1/72 Aircraft in Miniature 747-300

[Back in the Saddle]

It's that time of year again when I review the models that have been languishing on the SoD for too long and need a bit of TLC to get them over the finishing line! I must have been doing something right recently, because there's only one left now and it's the one I've been putting off the longest - the behemoth that is the mighty 1/72 747-300!

 

Bought over 30 years as an 18th birthday present, started enthusiastically and built to a varying standard... it needs some significant work to bring it up to scratch and this winter is the time to tackle it!

 

Disclaimer - it won't get finished during this GB! I am waiting for some replacement resin engines which are due next summer but I hope to fix a few of the other flaws before then.

 

Just a single picture, to show where it's at, with a couple of other 1/72 models for comparison:

 

 

The green paper is A4 sized in case you were wondering!

 

Progress on this one will be slow but steady over the next few months and hopefully a vast improvement by the end of the GB!👍

 

 

[tomprobert]

Good man! Fantastic work so far - and it’s so good to see another of these beasts being done. 
 

I built this kit about 10 years ago and what fun it was!

 

 

 

I remember getting the spars in the wings a bit tricky - as you know they are rather large and need some serious support. 
 

Good luck and I can’t wait to see more!

Tom

[Mjwomack]

Although technically correct, 'Aircraft in Miniature' seems a misnomer in this case! I assume it's vac form?

Don't worry about space on the shelf to display it's wings can double up as display shelf for all the other models.

[Back in the Saddle]

On 04/11/2023 at 11:51, tomprobert said:

Good man! Fantastic work so far - and it’s so good to see another of these beasts being done. 
 

I built this kit about 10 years ago and what fun it was!

Cheers Tom, I'm looking forward to it! It won't be to the same standard as yours (which looks immaculate in the KLM livery👍) but I'll give it my best shot.

 

On 04/11/2023 at 11:51, tomprobert said:

I remember getting the spars in the wings a bit tricky - as you know they are rather large and need some serious support. 
 

Good luck and I can’t wait to see more!

One of the many reasons this one was put onto the shelf...! Thanks for the kind words.🙂

 

On 04/11/2023 at 16:16, Mjwomack said:

Although technically correct, 'Aircraft in Miniature' seems a misnomer in this case! I assume it's vac form?

Don't worry about space on the shelf to display it's wings can double up as display shelf for all the other models.

Yep, it's a vac form and the first one I ever tackled. I didn't do a bad job, but some areas are screaming to be improved - more on that over the coming months...! As for displaying it, I have no idea where it will go once it's finished - I'm running out of space and it's huge!

 

I made a start on this today, giving it a very hard stare to see what was needed. There are many tasks ahead which will be tackled in no particular order - I just want to get this model moving towards completion again. During my research on the aircraft depicted by the decals, I learnt that VR-HIH was actually a 747-200 despite the decals having '747-300' printed on them - the first job was editing the title of this thread!

 

The paint on the model is old and not particularly accurate - the demarcation line starts well at the front but bows up like a banana towards the tailplane:

 

 

As you can see, the tail cone has split open so will need repairing (and an APU exhaust adding). The tailplane is also covered in the remnants of decades old masking tape residue and will need stripping back...

 

I need to establish some datums on the model, in order to get the demarcation lines corrected when I finally get to the painting stage. I decided that the window line would work well and I could scribe the doorframes into the fuselage at the correct points as permanent markers for later reference. Don't be distracted by the BA livery below, I simply used this as I had a copy scanned from 1/144 decals - I just doubled the dimensions and printed it onto decal paper. Some fudging will be required, as these are from a 747-400 but I'm hoping the main deck layout will be broadly similar:

 

 

Another two sheets of A4 paper - this model is big! I also have some 1/200 decals on the paper for another project - they look tiny by comparison!

 

Next job is sealing the decals and applying them in the correct place. Once that is done the doors can be scribed and the decals removed.👍

[tomprobert]

Does yours have the stretched upper deck..? If so you’ll need to do some serious surgery to make it representative of a -200 model… 

[Back in the Saddle]

1 hour ago, tomprobert said:

Does yours have the stretched upper deck..? If so you’ll need to do some serious surgery to make it representative of a -200 model… 

That’s a great question Tom and I’m really glad you asked…!

 

I’ve had a proper look and it is the stretched upper deck version, so is a -300 series aircraft. I feel rather silly now, as I looked at the decals and based on those assumed it was a -200 model… VR-HIH is the aircraft on the decal sheet, which is a -200 variant.

 

It doesn’t really change much, other than I’ll have to amend the registration to something appropriate.👍

 

Thanks for asking the question!😁

[Back in the Saddle]

I’ve just remembered that AiM also produced a conversion kit, to convert this model into a -400 series aircraft. I wonder if they are still available…?

 

I’ll do some research on this, as the -400 would make a far better subject. If I find one, I’ll just have to change the thread title again!😁

[Back in the Saddle]

Time to get some decals applied! These are purely for guidance purposes and are completely sacrificial - they will all be removed before too long!

