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SATA (Azores) Airbus A310-300 in 1/144 - improving the Revell kit


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My latest creation is a modified Revell A310 finished as SATA’s CS-TKN “Macronesia” circa 2015. SATA was the last European airline to operate the A310 in passenger service with sister aircraft CS-TGV making the final flight in October 2018. (For anyone interested there are a couple of good YouTube videos showing Golf Victor doing a low-level beat up of Ponto Delgada airport).

 

The deficiencies of the 35 year old Revell kit are well known but with aftermarket parts and a bit of creative imagination it can be turned into a decent model. (Note that I said “decent”, not 100% accurate). The newer Eastern Express kit is ridiculously over-priced and omits some detail which Revell got right. Anyone who wants the perfect A310 will have to look to Authentic Airliners.

 

I replaced the Revell cockpit and nose with the BraZ resin part. This is cast in two halves which makes fitting much easier since solid resin plugs are rarely the same diameter as the fuselage they’re meant to fit.

 

Revell have made the fairings at the base of the fin far too big and boxy. It is possible to sand down and re-shape them as @Viking showed with his beautiful Lufthansa model but I opted to replace the whole fin with one from a Revell A330 which is earmarked for conversion to a -200. While I had the A330 to hand I used it as a pattern to improve the sealing plates for the stabilisers which are like nothing that Airbus ever produced. I also removed the tail bumper and filled the many sink marks on the wings and stabs before re-scribing the detail.

 

The engines are BraZ PW4000s. These were a little disappointing with the front sections larger than the nacelles which in turn had a slight “pincushion” shape. Milliput and determination got me there in the end and they will have to suffice unless and until Sergey Druz turns his attention to the A310!

 

I used the Extra Tech p/e set to add a bit of bling mainly around the undercarriage.

 

Paint is Halfords Appliance Gloss White and Holts HL Grey 01 with Tamiya and Revell metallics.

 

The original plan was to finish the model in Tarom livery as part of my European flag carriers project but accuracy issues with the Nazca decals led to a last minute change of plan. The SATA decals are by Two Six and are excellent. I was a little concerned about how the tail decal would fit the A330 fin but it worked well with only minimal touching up (Revell Aqua 54 plus a little white). I added an Authentic Airliners windscreen, Flightpath coroguard and a few detail decals from the spares box.

 

Although it was spread over nearly two years this was an enjoyable project and I have tentative plans to do a second A310 with GE engines. I just need to find another Revell A330 fin!

 

Thanks for looking and constructive criticism is always welcome.

 

Dave G

 

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51695267336_33aeecb7fa_b.jpg

 

51695545103_20dfd42982_b.jpg

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Crikey Dave, that's a real beauty! What a really attractive livery as well, finished to your usual high standards. Those engines have come out well, and the Braz nose makes it look right on the money. I have to agree with you about the cost of the Eastern Express kit, what a shame that they are ridiculous prices. They do plenty that I would like to build, but I just can't justify shelling out for them.  I see that the Tridents are £60+, I'd love to build one but figure I'll get more pleasure out of fettling some of my ancient Airfix ones, warts and all!

 

Cheers

 

John

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  • Skodadriver changed the title to SATA (Azores) Airbus A310-300 in 1/144 - improving the Revell kit

Thanks for the likes and supportive comments everyone - much appreciated :)

 

On 11/21/2021 at 11:06 PM, Viking said:

Crikey Dave, that's a real beauty! What a really attractive livery as well, finished to your usual high standards. Those engines have come out well, and the Braz nose makes it look right on the money. I have to agree with you about the cost of the Eastern Express kit, what a shame that they are ridiculous prices. They do plenty that I would like to build, but I just can't justify shelling out for them.  I see that the Tridents are £60+, I'd love to build one but figure I'll get more pleasure out of fettling some of my ancient Airfix ones, warts and all!

