Air France A220-300 in 1/144

[Skodadriver]

Here is the CRM (ex-Eastern Express) A220-300 finished as F-HZUA “Le Bourget” of Air France at the time of delivery in 2021.

 

I know Air France don’t have world’s most exciting airline livery but I wanted to include the current scheme in my European flag carriers project and I also wanted to add an A220 to my collection so it seemed logical to combine the two. I have never been a fan of Eastern Express products following an early encounter with their ghastly A318 and also because of their ridiculous prices. However their A220s are the only game in town and the general consensus seemed to be that they were actually pretty good so when CRM offered the -300 kit at a very reasonable price I decided to give it a go.

 

The kit is a bit of a mixed bag. Detail is OK although the panel lines on the fuselage were inconsistent in their depth and I eventually filled most of them. Some of the fit is indifferent to say the least. In my kit the upper wings were a bit warped and careful work with hot water and a hairdryer was needed to straighten them out.

 

I replaced the kit engine fans and outlet guide vanes with CRM’s resin parts. Like most 3D printed fans it’s difficult to remove them from the frame without damage and I strongly recommend viewing the tutorial on CRM’s website. Once you get them off the frame the CRM parts are definitely worth the cost and effort and allow a realistic “see through” which the kit parts don’t.

 

The radome bump is an adapted BraZ item. (Typically, just after I had started painting the model I discovered that Rocast make the correct Gogo 2KU radome).

 

Painting is nice and easy - overall Halfords Appliance Gloss White with Revell and Tamiya metallics.

 

Livery decals are by 8A supplemented by the excellent (if pricey) detail sheet from Authentic Airliners. I had to lop a bit off the top of the fin decal which was too big but otherwise they went on well. I initially used the 8A cockpit windscreen to give a common appearance with the cabin windows but the more I looked at it the more I became convinced it was too big. Eventually I removed it and replaced it with the AA one which also meant removing and relocating the AF roundels ahead of the front doors. The only spare roundels I could find came from an old F-RSIN Viscount sheet. They aren’t 100% accurate but they’re close enough and a better option than ordering a second decal sheet from Mexico!

 

Thanks for looking and constructive criticism is welcome.

 

Dave G

 

 

 

 

 

[Agent K]

Absolutely superb result for a good looking airliner.

[Zulu Hotel Alpha]

Fantastic build- hard work pays off. Thanks for sharing.

[Turbofan]

Hi Dave,

Just lovely!

There can't be many legacy carriers left to do for your project now!

I too have this kit and was going to finish it in AF colours but wasn't sure about which decals to use. Could do with something from 26 save having to import from Mexico. Will need that AA details sheet though for sure!

I like the look of the A220-300, the nose kind of reminds me of the Comet and Dreamliner.

Cheers,

Ian 

 

 

[Viking]

Nice build again Dave, although a fairly plain livery there is enough detail on the model to keep it interesting. 

 

Cheers

 

John

[Skodadriver]

Thanks for the likes and comments - much appreciated 

 

On 7/23/2024 at 1:59 PM, Turbofan said:

Hi Dave,

Just lovely!

There can't be many legacy carriers left to do for your project now!

I too have this kit and was going to finish it in AF colours but wasn't sure about which decals to use. Could do with something from 26 save having to import from Mexico. Will need that AA details sheet though for sure!

I like the look of the A220-300, the nose kind of reminds me of the Comet and Dreamliner.

Cheers,

Ian 

 

 

Thanks Ian. Yes, the AA detail sheet is definitely necessary since the CRM kit doesn't come with any decals whatever. If you're thinking about using the Nazca Air France sheet I would say don't bother. I have it and the colours are way off. The moment I saw it I ordered the 8A sheet. If you really want to try to make something of the Nazca decals you're welcome to mine for the cost of postage. Drop me a pm if you want to discuss.

 

The "flag carriers" project is trundling on. KLM, Turkish and Aer Lingus are still awaiting attention along with some of the smaller carriers. I'm hoping to cover Air Malta with a Roden B720B in the "Made in Ukraine" GB later in the year. We'll see how that goes!

 

Dave G

[keefr22]

As you said Dave, probably not the most exciting livery, but it is somehow quite appealing - and more so when applied so well to such a stunning little model - really beautiful work again!

 

Keith

[Gimme Shelter]

It's not just about looking at the photos, but also reading and appreciating the cover story, so thanks for including all your information about the choice of livery and the model itself. I build civil aircraft and can thoroughly appreciate your information and followed by photos of a beautiful assembled end result. A stunning build - very nice and well done to you. I'm never going to profess to knowing everything about building civil aircraft models, so it's good to have all the extra words other modellers can include like yours with their builds.

 

I should investigate this kit further - particularly your mention of their A318 which I was unaware of.

[Vince1159]

On 7/22/2024 at 4:40 PM, Skodadriver said:

I know Air France don’t have world’s most exciting airline livery

I've seen it on Airliners Live at Manchester and i think the clean simple livery suits it,looks gorgeous,the complete opposite of ITA's which i think is hideous...

[Skodadriver]

Thanks for your kind comments @Gimme Shelter.

