1/144 Revell Helvetic Airways Fokker F100

[Turbofan]

After viewing Alex1978's recent Swissair Fokker F100 I decided I must dig out my semi finished F100 and get it done. It has been in the loft for probably 20 years or so which I can't understand as it's a lovely little kit and deserves better than to be hidden away unfinished and unloved!

Anyway, my kit had very little needing doing to it except painting and decaling. Whilst I really want a KLM example some day I decided to finish this one in Helvetic Airways livery as they are regular visitors to my local airport MAN. There are no Helvetic F100 decals available but as it's a simple enough scheme I decided to print off the titles, registrations and door outlines and use a spare Swissair A321 white cross decal I had left over which was exactly the right size. The cabin and cockpit windows are by Werner of Authentic Airliners and of course add that extra level of realism IMO. Details are from the Helvetic/KLM/Austrian decal which was included when this kit was last reissued around 13 years ago and is another I have in the stash for the future, although that one will likely be converted into an F70.

Some of the details are from the Extratech photoetched detail set.

Here are the pics I was able to take this morning during a brief sunny break in the clouds. There is some very light weathering on the model however this has not come out in the pics, the aircraft are generally kept very clean anyway!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damn, just realised I forgot to paint the windscreen wipers. There's always something I forget to do!

Thanks for looking.

Cheers,

Ian

 

[Graeme H]

A truly lovely build, didn't know they had toned down their colour scheme from the hot pink one, but that looks very nice and clean, bit of a Swissair throw back

 

I actually picked up on the windscreen wipers,  not

 

[stringbag]

Fancy trying to fob us off with pictures of the real thing Ian.  Shame on you. 

 

Chris.

[Winenut]

if only you'd got those wipers done it would have been a decent build .....

 

Seriously a beautiful result

 

Congratulations

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

That is rather nice Ian, a lovely scheme that works well on the airframe. 

 

I also have this one in the stash. Once I get through the endless list of bench queens it may see the light of day ( in 2020 )

 

Oh, and I love the base you photo your models on, do you have any overall shots of it and what is it made of?

 

[Malair]

Very Nice Ian! Always nice to see a Fokker, makes my Dutch heart happy!

 

I made a KLM Fokker 100 years ago and seeing your Fokker makes me want to start working on a KLM Fokker 70. But that will probably be somewhere next year. Did you have any troubles with the Revell engines? I remember that they were quite difficult to assemble.

[Skodadriver]

Another excellent model Ian, thanks for sharing it.  The Revell F100 is/was a lovely kit and you've really got the best out of it.  I didn't know you could get etch for it - every day's a school day on Britmodeller!

 

To pick up on Martijn's point about the engines, I remember that the early kits were fine but the moulds deteriorated round about the time of the Helvetic (pink) issue.  I have a couple of kits in my stash and in both of them the left engine halves are very badly moulded. They will need significant work as and when I get round to building them.  If Revell ever re-issue the kit I hope they fix this first.

[Viking]

Another little beauty Ian, well worth rescuing from the shelf of doom. Those AA window decals really are good, I have some Boeing 707 ones, I really must get around to using them.

 

Cheers

 

John

[Soloturk]

Wow!! That looks amazing! Funny I don't recall seeing an Helvetic F100 but I'm sure I've seen HB-JVC so I either have seen one or it's been registered on something else since 

 

Very nice finish, was the rest of the kit a reasonable build? Nearly got one at an aviation fair second hand, but he wanted £20 so I didn't buy it! I hope this does get re-issued!

[Turbofan]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I really appreciate it!

Graeme and winenut you'll be glad to know I've since painted the wipers!

 

On 09/10/2017 at 12:15 AM, stringbag said:

Fancy trying to fob us off with pictures of the real thing Ian.  Shame on you. 

 

Chris.

Chris, I try to make them as realistic as possible so it seems to have worked!

 

On 09/10/2017 at 4:42 AM, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

Oh, and I love the base you photo your models on, do you have any overall shots of it and what is it made of?

 

Thanks Ray,  it's a big sheet of 8mm MDF about 4' x 3'. The grass areas are model railway grass sheets and the taxiways are just printed card designed on my computer. I have one taxiway with a modern centreline and the other with an older style white centreline. It's getting a bit tatty now so each time I take it out to photograph something I invariably have to do some sort of repair. Quite often I find by the time I've tidied it up the sun has gone in and it's started raining! I could do with redoing it and I'd like to incorporate a junction, some signage and maybe lights into it to add a bit of interest. The other side I plan on having a large ramp area too.

I'll take a pic when it stops raining!

 

On 09/10/2017 at 2:13 PM, Malair said:

Did you have any troubles with the Revell engines? I remember that they were quite difficult to assemble.

Hi Martijn, no there were no problems with the engines but this was an original 1995 Swissair/KLM release which as Dave said was well moulded. I also have the 2004 pink Helvetic/Austrian/KLM release and the engines are fine on that one too so maybe I just got lucky!

 

On 09/10/2017 at 2:49 PM, Skodadriver said:

I didn't know you could get etch for it - every day's a school day on Britmodeller!

Dave, it's the Extratech set available here

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/EX14409 

although I must admit I didn't use much of it. The engines were already built up years ago so I couldn't fit the fans in, I didn't want the reversers opened as I'd have to build all the flaps down and spoilers deployed and I couldn't be bothered with that. I did however use the wheel hubs, gear doors and pitots.

 

On 11/10/2017 at 6:44 PM, Viking said:

Another little beauty Ian, well worth rescuing from the shelf of doom. Those AA window decals really are good, I have some Boeing 707 ones, I really must get around to using them.

 

Cheers

 

John

Thanks John, I know I keep banging on about AA windows but you won't regret using yours! Which 707 are you doing?

 

9 hours ago, Soloturk said:

Wow!! That looks amazing! Funny I don't recall seeing an Helvetic F100 but I'm sure I've seen HB-JVC so I either have seen one or it's been registered on something else since 

 

Very nice finish, was the rest of the kit a reasonable build? Nearly got one at an aviation fair second hand, but he wanted £20 so I didn't buy it! I hope this does get re-issued!

You might be remembering it from when it was in the previous pink scheme. I've just googled HB-JVC and it's only the Helvetic F100 that comes up.

I found the kit very easy to build, there are not too many parts and if you get hold of an early release the moulding should be good. However the decal that comes with the later release has loads of nice details.

£20 isn't a bad price, there is one on eBay at the moment for £40! There's also one for £9.99 with no bids so you might be able to grab a bargain!

I hope Revell reissue it soon too.

 

Cheers,

Ian

[Alex1978]

Happy to be the reason for you to finish your lovely Fokker 100

It came out superb as usual.

I also have the Helvetic Fokker 100 from Revell in my stash,allthough in the former,pinkish,livery.

Now that my production line cleared up a bit,I might start on this one soon...

Edited November 9, 2017 by Alex1978

[alex]

cool, I remember having flown to Rome once with the Fokker, but it was still in the old livery.

 

https://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/15922/hb-jve-helvetic-airways-fokker-100/

 

Nicely done!

 

Alex