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Douglas DC 7C Revel + corrections


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I've been asking around for info on the 7C, and it's a short-lived but epic tale around the battle between Douglas and Lockheed to dominate the Atlantic crossing commercial airlines business.

While the Constellation was being stretched and remodelled to spearhead the TWA fleet, PanAm urged Douglas for one more upgrade to the DC 7.

Something that could get them to Shannon Galway for a refuelling stop.

And the 7C was the result.

Lengthening the fuselage for more seats, and the wingspan for more fuel, the latest Pratt and Whitney radials and a heightened fin to steady her up, Douglas produced their ultimate piston-engined airliner to go head-to-head with the fabulous Connie.

 

And all this just as the DH Comet was whistling into service, and the 707 was about to take over the world!

 

That list of mods is relevant to this build.

Because that's basically what I've got to do.

Revell have done precious little to upgrade their 1955 kit of the DC7 to make a 7C

IMG_201806169_124413

 

So it's gonna be me doing a hatchet job on an old quirky kit.

"Steep learning curve" would sum it up nicely.

I've got a helpful bunch of information from several BMers on a thread that I'll try to get a link to.

I'm much obliged to them all!

 

Now, where did I put my modelling axe??😃

 

dc-7c-2-van-wickler

 

Edited by rob Lyttle
spell check knows better
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@Corsairfoxfouruncle  

The kit comes with the Pan American  livery for N731PA, their first one, and I'm planning to go with that.

The new style with the blue globe logo came in very soon after the introduction of the 7C.

 

Here she is...

dc7c-3

 

BOAC would be good for sure, but they were sold on or carrying cargo very quickly too.

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Hi Rob;

 

Best of luck as you "chop it up" to make this kit into something presentable, more like a DC-7 than a DC-6! You've got your work "cut out" for you for sure. I had one of these kits many years ago, remembering that the box art looked so beautiful and tempting, but upon opening, discovered the let down that the model didn't resemble the artwork in the least...except that it was obviously a Douglas. Have you examined the Roden DC-7C? I am a large fan of that particular kit. It even comes with two sets of prop blades, rounded, and squared...all of which must be mounted individually to the hubs, and includes the old blue striped nose Pan Am decals for the Clipper Defender. Its nicely detailed for such a small scale, with pretty good reviews.  I admit I have not built it yet, but it is stored away in my unbuilt stash, waiting to become something beautiful. I'll anxiously await your progress!

Edited by Challenger350Pilot
Added Airline decal info.
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To be honest @Challenger350Pilot  I'm fairly new to the Commercial Airliners area. I sort of drifted in with a Beech 18 and a couple of DC 3s- the Italieri kit decal sheet did all three, (the Beech 18 is in 1/48...!)

So I'm not really up to speed on what's Hot and what's Not!

 

I find 1/144 a bit of a challenge but as the planes get bigger it does become more sensible.

This is an old 1/122 scale oddity, and that's not so far off 144 but because the DC 7C is so big, the size of the model is okay to work with.

So that Roden DC isn't going to be that much smaller.

I'll be keeping an eye out at shows and shops, and people to talk to!

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Yes, I remember the odd scale of 1/122 from Revell.....

 

Since you're new to the commercial airliners genre, you may want to consider the 1/72 scale models as well. They are larger, obviously, and easy to detail, but tedious to prepare, mask, and paint such large surfaces. Plenty of decals of liveries to choose from too. I am currently working on a Heller 1/72 scale Super Constellation, which I'll post here when its completed. Heller does a fine job, with minimal corrections on the classics, such as the DC-6, the Boeing 707, and the Lockheed Constellation. Academy did a wonderful job on the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, and Revell Germany did a fantastic job of rendering a DC-4. You should be able to find lots of options for purchase at reasonable prices on eBay.

 

Welcome to Airliners! Happy modeling!

 

 

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Funny enough, I did pick up a much fancied treat a short while ago....

IMG_20180619_222308

 

I had a quick rummage in the box...

And the comparison with the the little 1/144 Viscount I was finishing was pretty startling!

IMG_20180619_222431

 

Anyway, that's for another day.😃

 

I've made a start on the Seven Seas.

I decided to cut here...

IMG_20180626_002042

 

I think revell squeezed 3 Windows in to where there were 2.

And they need spacing out.

But on balance, that's something I don't think I can do right now.

Round holes maybe, but those.  ?

IMG_20180626_002609

 

Well, I'll think on it.

8mm spacer like they said...

IMG_20180626_004734

 

IMG_20180626_004758

 

IMG_20180626_151410

 

It's not pretty, but it's a sturdy 8mm .

Couple of layers of humbrol filler and it's starting to shape up.

 

The top of the fin received an extension in each fuselage half..... I decided to part off the rudder and sort it separately.

IMG_20180626_151320

 

There's going to be some final shaping and finessing when the fuselage is joined, but at least I've got something to work with.

 

One other thing I should have mentioned is the nose shape.

Waaay different to the previous DCs.

IMG_20180626_170650

 

IMG_20180626_170757

 

IMG_20180626_171039

 

IMG_20180626_174128

 

This is seat-of-the-pants modelling.

