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Revell A320 “easyJet 250th Airbus” in 1/144


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I present my Revell Airbus A320 in the ‘EasyJet 250th Airbus’ special livery G-EZOL. She is currently occupying stand 110 having finished her sectors for the day and has been put to bed.

 

I had previously built a Revell A319 in the new livery after coming back to the hobby, but wasn’t happy with the overall finish, in particular the lines on the sweep back Orange section. I have added some photos to show comparison, this time I opted to leave the wings off whilst I painted the orange section to try and achieve a cleaner finish. I also have a particular soft spot for EZY having spent 4 years there as Cabin Crew based at LGW. 

 

The build was OOB except for the BraZ Sharklets and after market decals from DrawDecal. I still personally think I prefer the Zvezda A320 kit to Revells, although quite intrigued to see the new ‘Neo’ versions they should be releasing soon. I am trying to get better at filling and sanding gaps now, as I never used to when I first started the hobby, and especially with the Revell kit there is often annoying little gaps in the joins, particularly around the Wing Box area.

 

The paints were Halfords rattle can Appliance White, Revells Orange Aqua Colour and Revell Aqua Greys 371 and a lightened version of 374 for the coroguard sections. The slight weathering was achieved using a HB Pencil and dragging rearwards with my finger.

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet 250th Airbus A320

 

EasyJet Airbus’s

 

EasyJet Airbus’s

 

Once again thank you for taking the time to look at my post and any feedback and comments are welcome 😃. I should hopefully have my Etihad A320 ready soon, also have a A321 on my bench as well. 

 

Regards,

 

Alistair

Edited by Scotsman07
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Hi Alistair,

That's a nice easyjet fleet you've got there!

This livery has definitely grown on me now and I prefer it to the old billboard scheme.

If you do any more Revell A320 series models it's best if you fill the windscreen and use decals, the kit's glass is too small.

authentic Airliners Decals do them for the A320's

Keep 'em coming!

Cheers,

Ian

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Another fine model Alistair and a great easyJet fleet. You'll need to do another A319/320 in the classic "billboard" scheme to complete the set!

 

I agree with Ian about filling the windscreen and using an Authentic Airliners decal. Personally I'd fill all the windows and use decals for everything but there are different opinions about the merits of decals and transparent windows and it's up to the individual modeller how to finish his/her models.

 

I look forward to seeing the Ethiad A320. What livery are you planning for the A321?

 

Dave G

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Viking said:

Lovely job on what must be a very difficult scheme. Love the pic of all three together. :thumbsup:

 

Cheers

 

John

Thank you John, I have an Etihad A320 to post soon, but she’s got nothing on that one you did a while ago 👍🏻.

 

Alistair

3 hours ago, Turbofan said:

Hi Alistair,

That's a nice easyjet fleet you've got there!

This livery has definitely grown on me now and I prefer it to the old billboard scheme.

If you do any more Revell A320 series models it's best if you fill the windscreen and use decals, the kit's glass is too small.

authentic Airliners Decals do them for the A320's

Keep 'em coming!

Cheers,

Ian

Thank you Ian, I think that sounds like great advice as the window is a) a nightmare to install and b) inevitably always leaves gaps around the edges and joins. I will look into authentic airlines decals, and possibly batch buy to keep costs down as limited with budget. 

 

Thank you again 😃

 

Alistair

3 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

Another fine model Alistair and a great easyJet fleet. You'll need to do another A319/320 in the classic "billboard" scheme to complete the set!

 

I agree with Ian about filling the windscreen and using an Authentic Airliners decal. Personally I'd fill all the windows and use decals for everything but there are different opinions about the merits of decals and transparent windows and it's up to the individual modeller how to finish his/her models.

 

I look forward to seeing the Ethiad A320. What livery are you planning for the A321?

 

Dave G

 

 

 

Thank you Dave, appreciate that. I must admit I have trialled filing in the windows, it’s not a technique I’m particularly good at so any tips/pointers would be a massive help 😃👏🏻

 

My A321 is going to be in the Egyptair livery, simple but effective...

 

Regards,

 

Alistair

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There are various methods for filling windows. My own preference is to use Milliput. I roll it into a thin "sausage" and apply it to the inside of the fuselage behind the window line. It's a good idea to score the inner fuselage to provide a key. I then press the Milliput gently into place so that a small amount just protrudes through the window openings. A wet finger can be used to smooth it down until it's almost flush with the outside. Once the Milliput is set I sand it down with wet and dry paper (usually 600 grade used wet) taking care not to compromise the fuselage cross-section. If the kit comes with window transparencies these can be superglued in position and a little Milliput applied from the outside to give a flush surface. The most important thing is never to use a solvent-based filler such as Green Stuff or Revell Plasto because the edges of the window openings are usually quite thin and the solvent may attack them. 

 

If your filling and sanding are up to scratch the windows openings should disappear under a coat of paint so it's a good idea to make a few marks with a pin or a small drill to help locate the window decals. I usually mark the front and rear windows in each cabin and the emergency exits.

 

Hope that's some help. Window decals aren't mandatory and several skilled modellers get excellent results with transparent windows but personally I find decals much easier. The "photo real" decals from Authentic Airliners, PAS and 8Adecs have really upped the game in recent years. Whichever way you decide to go it's always a good idea to experiment on a scrap model if you're trying a technique for the first time.

 

Egyptair is a lovely scheme and it should look great on the A321 - looking forward to seeing it.

