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

[Back in the Saddle]

Hi Dennis.

 

It was G-CIVD that caught fire, the first BA 747 to 'officially' retire as a result of the Coronavirus downturn. It looks like it was quite severe; fortunately I believe nobody was injured.👍

 

A little more progress on the model today - a very subtle anti-dazzle panel now adorns the nose and the windscreen masks are removed:

 

 

I think I can start decals now!

[71chally]

Coming on nicely there Matt, you have captured the anti-dazzle patch and the cockpit windows just so I would say.

 

I've seen fires start during the actual scrapping process here, but 'VD doesn't look like any work has started on her.  Interesting to see the engines are still on as they have been removed ASAP here.

 

Only just caught G-BYGG on it's Cardiff to Saints journey today, due to her leaving 1/2 an hour before she was due to!  Not great shots, but a moment in time I suppose.

 

Boeing 747 -436 G-BYGG British Airways by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Boeing 747 -436 G-BYGG British Airways by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

 

Looks like BA are selling off the family china,

British Airways | Whatabuy,  British Airways selling First Class crockery and bedding TODAY! (headforpoints.com)

The boxes are very useful for storing photographs and slides in, as they're pitch black and insulated on the inside.

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by 71chally

[keefr22]

2 hours ago, 71chally said:

Not great shots

 

I beg to differ - that second one looks great to me! Stunning winter sky!

 

Keith

[Back in the Saddle]

I agree with Keith, that second shot is rather good! 👍

 

I had my first session with the decals tonight, starting with the fin. First job was to cut them out:

 

 

Then application, using slightly diluted Klear followed by Micro Sol to help bed them down:

 

 

There is one major issue - the decal is too small! The tip of the fin should be green and yellow, but when the decal is positioned correctly at the base of the fin, the decal doesn’t reach to the top! Here’s how it should look:

 

 

The decal is also too short to cover the entire tail cone, which should be completely red - see above.

 

There is one other problem too, which I have only just noticed... On the real aircraft, the colours beneath the tailplane are yellow, green and red. On the decal they are yellow, blue and red. There’s not much I can do about that. Fortunately it is not immediately obvious, especially once the tailplane is fitted...

 

I have contacted the supplier; hopefully I can get some swatches to fill in the areas that are still white.

 

 

[71chally]

Excellent work getting the decal down Matt, but the manufacturer has definitely buggered up the tailcone area, comparing the picture of the real thing there's quite a few differences in the pattern and colours.

[Terry1954]

As James says, brilliant job getting those decals on as you did Matt. Hopefully the manufacturer will will help with some additional decals to patch things up.

 

And I also agree with you and Keith about that last picture from James - Excellent shot both artistically and technically IMHO.

 

Terry

[keefr22]

Really neat decalling Matt, real shame about the errors in them.

 

Keith

[Back in the Saddle]

On 24/11/2020 at 09:31, 71chally said:

Excellent work getting the decal down Matt, but the manufacturer has definitely buggered up the tailcone area, comparing the picture of the real thing there's quite a few differences in the pattern and colours.

 

On 24/11/2020 at 11:14, Terry1954 said:

As James says, brilliant job getting those decals on as you did Matt. Hopefully the manufacturer will will help with some additional decals to patch things up.

 

22 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Really neat decalling Matt, real shame about the errors in them.

James, Terry and Keith - thank you for the kind comments. The decals went on very easily, so I cannot really take any credit for the finish!

 

I have been in touch with Philippe at F-DCAL, who supplied these. I get the impression he is mortified by the errors and has promised to rectify them and send out the new version. I will now try to remove these decals without damaging the paint underneath. I think more Klear should soften them, but I will do some research first!

 

In the meantime, I will continue working on the wings, tailplane and engines!

[Team Aer Lingus]

shame about the error on the decal sheet Matt.  That's really coming together beautifully 

 

thanks for sharing

 

regards

 

Eamonn

[Terry1954]

15 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

 

 

James, Terry and Keith - thank you for the kind comments. The decals went on very easily, so I cannot really take any credit for the finish!

 

I have been in touch with Philippe at F-DCAL, who supplied these. I get the impression he is mortified by the errors and has promised to rectify them and send out the new version. I will now try to remove these decals without damaging the paint underneath. I think more Klear should soften them, but I will do some research first!

