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Mach 2 1/72nd scale DC-8-50 Delta Airlines


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Evening all,

 

A rather large package arrived from Hannants today - Mach 2's 1/72nd DC-8 has finally arrived! Having got my civvy-aviation mojo thoroughly going, I've dived right in this very evening...

 

I've gone for the Iberia scheme as I love its retro look:

 

50807441673_ec19f918e0_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

The box is literally crammed with parts:

 

50808297447_a25eab0eb3_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Instructions are - how can we put it? - basic, but should do the job on a relatively simple kit such as this:

 

50808297857_ffb4f71c8e_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Paint guide and decals, which seem to be nicely printed:

 

50808297822_9c4477c9a4_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

A bit of flash to clean up here and here, but surface detail is nicely done:

 

50807441953_3de2abe79c_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

50807442003_70d9eae686_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

50808297772_107fbf7f24_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Transparencies are done as individual cabin windows, and the cockpit has the roof section moulded integrally: 

 

50808184086_e3d4ce3e91_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

So... tonight I've made a start and I've begun by joining the rearmost section of fuselage containing the tail cone to the main fuselage parts. I like to work on fuselages in one piece and from experience it's easier to get a good, clean join this way. 

 

First of all I have cleaned the mating surfaces with a file to ensure they are perfectly true:

 

50808299836_c595c8c01d_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Not really trusting butt-joints I have added a ring of plastic card around each section:

 

50808299786_d6717701f2_z.jpg by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Here the upper fuselage is glued and clamped, whilst the lower is just a dry-fit, which as you can see is a pretty good fit:

 

50808411642_9109476d24_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

And even better news is I've just offered up the fuselage halves and they are identical in length/depth - so far, so good!

 

Updates are likely to be sporadic due to work and other projects on the go, so bear with me!

 

Tom

Edited by tomprobert
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Wow a Mach 2 airliner! I' m all in!! Great start, have fun and keep them pics coming!!! That kind of builds make my day! 

The surface detail looks really promising actually.. Thank you for sharing, ollli

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I'm in, I can't resist! Look forward to seeing what you can elevate this to. 

 

It all looks surprisingly good so far, this might be one of their best. Is the double bubble edge on the fuselage side OK? 

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4 hours ago, ROBOT said:

Wow a Mach 2 airliner! I' m all in!! Great start, have fun and keep them pics coming!!! That kind of builds make my day! 

The surface detail looks really promising actually.. Thank you for sharing, ollli

Surface detail is indeed good to be honest - a few blemishes to sort here and there but nothing a quick once over with a file shouldn't deal with.

 

3 hours ago, Bangseat said:

I'm in, I can't resist! Look forward to seeing what you can elevate this to. 

 

It all looks surprisingly good so far, this might be one of their best. Is the double bubble edge on the fuselage side OK? 

 

Double bubble is sharp and fine - as explained above surface detailing overall is good!

 

Happy days!

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More DC-8 progress last night...

 

The tail cone sections are now securely attached to the fuselages, with the fit being fine:

 

50811945422_95474cb53c_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

The cabin window apertures are a little 'flashy':

 

50811913767_f2f9caaa2d_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

These were cleaned up and made more uniform with a file and some sandpaper:

 

50811913832_c3cfab8173_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Here are the basic flightdeck components:

 

50811058603_25e99cee06_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

... and as these come don't fit too well:

 

50811799346_f701dfd0e3_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

But with a quick once-over with a file the cockpit, and the nose wheel bay, all fit together quite snugly:

 

50811913567_5baaba1a14_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

This then slots nicely into the fuselage:

 

50811799661_8762a8eaca_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

But for some reason there's only a raised guide on the right hand side, so I quickly made one for the left from Evergreen:

 

50811058643_399c58a3f0_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

This results in a reasonable fit when the fuselage halves are brought together - they are only dry-fitted here and when a bit of pressure is applied the floor meets the sidewalls fine:

 

50811913802_00afbb41a8_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

I'm going to see if I can get a splash of paint on the flightdeck over the weekend, but that'll depend on the weather...

