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1/144 Minicraft Delta Air Lines DC-8-61


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Here for your perusal is the Minicraft 1/144 scale DC-8 kit modified to be a -61. I decided to include photos of the finished model from the workbench as well as some that are staged in the bright sunlight. The workbench photos lend to seeing the details a little more clearly, while the sunlight just makes her shine!

 

I’ve long wanted to build a DC-8 and chose for my subject N822E, msn#45907, rolled off the line at Long Beach, California in January 1967, then delivered as the very first -61 to Delta Air Lines. She flew her first revenue flight on 18 April 1967 in the roomy 195 seat two-class configuration, and served faithfully until her conversion to a -71 in 1982. In 1988 she was sold to UPS, re-registered as N707UP, then subsequently modified into a -71F as a freighter. She was stored at Roswell in 2003, and eventually was broken up for scrap.

 

Livery decals are custom made from Vintage Flyer; cockpit and passenger windows are from Authentic Airliners; details are combination from F-DCAL, Vintage Flyers, and from my workbench. Photo Etch parts from ExtraTech. JT3D engines are from Authentic Airliners. I used Tamiya gray surface primer, Tamiya TS-26 white, Alclad black surface prep on the wings, Alclad airframe aluminum on the wings, and Alclad chrome on the under belly of the fuselage.

 

Details of the work in progress may be found here:

 

 

Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoy……

 

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That's fantastic Paul. :goodjob:

 

All the fine work displayed in the WIP thread has paid off. It's the first time I've seen the AA windows on a DC-8 and they really look the business. The Delta widget scheme is old school and classy and suits the DC-8. I love your runway base - the last photo is superbly realistic!

 

i haven't tried Vintage Flyer decals yet although I have their Alitalia DC-7C sheet in my decal stash waiting for me to build the model to take them. When I see the close ups of the DC-8 I can easily understand why VF have such a good reputation. (I would never dare to take such close photos of any of my models!)

 

It's been a great couple of weeks for airliners in RFI. Let's keep them coming!

 

Dave G

 

 

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Beautiful! Great work, great finish and a classic colour scheme. I have 3 of these in the stash, decals for them, replacement engines, all ready to go and itching to build them. Seeing this might be the push I need.

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44 minutes ago, Skodadriver said:

That's fantastic Paul. :goodjob: the last photo is superbly realistic!

Dave G

 

 

Totally agree.  That's absolutely superb.

I'm a big fan of the classic airliners and the Douglas Commercials are among my favourites.

 

Chris.

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Hi Paul,

Wow, well I agree with everyone else, it's just gorgeous! You haven't put a foot wrong anywhere on this one, from the level of detail to the finish it's simply awesome. I love the busy-ness of the wings there's so much to look at, all those different shaded panels!

Most modern airliners can possibly get away without using AA cabin windows, (although I'm not suggesting anyone should!) but this is one example of a model which 'needs' AA windows you can see so much going on inside it's as if you've built the interior! They really bring it to life.

I hope you've got somewhere to display it as I'd imagine it's quite a big beast.

If I hadn't just started another model I'd be very tempted to dig mine out of the stash and get it started, in fact I think I'll pop in the loft over the weekend and have a look.

Cheers,

Ian

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2 hours ago, jeaton01 said:

That's really pretty!

Indeed it is.  Can’t add anything to what’s already been said. 

 

Dennis

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Very nice, in fact I love everything about it particularly how you've managed to get the antiglare panel on the cheatline decal to seamlessly meet at the nose - I always end up with a step!

 

Did your Vintage Flyer decal sheet have photo real windows included? I know Mike has recently begun adding them to his range. I've used a set before (Flying Tiger L1049H) and was really pleased with their use and have a few more in the stash.

 

I'm off to my loft to dig out my Minicraft DC-8 (UTA) that I just needed that inspiration to finish - and your great model has provided that!

 

Many thanks for sharing you work. There have been so many recently that you can almost imagine people saying "what another airliner??!!"

