Revell Embraer 190 - Lufthansa new livery.

[Viking]

Embraer 190 - Lufthansa New Livery (03883)
1:144 Revell

 

 

Designed and built in Brazil by Embraer aerospace, the  190 has been in service since 2005. The 190 is a 100 - 124 seat regional airliner with a very successful sales and operation history, with more than 500 having been sold. Its sister, the Embraer 195 features a 2.5 metre fuselage stretch and capacity for more passengers, but a a reduction in range from 3500 km down to 2600 km.  The 190/195 was developed from the Embraer 170/175 by stretching the fuselage and adding a new wing, tailplane and engines.

 

The Kit
First released around 2015, this re-release adds a new set of decals for the latest Lufthansa livery. I built one of these early releases in 2017 and  can confirm that it assembles and fits very well, and will give a good result for all builders from novice to experienced.  Comparing this kit with my Aurigny 195 (Boxed as the 'Air Dolomiti version) confirms that the fuselage features the reduced length of the 190, and so is not a simple reissue of exactly the same sprues. Unusual for a 1/144 scale airliner kit, construction begins with the cockpit. A neat little unit is provided, which can actually be seen through the nice clear windshield on the finished model.

 

A small amount of nose weight is required to prevent tail sitting, 20g being suggested in the instructions.  Once the fuselage halves are together the main wheel bay is fitted to the under fuselage belly plate, which is then added. The wings are two pieces each, moulded with integral winglets which eliminates the need for getting them aligned properly as on kits where they are separate parts.

 

The wings fit very well to the fuselage, followed by the tailplanes. On my earlier build the fit was so good that they can be added after painting, which makes masking very much simpler.

Engines are nicely detailed with a two part core and separate intake fans and exhaust cones. These are fitted inside the two part pylon/cowling units, finished off with a one piece cowling front. The beauty of these is that you don't get an inside joining seam, the inner intake is completely smooth, so full marks to Revell for this.

Once the engines and flap tracks are fitted to the wing, a choice can be made with the undercarriage, either up or down. The legs and wheels are so beautifully moulded, it would be a shame not to use them though. The clear sprue holds the cockpit windshield, which fits neatly into the slot in the fuselage.

 

[Edit] Comparison of the Revell Embraer 195 fuselage(Aurigny) with this 190 kit, showing that Revell have correctly shortened it [/Edit]

 

Markings
Just one, as it says on the box 'Lufthansa new livery'. It is in overall white with silver leading edges on wings, engines, and tailplanes. The blue tailplane will need to be masked and painted by the modeller.

 

The sheet looks to be high quality, with beautifully sharp and fine printing. Doors, stencils, and vents are well detailed, as are silver window surrounds. The cockpit windows get a very nice white surround, so there is no need to brush paint the frames. Options are given for seven different aircraft from the Lufthansa fleet, the only difference apart from the registration, is the the names that go under the 'Lufthansa CityLine' logo near the front doors.

 

Conclusion
This is a very nice kit to modern standards, which are few and far between for us airliner modellers. It is well moulded, builds easily and makes a surprising large model, similar in size to a Boeing 727-200. No glazing is supplied for the cabin windows, but the clear carrier film on the window decals will cover these. Alternatively Microscale Krystal Klear can be used, or you can fill them before closing the fuselage halves and use window decals.  The Livery itself may not be to everyone's taste as it is rather plain and lacking in colour. However there is no shortage of aftermarket decals for the 190, including some very colourful options. As I said earlier, everyone from beginner to expert should get a good result from this kit.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

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