2 x 1/144 BA 747-8's in 'What If' Utopia Liveries

[Back in the Saddle]

Welcome to my second RFI of the day!

 

These models were both built over the past two years, as a comparison between the Revell and Zvezda kits. Both are OOB and are finished in two fictitious 'what if' liveries, with custom designed decals for the tails. My thanks to @mitchem for his help with the Polish livery, cheers Mike!

 

A little back story is needed to explain why I built these model, so here goes...!

 

Back in October 2006, BA started the process of finding replacements for its ageing fleet of 747-436's, ultimately resulting in an order the following year for 12 x A380 aircraft. However, Boeing were also being considered with the 747-8. Imagine for a moment that Boeing had won this order instead of Airbus and that the BA Utopia livery was still being used (I know, it's a big stretch of the imagination!)

 

The first two 747-8's to be delivered were registered G-IIXA and G-IIXB, using pseudo Roman numerals to form the basis of the registrations. The liveries represented artwork from Saudi Arabia and Poland, both of which had been previously applied to smaller aircraft but this was the first time a 747 had received these designs.

 

A full build review can be read here if you would like to know more...

 

Onto the pictures, starting with the Zvezda kit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now the Revell kit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As ever, comments and critique are welcomed. Hopefully a couple more 'what if' BA 747-8's will appear on these pages over the summer...

 

Thanks for looking!

[albymoore]

That is a sharp looking pair of airliners. They could pass for replicas of legitimate airplanes/paint scheme combos if you wouldn't have put 'what if' in the post title. 

 

Cheers,

Albert

[Alex1978]

These are 2 absolutely beautiful looking 747s.

As the 747 is my favourite aircraft I must say that you have done an awesome work on those and did the queen of the skies full justice.

The decals are superb too.

 

Such a pity that BA did not choose the 747-8,they would have looked splendid in BA livery

 

It was very interesting to follow the build and well worth the wait for their roll-out.

Thanks for sharing

Alex

[Back in the Saddle]

18 hours ago, albymoore said:

That is a sharp looking pair of airliners. They could pass for replicas of legitimate airplanes/paint scheme combos if you wouldn't have put 'what if' in the post title. 

Thanks Albert. They might be fictitious, but I tried to make them look authentic!

 

16 hours ago, Alex1978 said:

These are 2 absolutely beautiful looking 747s.

As the 747 is my favourite aircraft I must say that you have done an awesome work on those and did the queen of the skies full justice.

The decals are superb too.

 

Such a pity that BA did not choose the 747-8,they would have looked splendid in BA livery

 

It was very interesting to follow the build and well worth the wait for their roll-out.

Thanks for sharing

 

Cheers Alex. I must admit, the 747-8 is a very graceful looking aircraft, possibly better looking than my previous stead! 😁

If only BA had ordered some, I’m pretty sure I’d be flying them today…

 

Thank you for your kind words and glad you like them! There’s a few more in the stash which will trickle out over time…🙂

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Great result Matt, it was worth the wait  

 

🏆🏆

[Skodadriver]

Excellent as always Matt - a great combination of modelling skill and imagination.

 

Dave G

[Bertie McBoatface]

Two of them, and more on the way. What a delight. You make them look as big as the real thing with that immaculate finishing. 

[Back in the Saddle]

Another apology to those who commented but were ignored… sorry!

 

On 21/01/2023 at 07:00, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

Great result Matt, it was worth the wait

Thanks Ray, they are a welcome addition to the growing collection! 😃

 

On 21/01/2023 at 10:01, Skodadriver said:

Excellent as always Matt - a great combination of modelling skill and imagination.

Thank you Dave - you definitely provided some of the inspiration for these!

 

On 24/01/2023 at 08:37, Bertie McBoatface said:

Two of them, and more on the way. What a delight. You make them look as big as the real thing with that immaculate finishing.

Very kind Bertie, thank you.

[mitchem]

Fantastic finish on both of them Matt. 

 

"Flowers from Mazowsze" has turned out a real treat, and I can officially announce that your decal-making skills have now surpassed mine by a few thousand miles! 😆 

 

mike

[Back in the Saddle]

On 15/04/2023 at 19:50, mitchem said:

Fantastic finish on both of them Matt. 

 

"Flowers from Mazowsze" has turned out a real treat, and I can officially announce that your decal-making skills have now surpassed mine by a few thousand miles! 😆

Cheers Mike! Without your help, there would be no “Flowers from Mazowsze” model, so thanks very much for you assistance!