 

The decal sheets were sealed and then the window sections were cut out ready for application (note my 1/200 decals too, used to help me orientate the various sections):

 

 

A great photo to illustrate my problem - where exactly should the windows be placed? Time for some references...

 

I found an image on Wikipedia showing the nose of the 747 and used this to determine where the windows were relative to the nose cone (slightly above the line extending back from the tip of the nose, in case you were wondering). I then found a suitable sized container and laid a marker pen on top of this, before drawing a line at the correct height all around the fuselage:

 

 

Once the line was drawn the decals were applied with the windows placed directly over this reference:

 

 

I'm particular interested in getting the cabin doors positioned correctly, so I can scribe their outlines into the fuselage and have a durable set of reference markers for later use. It didn't take long to complete one side:

 

 

A Cathay Pacific/British Airways hybrid at the moment! Considering the green band was eye-balled many years ago, I don't think I did a bad job...😉

I'd like to think that if Tom hadn't mentioned it yesterday, I would have realised today that I was dealing with a -300 model!

 

I will leave these to dry then apply the decals on the other side of the fuselage.

[Mjwomack]

That's actually a pretty cool livery 

[Colin W]

Looks like a great kit and deserves to be turned ito a great model.

Watching with interest

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 11/4/2023 at 11:41 AM, Back in the Saddle said:

It's that time of year again when I review the models that have been languishing on the SoD for too long and need a bit of TLC to get them over the finishing line!

 

And that's where we get the expression "Oh SoD it! I'll finish this next year."

[Back in the Saddle]

On 06/11/2023 at 17:14, Mjwomack said:

That's actually a pretty cool livery 

It looks like BA have leased a Cathay aircraft and slapped their titles on it!

 

8 hours ago, Colin W said:

Looks like a great kit and deserves to be turned ito a great model.

Watching with interest

Thanks Colin!

 

5 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

And that's where we get the expression "Oh SoD it! I'll finish this next year."

That makes perfect sense! 😁

 

Time to get the decals on the left hand side - I was waiting for the right hand side to dry before doing any more work, in case something slipped...

First I used a pen to mark the location of the upper deck door, to aid positioning:

 

 

Then applied the decals in this area, using this line and my previously drawn horizontal window line to help with alignment:

 

 

I added the windscreen decal too - there was no real need to do this, as they will all be coming off again but I wanted to see how it looked! The decals are not applied very neatly, but are good enough for my current purposes, which is simply locating the doors accurately.

 

The view from above - it all looks symmetrical:

 

 

My waste bin makes a great model holder! 😁

 

Dymo tape was used to mark the edges of the doors and some gentle scribing occured:

 

 

The centre of the door handles was also marked, to get the vertical alignment recorded onto the plastic.

 

Next I repaired some damage on the fuselage. The tail cone had a split:

 

 

As did the top of the fuselage:

 

 

Plenty of glue was added and will be left overnight to harden.

[Back in the Saddle]

I spent a productive hour in the garden this afternoon with a bucket of warm water and a sheet of 240 grit paper.

 

My mission was to remove dirt, decals and uneven paint!

 

Here are the results:

 

 

Note the scored lines showing the edges of the doors!

 

 

Back to bare, black plastic!

 

 

Looking very shiny and clean again!

 

I'm leaving this to dry overnight in the airing cupboard (!) and if the weather is suitable tomorrow I'll coat it with primer and see how it looks.👍

[Bertie McBoatface]

Did you get it primed? The weather wasn't so good I think.

[Back in the Saddle]

On 06/11/2023 at 11:47, Back in the Saddle said:

I’ve just remembered that AiM also produced a conversion kit, to convert this model into a -400 series aircraft. I wonder if they are still available…?

I don’t like quoting myself, as it seems pretentious. However, I’ve just picked up the conversion kit on eBay tonight. My thanks to @BritJet for letting me know it was listed - cheers! 👍

 

On 14/11/2023 at 19:20, Bertie McBoatface said:

Did you get it primed? The weather wasn't so good I think.

I did - here’s a picture:

 

 

Note the size, compared to a 1/144 A350 and a 12” ruler!

 

Anyway, more on this soon. I’m off to amend the thread title for a third time…!😁

 

 

[Mjwomack]

13 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

I’ve just picked up the conversion kit

Because it wasn't hard enough before?🤷‍♀️. Is  -400 your final position, or are you now looking at how much styrene sheet it would take to convert to a -800?!!!!

[Back in the Saddle]

2 hours ago, Mjwomack said:

Is  -400 your final position, or are you now looking at how much styrene sheet it would take to convert to a -800?!!!!

