A 1/72nd scale Local Airport Terminal Building

[AMB]

 

 

 

As far as I’m aware, there has never been any kind of airport terminal building kit available in 1/72 or even 1/144th scales, despite the profusion of airliner and civil aircraft kits in these scales. I have always fancied making a small British airport diorama that could be used in a variety of periods from the late 1940s to the ‘70s, with aircraft types such as Dragon Rapides, Herons, perhaps a DC-3 and a helicopter. Airfix’s only airfield structure was their Airfield Control Tower, which was first issued in 1959 in their Series 3 range priced at 3/- (three shillings old money = 15p today!). This kit is still available today, having been reissued many times, but now costs £9.99, which really is overpriced for such an old mould!  I have only seen this kit built from the box as a WW2  Airfield Control Tower and occasionally with additional detail work, there have been some splendid examples built. However, with a little imagination and creativity, I felt I could turn several of these kits into a suitable small airport terminal building.  Okay, purists will say the kit is marketed as 1/76th scale, which was in line with Airfix’s 00 gauge railway range, but what the heck, I have seen this on more 1/72nd scale airfield dioramas than model railways!

I have had an early issue of this kit in my loft for years, together with the Flightpath etched brass detail set, so it was time it got built!  I purchased another two of these kits and found all three were pressed in different coloured plastic from different decades! My earliest one in cream, one in medium grey and the latest one in light grey, which wasn’t a bad thing so I couldn’t get the parts muddled up with eachother. Having said that, the mould doesn’t appear to have suffered over the years, with little flash or wear, so all three kits were quite compatible with eachother.

I decided if I joined them all together and rearranged the doors and windows, the result would produce a satisfactory terminal building.

 

 

 

With all three kits joined together, I have filled and sanded all joints and blanked in the centre windows, as well as some of the other windows and doors with plasticard, so as to not

make the building  uniform in appearance. Also I cut pieces of plasticard and inserted them as wall dividers and to give strength to the structure.

 

Edited June 13, 2018 by AMB

[Turbofan]

Hi Adrian,

This is a very interesting idea! Are you going to keep one of the control tower structures at one end? Is the whole building going to have a flat or pitched roof? I'm thinking it might look a bit like the old Blackbushe terminal.

Looking forward to your progress.

Cheers,

Ian

[AMB]

I then disregarded the roof sections from all three kits, as they have locations on them for the VCR (Visual Control Room) and other attachments . I measured and cut a piece

of white plasticard to make a roof for the entire structure.  Then assembled the Flightpath etched brass VCR building and marked out its location.

 

 

Now I couldn't have the ATC controllers having to walk up the outside of the building and across the roof to get to work, so I constructed an internal stairwell from plasticard and added stairs, cut from one of the kits exterior steps,

 

 

Then marked and cut out an aperature beneath the VCR tower's location and glued the assembled staircase in place, after first painting the assembly.

Edited June 13, 2018 by AMB

[DennisTheBear]

Oh, I think this is a great idea! I'll be following this build in a cadual way, if'n ya don't mind.

 

DennisTheBear

[AMB]

With the roof temorarily removed, the structure was given several coats of overall matt white paint and the windows glazed and painted.

 Then I disregarded the balconies in all three kits, which wouldn't look very neat joined together, and made a new one-piece balcony from plasticard and fixed it in place

as seen. This was then covered with grey fine glasspaper, cut to fit, which gives the appearance of  concrete.

   

[AMB]

Now with the roof firmly glued in place, I decided the Flightpath VCR was the same size as the original Airfix one. Really, it was too small for an

airport control tower building, so I cut two of the Airfix  VCR rooms up and glued them together to make one larger structure, which looked much better.

This also fitted better over the stairwell aperature, giving more room as this feature was not designed for the oiriginal Airfix tower. A new roof was cut from plasticard and glued 

in place.

 

[Mancunian airman]

I have done a similar thing with two example together

 

I shall watch with interest . . . .

[wamwig]

Looking good, I was thinking of doing a similar diorama but was going to build my own custom terminal building using several for inspiration.  Those at Shoreham and the old terminals at Jersey and Gibraltar (only because I remember its roof terrace when travelling to Tangier in the mid 60s) and maybe Heathrow North side in the 50s, would have been specific inspiration.  Like others I will be watching this one with interest.

[AMB]

Next was to attach some exterior stairs that I cut from an Airfix footbridge kit's parts. This will be to give spectators access to the viewing terrace balcony.

 

    

 

With the VCR location marked out, I painted an area of floor light blue to represent a carpet inside the VCR.

The roof was then covered with a cut-and-matched piece of very fine black glasspaper, which would be a good representation of a pitched roof. 

With holes marked out, the fencing posts were then attached from the three kits, as well as the wind anenometer and other roof accessories. One of the exterior staircases

was then added to the other end of the building to allow roof access and also act as a fire escape.

 

Rear of the building - note double-doors aperature cut out on left, as the main terminal passenger entrance. 

  

Edited June 13, 2018 by AMB

[malpaso]

The Peco 00 scale cricket pavilion would make a good 30s flying club.  Somewhat similar to the ex-South Downs Flying Club in BoB film!

 

BTW there was a whole range of 1/72 airport building kits, complete with a range of refuelling vehicles, airside accessories, passengers and crew figures.  Even a storage box that folded out to become the airfield.  Sadly this was back in the 30s from “Skybirds”, the original commercial 1/72 kit maker, so mostly pretty rare nowadays.  I guess modelling an airport in 1/72 was feasible in the days of grass fields, nowadays you need an old warehouse like in the model at Hamburg!

 

Your triple control tower looks the part...

 

cheers

Will

Edited June 13, 2018 by malpaso

[Nikolay Polyakov]

19 minutes ago, AMB said:

Rear of the building - note double-doors aperature cut out on left, as the main terminal passenger entrance.

