Back in the Saddle Posted November 7, 2021 Author Share Posted November 7, 2021 On 03/11/2021 at 19:34, keefr22 said: Enjoy! And no I'm not envious, no not at all....!! Thanks Keith! On 05/11/2021 at 22:57, Abandoned Project said: Indeed! Glad to hear that you will be living up to your membership name. Watching with interest. Just out of curiosity, does this mean that there will be another "Aircraft I've flown" build featuring a 787 next year? Thanks AP.👍 Getting back in the saddle has a new meaning! I think the "Aircraft I've Flown" series has a few more episodes to run...! 17 hours ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said: Just catching up on this one Matt, very nice progress. Thank you Ray. It's been a quiet build recently, but I did get the wings glued together last week before heading to work! No real surprises; they now need to wait for the usual sanding/filling/priming routine - that might take a while...! 13 hours ago, JoshuaM said: Looking good. Seeing your builds is a great inspiration. Thanks Joshua, glad you like it. 👍 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted November 8, 2021 Share Posted November 8, 2021 11 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said: I think the "Aircraft I've Flown" series has a few more episodes to run...! And all in "what-if" Utopia schemes I hope? You're so good to us with those wonderful tails! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted December 22, 2021 Author Share Posted December 22, 2021 It’s all been a bit quiet on the model front recently, due to the aforementioned 787 type rating (which itself was slightly delayed as I caught COVID and had 10 days away from work). However, I had my first flight yesterday and as @Alan P said, the aircraft is an absolute dream to fly. I have three more training flights scheduled for this month and six more in January. After these the course will be complete and I should be able to get back into this hobby again and resume my builds! On 08/11/2021 at 12:26, Abandoned Project said: And all in "what-if" Utopia schemes I hope? You're so good to us with those wonderful tails! Sadly not - if it’s an aircraft I actually flew then I will be keeping it authentic. I will save the ‘what if’ Utopia schemes for other kits, such as the 747-8 and A380’s. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Things are slightly less busy at work now, with just a couple more training flights still to go before getting signed off on my new aircraft. That means I have had some bench time again - something which has been noticeably absent for a few weeks! The two fuselages have been filled and sanded, revealing a some more blemishes requiring attention. I will attend to these, then once the weather warms up a coat of white primer will be applied. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 On 11/1/2021 at 9:46 AM, Back in the Saddle said: Progress on this project will slow down a bit now, as I'm back to work tomorrow morning after 18 months away from from the flight deck - getting a new type rating will take priority! A belated congrats to you! I was hoping you’d get back in the saddle! Great airframe too, several guys I served with fly the 787. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 Hi Matt Only just caught up with the thread. Great news that you’ve finished your CRS escape tunnel. Welcome back! Cheers Glen 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 9 hours ago, Scooby said: A belated congrats to you! Thanks Scooby! 5 minutes ago, Glen said: Great news that you’ve finished your CRS escape tunnel. Welcome back! Cheers Glen👍 Type rating arrived in the post today and my final check is at the weekend. It’s good to be back! I might even get some modelling done again soon…😁 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Excellent news re the Type rating Matt, congrats! Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Congratulations to your type rating Matt.👍🍾 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eng Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Been watching your progress on this build after your superb 747. I've got one in the stash and have a real soft spot for the 767, and more so the 757, was gutted when BA got rid of these two types, both incredible aircraft. I worked on a lot of them during my apprenticeship back when they were still being delivered, I fondly recall doing the first fuel filter changes on NWZ prior to its inaugural pax flight, it still had that new plane smell! I was lucky enough to get back home to Glasgow, but still got occasional ramp call-out to 767's when they were used on the Shuttle. A steady stream of A319's, 20's and 21's isn't quite the same as the Boeing Beauties. Cant wait to see your finished build. Congrats on your new type rating too. Eng 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted February 24, 2022 Author Share Posted February 24, 2022 On 23/01/2022 at 21:21, eng said: Been watching your progress on this build after your superb 747. I've got one in the stash and have a real soft spot for the 767, and more so the 757, was gutted when BA got rid of these two types, both incredible aircraft. Thanks Eng, much appreciated👍. BTW, sorry for the late reply but I never received a notification about your post and life has kept me away from this thread recently! These kits are OK, but do need some work to make decent models... I have the new Zvezda 757 in my stash, so you can probably guess what will make an appearance once these two are complete! On 23/01/2022 at 21:21, eng said: I was lucky enough to get back home to Glasgow, but still got occasional ramp call-out to 767's when they were used on the Shuttle. A steady stream of A319's, 20's and 21's isn't quite the same as the Boeing Beauties. I know exactly what you mean. I've lived in Scotland for over a decade and did quite a few Shuttle flights on the 757 and 767 back in the day. The wings are now pretty much done, with just a little bit more filling and sanding needed on the leading edges to get them completely smooth before applying Alclad: A reasonable amount of detail too on the surfaces for an OOB build.