As a former -400 pilot, I’m very happy with the position I’m now in. Final answer!😁

[Back in the Saddle]

I haven't done anything to this one for a week, as I was waiting for a package to arrive:

 

 

Six pieces of resin - two wing root extensions, two wing tip extensions and two winglets. Plus a tin of paint for a size comparison:

 

 

Now I have these, I think my next step will be butchering the fuselage to make the wings detachable - it's just too large otherwise! My plan is to join the wings together and blend them into the fuselage belly, but to have this entire section separate from the lower fuselage. I think it should work...! 

 

 

[Back in the Saddle]

This KUTA needs a KUTA!

 

I haven't done much at all for over a month, due to lack of time. However, last night I found a spare hour and looked at this one again. My first consideration was how to incorporate  the resin additions to convert the model into a 747-400. Here's a look at the wing root extension on the left hand side, in approximately the correct position - I have not fitted these into the wings sections yet:

 

 

It doesn't seem to fit against the fuselage very well!

 

Here's the wing in the correct position for a comparison - the extension fits into the leading edge:

 

 

I'm really not convinced I can make this work! It might have to remain as a -300 model (with yet another change to the thread title!)

 

My next task was to remove the belly pan to make the wings detachable. Here's the initial state of play:

 

 

I then marked out with dymo tape where the cuts needed to go:

 

 

 

Before bravely grabbing my razor saw and setting to work - no going back after this stage! This section put up a fight, as there is a keel inside the model for strength and support but it was eventually persuaded to come away:

 

 

The concave bowed area is where the wing root fixes into place, it is not distorted despite its appearance. Both the fuselage interior and removed belly section will be beefed up considerably to prevent any flexing, then I will look at how best to attach the wings.👍

 

 

 

[Wolfhound32]

@Back in the Saddle: Thanks! 

I see that you are restoring an AIM72 B747... very nice! 

Been there, done that but I quit that project a long time ago.

I think it was somewhere in 2002, and I sold the half built kit in 2012.

 

This was my progress (I wanted to build the Air Force One, hence the refueling receiver on the nose):

 

 

The CFM-65 engines which I ordered extra for the VC-25 version, together with some extra parts.

At the top you see a scratchbuilt entrance for the lower fuselage.

 

The APU exhaust and flare dispensers in the tail section:

 

The gear bays:

 

I wanted to keep the wing section detachable, so the holes in the fuselage are for screwing the wings to the keel:

 

 

 

And this was the reason for selling it... the massive gap between wing - fuselage:

 

 

After all I think: shouldn't have sold it, I could have used the drawings and parts ..

 

Good luck with your project, keep up the good work!

[Back in the Saddle]

11 hours ago, Wolfhound32 said:

And this was the reason for selling it... the massive gap between wing - fuselage:

And this is one of the reasons this KUTA keeps stalling - that and lack of time generally!

 

If mine looks half as good as yours when finished I’ll be happy! 👍

[Mjwomack]

On 1/18/2024 at 8:55 PM, Wolfhound32 said:

I see that you are restoring an AIM72 B747... very nice! 

Been there, done that but I quit that project a long time ago.

It seems to me that this is actually  very encouraging postm and not just for the quality of the modelling.

1. The detachable wing idea is clearly viable.

2. The wing roots are 'meant' to be that bad🫣

 

Just waiting to see if this thread changes title again or is this really and truly the final answer as a -400?

[Back in the Saddle]

14 hours ago, Mjwomack said:

It seems to me that this is actually  very encouraging postm and not just for the quality of the modelling.

1. The detachable wing idea is clearly viable.

2. The wing roots are 'meant' to be that bad🫣

It must have encouraging on a subconscious level, as I had another session with this one yesterday! I’ll try and post some pictures soon, but I’m now beefing up the central section where the fuselage belly was removed. It was very flimsy, so if my plan is to work it needed to be stronger.

 

14 hours ago, Mjwomack said:

Just waiting to see if this thread changes title again or is this really and truly the final answer as a -400?

I’m almost too embarrassed to admit to this, but a change to the title is probably on the cards!😁

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Nice to see a beast like this getting attention Matt, the refurb is coming along really well.

 

I have a 1/100 747 and DC-10 in the stash, that is about as big as I will build I think! (though I would love a 1/72 747 )

[Back in the Saddle]

On 29/01/2024 at 23:11, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

Nice to see a beast like this getting attention Matt, the refurb is coming along really well.

 

I have a 1/100 747 and DC-10 in the stash, that is about as big as I will build I think! (though I would love a 1/72 747 )

Thanks Ray, it will be worth it in the end.👍

 

Are your two kits the Doyusha versions? I have a couple of those in the stash, but that will be for another time! 😁

 

Time for a quick update. On my last one, I mentioned that I needed to beef up the structure around the (now) detachable wings. I have some thick scrap sprue in my spares box, which was leftover from my 1/24 Harrier GR3 build:

 

 

These were cut to an appropriate length and glued into the fuselage. The central keel can be seen clearly:

 

 

The removed belly panel was also strengthened:

 

 

All was looking good until I tried to offer the panel into the recess - the original keel now gets in the way:

 

 

A bit of surgery will soon remove the excess plastic and it should fit into place again.