Challenger350Pilot Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 This is the Authentic Airliners 1/144 scale MD-11. Anyone who has built an AA model can testify that this is not an average model, nor do they take a routine process to finish. The solid resin casts present unique issues that are challenging in their own right, but with patience and persistence return great reward. This is my first AA build. I’ve wanted to build an MD-11, in particular the AA kit, and thoroughly enjoyed learning a “new” process that took me outside of the usual “box” of model airliner building. I decided before beginning that I would finish her in the early Delta Air Lines “widget” livery, choosing in particular N801DE. This MD-11 began her life with Delta in 1992, outfitted with a cheat line stripe on her #2 tail mounted engine, which stood out as “different” than her sisters in the fleet. I am not aware of any subsequent MD-11s at Delta that carried that cheat line. She led a distinguished life at Delta, flying from Atlanta to Osaka, Brussels, London, Frankfurt, among many others, as well as some domestic routes. At some point, she was painted in the newer Delta “stripe” scheme before she was retired and stored for a while at Montreal. She began flying again for World Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, then again for World, and finally ending up at UPS, where she was outfitted in 2008 as an MD-11F. She STILL flies today as a freighter! In fact, as I write this biography, she is actually (in real time) flying as N294UP (under UPS livery) from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Ontario, California! She's painted with Tamiya TS-26 white, Alclad Chrome and Duraluminum, household enamel that was blended especially for the wings and fuselage fairings. I used 26 laser printed decals for the livery and some of the details, Authentic Airliners 3D windows and details, some Nazca decal details, and .06mm red model train lenses for position and navigation lights. Hope you enjoy the pictures! There is detailed post in WIP of the building process of the model…you can access it here: 52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeaton01 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Pretty darn nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Absolutely sensational. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaddad Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 orsum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ham Hands Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Superb! 👏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 That is quite amazing. It looks like the real thing in the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinback Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Nailed it - love the window detail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Ultra nice work and worth every penny you paid for the kit - she looks smashing. Brilliantly painted and stunning realism with those decals you have used. My AA 747-400 turned up in the post today so I am also now looking to venture into the world of 1/144 resin builds. Your WIP has left me prepared for the challenge ahead of me. I would love to see more MD-11's in the UK - I really miss the widebody tri-jets. Your model is absolutely brilliant John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyPerren Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) Stunning. The NFM on the underside, and the variations of white and gray elsewhere, are just superb. Are those white stripes on the nose decals or painted? Edited March 21, 2019 by JeffreyPerren Misspelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Hi Paul, Superb job, as I knew it would be! Not aware of this livery with the tail stripe. Glad you used AA windows as always they bring a model to life so much more. Really impressed with your baseboard, is it a commercially available product or homemade? That last pic looks so real, just brilliant! Hope you're fully converted to Authentic Airliners now and we can look forward to more from your work bench soon! Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FortyEighter Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Stunning!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolay Polyakov Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Fantastic work! 👍 Cheers! 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Great model! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Unbelievable! Looks fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodadriver Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 I've been anticipating this since your WIP and I'm certainly not disappointed. That really is a superb model, beautifully built and exquisitely finished. Your photography is top notch as well - I can almost hear the CF-6s spooling up! Like Ian I'm interested to know more about your baseboard which is nearly as impressive as the model. Thanks for sharing Dave G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notty Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Work of art, and utterly photorealistic especially with that base! Very well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanex Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Well worth the wait... your attention to detail is stunning, an absolute masterpiece! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 What a brilliant result. Superb modelling and one of the best airliners I've seen on this site. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldy Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Beautifully built, finished and displayed! Cheers Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger350Pilot Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 9 hours ago, Gimme Shelter said: My AA 747-400 turned up in the post today so I am also now looking to venture into the world of 1/144 resin builds. Your WIP has left me prepared for the challenge ahead of me. Hi John! Thanks for the kind words. You'll love the 1/144 scale builds, and I am so glad that the WIP post was useful to you. Also glad your 747 arrived! I'll look forward to following your WIP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger350Pilot Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 9 hours ago, JeffreyPerren said: Are those white stripes on the nose decals or painted? Hi Jeffrey! The static dischargers on the nose are 3D details from Authentic Airliners Decals. 8 hours ago, Turbofan said: Really impressed with your baseboard, is it a commercially available product or homemade? That last pic looks so real, just brilliant! Hope you're fully converted to Authentic Airliners now and we can look forward to more from your work bench soon! Thank you, Ian. The baseboard is actually a screen shot from Google Earth, edited to obscure the "Google" logo ( no print shop will reproduce without permission), then edited for size. It was all guess work on my part, and it turned out nicely, I think. The print was made onto 55 pound paper that lies almost flat, then tape mounted onto a 36" x 20" foam board. And yes, I am fully "converted" to the AA kits. Looking forward to building the 777-200, the DC-8-50, and the Boeing 720. Waiting anxiously for them to come available. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger350Pilot Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 OK...a word about the base that the model is displayed on. I searched high and low for something I liked. Truth is, I found quite a few bases and dioramas that I liked, but they were all quite expensive, so I took to Google Earth for the solution. What you see in the photos is actually the approach end of runway 9R at ATL (Atlanta). I captured a screen shot, then edited the "Google" logo out ( no third party print shop will reproduce the print with the logo visible without permission), then resized it to fit the desired size. The resizing was pure guess work..."dumb luck"...because the base is almost exactly 1/144 scale for that particular runway. The photo was printed on 55 pound paper, which lays almost flat, then tape mounted onto foam board for stiffness. I have several other bases done in the same manner, but different runways or taxiway intersections at various airports from around the world. Google Earth is quite providing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearmatt Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Did I read "solid resin cast" ?... OMG...that makes it even more outstanding! Very inspiring! Congrats, worth 1000x all your efforts Cheers b. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasegawa Geek Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Really nice MD-11 and great finish. What is your method for painting the grey and chrome belly? Do you put the chrome on first then mask off the wing root and shoot the grey or vice versa? I realize masking the Alclad chrome ruins the sheen. Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger350Pilot Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 On 4/1/2019 at 11:08 AM, Hasegawa Geek said: Really nice MD-11 and great finish. What is your method for painting the grey and chrome belly? Do you put the chrome on first then mask off the wing root and shoot the grey or vice versa? I realize masking the Alclad chrome ruins the sheen. Thanks Thank you! In regards to painting the chrome/grey belly...I primed the entire fuselage first with Tamiya surface grey primer from a rattle can, then masked off the fuselage fairings and airbrushed them grey with an enamel household paint that was mixed for me at the local big box home store. The color was matched from a photo taken of the real airplane, then scanned into a computer for color matching. Next, I masked the over the bottom and painted the top with Tamiya TS-26 white, also from a rattle can. Then, I masked the top and fuselage fairings, and airbrushed Alclad gloss black surface primer on the belly, followed by thick coats of Alclad chrome. The sheen on the Alclad bright finishes can be damaged depending on the type masking tape is used. If I am to mask over the bright finishes, I allow it to completely cure for a couple days, then wipe off the excess dust, then carefully mask with Tamiya tapes...they tend to not damage the finish. Important is to allow all of the applied paint, including primer, to cure properly before masking and painting anything else on or around it. Patience is always worth the reward. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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