 

In the meantime, I will continue working on the wings, tailplane and engines!

 

I had a similar experience of good service, with another decal manufacturer. The problem was different - no carrier film on a decal set, which turned out to be a faulty batch. Decals were replaced of course, and the manufacturer seemed equally apologetic. Great for the hobby that these folk want their products to work for us!

 

One tip for removing decals I discovered quite by (unpleasant) accident - masking tape can often be used to remove decals as long as no protective varnishes have been applied. Worth a try Matt?

 

HTH

 

Terry

[stalal]

On 7/17/2020 at 11:12 AM, Back in the Saddle said:

Following the confirmation late last night that British Airways intends to retire its entire fleet of Boeing 747-436's, I felt it was a fitting time to bring this kit to the workbench. I have flown the 747 since 2016, after a twelve year stint on the 757/767 fleet. My last flight on the aircraft was in March, just as lockdown was starting -  maybe I will get the chance to operate one more flight as the aircraft are dispersed...?

 

The kit is the Revell offering - here's the box:

 

 

Rather than the "Landor" scheme provided, I shall be finishing the model in one of the controversial "world tail" liveries, namely the "Colum" design worn by G-CIVP and supplied by Draw Decal:

 

 

These will need some decal film applied, as there is some creasing in the top right corner which may have cracked the carrier film... The main aircraft stencils are provided in the Revell kit and look very comprehensive:

 

 

A quick perusal of my logbook shows I have flown this particular aircraft 10 times, including flights to or from Phoenix, Mexico City, Vancouver, Toronto, Miami and Mumbai.

 

I will take my time and try to do justice to this iconic aircraft which has graced the skies for over 50 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airline pilots always fascinated me right from my childhood. So you are right up there in my list of icon roles. 

 

As if bring a pilot was not enough, you were flying a Jumbo Jet!!? For me, the most iconic commercial jet is 747. Its graceful flight, its size and its poise at landing and take offs is such a beautiful sight to behold. Alas, an era of flight is coming to an end as most airlines have now retired their Jumbos. 

[keefr22]

2 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

masking tape can often be used to remove decals as long as no protective varnishes have been applied. Worth a try Matt?

 

That's definitely worth a try - and I've used sellotape to do the same before now, but that can be a bit more aggresive on the underlying paint.

 

2 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

I think more Klear should soften them,

 

I'm not sure about that Matt, I use Klear as a setting/sealing solution, and I don't honestly remember having underlying coats dissolved by more coats on top of them - quite the opposite tbh, they just seal the decals in better.

 

I ''think'' I remember reading that applications of Microset can be used to remove decals, but that's not something I've tried.

 

Good news about Fdcal, hope they can sort it out soon for you.

 

Keith

[DMC]

Hi Matt,

 

How annoying is that. Rather than strip the decal I was going to suggest a dab of paint, Vallejo intermediate green for instance, looks a good match, but that was before I read about the blue.  Whatever you decide on good luck with it. 

 

Dennis

 

 

 

[71chally]

In fairness that design gets quite complicated under the tailplane line, I wonder if the decal manufacturer only had upper angle shots available to work from.

Is there any scrap decal that you might be able to cut to shape and use?

The Drawdecals seem to suffer with a similar issue.

 

Thank you all for the kind comments, as these grand old aircraft bow out one by one  I'm very eager to catch their last flights, but vary the angles etc a bit.

There's only three left now, G-BYGD, 'GC and G-BNLY, the first two are due to us, 'GD this Friday.  All quiet on 'LY though.

[Chrisj2003]

6 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

That's definitely worth a try - and I've used sellotape to do the same before now, but that can be a bit more aggresive on the underlying paint.

 

 

I'm not sure about that Matt, I use Klear as a setting/sealing solution, and I don't honestly remember having underlying coats dissolved by more coats on top of them - quite the opposite tbh, they just seal the decals in better.

 

I ''think'' I remember reading that applications of Microset can be used to remove decals, but that's not something I've tried.

 

Good news about Fdcal, hope they can sort it out soon for you.

 

Keith

 

Microset certainly works to remove decals, just softens them up until they break up. Great for wrongly placed decals. 