👍 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted February 26, 2022 Author Share Posted February 26, 2022 The wing leading edges were filled and sanded and now await another coat of primer: The other wings and engines are for my 727 decal project and will essentially be test beds for some other Utopia designs I'm working on - @Abandoned Project should approve of this! 😁 I've turned my attention back to the fuselages, looking for areas needing more attention. The only areas were around the windscreens, where the fit was not perfect: Some ppp soon fixed this: Once sanded back I'm confident the fuselages will be ready for their final coat of primer - white this time to hide the yellow! Time to start on the tailplanes. Here are the sprues: Note the damaged main gear bogie (next to the red dot) which I mentioned months ago! The parts were cut out: Again, good surface detail and nice, crisp elevator trailing edges. The joint line for the components is sensibly located at the leading edge of the elevators, making a tidier finish.👍 The parts glued together easily and a dry fit looks promising: I just need some dry weather again for painting - a constant lament at this time of year! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 1 hour ago, Back in the Saddle said: will essentially be test beds for some other Utopia designs I'm working on - @Abandoned Project should approve of this! 😁 Indeed I do! and eagerly anticipating the results. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 A few small updates to show that I'm still working on these models...! 😁 The wing leading edges were primed and the slats re-scribed to reinstate the details: The slats will get a coat of Alclad, then the rest of the wing will be sprayed grey. The nose sections now look much better: A coat of white primer is the next stage for these two sections. My attention has now turned to the engines. Here's a slightly blurry sprue shot: The extra fans on the right are for a couple of 747-436's I am hoping to start soon - I need to finish a few other models first! All the fans received a blast of white primer, then I tried using liquid mask to replicate the swirls on the spinners: I will spray these black and see how they look.👍 If it doesn't work, the new Revell kit has decals for these - numbered 44 near the middle: Experience has shown these can be a bit hit or miss, hence trying the painted option this time. For completeness, here's a closer look at the V1 decals for the other model: Hopefully some warm weather will enable progress to continue! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 My airbrush had its first outing this year and I sprayed the aluminium onto the leading edges of the wings and tailplanes: Rain is forecast in Scotland all week 😔 but as soon as the weather improves I will get the grey applied. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted May 17, 2022 Author Share Posted May 17, 2022 The wings have not progressed at all(!), but I made a start on the undercarriage instead.🙂 Here are the components, which are all nicely moulded: As mentioned earlier, one of the boogies was broken. A quick look in my spares box soon found a suitable piece of plastic for the repair, stolen from an A380 undercarriage strut (marked in orange below): This piece was trimmed, drilled and glued into position: Much narrower than the other boogie, but a good starting point.👍 Bit more tweaking will be needed to match the other side. I also noticed a broken axle on the nose gear, which was repaired using a paperclip: These pieces will hopefully come together easily to form the undercarriage - a job for another day. I have also finished painting the fuselages. The white was obviously done first: This was then masked: And the blue applied, using a rattle can of Fiat's 'Capri Blue': They're starting to look like a pair of BA 767's! 🥳 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Very nice to see some more progress on those 767s. I wanted to start on my "Chelsea Rose" soon,but the bench is too crowded with other unfinished,i.e. part started kits...😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FortyEighter Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 Hi Matt, Somehow I've missed this thread up to now but it looks to have your usual amount of useful detail on the build. For some reason I can't see the photos on my tablet but have just found that they are there when viewed on the laptop, so will re-read before leaving any comments. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted May 21, 2022 Author Share Posted May 21, 2022 On 17/05/2022 at 21:34, Alex1978 said: Very nice to see some more progress on those 767s. I wanted to start on my "Chelsea Rose" soon,but the bench is too crowded with other unfinished,i.e. part started kits...😊 Thanks Alex. I know what you mean...! 😁 On 18/05/2022 at 06:55, FortyEighter said: Somehow I've missed this thread up to now but it looks to have your usual amount of useful detail on the build. For some reason I can't see the photos on my tablet but have just found that they are there when viewed on the laptop, so will re-read before leaving any comments. Cheers Mike, thanks for the kind comment. Hopefully the images will reappear soon! Just a tiny update today, as I've had a minor issue with the nose gear decals. I assumed they included the background blue colour, which is why I didn't paint the nose gear doors. I should have checked first, as the decal background is transparent: Out with Photoshop again, to add the blue to the doors! I also changed the registration letters to "G-BNWR", as this aircraft also had the 'Chelsea Rose' tail and I have flown WR many more times than WB: I might get some decals applied over the weekend if I get some spare time.