 

The Eastern Express A318 is really better left alone. It's mainly pirated Revell parts and the standard of moulding, certainly in the example I paid good money for, was unbelievably awful. IMHO the best way to an A318 remains a Revell conversion. There are several threads about it on BM although they nearly all start with the A319 which is currently rarer than the proverbial hen's teeth. There is no reason why it couldn't be done from an A320 kit instead.

[Gimme Shelter]

1 hour ago, Skodadriver said:

Thanks for your kind comments @Gimme Shelter.

 

The Eastern Express A318 is really better left alone. It's mainly pirated Revell parts and the standard of moulding, certainly in the example I paid good money for, was unbelievably awful. IMHO the best way to an A318 remains a Revell conversion. There are several threads about it on BM although they nearly all start with the A319 which is currently rarer than the proverbial hen's teeth. There is no reason why it couldn't be done from an A320 kit instead.

 

Hi there - I did some online research about the EE A318 and as soon as I saw the BA box art online for the kit, I realised I do actually have one in the stash - I've hunted it out and had a sift through the kit - hmmm, I'll stick with my EE 747SP for the time being! My EEA318 has a price of £18 on it - I clearly remember buying it in a model shop in York a few years ago now.

[Turbofan]

9 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

The "flag carriers" project is trundling on. KLM, Turkish and Aer Lingus are still awaiting attention along with some of the smaller carriers. I'm hoping to cover Air Malta with a Roden B720B in the "Made in Ukraine" GB later in the year. We'll see how that goes!

Sounds good but I'm sure I've seen Aer Lingus and KLM from your workbench?

 

I have a similar project on going based around aircraft from my spotting days of '78 to '82. I don't think I'll ever complete it though!

Cheers,

Ian

[Skodadriver]

42 minutes ago, Turbofan said:

Sounds good but I'm sure I've seen Aer Lingus and KLM from your workbench?

 

 

I don't remember building a model of anything from Aer Lingus although I did build a KLM DC-4 many years ago. That model still exists but it has deteriorated over time and is no longer really fit for display.  No collection of European airlines is complete without a KLM blue top and I'll get one done eventually.

[Andy Young]

Very nice - that’s a lovely model Dave, and good to hear about your experiences with the CRM fan blades. Any chance of a picture looking into one of the engines?

 

Excellent job - well done!

 

Cheers, Andy

[tomprobert]

A beautiful rendition of a beautiful aeroplane!

[Skodadriver]

1 hour ago, Andy Young said:

Very nice - that’s a lovely model Dave, and good to hear about your experiences with the CRM fan blades. Any chance of a picture looking into one of the engines?

 

Excellent job - well done!

 

Cheers, Andy

Thanks Andy.

 

My modelling generally does not invite close-up photos!  The A220 is currently boxed up for a trip to the East of Scotland model show tomorrow but I'll see what I can do once that's out of the way.

 

Dave G

[Alex1978]

Very neat build Dave.

I have the shorter version of the kit with Swiss decals...so mine will be whiter 😉

 

Looks very nice in Air France livery

[TheFlyingDutchman]

Very nice build! Just one nitpicky detail: this livery, which is the most current AF livery, shouldn't have the dark gradient in its red streak near the AIR FRANCE titles. When they enlarged these titles, the streak changed to plain red. When I was looking for decals for my A318 I could not find a set that did that correctly, so ended up making them myself. 

 

Does this one also have the title on the belly? If so, I'd like to see a picture of the underside of your model as well! I always think it makes the underside of airliners much more interesting when airlines put their logo up there as well.  EDIT: AF never did that, I really thought I put it on the belly of my A318 but I didn't, lol. 

Edited July 26 by TheFlyingDutchman

[Abandoned Project]

absolutely first class Dave. kudos on producing artwork.

[gaputz]

awesome!

[Skodadriver]

4 hours ago, TheFlyingDutchman said:

Very nice build! Just one nitpicky detail: this livery, which is the most current AF livery, shouldn't have the dark gradient in its red streak near the AIR FRANCE titles. When they enlarged these titles, the streak changed to plain red. When I was looking for decals for my A318 I could not find a set that did that correctly, so ended up making them myself. 

 

Hi Jelle. Thanks for pointing out the difference in the red flash. I confess I missed that and I think I'll just leave the model as it is. However it's good to know for any future Air France projects. There is definitely nothing on the belly. When I'm building I always make up a little computer file of useful photos of the real aircraft and my AF A220 file contains this.

 

Dave G

[Skodadriver]

As requested by @Andy Young here is a photo of the CRM fan in the right engine. It shows up my less than brilliant modelling skills but in my defence the kit has "old fashioned" engines with no separate front ring or inlet trunking so any filling and sanding has to be done after the parts have been painted.

 

[Andy Young]

23 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

As requested by @Andy Young here is a photo of the CRM fan in the right engine. It shows up my less than brilliant modelling skills but in my defence the kit has "old fashioned" engines with no separate front ring or inlet trunking so any filling and sanding has to be done after the parts have been painted.

 

Thanks Dave - certainly is a big improvement over the kit version. Looks like truly brilliant modelling skills to me, engines are a difficult area to get convincing and you’ve done very well with this one!

Cheers, Andy

[basket]

Very nice model !