 

Dave G

 

 

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10 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

There are various methods for filling windows. My own preference is to use Milliput. I roll it into a thin "sausage" and apply it to the inside of the fuselage behind the window line. It's a good idea to score the inner fuselage to provide a key. I then press the Milliput gently into place so that a small amount just protrudes through the window openings. A wet finger can be used to smooth it down until it's almost flush with the outside. Once the Milliput is set I sand it down with wet and dry paper (usually 600 grade used wet) taking care not to compromise the fuselage cross-section. If the kit comes with window transparencies these can be superglued in position and a little Milliput applied from the outside to give a flush surface. The most important thing is never to use a solvent-based filler such as Green Stuff or Revell Plasto because the edges of the window openings are usually quite thin and the solvent may attack them. 

 

If your filling and sanding are up to scratch the windows openings should disappear under a coat of paint so it's a good idea to make a few marks with a pin or a small drill to help locate the window decals. I usually mark the front and rear windows in each cabin and the emergency exits.

 

Hope that's some help. Window decals aren't mandatory and several skilled modellers get excellent results with transparent windows but personally I find decals much easier. The "photo real" decals from Authentic Airliners, PAS and 8Adecs have really upped the game in recent years. Whichever way you decide to go it's always a good idea to experiment on a scrap model if you're trying a technique for the first time.

 

Egyptair is a lovely scheme and it should look great on the A321 - looking forward to seeing it.

 

Dave G

 

 

Thank you Dave for the excellent recommendation, might have a practice at that on an old model and see how I get on. I do really like the AA decals, not used any PAS or 8Adecs yet although there are a few livery’s I really like from 8A for some future products. How are the decals to apply and set, as DrawDecals can be very thin and take a while to fully settle on to the model? 

 

Regards,

 

Alistair

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12 hours ago, Scotsman07 said:

Thank you Dave for the excellent recommendation, might have a practice at that on an old model and see how I get on. I do really like the AA decals, not used any PAS or 8Adecs yet although there are a few livery’s I really like from 8A for some future products. How are the decals to apply and set, as DrawDecals can be very thin and take a while to fully settle on to the model? 

 

Regards,

 

Alistair

PAS and 8A decals are laser printed which means they are translucent and must be applied over a white background, either paint or a white decal underlay and they can't be overlapped. Also each decal has to be individually cut out from the backing sheet. Using laser decals isn't difficult but you need to understand their limitations to get the best from them. In my personal opinion PAS and 8A are as good as the better known laser decal makers such as F-DCAL or Classic Airlines. Both can have their off moments (colour matching can sometimes be an issue, particularly with PAS) but their products are generally decent.

 

Dave G

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Excellent model(s), and amazing to think they've got through 250 of those things.

 

When I joined easyJet back in the dim and distant they had 28 aircraft, all 737s. A real success story.

 

Alan

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Nice Airbus, Alistair...and you're getting some great lessons from Dave on how to fill windows and exercise options when it comes to deciding what to do for windows altogether. They can become tedious, but certainly rewarding in the end after practicing the technique of filling and sanding. A friend and mentor in modeling once told me that "school never stops..." and was certainly right. Every one of us is constantly learning new techniques and perfecting old ones...sacrificing old kits as experimenting platforms. Keep up the good work! Its a pleasure to see your work. 

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19 hours ago, Challenger350Pilot said:

Nice Airbus, Alistair...and you're getting some great lessons from Dave on how to fill windows and exercise options when it comes to deciding what to do for windows altogether. They can become tedious, but certainly rewarding in the end after practicing the technique of filling and sanding. A friend and mentor in modeling once told me that "school never stops..." and was certainly right. Every one of us is constantly learning new techniques and perfecting old ones...sacrificing old kits as experimenting platforms. Keep up the good work! Its a pleasure to see your work. 

Thank you very much, I’m currently working on a Qatar 787 at the moment which I think will have the AA window and cockpit decals which I am quite excited to use for the very first time. I agree with what you’re saying 100%, it’s all about practice practice practice. I’m trying to better my skills to bring my models up to the excellent standards of other Airliner builders on this forum 👍🏻

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On 21/09/2019 at 23:01, Alan P said:

Excellent model(s), and amazing to think they've got through 250 of those things.

 

When I joined easyJet back in the dim and distant they had 28 aircraft, all 737s. A real success story.

 

Alan

I know right, they have done very well for themselves. Sad day for aviation though with the collapse of TCX 😢!

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4 hours ago, Scotsman07 said:

I’m trying to better my skills to bring my models up to the excellent standards of other Airliner builders on this forum

Just remember, Alistair...this is a hobby...don't compare your work with anyone else's. Do your best according to what YOU say is your best, and enjoy. The moment this becomes obsessive and you start comparing is the moment you should find something else to do. Practice, practice, practice; but only to improve your skills and learn to the extent that the whole process remains enjoyable. Happy modeling! 

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On 9/21/2019 at 11:01 PM, Alan P said:

Excellent model(s), and amazing to think they've got through 250 of those things.

 

When I joined easyJet back in the dim and distant they had 28 aircraft, all 737s. A real success story.

 

Alan

That's a really nice little collection you have there Alistair, and some great advise from fellow airliner modellers whose excellent models frequently grace these pages. There are decals available for the early fleet of B737-300's that Alan mentioned as well so it would be nice to see one added to your fleet.

looking forward to the Egyptair A321 as well.

 

Chris.

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2 hours ago, Challenger350Pilot said:

Just remember, Alistair...this is a hobby...don't compare your work with anyone else's. Do your best according to what YOU say is your best, and enjoy. The moment this becomes obsessive and you start comparing is the moment you should find something else to do. Practice, practice, practice; but only to improve your skills and learn to the extent that the whole process remains enjoyable. Happy modeling! 

That is really good advice, and I never looked at it like that before... if I like the finish then overall that’s all that matters... I will always share my results with you all 😃 (unless it goes horribly wrong 😂). Thank you for your advice 👍🏻

 

Regards,

 

Alistair

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