 

Cheers

 

John

 

Thanks John. I don't understand EE's pricing policy. If you really, really want their products you can buy from a Russian seller like PAS but you need to do it in bulk to make the postage costs viable. I've always had a jaundiced view of EE dating back to an early encounter with their A318 which is one of the worst airliner kits ever inflicted on the modelling community and a blatant rip-off of Revell parts. I have several Airfix Tridents and BAC 1-11s, a few more Revell A310s and some F-RSIN Viscounts in the stash so I won't be buying anything by EE for the foreseeable future. 

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Wow - with the right background shot you would be convinced this one is actually real ...................

 

Excellent model with superb finish, Dave

 

Regards

 

Dave

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Superb A310.

The SATA livery is very attractive and I too had plans to do one in these colors.

I saw both of them at the same time on our local airport Basel-Mulhouse (BSL-MLH) I guess back in 2017.

 

Sad that the A310s are almost completly gone from airline service,I always had a soft spot for it.

The Revell kit still holds up well when given some care and time as you had proven.

 

Thanks for sharing.

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11 hours ago, Alex1978 said:

Superb A310.

The SATA livery is very attractive and I too had plans to do one in these colors.

I saw both of them at the same time on our local airport Basel-Mulhouse (BSL-MLH) I guess back in 2017.

 

Sad that the A310s are almost completly gone from airline service,I always had a soft spot for it.

The Revell kit still holds up well when given some care and time as you had proven.

 

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Alex. Unfortunately I never saw the real aircraft but I agree it's a lovely livery, by far the most attractive of the various schemes carried by SATA's A310s. I think there is still a handful of passenger A310s in Iran and there might be one in Afghanistan if Ariana Afghan is still functioning but otherwise, as you say, they have gone from airline service.

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15 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

Thanks Alex. Unfortunately I never saw the real aircraft but I agree it's a lovely livery, by far the most attractive of the various schemes carried by SATA's A310s. I think there is still a handful of passenger A310s in Iran and there might be one in Afghanistan if Ariana Afghan is still functioning but otherwise, as you say, they have gone from airline service.

I completely forgot...

You mentioned you might need another A330 fin for your next A310 build.

As I have plans for an LTU A330-200 I should have one left.I bought some BRAZ replacements for the -200 conversion some time ago 

PM me your adress and I will send it to you when I get around starting the A330.

My builds are partly stalled a bit because my boy cat is seriously ill 😥and I have to give him my full attention 

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On 11/24/2021 at 1:29 PM, Alex1978 said:

I completely forgot...

You mentioned you might need another A330 fin for your next A310 build.

As I have plans for an LTU A330-200 I should have one left.I bought some BRAZ replacements for the -200 conversion some time ago 

PM me your adress and I will send it to you when I get around starting the A330.

My builds are partly stalled a bit because my boy cat is seriously ill 😥and I have to give him my full attention 

Thanks Alex that's very generous. I'll pm you shortly.

 

Hope things turn out well with the cat.

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On 21/11/2021 at 19:11, Skodadriver said:

My latest creation is a modified Revell A310 finished as SATA’s CS-TKN “Macronesia” circa 2015. SATA was the last European airline to operate the A310 in passenger service with sister aircraft CS-TGV making the final flight in October 2018. (For anyone interested there are a couple of good YouTube videos showing Golf Victor doing a low-level beat up of Ponto Delgada airport).

 

The deficiencies of the 35 year old Revell kit are well known but with aftermarket parts and a bit of creative imagination it can be turned into a decent model. (Note that I said “decent”, not 100% accurate). The newer Eastern Express kit is ridiculously over-priced and omits some detail which Revell got right. Anyone who wants the perfect A310 will have to look to Authentic Airliners.

 

I replaced the Revell cockpit and nose with the BraZ resin part. This is cast in two halves which makes fitting much easier since solid resin plugs are rarely the same diameter as the fuselage they’re meant to fit.

