Fokker F-27-200 AirUK, 1980s

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Dear Colleagues:

 

As there has been some discussion on the airliner part of this forum about the relative merits of the Airfix and ESCI kits, I thought I'd share the model I finished about 10 years ago.  The base kit is the 1962-vintage Fokker Troopship.  To complete it as an F-27-200, I drew heavily upon others' suggestions contained on a Dutch modeler's site.  I deepened the fuselage with laminated sheets of styrene, cut to the the rough shape of the underside, and modified the tail, ailerons, and engines.  I ensured the cockpit retained the V-shape through its curvature.  I also employed parts of the ESCI kit's nose, heat-exchanger intakes, tail fairings, landing gear, etc, as well as added LORAN antennas from an ESCI C-47.  Given a choice between the two kits, I'm partial to Airfix, which gets more correct, shape-wise, than ESCI's, especially with the cockpit and engine nacelles, including the pronounced fairing that extends up and over the wing trailing edge.  I tried to replicate AirUK's periwinkle blue using Southwest Canyon Blue.  The white is PollyScale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SAT69]

You've produced a very handsome looking model, one you can be quite proud of.

[swralph]

Lovely build.😀

[ForestFan]

Sounds like some good old fashioned proper modelling there! Excellent build 

[mitchem]

Absolutely spot-on from where I'm sitting ! 

 

Amazing to see what can be done when the old Airfix kit passes through the hands of an artisan.

 

Many thanks for posting.

 

mike

[Vesa Jussila]

Nice job, Really nicely built.

[TheyJammedKenny!]

3 hours ago, SAT69 said:

You've produced a very handsome looking model, one you can be quite proud of.

Thanks so much for the compliment!  It is showing its age, though.  Just today I noticed that the upper fuselage has a crack at the joint from mishandling on my part!  The photos don't show it, thank goodness.

 

3 hours ago, swralph said:

Lovely build.😀

Really appreciate that it strikes your fancy, too!  

 

3 hours ago, ForestFan said:

Sounds like some good old fashioned proper modelling there!

It was most definitely old-fashioned.  I remember showing it to another modeler, a real airline pilot, who said the nose was a bit "off," but then in the same breath asked me if I'd made a resin casting!  It was a funny moment.  No, there's no resin on this old thing, just lots and lots of styrene and filler putty.

 

1 hour ago, mitchem said:

Absolutely spot-on from where I'm sitting

So glad you like it!  I've seen others do some really serious work on this kit, and with excellent results.  When I built this, the F-27 and its beautiful shape became my obsession.  I'd like to build another, and have the new-release of the Airfix kit.  But those windows....how to get them all the same shape and size?  Decals?

 

1 hour ago, Vesa Jussila said:

Nice job, Really nicely built.

Thanks so much, Vesa!  

[Alex1978]

Beautiful Fokker with an attractive livery.👍👏

 

I have both the Airfix and ESCI kits in different liveries in my stash too but never got around building them.

Seeing your great result,maybe its time to get one out and started

[Wulfman]

Lovely Fokker, excellent modelling !

 

Wulfman

[gazza l]

Looks fantastic in that livery... nice job.

 

gazza l 

[Homer]

A beautiful piece of modelling well done. 

[Team Aer Lingus]

Another beauty stunning looking model Alex very well done 

 

thanks for sharing 

 

regards

 

Eamonn

[Orion]

Hello Kenny,

 

Being a Dutchman, I am proud to see this type of aircraft on this site.

The F-27 was truly a very successful design. Politics killed the Fokker Factory. Stil around today, hauling cargo and passengers worldwide around to very remote areas. 

Your model depicts the beauty of the design.

The paint scheme is immaculate.

I am not a rivet counter, but your story leaves no doubt, you put a lot of effort into this model.

 

The Dutch Friendship Association only recently bought a F-27 (C-31A) from the US Army. After a transatlantic ferry it is back were it all started. 

So, after COVID, we can enjoy the hauling sound of the RR turbines ones again.

Highest Regards,

Orion. 

[janneman36]

Well done Kenny this looks certainly like a F-27....

Using parts of both kits is also in my opinion the only way to get a correct F-27, I can only hope that Airfix is going to retool in the future!

 

cheers, Jan

[Antti_K]

Beautiful work Kenny!

 

Knowing all the Airfix kit's faults you have done a great job. The colourful paint scheme looks very nice. Once again I can clearly hear that bone braking scream of a Rolls-Royce "Dart" engine spooling up into the Ground Idle range... Most of our Fokker crew members have a permanent hearing problem.

 

Cheers,

Antti

[kapam]

Fantastic work!  

I grew up in an Australian provincial town, where F-27's were the primary arrivals and departures of the time (the 70's).  Hence, I've been a longtime fan of the F-27!

It's a pity about the shape issues of the Esci kit (particularly the engine nacelles I reckon) because it is rather nice in the box.

As such, I prefer the Airfix kit because it is fundamentally accurate in shape (to my eyes) and gives me a better feeling.

Having said that, I wish Airfix would re-release their F-27 because I have more F-27 decals I want to use.

[jyguy]

"Take the Blue plane" as the Air UK advert said at the time.

 

Nice to see One of the British independents represented so well. Not withstanding the airframe modifications and corrections the masking must have been a mare. A superb build that really captures the look of the aeroplane.

 

The towel rail aerial on the underside are ADF sense antennas, The UK 27's did not have Loran fitted. Come to that the company 200's did not have autopilots either.

