Airfix 747 1/144, engines & other improvements

[stevehnz]

I picked one of these up at a model show over the weekend for a decent bit of coin, for out here anyway & to date I've been swatting up the necessary improvements to produce a reasonable 747 to wear some Air New Zealand decals of the era that brought me back from the Uk a couple of times in the early 80s. I'll for sure need some engines, something like Braz 4007 ? The other biggie seems to be the fairings around the wing roots, I'm thinking milliput or similar here to produce some a bit like the real things, I'm not looking to produce perfection or I'd be buying a Revell F-8 or similar I think. Perhaps a little bit on the nose to sharpen it up a bit? & whatever else is not too difficult to achieve. I know the upper deck windows are too few but I think I'll use decals for all windows anyway. Any other useful suggestions welcome.

Steve.

Edited September 8, 2019 by stevehnz

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

The engines and wing root fairing are the biggies Steve, Airfix also made the horizontal and vertical stab about twice as thick as they should be.

 

Those Braz engines will do the job nicely for an ANZ jet, I have a set for a future QANTAS 747SP build.

 

Many years ago there was a wing root conversion available (to make a Revell -400 back into a -200/-300), it could be modified to use on the Airfix kit. Though I expect you will have a very hard time finding one these days, it was made by Braz as I recall. Your options are to try and build up the root with milliput or the like (I tried this about 15 years ago on an Airfix QANTAS -200 and I ended up binning it as the putty kept cracking), or you could leave the root as is and live with the missing fairing. I think the nose is OK in shape.

 

I actually currently have a MPC boxing of the same kit on the shelf of doom I have started that will be in BOAC colours, here is a Flickr album link of my progress to date (it was started for last years's Airfix GB). I was going to just paint the root fairing on mine as it is a different colour to the rest of the lower fuselage but I see you can't do that.

 

I found the GB Link as well:

 

 

[stevehnz]

Hi Ray, thanks for that. Looking at the tail feathers, they could be thinned with some work, I'm not sure if its worth it but something to think about, you've sort of confirmed the rest for me, what you say about the putty cracking is thought provoking, maybe laminate some card onto this area & fill/reshape to give an impression of what should be there, mean time, I'll keep an eye out for those resin bits. As I type this I just had a vision of a shape carved from balsa fitting around the wing root & filled with dope & talc gloop, I think I'm seeing the light.   

Steve.

[skippiebg]

I'll second Romeo Alpha Yankee on the nose being okay and the fairing needing to be fashioned from laminations of sheet plastic, rather than from filler which would crumble. Apart from that, and filling-in the engine grooves (Airfix represented them as if they are in "reverse thrust" mode) the fin and tailplane trailing edges need to be thinned down in the time-honoured classical manner, and you have a more than reasonable early 747. Revell's is better overall, but has other issues of its own.

Edited September 9, 2019 by skippiebg

[stevehnz]

That's the sort of positive call I like to read, after reading some stuff on an old Airliner Cafe thread, I was ready to stuff it in the blender.  I'm now back to thinking it is doable to achieve an adequate result.

Steve.

[skippiebg]

Do let us know how you get on, Steve! (Ah, for the vicarious pleasure of watching others model when I haven't got the time! Am getting popcorn... )

[stevehnz]

4 hours ago, skippiebg said:

Do let us know how you get on, Steve! (Ah, for the vicarious pleasure of watching others model when I haven't got the time! Am getting popcorn... )

I hope the pop corn has a long shelf life date on it, this may not see the light of day for some time, I've no where to put it once done & little enough room to model it just now, something I hope will resolve over the next year or so.

Steve.

Edited September 16, 2019 by stevehnz