 

Revell have made the fairings at the base of the fin far too big and boxy. It is possible to sand down and re-shape them as @Viking showed with his beautiful Lufthansa model but I opted to replace the whole fin with one from a Revell A330 which is earmarked for conversion to a -200. While I had the A330 to hand I used it as a pattern to improve the sealing plates for the stabilisers which are like nothing that Airbus ever produced. I also removed the tail bumper and filled the many sink marks on the wings and stabs before re-scribing the detail.

 

The engines are BraZ PW4000s. These were a little disappointing with the front sections larger than the nacelles which in turn had a slight “pincushion” shape. Milliput and determination got me there in the end and they will have to suffice unless and until Sergey Druz turns his attention to the A310!

 

I used the Extra Tech p/e set to add a bit of bling mainly around the undercarriage.

 

Paint is Halfords Appliance Gloss White and Holts HL Grey 01 with Tamiya and Revell metallics.

 

The original plan was to finish the model in Tarom livery as part of my European flag carriers project but accuracy issues with the Nazca decals led to a last minute change of plan. The SATA decals are by Two Six and are excellent. I was a little concerned about how the tail decal would fit the A330 fin but it worked well with only minimal touching up (Revell Aqua 54 plus a little white). I added an Authentic Airliners windscreen, Flightpath coroguard and a few detail decals from the spares box.

 

Although it was spread over nearly two years this was an enjoyable project and I have tentative plans to do a second A310 with GE engines. I just need to find another Revell A330 fin!

 

Thanks for looking and constructive criticism is always welcome.

 

Dave G

 

51694477037_0629bb94bd_b.jpg

 

51695267841_07b3cd9db9_b.jpg

 

51695267336_33aeecb7fa_b.jpg

 

51695545103_20dfd42982_b.jpg

Fantastic outcome. With all the additional parts you have really nailed it👍👍

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1 hour ago, Einar said:

Fantastic outcome. With all the additional parts you have really nailed it👍👍

Thanks Einar. We discussed the upward slope of the rear cabin windows a couple of weeks ago. It's even more noticeable on the A310 than the A300, probably because of the shorter fuselage ;)

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1 hour ago, Skodadriver said:

Thanks Einar. We discussed the upward slope of the rear cabin windows a couple of weeks ago. It's even more noticeable on the A310 than the A300, probably because of the shorter fuselage ;)

Now that you mentioned the slope, yes it's clearly noticeable!

 

Cheers 

 

Einar

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Very well done, Dave...as usual! Good to see a beautiful A310 done really really well. And 2 years to complete?? I've read your comments saying that you are a slow builder...I am too...so I fully understand the process of taking one's time to mull things over, study well, and implement accuracy. You've done very very well here. Love that you spent some extra time and patience with the undercarriage...so often overlooked or hurried. Congratulations on a beautiful build. WOW!  :worthy:

 

Cheers!
Paul

Edited by Challenger350Pilot
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4 hours ago, Challenger350Pilot said:

Very well done, Dave...as usual! Good to see a beautiful A310 done really really well. And 2 years to complete?? I've read your comments saying that you are a slow builder...I am too...so I fully understand the process of taking one's time to mull things over, study well, and implement accuracy. You've done very very well here. Love that you spent some extra time and patience with the undercarriage...so often overlooked or hurried. Congratulations on a beautiful build. WOW!  :worthy:

 

Cheers!
Paul

Thanks very much Paul. I do tend to be a slow builder but even so the A310 took longer than it should have. I mentioned in another thread that I suffered a complete mojo failure earlier in the year and came within inches of quitting the hobby completely. As part of the "recovery" process I binned a whole load of half-finished or otherwise stalled models and more-or-less wiped the slate clean. The A310 was one of only three models to survive the cull and actually finishing it has been very satisfying. The interest and support of fellow Britmodeller members has been invaluable and greatly appreciated.

 

Dave 

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