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Aircraft I've Flown Part I - A Tribute to the Mighty 747-436


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There's been a bit of a hiatus on this one recently - hot weather and school holidays have limited my time at the bench... More to the point, I also had a 1/72 Matchbox Spitfire IX to finish for the 'A Kit You Built As A Kid' GB, which ended yesterday!

 

However, the kids are now back at school, the workbench is clear and it's another rainy day in Scotland, so back to this kit again. As I mentioned previously, the model has now been primed, showing just how much still needs to be done:

 

nose2.jpg

 

On this section alone there are pinholes in the two filled windows behind the door, windows everywhere that are the wrong shape and need to be tidied up, a groove in the plastic under the front windows and several panel lines to be reinstated - and this section is one of the better areas! I think the preparation will take a while on this one...

 

I have also followed @tomprobert's advice and will attempt to reshape the fuselage above the flight deck windows. I've started with a generous dollop of filler:

 

blob.jpg

 

Once that has been profiled I will fill either side and blend it all together - thanks Tom for the head's up!

 

Looking at the wings there are a couple of issues there too. The leading edges need more filling and sanding - I intend to use Alclad on this area and I understand it will show every little flaw... Time spent on preparation will not be wasted. The trailing edges also need attention. The flap mechanism is faired away inside four 'canoes' on each wing:

 

canoes.jpg

 

The tops of these canoe fairings should be level with the upper surface of the wing, as shown on the photo, taken earlier this year when I was a passenger from JFK to LHR. I will add some plasticard to the top of the fairings to make them flush with the wing:

 

jfk.jpg

 

If you look closely, JFK Airport can be seen at the top of the picture.

 

Finally a cracking photo of the Queen taken by my colleague and fellow 747 pilot Paul Dunn. This image was used recently on the website www.globalaviationresource.com and reproduced here with permission:

 

sandiego_0132.jpg

 

Enough from me; I have some sanding to attend to...!

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Good thread Matt! Although [deep breath] I never could work out why everybody was so worked up by the big old bus :tomato:

 

The blue discs on the Cranebank wall is a genuine surprise - had been going there since 2005 and never noticed or knew about them! 

 

Keep up the good work 👍

Alan

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13 minutes ago, DMC said:

Inspiring, I have dusted off my -100 (136?) that I started over a year ago.  Just to have a look mind you.🤔

You know you want to! 😉

 

10 minutes ago, Alan P said:

I never could work out why everybody was so worked up by the big old bus :tomato:

Said the man with a 747 avatar!🤣

 

11 minutes ago, Alan P said:

The blue discs on the Cranebank wall is a genuine surprise - had been going there since 2005 and never noticed or knew about them! 

You're not the only one - I'd never noticed them either!

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28 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

Finally a cracking photo of the Queen

 

Cracking and also somewhat poignant - sunset on the Queen of the Skies.... :sad:

 

It is a lovely photo though - something I don't think that kit could ever claim to be! Glad I don't have room for one, the Hasegawa 1/200 kits look to be far better.... :)

 

Keith
 

 

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Excellent progress Matt, cracking job with the surface prep, especially given the base the kit.

 

I've often though about trying to convert the far better 747-8 kit into a -400, but always talked myself back out of it!

 

Cracking photos aswel, perfect seat for the wing shots.  I love that position, especially when you turn to the passenger next to you an ask if it's normal that most of the wing disappears like that, when coming into land!

Lovely sunset shot.

Edited by 71chally
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You’re definitely winning but it looks like you might need quite a lot of filler and primer.

Did you ever go into the Concorde hangar in the maintenance area at Heathrow? On the back wall we’re two ‘ dings ‘ with dates written besides them where trainee tug drivers hadn’t got the length of the overhang quite right!

 

John

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On 17/08/2020 at 16:17, keefr22 said:

Cracking and also somewhat poignant - sunset on the Queen of the Skies.... :sad:

Glad you like it - I think I will sign off after each post with a gratuitous photo showing the Queen. Obviously this is for reference purposes, not just because I like gratuitous shots of the Queen...!😉

 

On 17/08/2020 at 19:28, 71chally said:

I've often though about trying to convert the far better 747-8 kit into a -400, but always talked myself back out of it!

After reading that I succumbed and ordered the 747-800. Hopefully that will be a far easier build!

 

On 17/08/2020 at 19:28, 71chally said:

Excellent progress Matt, cracking job with the surface prep, especially given the base the kit.

