented in scale. Your presentation shows a very high standard of finish.

Regards, Orion / The Netherlands.

 

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You've done a goid job there, that blue is fantastic!

 

Having seen plenty of these at Amsterdam there would be one thing I'd do, dry-brush around the front/back, nothing excessive, just adds a tad bit of weathering. 

 

Only a tip/idea by the way, I'm not telling you what to do :)

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That is your first build in years? Looks like you still have it, man !

what a lovely airliner build in such a cool livery, I have to build me a blue bird sometime, (thinking about the MAERSK Boeing 720...).

Very cool build, are you planning on building more airliners in the future ?(please !)

Thanks for sharing,

Olli

 

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Welcome back to the exciting world of airliner modelling.

A very nice start you did.The 737 looks great.

As the 737-700 is my favourite one of the next gen. 737s its nice to see one build to such high standard.

I will be looking forward to your upcoming builds.

 

Alex

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Rob, Thanks very much!

 

Orion, I'm glad Holland is willing to share such a gorgeous livery with the rest of us! It's always been a favorite of mine, and I'm glad I had the chance to build it.

 

Solo, good call on the weathering. First I'm going to figure out how to polish the paint job to a high gloss finish, then I will tackle weathering these birds to look more real.

 

Olli, I appreciate your kind words! I definitely plan to build more and more airliners... I have some two dozen kits sitting on the shelf!

 

Graeme, I keep trying to find some photo-etch for these airliners, but I just scratch the antennas and tubes from styrene and brass in the meantime... My phone camera still does a good job, it just has a hard time picking up colors these days. I have a proper SLR that I'll be using once I get it back.

 

Alex, the 737-700 is a favorite of mine, as well, and I look forward to building some more. Thanks for your compliments!

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Hi Andrew, a great build and first post to Britmodeller! It's great that so many of us contribute in return for all the great information we get from the site. :clap2:

 

An excellent build, a beautiful livery with a cheat line! It just shows that you don't have to resort to aftermarket parts but it does take some skill! I tried to fix the engines and failed miserably on my 737, which  sat on the Shelf of Doom for 5 years waiting for the BraZ engines to appear! 

 

Looking forward to your next model, an ideas yet? 

 

Darren

 

PS Get that light box back from your girlfriend!

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That's a real beauty.  A great application of the blue paint and a very attractive scheme.  Looking forward to seeing more of your work.  I have a question for any Dutch members. As it's Royal Dutch Airlines how come KLM use blue instead of orange.  Only just occurred to me.   

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