 

Tom

 

 

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18 minutes ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Looks good.  May we please see a top view of the fuselage to see how it tapers forward and rear?

 

I'm sure that can be arranged...

 

Tom

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Looks very good so far given the reputation that Mach2 has had over the years. The York I built last year wasn't as good looking quality wise as the DC8, but was by no means unbuidable. It just needed some patience and thinking about. 

I did notice the instructions are about the same as come with any of the Mach2 kits, sparse, but I think Didier is aiming his kits at the more experienced (and masochistic) end of the modelling spectrum. 

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Not to pick nits here, but the kit's nose, when viewed from above, seems to be extremely wide.  It should come to a sharper taper through to the radome.  You may need to cut out/sand/chisel some plastic on both sides of the joint in order to get it to look right.

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On 1/8/2021 at 8:04 PM, Mr T said:

Looks very good so far given the reputation that Mach2 has had over the years. The York I built last year wasn't as good looking quality wise as the DC8, but was by no means unbuidable. It just needed some patience and thinking about. 

I did notice the instructions are about the same as come with any of the Mach2 kits, sparse, but I think Didier is aiming his kits at the more experienced (and masochistic) end of the modelling spectrum. 

Absolutely agree! The truth is when you buy a Mach 2 you know exactly what you're getting - there will likely be some cursing and swearing along the way but they do build up into some reasonable models if you persevere and can overlook the odd error here and there.

 

On 1/8/2021 at 2:45 PM, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Looks good.  May we please see a top view of the fuselage to see how it tapers forward and rear?

Here we go...

 

Tail:

 

50820347496_b2e16c51d6_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Nose:

 

50819606408_7f789eefaf_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

I've still got the bit well and truly between my teeth with this build - I nipped into the shed and sprayed some of Halfords' finest grey primer on the cockpit and interior to make it nice and dark in there:

 

50819606338_f527e2ef87_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

I added some lead to the extreme nose with Araldite 5 minute exposy, and have painted the basics of the rear bulkhead. I haven't added the seats at this point as they can be done later. I had to file the forward bulkhead and floor a little to get a really snug fit of the tub into the fuselage, as can be seen by the exposed plastic. This results in the top of the instrument coming fitting correctly beneath the canopy sill and ensures the fuselage halves meet correctly:

 

50820347756_7903f98301_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Once the fuselage halves were joined I thought I'd add the fin whilst the wind was in my sails:

 

50819606548_624cedd001_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

The fit wasn't great here to be honest, but I could have spent a bit more time filing and trimming to get a better join. Still, nothing a bit of careful sanding and some Milliput won't fix.

 

Here's the 'problem' area:

 

50819606523_e274b531cc_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

Starting to look the part:

 

50820441992_ab474fca62_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

It's easy to think that the DC-8 is a big aircraft, until you compare it to a DC-10!

 

50820617282_0bc139dd0d_z.jpgUntitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr

 

I'm going to get the joints cleaned up next before having a look at the wings. 

 

Tom

 

 

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Where did that eel come from, are you having it for lunch ?

 

As soon as I see Mach 2 I am interested, I was wondering what Didier was going to unveil at Scale Model World last year if it had happened, now I know.

 

Looks like one of his better ones, you are off to a good start with this one.

 

adey

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Subscribed to follow this build with interest.:popcorn:

 

It just so happened that I ordered the MACH2 DC-8 yesterday as well,albeit in Swissair markings,together with the BPK Boeing 737-100.

Looks very promising so far.

Could you dryfit the clearpart to the fuselage to let us see how the nose section looks ?

Without it,the nose looks slightly too wide,similar to the Revell DC-8-10 / 50 kits.

 

Compared to other MACH2 kits,the parts look a lot better and cleaner on the sprues.

Maybe they learned and listened to the modellers ?🤔

 

I await mine with high hopes.

 

 

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Thanks for those overhead views, which are most appreciated!  From what I can see, there needs to be more taper at the nose, especially at the radome, to improve the looks--but that's entirely up to you as the builder.  I asked for those views because, based on experience with my Caravelle 6R, there is sometimes a good deal of asymmetry from right to left, which required considerable sanding to make good.  Equally, I advise your checking the horizontal stabilizer height on left/right to ensure joins are level with each other--a strip of evergreen plastic slid through the openings should tell you that in a heartbeat. Likewise, I would not trust milliput on a gap that big between the fin and fillet--sheet plastic would give you a stronger bond.

