Revell Boeing 767-300ER British Airways (03862) - Revell 1:144

[Viking]

Boeing 767-300ER British Airways (03862)

Revell 1:144

 

 

I'm amazed to recall that it has been nearly 40 years since I first saw the Boeing 767 back in 1982 at the Farnborough airshow, where it was making an appearance with it's stablemate, the Boeing 757. Since then over 1200 of all variants haver been delivered, with the cargo version still in production nearly forty years after the types first flight.

Engine options were the Pratt & Whitney JT9D/PW4000, General Electric CF6, or Rolls-Royce RB211. British Airways opted for the RB211 as it was common (in sub-marks) to their 747 and 757 fleets, a choice made by only one other airline buying new (China Yunnan). There was also a lot of commonality between the 767 and 757 flight decks, which made crew training and availability more flexible. Entering service with BA in 1990, their 767's remained in service for 28 years until November 2018. In the early 2000's 7 aircraft were sold to Qantas, making them one of the few airlines to operate the RB211 powered 767.The initial variant was the -200, joined in 1984 by the -300 as modelled here, which had a 21 foot fuselage extension increasing seating capacity by around 50, depending upon layout.

 

Revell's kit was first released in the early 1990's (the date moulded inside one wing is 1992), and has appeared in various different boxings over the years. This latest release is packed in one of Revell's end opening boxes featuring a painting of G-BNWB climbing into an evening sky. Inside is one polythene bag with all the sprues for the 'standard' 767 kit, and a separate bag containing the RB211 engines particular to this version.

Also included is booklet of instructions in Revell's usual style, and a very nice A5 sized decal sheet.  As far as I know only the previous Gulf Air/British Airways boxing has featured the Rolls-Royce engines, so they make a welcome return here. RB211's below:

 

Produced in white plastic, the moulds are obviously holding up well the mouldings are very sharp with no evidence of flash. Detail is engraved, and comparatively few parts make up the whole kit. A separate clear sprue is provided for the cockpit glazing, but no provision is made for the cabin windows.

 

This is not really a problem as most airliner modellers fill the cabin windows anyway, and use decals to represent them. A set of 'full' windows and a set of window frames are provided on the decal sheet, so you can make your own choice. 

Construction begins with the nose gear bay, which is inserted into the fuselage halves, which can then be joined. There is no cockpit interior provided, unlike in some of the more recent airliner releases. Wings and tailplane halves are then assembled and joined to the fuselage in a construction sequence which is simplicity itself.

 

You have the choice to build the model 'in flight' with retracted undercarriage, or with it deployed for when on the ground. Finally the engines are added to complete construction of the model.

The kit still contains the original engines which represent the Pratt & Whitney JT9D/General Electric CF6. As such they are a little 'generic' but useful if you plan to use aftermarket decals and build a non-BA machine. Aftermarket engines are also available if you wish to go down that route. Here they are, but are marked as not for use in the instructions:

 

The decals are beautifully printed with good colours and razor sharp detail. The Chelsea Rose was one of my favourites from the 'World Image' era, so makes a great choice for this model.

 

Plenty of stencilling is provided, and the tiny 'Roll-Royce' logos are little works of art. Your guarantee of quality is assured as sheet states it was designed by DACO, who only produce the highest quality. The painting/decaling instructions are in full colour, with paint numbers called out from Revell's own range.

 

767 window and door arrangements can vary by airline, so it is always worthwhile checking references for the particular aircraft you are modelling. The instructions show the correct layout for a BA 767.

 

However the fuselage mouldings do not tie up with the drawings, particularly with reference to the door by the trailing edge of the wing. It is not present on the kit fuselage, which is not a problem, but at the very least you will need to fill some of the windows where it is located. I expect though that most modellers will anyway fill all the windows and use the decals provided, which have the correct pattern, and door outlines.

 

 

Conclusion.

It has been a while since this kit was last available, so it is great to have it back. The provision of the RB211 engines is also welcome, as this is the only 767 kit that can give you the BA option straight out of the box. Add to this the provision of a beautiful decal set that would cost a fair bit as an aftermarket sheet, and this is a great package all in one. Recommended.

 

[edit] Some useful tips on building this kit from member Skodadriver here. [/edit]

 

 

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

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[Dave Swindell]

1 hour ago, Viking said:

As far as I know only the previous Gulf Air/British Airways boxing has featured the Rolls-Royce engines

The Gulf Traveller/SAS boxing included the RR211's even though neither option used the engine.

[Daniel Jones]

This is really helpful thanks, I wanted to use this model with the GE/PW engines and up until now I wasn't sure if the model contained them aswell as the RR ones.

 

Thanks.