goggsy Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I haven’t posted a build for a while and have resolved to do more in 2019 so here goes.... This is my take on Revell’s huge A400m in 1/72 scale. I don’t find grey aircraft all that interesting so I thought I’d exercise my imagination and use a scheme that it might look good in. The kit is 100% out of the box apart from decals, few of which were appropriate for this scheme. I did have half a mind to present it as an RAF100 throwback scheme with the red tail flash but it never quite happened, so it’s more a retro throwback to one of the most interesting RAF airlifter schemes. Oddly enough I managed to bamboozle a friend of mine into thinking it was a C130 just because of the scheme - although usually quite observant about aircraft he couldn’t see past the colours. The model was finished with Tamiya acrylics and weathered with a bit of Flory wash and oil paint dots. Some weathering was applied but I tried to keep it workaday rather than grotty. The decals are from various xtradecal sheets plus some others I had in the stash. It’s a cobble together really but passes brief inspection in my view. Bonus marks if you can spot where the nude woman on the nose came from. I used a bit of Bare Metal Foil on the air intakes and also the flue for the wood burning stove (or whatever that thing on top of the fuselage is). It won’t have escaped anyone’s notice that the A400 is a big plane; to give a sense of this I plopped a couple of transports from earlier generations on the back of it. Cheers Liam 62 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 This looks awesome! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Lovely build,i knew it was a big aircraft but seeing it with the Herc is amazing.... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 Thanks, I think it stands out more with the Herc than the Dakota in some ways. Proportionally speaking the wing area isn’t all that different between the C130 and the A400 but the fuselage is much bigger, which makes me think that it must have quite high wing loading for such a big plane. In terms of length and wingspan the A400 isn’t that much smaller that the B52 but the fuselage is probably 4 x the diameter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfinished project Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 That’s is superb you don’t realise the size of the A400 until you see the Herc happily perched on its back. Top marks for this build and scheme 👍👍👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Terrific. It looks soooo much better in this scheme. Beautifully applied I might add. Oh for the days when aircraft had interesting and attractive schemes. It would be good to see it having a Bloodhound loaded up the rear ramp, a la Airfix original Hercules box art. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Really like that! Edge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Best Transport Command scheme EVER. (Though white/blue/silver is a close second) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, John_W said: Best Transport Command scheme EVER. (Though white/blue/silver is a close second) I did contemplate doing a Canadian silver/white/red zig zag scheme to match the Herc but the amount of silver I’d have to do was the deal breaker on that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vultures1 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Looks great in that scheme, which you have executed superbly. Well done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 NOW THATS IMPRESSIVE !!! I really love the piggyback photos. Particularly the Hercules, i knew there was a size difference but never realized just how big the A400’s were. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piotr Sudnik Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Very nicely finished. I would have placed the '45' code on the fin much lower down .. across and above the top of the fin flash... more in keeping with the period colour scheme represented. On the whole a very nice job. But I really like the Herc and C-47; my kind of schemes. I'm sure the A400 would look good in the Herc scheme. Maybe you could do a C-17, which the RCAF use, in the white silver lightning flash scheme... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 44 minutes ago, Paul J said: Very nicely finished. I would have placed the '45' code on the fin much lower down .. across and above the top of the fin flash... more in keeping with the period colour scheme represented. On the whole a very nice job. But I really like the Herc and C-47; my kind of schemes. I'm sure the A400 would look good in the Herc scheme. Maybe you could do a C-17, which the RCAF use, in the white silver lightning flash scheme... Fair point about the code, looking back at references of C130s in that scheme I can see what you mean. Not sure how I missed that as obviously I was using the original tan & brown Herc as a template for this scheme but there we are, live and learn. The C17 is a nice idea, might be one to consider in the future - after, of course, I work out where I can put it! I think this A400 is going to end up dangling from some fine wire off my ceiling as I just don’t have the apron space to put it on land. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supertom Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It looks fantastic! What was the deal with the white spot over the cockpit, by the way? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 9 minutes ago, Supertom said: It looks fantastic! What was the deal with the white spot over the cockpit, by the way? To reflect heat off the cockpit area in hot climates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 minute ago, JohnT said: To reflect heat off the cockpit area in hot climates Am I right in thinking they stopped doing that around about the time that the hi vis rounders were toned down and we had pretty much withdrawn from east of Suez? I get the impression that they lumbered on in the desert scheme for a few years after but I assume that was for reasons of economy rather that tactics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 18 minutes ago, goggsy said: Am I right in thinking they stopped doing that around about the time that the hi vis rounders were toned down and we had pretty much withdrawn from east of Suez? I get the impression that they lumbered on in the desert scheme for a few years after but I assume that was for reasons of economy rather that tactics? You are, they did and it was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Very nicely done Liam! Nice execution of a unique scheme 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Spectacular! Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I’ve never fancied building one of these as they look boring in grey, but this Stunning scheme and stunning paintwork 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Love it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme H Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Awesome 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filbert_Wang Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Fantastic looking job - definitely think you've managed to make it look interesting! And great scale photo shot. They are indeed big aircraft, which makes some of the maneuvers they pull off all the more impressive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Brilliant, amazing job on the retro scheme, really nice work. Not too sure about Hercules piggy back although it was tried with flying boats in the 1930`s I believe 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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