 

Jeff

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On 8/2/2019 at 4:41 PM, Skodadriver said:

It's the first time I've seen the AA windows on a DC-8 and they really look the business. The Delta widget scheme is old school and classy and suits the DC-8. I love your runway base - the last photo is superbly realistic!

Thank you for the kind words, Dave. I do appreciate your opinion and observations. I agree...the AA window decals look "the business." They worked beautifully, and the sheet included extras in case of mishaps or to add for correct window configurations for particular DC-8 models. United had different configurations from Delta, and some of the European carriers were different as well. 

 

As for the Vintage Flyer Decals...I HIGHLY recommend them. They were spot on, easy to apply, and beautifully sharp. They're laser, so the they require a white background. The windows that came with the decals were quite nice; they look more like curtain configurations, and not quite as detailed as the AA decals. I've used them on previous projects and they worked beautifully. 

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On 8/2/2019 at 6:35 PM, Turbofan said:

I hope you've got somewhere to display it as I'd imagine it's quite a big beast.

Thanks, Ian....yeah, I'm having to create a space for her since I'm out of room. Storing a few books from a shelf so she'll go alongside the MD-11. And yes, she is quite long. 

 

As for not putting my feet wrong...well...there are so many little details that were headaches, but turned out well or just OK in the end. At any rate, she's finished and I'm happy with the result. 

 

The AA windows lend quite a bit of good detail! They went on easily and were quite "friendly" to placing correctly. The sheet came with extras, with or without the silver frames, so as to accommodate a modeler's choice. 

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On 8/3/2019 at 1:50 AM, pinky coffeeboat said:

Very nice, in fact I love everything about it particularly how you've managed to get the antiglare panel on the cheatline decal to seamlessly meet at the nose - I always end up with a step!

Thanks, Jeff! I can tell you that even though the Vintage Flyer cheat lines were quite nice to apply, and somewhat friendly when it came to moving and placing, they were not without their challenges. All the decals around the nose were quite a chore, and took the better part of an entire afternoon to get right. I had sanded away all references around the nose, so all I had for guides and straight lines were the angles of the plastic where the windows would be placed. In addition, once the decals were placed around the cockpit windows, the glareshield had to be trimmed carefully so as not to overlap, and that requires a ton of patience and a brand new #11 Exacto blade. When I order decals, I always order two sheets, the second serving as a stand by in case I screw it completely up. 

 

On 8/3/2019 at 1:50 AM, pinky coffeeboat said:

I'm off to my loft to dig out my Minicraft DC-8 (UTA) that I just needed that inspiration to finish - and your great model has provided that!

 

And this, Jeff, is the highest compliment anyone can bestow on a modeler. When one's work inspires another to work on his own and dig out some long neglected project and get back to work, it means the most. I'm glad it motivated you! Now...GET TO WORK!!! And let's see some of YOUR stuff!

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That is one beautiful  model! I totally agree with the other comments. That is one LONG flying machine- looks like the fuselage gets to the airport before the wings do! Well done!

Mike

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On 8/3/2019 at 5:22 AM, Modelling Padre said:

Really impressed with the metal finish, what did you use on the wings?

I used Alclad black surface prep/ gloss primer, then sprayed Alclad airframe aluminum over it for the finish. A light polish, and she was done. I do allwo it to cure for a day or two, then its ready for masking or applying decals. 

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On 8/3/2019 at 6:02 AM, NorbertBu said:

A lot of Detail especially on the wings. It is Always hard to find Pictures showing the wings from above, but I guess you had a source

Hi Norbert....

 

Yes, I did have a source. Found only two photos of this particular airplane in flight; I'm pretty sure they were publicity photos taken very early on. The early DC-8s didn't have corogard, but did have several wing panels and all of the access panels painted a light gray. The over wing emergency exit/egress pathways that are common on today's airliners weren't required on US airliners until sometime after 1969. 

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