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1/144 McDonnell Douglas DC-10, Airfix


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After a hiatus of a few weeks, I’ve decided to give modelling a go again, this time with a civil airliner.

 

I got this DC-10 on eBay for a bargain £20, not realising the price reflected the fact it has been started. However, it’s not too bad, with just the bulkheads glued in and one engine pod built, so I’m going to plough on. Oh and the windscreen is snapped in two. 

 

75-D63-E0-F-EF93-4-AAB-86-B0-AD37-D431-A
 

51-C16850-216-D-4-B5-A-91-DE-AED77327-B0
 

4-D5-D3-F4-C-B30-B-4460-85-E4-945-B794-D


I actually really like the American Airlines scheme, that all over silver looks pretty cool. 
 

178-C184-D-279-D-4-D56-9-D72-80-B55-F88-

 

How is one supposed to deal with the decal covering all of the passenger windows though!? I can’t apply it before I fit the body together as it’ll be a nightmare to paint without ruining the decal, but if I add it at the end, I won’t be able to poke any window holes through. How do people do this? 
 

Or is it better to find some window decals and don’t bother with the transparent parts except to fill the fuselage holes in? Can anyone help?

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2 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

How is one supposed to deal with the decal covering all of the passenger windows though!?

IMO, the easiest way would be to mask and paint.

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Great to see a WIP on the Airfix DC-10...

I would fill in the window holes ( putty and sanding it smooth),then after building and painting the model apply the preferred decals and use window decals.

 

One word of advice,if you want it to correct.

The window holes on the Airfix kit sit too low,I guess about 2mm.

Maybe a fellow airliner modeller can confirm it more exactly ?

That would also mean to place the Stripes a bit higher up (the windows are sitting in the blue stripe and have silver frames,if you just punch through the decals,you end up with "black holes")

 

Authentic airliners are offering great 3D windows for almost every type,and they look very realistic.

Here the link for it

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.authentic-airliner-decals.de/epages/17895661.mobile/de_DE/%3FObjectPath%3D/Shops/17895661/Categories%26Locale%3Dde_DE&ved=2ahUKEwisxKOYn5T3AhVKDOwKHQ26DrIQFnoECAcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1_UMxXIO7jznJ0yGKIhIJ7

 

 

Edited by Alex1978
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I have a few airliner kits and I plan on using Humbrol Maskol on the windows before they're glued into the inside of the fuselage that way I should be able to paint etc and decal and remove the maskol afterwards with tweezers. I think that should work but I have not tried it yet so I don't know but that's my plan.

Edited by Deano353
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13 hours ago, Alex1978 said:

 

The window holes on the Airfix kit sit too low,I guess about 2mm.

Maybe a fellow airliner modeller can confirm it more exactly ?

 

 

 

The window row is indeed too low.

This is the kit :

http://weeklyscalemodel.blogspot.com/2009/04/1144-mcdonnell-douglas-dc-10-30-airfix.html

 

You may compare it with real airplanes which sport a cheat line :

https://www.airlineratings.com/news/magnificent-new-images-classic-dc-10/

 

 

Here, one that has been worked on :

https://www.airlinercafe.com/photo_11504.details



 

Edited by AV O
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Thanks for all the replies and helpful advice chaps. To be honest I don’t think I have the skill to try any Klear or anything like that, I’ve certainly not done that before.

 

Looks like I’ll fit the kit windows then smooth them over and paint over them before adding the cheat line decal, then try and get some passenger window decals over the top of that. Hopefully that’ll do it! I can apply it all a bit higher up then too.

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I’ve glued the windows in place. I found a set of DC-10 window decals online. They’re actually for a BA aircraft but should be good enough! The Authentic Airliner ones do look superb but as they’re posted from the EU I wasn’t sure how much tax would get added so I found these eBay ones instead.

 

37972-B02-DB43-405-D-B57-E-60-F79-CF1-DC
 

It needs nose weight, though the instructions don’t say how much!
 

I’ve painted the fans too. 
 

EDE0777-A-DE2-E-485-B-A5-A5-CA9114-BD481

 

 

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2 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

I’ve glued the windows in place. I found a set of DC-10 window decals online. They’re actually for a BA aircraft but should be good enough! The Authentic Airliner ones do look superb but as they’re posted from the EU I wasn’t sure how much tax would get added so I found these eBay ones instead.

 

37972-B02-DB43-405-D-B57-E-60-F79-CF1-DC
 

It needs nose weight, though the instructions don’t say how much!
 

I’ve painted the fans too. 
 

EDE0777-A-DE2-E-485-B-A5-A5-CA9114-BD481

 

I would add 10-15 grams of weight to the nose.That should do normally.Its always safer to add more than less.

The DC-10 window layout is more or less the same on each aircraft.Give or take one or two blanked out windows.I would check reference pictures as a guide of the aircraft you plan to build.

Another thing maybe worth noting are the attach points on the wing for the engines.