🤞 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 On 5/17/2022 at 8:12 PM, Back in the Saddle said: And the blue applied, using a rattle can of Fiat's 'Capri Blue': That blue looks a pretty good match Matt, nice one! I'm curious as to what sort of printer you have for the decals. I may have missed that earlier, but you are intending to print white? I certainly couldn't do that on my inkjet! Cheers Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timo Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 Hi Matt Great to see you've resumed this build - your 767s are looking excellent. Does this resurgence in activity mean you're now fully rated on the Dreamliner? If so, well done - must be a great aircraft to fly. Cheers Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted May 25, 2022 Author Share Posted May 25, 2022 On 21/05/2022 at 11:55, Terry1954 said: That blue looks a pretty good match Matt, nice one! I'm curious as to what sort of printer you have for the decals. I may have missed that earlier, but you are intending to print white? I certainly couldn't do that on my inkjet! Thanks Terry. Capri blue is an excellent match for the current BA blue - I certainly can't see any difference between them! 🙂 My printer is a standard inkjet, so I cannot print white (unlike the professional guys!). My workaround for this is print onto transparent decal paper then apply the decals to an area which is painted white, so the white shows through: On the above decal sheet, I have tried to match the BA blue, but there is no ink on the white 'NWR' section of the nose gear doors. The gear doors below are still white, ready for this decal: On 21/05/2022 at 12:13, Timo said: Great to see you've resumed this build - your 767s are looking excellent. Does this resurgence in activity mean you're now fully rated on the Dreamliner? If so, well done - must be a great aircraft to fly. Cheers Tim.👍 Yep, fully type rated on the 787, so more time for hobbies again! Having said that, I've not done much with these for a week due to other projects getting priority... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted June 3, 2022 Author Share Posted June 3, 2022 I was hoping to have made a bit more progress on this one, but life (and work!) keeps getting in the way... I have amended the nose gear door decals, changing the registration letters, correcting the colours and adding the 'ETOPS' legend: However, I'm not convinced they are good enough to use - they look a bit jagged to me and may need to be re-designed at a higher resolution to smooth things out. The other decals are for my 727 project, which is nearing completion. I have started to apply the "Chelsea Rose" fin decals but never took a photo, so will include that on the next update! Whilst comparing the decals for the two models, I noticed that the Revell one had the 'British Airways' titles slightly oversized. Here's a comparison, with the actual aircraft at the top of the picture, the V1 decals in the middle (with correctly sized BA titles) and the Revell decals overlaid at the bottom, showing the size difference: As both manufacturers have also made an error with the window layout, adding windows which did not exist on the real aircraft, I will need to reprint these too. I will correct the BA titles and add those to the next sheet I print. It's only small details, but I want to try to make the model look accurate! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted June 8, 2022 Author Share Posted June 8, 2022 No progress on amending the incorrect decals yet (or anything else for that matter!), as I've been busy at work... However, I have found a couple of pictures though which illustrate some of the things mentioned above. Firstly, a very rough fit showing the nose gear door decals applied to the white gear doors: This was just a trial fit, to see how they look and have subsequently been removed. The blue needs to be darker, along with a few other textual amendments to the layout - more on that another time. Also a quick peek at the "Chelsea Rose" tail fin decal. It was very thick and I feared the worst, but the application was actually very good and it conformed well to the panel lines (it still needs a trim at the top!): Hopefully more progress soon! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted June 10, 2022 Author Share Posted June 10, 2022 I'm a little out of sequence with the update today, as I'm going to step back to a few days earlier in the build before the fin decals were applied... Revell supply a silver panel for the front of the tail fin, to replicate the anti-icing surface (decal 54 on the sheet below - far left): This has to be applied first, as the main fin decal abuts to this one: This decal is very oversized, as you can see if I flip the model over - trimming required! In this shot you can also see the silver anti-icing panel on the leading edge more clearly. The fuselage decal is applied next, and again, it is important to apply these decals in the correct sequence. The fuselage decal overlaps the fin decal at the rear, adding the navy blue triangle to the base of the rudder: Out of (possible!) interest, I was looking through my material from the BA archives regarding this livery and came across an image showing how the design would have evolved: Very similar, but zoomed in a bit more, so the fuselage has more of the design upon it. I'm not sure if this version was ever applied to an aircraft, or if the livery was discontinued before this happened - I'll have to do some digging to find out... Finally a quick check before the decals dry, to ensure they are symmetrical. You can also see how thick they are: The 727 is in a fictitious BA 'Utopia' livery from the same era, another little project I'm working on at the moment! The 'Sweden' decals will be applied to the sister ship next.👍 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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