 

Chris

Edited November 25, 2020 by Chrisj2003

[Back in the Saddle]

20 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

One tip for removing decals I discovered quite by (unpleasant) accident - masking tape can often be used to remove decals as long as no protective varnishes have been applied. Worth a try Matt?

Thanks Terry, that could work - I’ve inadvertently removed decals that way myself...!😁

18 hours ago, keefr22 said:

I ''think'' I remember reading that applications of Microset can be used to remove decals, but that's not something I've tried.

 

Good news about Fdcal, hope they can sort it out soon for you.

Cheers Keith, that should definitely work. F-DCAL have been excellent about this, so I will await the replacements with interest.

17 hours ago, DMC said:

Whatever you decide on good luck with it. 

Thanks Dennis.👍

11 hours ago, 71chally said:

In fairness that design gets quite complicated under the tailplane line, I wonder if the decal manufacturer only had upper angle shots available to work from.

Thanks James, you could be correct - it’s not the clearest area to see. I’ve sent Philippe a suitable image showing the real aircraft, so he has something now to work with.👍

11 hours ago, Chrisj2003 said:

Microset certainly works to remove decals, just softens them up until they break up. Great for wrongly placed decals. 

Cheers Chris, I think that’s the route I will be taking.👍

11 hours ago, 71chally said:

All quiet on 'LY though.

On that subject, there seems to be a concerted effort now from fellow enthusiasts to help save this aircraft. It may be futile, but stranger things have happened... Here’s the Facebook link if anybody is interested: G-BNLY Preservation Group or search #savelandor

[FortyEighter]

On 11/25/2020 at 12:23 PM, Back in the Saddle said:

 

 

James, Terry and Keith - thank you for the kind comments. The decals went on very easily, so I cannot really take any credit for the finish!

 

I have been in touch with Philippe at F-DCAL, who supplied these. I get the impression he is mortified by the errors and has promised to rectify them and send out the new version. I will now try to remove these decals without damaging the paint underneath. I think more Klear should soften them, but I will do some research first!

 

In the meantime, I will continue working on the wings, tailplane and engines!

 

Despite the wrong colours the decals look great and your masking was perfect.

 

I've found Phillippe to be very hepful in the past and he is of course the main source for "World Tails".  If you've not overcoated the decals with varnish or Kleer, they'll come off quite easily with a generous helping of Micro Set - once they start to wrinkle gently help the process along with a paintbrush and more Micro Set.

 

Mike

[71chally]

...well, today was the last occasion that a British Airways 747 flew in its standard scheme, G-BYGD conducted a 12 minute flight from Cardiff to St Athan.

Photography wise it was the worst runway configuration, 12 to 07, and in weirdest weather.  At one stage BAMC was in thick fog, while south side of the airfield had brilliant sunshine, by the time 'GD got rolling the  light was muted by thin mist.

 

Boeing 747 -436 G-BYGD British Airways by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Boeing 747 -436 G-BYGD British Airways by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Boeing 747 -436 G-BYGD British Airways by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Boeing 747 -436 G-BYGD British Airways by James Thomas, on Flickr

Edited November 27, 2020 by 71chally

[Back in the Saddle]

11 minutes ago, 71chally said:

Photography wise it was the worst runway configuration, 12 to 07, and in weirdest weather.

Well you seem to have managed to get some more atmospheric shots, capturing another moment in history. Nice work!👍

[Terry1954]

That shot, 3rd one down is quite superb James!

 

Terry

[DMC]

You’ve the makings of a nice calendar there, James.

 

Dennis

 

 

[chrispisme]

Just spent an hour or so reading and catching up on this build, great job and great progress...decals, love them or, hate them they're always my Kryptonite. 

[71chally]

17 hours ago, DMC said:

You’ve the makings of a nice calendar there, James.

There's a thought Dennis!

Sadly my best 'calender' shot is one that I'm not allowed to publish, taken from about 100ft up on a bright sunny June day, light behind me, BOAC in the foreground, Landor just to one side and thirteen other 747s in the picture - you can imagine the frustration!

[DMC]

Pity about that photo.  Put me down for one anyway.

 

Dennis

[keefr22]

5 hours ago, DMC said:

 Put me down for one anyway.

 

 

Me too!

 

Keith