Authentic Airliners 1:144 Lockheed L-1011 Air Atlanta

[Malair]

My latest build is one that has been on my wish list for a long time: the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar. As some of you may know, I am a big fan of Tri-jets and have built the Trident, Yak 40, Yak 42, Boeing 727, Tu-154M, DC-10 and MD-11. So basically all of them with the exception of the L-1011. My KLM DC-10 took almost 70 hours to complete (because of all the metal colours) and as with the DC-10, most liveries for the L-1011 have metallic undersides and engines and I didn't feel like spending another 70 hours on this kit. Thus, I went looking for a relatively easy livery. And luckily I found one: The Air Atlanta livery (specifically TF-ABV) which has a completely white fuselage and engines. Boring? Maybe, but nice looking white isn't ugly and besides, the wings were challenging enough, since the flaps are metallic, with difficult shapes.

 

The L-1011 project was launched in March 1968 (first flight in November 1970) and set a new standard in technology and safety for wide-body jetliners. The L-1011 was Lockheed's only commercial jetliner and its design was based on an American Airlines request for a large-capacity, medium-range aircraft. It also became Lockheed's last civil aviation aircraft. The success of the aircraft was hampered by high inflation at the time, but especially by competition from the Douglas DC-10. In addition, the bankruptcy of manufacturer Rolls-Royce with the only engine option (the RB-12) was a major blow. A cash injection from the British and American governments eventually saved Roll-Royce and with it the L-1011, but the damage was already done. Only 250 aircraft were built (against more than 440 of the DC-10, which also wasn’t great for Douglas). However, the L-1011 was certainly a technically advanced, safe and perfectly capable aircraft.

 

The kit is once again from Authentic Airliners. Injection molded kits are also available, but as with the DC-10, the Authentic Airliners kit is by far the most accurate.

 

Decals are from 26decals and the cockpit and window decals from Authentic Airliner decals. I also used Nazca for the Corroguard as well as some details.

 

I used Tamiya TS-26 for the white parts and MRP Boeing Grey for the grey parts. For the slats and flaps I used Allclad Airframe Aluminum with a mist of Inspire Chrome to give it a bit more shine. The exhaust were airbrushed using semi-polished aluminum.

 

Anyway, enough talk. On with the pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one quick final picture with the Lockheed L-14 from F-RSIN also in 1:144. Hard to believe that only 33 years sit between these two aircraft!

 

 

And with that, my Tri-jet journey is finally over!

 

As for my future projects: I'm currently working on the SE.2010 Armagnac as well as the Antonov-140, but my next wide-body build is going to be the A340-600 in Star Alliance (Lufthansa) colours, also from Authentic Airliners.

 

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

 

~Martijn~

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Malair

[michael301757]

Thats a really sharp clean looking build, nice job well done.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

[Lord Riot]

Excellent! Very neat looking TriStar that.

[Skodadriver]

Wonderful model Martijn, thanks for sharing. Your weathering is excellent and I like the look of the Nazca corroguard.

 

The Tristar was an impressive machine. The last one I saw flying belonged to Air Atlanta and was operating for a British charter airline called Peach Air. I think that was around 1997. Happy memories!

 

Dave G 

[Malair]

Thanks for the nice words!

 

8 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

The last one I saw flying belonged to Air Atlanta and was operating for a British charter airline called Peach Air. I think that was around 1997. Happy memories!

 

I can't remember ever seeing a Tristar in real life, but I vividly remember seeing the DC-10. Of course KLM and Martinair both flew with the DC-10 so it makes sense to see them more often on Schiphol.

[Skymonster]

Best looking trijet ever, and a beautiful build.

 

By the way though, the engine is the RB211 (not the RB12).

[ScaleModeller_54]

a Beautiful looking TriStar , you have done a fantastic Job

[Challenger350Pilot]

Beautifully done, Martijn! Really really like this one! You’ve done such a great job making a very simple livery look absolutely stunning. Your weathering is spot on, too. The AA models are in a class all by them selves, for sure, requiring special skills to finish them well; and you have set a very high bar! 
 

I think the L-1011 was one of the most stately, impressive airliners from the jet age. She was indeed safe , efficient, and very fast. I have many hours riding in the back enjoying trips in these beauties, and even got to fly the simulator at Delta Air Lines a couple of times. My mentor in aviation as I was growing up retired from Delta, and served as the program manager for the L-1011. Next to the B727, the L -1011 was his favorite airplane from the fleet he flew during his 33 years at Delta. Great model! Thanks for sharing! Masterful job! 

[Andy Young]

Very nice Martijn! You’ve really captured the essence of the Tristar and done a fantastic job with the paint scheme. The wings look really good. AA is definitely the way to go - my Gulf Air Tristar with the Airfix kit has spent way too long on the shelf of doom! Many thanks for sharing your pictures - that’s a model to be very proud of.

 

Cheers, Andy

[Malair]

Many thanks for all your nice words! Very much appreciated!

 

9 hours ago, Skymonster said:

By the way though, the engine is the RB211 (not the RB12).

You are, of course, completely right! That should have been the RB211.

 

1 hour ago, Challenger350Pilot said:

I think the L-1011 was one of the most stately, impressive airliners from the jet age. She was indeed safe , efficient, and very fast. I have many hours riding in the back enjoying trips in these beauties, and even got to fly the simulator at Delta Air Lines a couple of times. My mentor in aviation as I was growing up retired from Delta, and served as the program manager for the L-1011. Next to the B727, the L -1011 was his favorite airplane from the fleet he flew during his 33 years at Delta. Great model! Thanks for sharing! Masterful job! 

Thanks for sharing this story! I love little anecdotes like these.

 

1 hour ago, Andy Young said:

my Gulf Air Tristar with the Airfix kit has spent way too long on the shelf of doom! 

Make sure to finish her soon then ;). You can never have enough Tristars! The shelf of doom was well known to me in the past, but now I try to build a max. of three models at a time and can only start a new kit if I finish at least one of those three. That way (for me at least) models get finished. The problem nowadays is not so much the shelf of doom, but more the well known stash. I finished six models this year, but bought eight new kits….so yeah, not much progress there 😳