 

 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

On 1/30/2021 at 6:48 PM, Alex1978 said:

Beautiful Fokker with an attractive livery.👍👏

 

I have both the Airfix and ESCI kits in different liveries in my stash too but never got around building them.

Seeing your great result,maybe its time to get one out and started

Thanks so much!  It's entirely your choice--you might consider using the ESCI product as a parts mule

On 1/30/2021 at 7:21 PM, Wulfman said:

Lovely Fokker, excellent modelling

Thanks so much!

 

On 1/31/2021 at 4:04 AM, gazza l said:

Looks fantastic in that livery... nice job.

 

Thanks, Gazza I!  I thought so too.  It was one of the few UK airlines to employ them, along with BMI.

[bigbadbadge]

Oh wow,  this looks lovely,  especially in this livery.  I have never experienced tge Esci kit,  but have built the Airfix kit and really enjoyed it.

Great work 

Chris

[TheyJammedKenny!]

On 1/31/2021 at 5:21 AM, Homer said:

A beautiful piece of modelling well done. 

Thanks so much, Homer!  Much appreciated.

 

On 2/1/2021 at 6:07 AM, Team Aer Lingus said:

Another beauty stunning looking model Alex very well done

Thanks, Eamonn!  I'm looking forward to seeing your Viking!

On 2/1/2021 at 6:18 AM, Orion said:

Your model depicts the beauty of the design.

The paint scheme is immaculate.

I am not a rivet counter, but your story leaves no doubt, you put a lot of effort into this model.

This was truly a labor of love.  At one point I was a bit "Fokker-Mad."  Can you imagine?  LOL.  I wanted to do this type justice, and the kit was just begging to be built.  

On 2/1/2021 at 6:26 AM, janneman36 said:

Well done Kenny this looks certainly like a F-27....

Using parts of both kits is also in my opinion the only way to get a correct F-27, I can only hope that Airfix is going to retool in the future!

 

Jan: sadly, I don't think they will.  When they reissued the kit, it did not come with the air-stairs!  I was so disappointed.   It did come with parts for the radar nose, including the longer gear doors.  That will save me a little work on a future build.

 

On 2/1/2021 at 2:48 PM, Antti_K said:

Knowing all the Airfix kit's faults you have done a great job. The colourful paint scheme looks very nice. Once again I can clearly hear that bone braking scream of a Rolls-Royce "Dart" engine spooling up into the Ground Idle range... Most of our Fokker crew members have a permanent hearing problem.

 

Huh?  What?  LOL.  I have permanent low-frequency hearing loss that I blame on the C-130s.  I really appreciate your compliments, knowing that you did a bang-up job on yours.  Beautiful craftsmanship on your part.

[TheyJammedKenny!]

17 hours ago, kapam said:

I wish Airfix would re-release their F-27 because I have more F-27 decals I want to use.

Thanks, Kapam, for all of your support!  Of course!  We must all scream out for this kit to be reissued!  Sure wish A-Model or someone would set their sights on this one, hint, hint.

 

11 hours ago, jyguy said:

Nice to see One of the British independents represented so well. Not withstanding the airframe modifications and corrections the masking must have been a mare. A superb build that really captures the look of the aeroplane.

 

The towel rail aerial on the underside are ADF sense antennas, The UK 27's did not have Loran fitted. Come to that the company 200's did not have autopilots either.

Thanks, JYguy!  I chose Air UK because it was a really attractive scheme.  The decals are from Flight Path, and I needed to use two complete sheets to get the white to cover the blue.  I've also built the ESCI kit as a BM F-27, but wasn't as pleased with the results.  If I pose these kits side-by-side, you'll reach your own conclusions.  Yes, this was a real pain to mask, and very risky at that.  The XtraColour lifted easily, and I needed to treat it with kid gloves.  Makes sense about the towel rail being sensing antennas rather than LORAN.  But seriously, no autopilot?  Must've been very easy to hand-fly then.

 

1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

this looks lovely,  especially in this livery

Much appreciated, Chris!  I thought it was a good scheme, just hard to do.

[jyguy]

Hi Jammed Kenny. As you probably know Air UK was formed in 1980 by the merger of several operators One of which was Air Anglia who were the original British F 27 operator. The fleet was acquired second hand from many sources and management philosophy decreed that the autopilots were removed.  The aircraft is stable in flight with minimal trim changes with power changes or gear retraction/extension. Nose up trim change occurs with initial flap extension and changes to nose down trim with full flap extension. Quite large aileron inputs are required in gusty conditions down the approach. The beast could be interesting on a wet runway in a crosswind with that big fin. 

The Air UK Fokker route network was largely short haul the longest regular sector being Aberdeen -Bergan (304 NM) .Crews generally flew Four sectors a day though Six was not un common. All the hand flying certainly meant a high degree of proficiency when it came to the annual and bi annual licencing check flights.

 

I have both the Esci and Airfix kits and really must dust them off. 

Edited February 3, 2021 by jyguy
typo

[Bangseat]

Great work, TheyJammed! Really worth it to get a definitive F27, as neither the Airfix of the ESCI are particularly, it must have been very satisfying.

 

@jyguy - that is fascinating. Hand flying all the way from ABZ to BGO? I can't see Wideroe doing that today! Was that normal for the time..? 

[jyguy]

Hi Bangseat,

 

For us then,  yes perfectly normal. The F27 just required a gentle nudge now and then to stay on track and small corrections as the girls moved up and down the aisle with the trolley.