Thank you! I'm now contemplating filling most of the panel Iines too, rather than reinstating the ones that have been partly sanded away. I think a smooth finish in this scale would look better, but I want to check some reference shots first. Plus it's another reason to post a photo of the real thing!😆

 

 

On 17/08/2020 at 19:28, 71chally said:

perfect seat for the wing shots.

I must admit, I spoke very nicely to the check in staff to get that window seat! I didn't realise at the time that it would also be my last flight as a passenger on the 747... At least I had a good view and my inner geek had a great time filming the flap sequence after departure and on the approach!

 

 

5 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

Did you ever go into the Concorde hangar in the maintenance area at Heathrow? On the back wall we’re two ‘ dings ‘ with dates written besides them where trainee tug drivers hadn’t got the length of the overhang quite right!

Hi John. I went in there once, back in 2003 - I arranged to have a look at Concorde before ops finished. Is that the hangar at TBA? I never noticed any dings - my attention was taken up by G-BOAC!

 

 

Today's progress involved much sanding. The belly and seam lines in general are now far better, but more work is required:

 

rub1.jpg

 

I haven't primed the wingtips yet - I am using these as hand holds!

 

For my reference (😉) here's a picture of G-BNLY, again taken with permission from the GAR website:

 

G-BNLY_2_LHR_100120.jpg

 

On the basis that I cannot see any panel lines, my decision is made - they need to be filled! That'll be a job for tomorrow...

 

 

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I think I said earlier in the thread, I'm amazed how smooth the skinning is on a 747, particularly the wings.

When you reduce that to 144th they must be barely perceptible.

 

I think you will be doing the best thing by filling the lines and then either reinstating with a very fine needle, or using sharp pencil lines to represent panel lines. The moving surfaces and doors etc I would keep as they are.

At least the wing plank panels can be represented by the different finishes on the wing.

I think it's possible to go mad with a build, as there are various parts with extra plates and reinforcements added.

 

I built a -8 years ago, I don't remember it much as it was for someone else, but that probably means it was a reasonable build!

My favourite 747 kit so far is the Hasegawa kit, that tells you something that a 40 year old kit hasn't been overhauled yet, and how badly served the possibly most iconic aircraft is on kit form.

A manufacturer is promising to release a modern tooled 72nd 747, long overdue in my opinion.

Meanwhile I'm still on the hunt for the Doyusha beast!

 

Lovely shot of 'LY, I guess that opportunity will only ever happen once more.

 

Oh, and you're going to have to post that video!

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26 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

After reading that I succumbed and ordered the 747-800.

Forgot to say, that kit is remarkable value at £23, now's the time to stash up before they reach the silly prices of the old -400 kits!

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37 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

I will sign off after each post with a gratuitous photo showing the Queen.

 

What a fine idea!

 

38 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

Obviously this is for reference purposes,

 

But of course.

38 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

Plus it's another reason to post a photo of the real thing!

 

Again, a fine idea! 🤣

 

39 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

they need to be filled!

 

I came to the same idea with my current Hasegawa build (destined to be the Negus scheme retro jet) - but only on the fuselage. I accept James' observation of how smooth the skinning is (I've never had the chance to get up close enough to see for myself :( ) but to me the wings look too plain without some panel lines. 

 

25 minutes ago, 71chally said:

using sharp pencil lines to represent panel lines.

 

I'm thinking of trying that, but I think it'll need to be done on matt paint - not a problem in my case as I don't like super glossy airliners so I always paint them matt and then either polish that paint (won't work if there's pencil panel lines on it though) or spray a final satin varnish coat and polish that.I don't think the pencil idea would work for those modellers who like to use Halfords Appliance White though?

 

Good progress on beating those seams into submission so far Matt!

 

Keith

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My last trip to the Concorde hangar would have been in the ‘90s. The area across the road from the NE corner of the airfield was just known to us as ‘ BA Maintenance ‘ although it was called No1 Maintenance Area by tug drivers wishing to enter the airfield. I was doing some airfield familiarisation for a couple of new guys and there was a Concorde in the hangar so we went and asked if we could have a look. One of the other guys spotted the writing on the wall and asked what the story was, it had probably been painted over by the time you got there.