I'm looking at ref's and photos, and eyeballing it rather than any scientific or technical method.

Here's my drawings...

IMG_201806178_111052

 

See what I mean...!?

 

IMG_20180626_174128

 

Anyway, the two halves are still happy to fit together.

 

So that's all right, isn't it?😀

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I believe this was my one of my first airliner models, and it was a really enjoyable build. I also broke many of the propellers while trying to glue them.  I´d build it again but without the pilot and without adding too much glue for the weights to avoid melting the plastic.

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Okay! Better luck with the next one, @Sturmovik...!

I'm going to leave the side windows unglazed, or "open".

And I just checked that the pilot can be slotted in later.

So he might go in later.

Considerable weight required I guess, to keep the tail end up with this airframe.

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The last Hurrah of the Piston liners was The DC-7C, Lockheed L1649 Starliner and Boeing 337 Stratocruiser . The L1049 was behind them although TCA, QANTAS, Air India etc used to operate in to London. They could all cross the Atlantic  via Iceland, Prestwick , Shannon, Gander even Ringway ! The available Comet couldn't cross the Atlantic empty even before it was grounded , only designed for the  colonial routes . 707 wasn't available 'til late 58 , Pan-am-121 Jet guise and that had to put down for gas too, BOAC's  Comet 4 was also late 58 stopping at Gander and also built for the airline's obsession with colonial routes. In 59 they were off the North Atlantic for Brits, 1960 the 707-436 .In the middle was the Britannia ,late deliveries due to the Proteus engine problems.  .As late as 58 the only jets and I can remember ( 4yrs old !) seeing were Comet 4s flying for BOAC ,BEA (probably later) and a Saudi King's Green and Yellow Comet 4 which crashed in the Alps shortly after seeing it. They were the only Jets. This is all from memory so don't hang me for it !

Love the Blue Globe Pan-Am DC-7C ,so many memories low over our house in 58-60 ish

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When we were discussing reference sources earlier I should have mentioned YouTube.  There are several superb videos of DC-7Cs in service and in preservation including this which might inspire you:

 

 

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Great information and reference material there. Thanks!

One thing I can't make out for sure, though I keep looking, is this....

 

There's a dihedral break in the existing wing between fuselage and inner nacelle,

IMG_20180701_224117

 

IMG_20180701_224058

 

Is the extension piece for the wing outboard of the break and angled up with the rest of the wing, or is it inboard so that the extension is in the level section adjoining the fuselage??

Each time I zoom in on a picture I get a confusing answer!

Or find it's a misnamed photo and there's a 3blade prop or something!

Can anyone give me a steer on that one before I start hacking into the wings?

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3 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Considerable weight required I guess, to keep the tail end up with this airframe.

IMG_20180701_224222

 

It's a hard one to estimate, and the instructions are no help.

The stance of the airframe makes me suspect a real tail-sitter, so I'm giving her plenty.

A bit extra won't do any harm!

I've also spent some frustrating time trying to sort out a windscreen arrangement.

In the end I realized I had to abandon the stupid bit of clear nonsense that they supplied.

I found an old flat screen in workable, glueable polystyrene and made a couple of main screen pieces and glued them in.

That just left the little angled pieces which I filled with a snip of their stuff cyanoed in and trimmed.

Side windows unglazed.

I've had enough of that!

So that means I'm just about ready for the big glue up, and try to sort the joints and seams.

I'm happy to loose most of the rivet details. They're way out of scale unless she was built by Brunnel!

And they don't match anything I'm seeing on reference material

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Currently I'm thinking that the extension to the wing is before the dihedral break... in the level section....

 

IMG_201807183_124442

 

dc-7c-2-van-wickler

 

145187as

 

dc7csas

 

Any walkarounds of the genuine article?

Any airframes preserved somewhere??

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4 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

I'm thinking that the extension to the wing is before the dihedral break

I only just saw this..Yes the wing insert comes straight off the Torque Box and the Dihedral starts inside No1 / 2 engines . Makes sense, the wing going outbd would get to silly  heights, undercart would be operating in slightly higher position, lowering the fuselage nearer the ground ,its also  quicker and cheaper using the existing pick ups on the Dihedral wing join .

Edited by bzn20
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31 minutes ago, bzn20 said:

and the Dihedral starts inside No1 / 2 engines

Yes that all stacks up.

So you're saying the crank in the wing moulding is completely bogus, the whole inboard section should be straight and level, and the dihedral break is within each inboard nacelle...?

 

There's a plan B in the making...😕

 

....... thinks.....

 

No, wait a minute.

That doesn't tally with the drawings.

There's a definite line drawn midway for the 7B wing, and its still there on the 7C along with the extension section....

Edited by rob Lyttle
after thought
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Hello Rob !

Waow, intense surgery on here !!

Good job whatever... I'll take a seat if you don't mind ?

Chainsaw Douglas Massacre ! Love it !!

Sincerely.

CC

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8 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

So you're saying the crank in the wing moulding is completely bogus, the whole inboard section should be straight and level, and the dihedral break is within each inboard nacelle...?

 

I think he's trying to say that the dihedral break is inboard of the inboard nacelle, which is correct. This front view should make things clear:

 

DC-7C Front View

 

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