There is a step on each wing for the engines were they are glued on.I would sand these almost flush with the wing,otherwise the engines are sitting too low and tend to touch the ground.

 

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Pretty sure that will be enough weight, could almost say it's screwed up, ba-dum. Whether you use window decals or the kit ones is up to you. I was skeptical at first but after seeing the decals in person, the window decals sold me. I've yet to get an airliner done though.

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The fuselage went together surprisingly well for a kit produced in 1980! I’ll need to sand the join lines, but there are no gaps and it all aligns well.

 

25-D1039-E-EA31-4995-9-BD1-04-C90-B1-B60

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I'm looking forward to seeing this!

 

I really do like the DC-10 in AA livery.

 

Are you going to build it with the landing gear down?

 

I don't know if anyone else has pointed out to you, the center main landing gear is in the wrong place if you use the locating holes as a guide.

 

If you're building it gear up, I'd be interested in having those parts!  I bought the Airfix kit from ebay to do in British Airways livery, but the kit was missing all of the landing gear parts!

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@neilg thanks for the info about the landing gear, I’ll have a look at some photos and see where it should be! Hopefully not to far so it’s not a major job.

 

I’m building it gear down, but if you’re doing yours as British Airways I will have the BA livery decals spare apart from the cabin windows if you want them? I bought that decal set on eBay just for the windows!

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35 minutes ago, Lord Riot said:

@neilg thanks for the info about the landing gear, I’ll have a look at some photos and see where it should be! Hopefully not to far so it’s not a major job.

 

I’m building it gear down, but if you’re doing yours as British Airways I will have the BA livery decals spare apart from the cabin windows if you want them? I bought that decal set on eBay just for the windows!

 

It is an easy fix - the CLG should be in line with the rear wheels of the left and right MLG.

 

The CLG is also slightly angled forward.

 

The correct attachment point is at the rear of the CLG recess. The model's location holes are in the middle of the recess.

 

If you install the left and right MLG, and NLG (wait for them to set), you can then install the CLG without the strut and let it sit on its wheels - the CLG will then be pushed forward to the correct angle, ensuring all wheels are in contact with the ground.  When it's all set at the correct angle, you can then install the strut.  I can't remember if I needed to trim it.

 

The CLG has four doors - the rear two are open when the landing gear is down, and the forward two are closed.  The kit supplies two long doors, which need to be cut in two.

 

Here's an upside-down view after I modified the CLG:

 

IMG_1429

 

I'll have a look at what decals I've got.  I've stopped my British Airways build when I discovered the missing my landing gears.

 

I don't want to have to buy another kit just to use as a donor for the landing gear, but I'm still looking to see if I can source any parts from anywhere.

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Superb, thanks Neil! I didn’t know about cutting the doors either, thanks for the info!
 

I’ve now sanded the fuselage, including reducing most of the raised panel lines, then applied a small amount of liquid putty along the join. Once it’s dry I’ll give that another good sanding, hopefully eliminate any join line.

 

212-F39-E2-E77-C-440-B-8-A20-171-CFAA535

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Hopefully that’s the join line eradicated. They’re always so obvious on airliner kits!
 

Wings masked and fitted too. Again, a surprisingly nice fit, hardly any gap at all. I’m going to spray the grey around the wing root areas next, then mask that and spray all the silver.

 

964-EBF51-BFD9-43-FB-8-A17-3-F1-D303293-

 

 

 

 

 

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Masking done over the grey wing roots. It’s quite fiddly cutting the tape so it’s curved but this is about as good as I can get it. 
 

2-C89-DE33-0-CD0-4853-BDA2-5943-FDD0-E83

 

I dabbed liquid putty over each window so I can smooth it over later to stop the recesses showing through the decals.

 

D94-EBE84-1-FC9-4-D81-BCF5-BB2693-C21-A6

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Ready for the main coat of spray. 
 

2-C54-D1-C8-E327-429-D-A527-2-A0-FD4-A0-

 

Silver jet …

 

B0239988-8-BD2-4179-9-F2-C-2-DC6-FF1454-
 

E81999-A6-2975-4-B4-D-B715-EA229-E9450-B

 

I think it should definitely look better once I’ve added more detail and the cheat line decals are on.

 

 

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I’m quite pleased with the wings after removing the masking tape. The grey probably isn’t 100% accurate but it’s close enough for me and there’s been no seepage. There is still a very faint join line along the fuselage top but it is pretty faint and barely noticeable. I gave it a second coat of silver spray and the joins are reasonably well hidden.

 

A7496249-325-F-46-A2-9-BD7-06-AC89-A135-
 

I just need to touch up underneath along the wing roots.

 

Does anyone know what colour the wheel wells should be?
 

4-EDC3730-5-EA8-4-EC7-9-CBE-C6147-F0-C6-

 

 

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Looks good,the grey as well.

For the wheel wells,if they are non-detailed as here,I usually use a "dust grey" or "neutral grey" that are a bit darker than the surrounding area.

After the model sits on its landing gear,thete is not much to see of it anyway.

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