 

John

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When I was enduring a living death working in IT for the Civil Service, I noticed an ad for IT vacancies with BA at Heathrow. Hoping that the interviews would be held there I applied, if only for a day out! They were, and after a morning of 'aptitude' tests the person in charge asked were there any aircraft enthusiasts in the room. As is usual in these situations I was the only one to stick my hand up. So the chap asked me did I want lunch or go hungry - looking puzzled he said to me that there was a Concorde just gone in for a check and if I wanted I could go and spend an hour looking around it! The engineers were brilliant - gave me  a half hour walkround then let me sit in the Captain's seat for half an hour. On my own....!!! Couldn't see that happening today. Oh for a phone camera back then! 

 

Keith

 

PS, didn't get the job, maybe because my tummy was rumbling so much in the interview! 🤣  

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11 hours ago, keefr22 said:

I'm thinking of trying that, but I think it'll need to be done on matt paint - not a problem in my case as I don't like super glossy airliners so I always paint them matt and then either polish that paint (won't work if there's pencil panel lines on it though) or spray a final satin varnish coat and polish that.

I've only ever done it with brush painted Humbrol satin white, and then a couple of layers of Kleer over the top for the gloss.

That worked fine, just need to be very careful how you handle the model to avoid wiping off the pencil lines.

It might just work on a gloss coat, but would have to be a hard and sharp pencil.

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19 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

I think I will sign off after each post with a gratuitous photo showing the Queen.

That could be read either of two ways, one of which might displease the Establishment...

 

Seriously, gratuitous photos of an icon (no, not HM) should be encouraged. The problem with modelling an aircraft with which you are intimately familiar is that you know it too well to be able to accept any of a kit’s inaccuracies, leading to an exponential increase in modelling workload! I get around this problem by flying a (primarily) civilian helicopter, so no kit manufacturer would dream of producing it!

 

All this effort will pay off when the top coat is applied.

 

Jon

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7 minutes ago, Jonners said:

so no kit manufacturer would dream of producing it!

 

I'm sure a modeller not a million miles from you would have no trouble scratchbuilding one, given the fiendishly difficult biplane he's currently doing a fine job on....!! :whistle: :)

 

Keith

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Great progress - my BA 747 has had all the decals applied and I’m waiting for this awful wet weather to pass before adding a varnish coat. 
 

Good to see the cockpit mod in progress - it’s a subtle difference but worth the effort  as it greatly improves the look of the whole cockpit area. 
 

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On 17/08/2020 at 15:46, Back in the Saddle said:

There's been a bit of a hiatus on this one recently - hot weather and school holidays have limited my time at the bench... More to the point, I also had a 1/72 Matchbox Spitfire IX to finish for the 'A Kit You Built As A Kid' GB, which ended yesterday!

 

However, the kids are now back at school, the workbench is clear and it's another rainy day in Scotland, so back to this kit again. As I mentioned previously, the model has now been primed, showing just how much still needs to be done:

 

nose2.jpg

 

On this section alone there are pinholes in the two filled windows behind the door, windows everywhere that are the wrong shape and need to be tidied up, a groove in the plastic under the front windows and several panel lines to be reinstated - and this section is one of the better areas! I think the preparation will take a while on this one...

 

I have also followed @tomprobert's advice and will attempt to reshape the fuselage above the flight deck windows. I've started with a generous dollop of filler:

 

blob.jpg

 

Once that has been profiled I will fill either side and blend it all together - thanks Tom for the head's up!

 

Looking at the wings there are a couple of issues there too. The leading edges need more filling and sanding - I intend to use Alclad on this area and I understand it will show every little flaw... Time spent on preparation will not be wasted. The trailing edges also need attention. The flap mechanism is faired away inside four 'canoes' on each wing:

 

canoes.jpg

 

The tops of these canoe fairings should be level with the upper surface of the wing, as shown on the photo, taken earlier this year when I was a passenger from JFK to LHR. I will add some plasticard to the top of the fairings to make them flush with the wing:

 

jfk.jpg

 

If you look closely, JFK Airport can be seen at the top of the picture.

 

Finally a cracking photo of the Queen taken by my colleague and fellow 747 pilot Paul Dunn. This image was used recently on the website www.globalaviationresource.com and reproduced here with permission:

 

sandiego_0132.jpg

 

Enough from me; I have some sanding to attend to...!

That is one Stunning photo !!!

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I like what you are doing here.  and if I can ad some input.  Slice of masking tape down the joint line before applying the filler will save you lots of sanding. Thoswenwindow openings look very crude!!!

 

Colin

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Sad to see. ZB is due to follow soon

 

 

On 8/17/2020 at 3:14 PM, Alan P said:

Touche 😄 But Dilbert is a breed apart!


cos he’s a 747?

Edited by Glen
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