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6 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

Tom, having seen this I have succumbed and ordered the USN variant. It will look good with my C-9B.

Good man, Frank! The Navy option is rather tasty and I’ll look forward to seeing you tackle this!

 

2 hours ago, Alex1978 said:

Subscribed to follow this build with interest.:popcorn:

Could you dryfit the clearpart to the fuselage to let us see how the nose section looks ?

Without it,the nose looks slightly too wide,similar to the Revell DC-8-10 / 50 kits.

 

Compared to other MACH2 kits,the parts look a lot better and cleaner on the sprues.

Maybe they learned and listened to the modellers ?🤔

Yes no problem - I’ll dry fit the canopy for you and take some pictures ready for the next update. 
 

Having heard horror stories about Mach 2 kits but never having built one myself, I started this build fearing the worst but so far it has been fine - it’s your typical short run injection kit. So far so good, anyway!

 

2 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Thanks for those overhead views, which are most appreciated!  From what I can see, there needs to be more taper at the nose, especially at the radome, to improve the looks--but that's entirely up to you as the builder.  I asked for those views because, based on experience with my Caravelle 6R, there is sometimes a good deal of asymmetry from right to left, which required considerable sanding to make good.  Equally, I advise your checking the horizontal stabilizer height on left/right to ensure joins are level with each other--a strip of evergreen plastic slid through the openings should tell you that in a heartbeat. Likewise, I would not trust milliput on a gap that big between the fin and fillet--sheet plastic would give you a stronger bond.

I must confess to knowing little about the DC-8 in regard to its shape so I can’t really comment on the nose. As you said, if one wants to improve it, it won’t be a difficult task. 
 

I’ll likely add a small shim to the fin fillet before the filler - but I love Milliput and it dries like concrete so I’m not too worried!

 

1 hour ago, kev67 said:

Looking good Tom I’ll be following this build, DC8 in my eyes is a funny looking aircraft, but I suppose if you compare it to the graceful lines of the VC10 there no match 😂

What’s the old saying, Kev? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..?

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Well, my EC 24 has arrived. What I would call typical Mach 2 finish, but the windows are in a straight line at least.

Just needs a clean up: Nothing a sheet of wet'n'dry won't fix. No short shot parts. Looks to be even better than the Seamaster.

I'll let you lead, Tom, I just have to get this unfinished stuff off the desk, I need the room to work.

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10 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

Well, my EC 24 has arrived. What I would call typical Mach 2 finish, but the windows are in a straight line at least.

Just needs a clean up: Nothing a sheet of wet'n'dry won't fix. No short shot parts. Looks to be even better than the Seamaster.

I'll let you lead, Tom, I just have to get this unfinished stuff off the desk, I need the room to work.

Good man, Frank. Good to hear another one will be on the go soon! 
 

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

This looks a nice kit so far, great work Tom.

This looks a lot better than the Viscount , I keep looking at it thinking I will be brave and then put it back in the box.  I might have to man up and  have another look.

Chris

 

I’ve not seen the Viscount so can’t comment, but from what I’ve heard about other Mach 2 kits this one certainly sounds like an improvement. 
 

2 hours ago, Vesa Jussila said:

Looks better than average Mach2. Definitely I will follow this.

Yes - see comment above. Some careful cleaning of parts and she’s going together reasonably well so far. 
 

2 hours ago, Bangseat said:

Loving this, Tom, please keep up this morale boosting airliner building for the good of the nation.

 

That DC10.. 

I’ve got my civil aviation mojo in full flow at the moment... the DC-10 is the Transport Wings 1/72nd vac that I’m also making very slow progress on. I’ve got a Douglas production line at my place at the moment! 
 

I’ve allowed the glue on the fuselage 48hrs to harden right off after joining the halves together and am in the process of applying some filler this evening - hopefully it’ll all be sanded and cleaned up in the next day or two :)

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