I thought about that too, when I seen your first pictures 🙂 Very interesting object to build and nice work, Adrian!

 

Cheers!

[AMB]

Thanks for your encouragement and inspiration guys.

 

The VCR has had its windows glazed with acetate sheet and interior populated with desk and controllers in situ, whilst the lady assistant has just come up the stairs with the tea!

  

The fencing posts are joined together by 5 amp fuse wire around roof and balcony. A paper clock face has been printed out and glued on the front, as well as other signage printed out on my computer. Spectators have started to arrive, including a party of school boys and teacher.  Oh for the days when airports had open viewing terraces!

 

Edited June 13, 2018 by AMB

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Excellent build and work you've done so far. Will you be adding a radar unit nearby or on the roof ? Seeing that this was post war i thought maybe the airfield might have some form of it.  

Edited June 13, 2018 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[Azgaron]

Interesting build! Very nice work so far!

 

Håkan

 

[AMB]

Model finished and in situ with spectators already enjoying the viewing terrace as Chrisair's lovely DH Dragon arrives.

 

The Airport Fire Station on the right is converted from the old Airfix/Dapol Petrol Station.

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2018 by AMB

[Azgaron]

Nice "little" dio!

 

Håkan

 

[adey m]

You are a man after my own heart Adrian, I love to see airfield dioramas and I admire your clever use of three Airfix control towers, it makes a very convincing airport terminal.

 

I also love those past days when passengers walked out of the terminal and had a short walk across the apron to the aircraft while spectators looked on.

 

Talking about inspiration for airport terminals to model I have a fascination for the old terminal, hotel and control tower at Prestwick where air traffic was sited on the roof of the Orangefield hotel.

 

 

 

And passengers had a short stroll to their waiting Stratocruiser

 

regards

 

adey

[DennisTheBear]

Delightful dio! The simplicity of your approach makes me think that you planned long and carefully on this.

Inspires me to consider replicating a photo I've seen of an RAAF station in WWII.

 

DennisTheBear

[Andwil]

Beautiful dio.

 

Andrew

Edited June 20, 2018 by Andwil

[cngaero]

On 6/14/2018 at 3:50 PM, AMB said:

Model finished and in situ with spectators already enjoying the viewing terrace as Chrisair's lovely DH Dragon arrives.

 

The Airport Fire Station on the right is converted from the old Airfix/Dapol Petrol Station.

 

 

 

That's a great looking diorama Adrian.

I really like the work you've done with the old Airfix Control Tower(s). 

I've got the old Academy 1/72 Stratocruiser in my stash and a set of BOAC markings to go with it, so this has really got me eager to go.

Great stuff indeed.

[Geoff Arnold]

Hi Chris 

             As an avid model maker I obtain the academy Stratocruser (Boeing 377)  and if you have this kit  I would not use this as  the offering as the basis of your forthcoming BOAC model. if you have the flying colours decals (FC 72003) don't fit over the window on the fuselage. if I had to do this again I would  use as the KC 97 as the starter for your project.

 

Geoff Aronld 

Telford IPMS   

[Andre B]

On 6/14/2018 at 7:46 PM, adey m said:

You are a man after my own heart Adrian, I love to see airfield dioramas and I admire your clever use of three Airfix control towers, it makes a very convincing airport terminal.

 

I also love those past days when passengers walked out of the terminal and had a short walk across the apron to the aircraft while spectators looked on.

 

Talking about inspiration for airport terminals to model I have a fascination for the old terminal, hotel and control tower at Prestwick where air traffic was sited on the roof of the Orangefield hotel.

 

 

 

And passengers had a short stroll to their waiting Stratocruiser

 

regards

 

adey

Falwty Tower? 

Cheers / André

 

 

[cngaero]

1 hour ago, Geoff Arnold said:

Hi Chris 

             As an avid model maker I obtain the academy Stratocruser (Boeing 377)  and if you have this kit  I would not use this as  the offering as the basis of your forthcoming BOAC model. if you have the flying colours decals (FC 72003) don't fit over the window on the fuselage. if I had to do this again I would  use as the KC 97 as the starter for your project.

 

Geoff Aronld 

Telford IPMS   

Thanks for the advice Geoff. 

It is the Flying Colours markings that I have, but I haven't done any great research into the project as yet. 

Does the fuselage of the KC97 differ that much from the 377 and if so, by much?

[Geoff Arnold]

Hi Chris   

After your last,  I went to my model store room and found a  new KC97 to look at in more detail  the only difference in the fuselage is there are no windows and no other lumps and bumps however there are a small number of square window that you would be able to fill before you start the model  and use the window decal's on the flying colours sheet for the right window configuration 

Just as a last thought give the decal a cote of liquid decal film before you use them as they are very thin and brake up easy the full tail decals are a pain to put on the model.

 

Geoff Arnold

[cngaero]

36 minutes ago, Geoff Arnold said:

Hi Chris   

After your last,  I went to my model store room and found a  new KC97 to look at in more detail  the only difference in the fuselage is there are no windows and no other lumps and bumps however there are a small number of square window that you would be able to fill before you start the model  and use the window decal's on the flying colours sheet for the right window configuration 

Just as a last thought give the decal a cote of liquid decal film before you use them as they are very thin and brake up easy the full tail decals are a pain to put on the model.

 

Geoff Arnold

Thanks Geoff, that's all noted. 

Thank you for the good advice.

This is a long term project. I've always thought that the Stratocruiser looked very attractive in the BOAC scheme.

I've started collecting some period vehicles and figures. The next step will be some airfield buildings, then I should have the motivation to build the Stratocruiser. That's the plan anyway!!!