Finished Photos of Phoenix Airplane From The Flight of the Phoenix Movie (1965)

[phillip1]

Fellow Modelers,

 

The very entertaining American survival film The Flight of the Phoenix, made in 1965, is a fictional story of a small group of oil rig workers whose Fairchild C-82A Packet twin engine cargo plane gets caught in a sand storm and has to make an emergency crash landing deep in the Sahara desert.  One of the passengers, brilliant aircraft designer Heinrich Dorfmann, tells the other survivors a new, smaller single engine plane can be built from the wreckage and fly them to safety.  Although dubious, the others know there is no hope of outside rescue and understand this longshot option is preferable to slowly dying in the desert.  The movie deals mainly with the challenges of building the new airplane (nicknamed “Phoenix”), the personality conflicts between the survivors and the lack of water.  This movie has been one of my favorites for many years, although I admit the premise of building a new airplane under the given circumstances was not possible.  However, I will admit the director did a credible job of making the impossible believable.  The acting in the movie is also first rate, with outstanding performances from Hardy Kruger, Richard Attenborough and James Stewart.  Surprisingly the movie was a box office failure, although it received two Academy Award and two Golden Globe nominations.  Over the decades it has gained a strong following and favorable viewer rating.

 

For decades I wanted to add a “Phoenix” airplane model to my collection but no model manufacturer has ever offered this kit in any medium (i.e., plastic/resin/vac-form, etc.).  It always seemed that the easiest plan to acquire one was to do what they did in the movie-start with heavily modifying a Fairchild C-82A Packet and scratch-build all the other required parts.  A plastic model of the Fairchild C-82A Packet is not available, but the Fairchild C-119C/G Boxcar (a very similar, improved and more powerful version of the C-82A) has been available from Testors/Italeri in 1/72 scale and Aurora in 1/77 scale for many years.  I used the Testors/Italeri kit for my build which was completed in 2024.  Note for the 1965 movie two “Phoenix” airplanes were built, a flying version (named Tallmantz Phoenix P-1) and one non-flying (static) version.  My build is the non-flying version, which is seen in almost every single exterior scene of the movie.  Seventy percent of the build consisted of heavily modifying the kit parts and the remaining 30% was scratch-building.  Listed below is some of the special work that was done:

>Scratch-built cockpit including cutting the openings

>Scratch-built support legs and skis out of Evergreen styrene

>Scratch-built tail skid and guy wire cabane structs out of brass rod

>Scratch-built wing and fuselage clear windshield fairings

>Ignition wiring added to the engine

>Replaced the kit four bladed propellor with resin Quick Boost three bladed propellor

>Separated, opened up and thinned down the cowling flaps

>Scratch-built the engine air intake assembly

 

Model Graphics dry transfers (burnished onto clear decal film) were used for the side fuselage lettering.  All weathering was done with various colors of pastel dust.  The finished wingspan is 13” and the length is 11-3/4”, which is large for a single engine 1/72 scale airplane.  The desert landscape is Sculptamold with a small amount of tiny gravel sprinkled over it.  The last few photos are some of the best images of what the completed movie “Phoenix” looked like.  A complete progress build of this project is available to review in the Work-In-Progress Section.  Enjoy!

 

Until next time...

 

Phillip1

[mitchem]

Excellent! 👍👍

 

I can imagine that we'll all be queuing up for the remnants of the Boxcar kit 😁

 

mike

[Toryu]

Very inspring model and a great idea to bring the Phoenix back to us. I like the movie a lot but have my doubts that their means were sufficient to build it and make it fly. Your model looks like it did.

[dnl42]

Excellent result! The build was quite a journey. 

[JohnT]

Great model and interesting movie if a somewhat implausible story/script.

 

Please make sure that Mr Michael O'Leary knows its just a movie and not a teams meeting proposing new cost saving measures for Ryanair.

 

 

[FalkeEins]

 ..brilliant!  possibly needs a little 'build-up' of sand around the 'skids' to give an impression of weight.. (he says..)

[Jeddahbill]

This is superb!

[SAT69]

Wonderfully different and masterfully done.

[ForestFan]

That’s really well done. Might have to find the film to watch!

[stevehnz]

This really is quite wonderful & a lovely trip down memory lane included in the price of admission. Lots to like .

Steve.

[Charles68]

One of the only movies I watched as a kid straight thru with no breaks...and that was hard to do. Great acting from great actors. Love what you did !! 

[MikeC]

You don't see that built very often, in fact I'm not sure I ever have - other than in the film, pf course.  Very nicely done model.

[Watto]

Wow! I remember seeing the film when I was a lad and was very aware of the desperate situation the crew were in. 

 

I think your build is absolutely brilliant, seeing it brings back so many memories of the great but, implausible task ahead of the crew and the feeling of relief when it finally became airborne. 

 

Congratulations on an excellent build, brilliantly executed.👏👏👏

 

Watto 🍻

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Loved the model. what a great build and the film was excellent too.

Colin

[Andrew.S]

Lovely model, I admire your sense for a detail, the finished model looks great!

[John R]

I think that I must be the only one who didn't see the film so could somebody please explain the purpose of that most unaerodynamic 'fence' on the upper surface of the wingclose to the root?

John

[Juhannussima]

 Well done!

[ckw]

39 minutes ago, John R said:

could somebody please explain the purpose of that most unaerodynamic 'fence' on the upper surface of the wingclose to the root?

That is the "passenger accommodation". People would lie flat on the top wing and hang onto the 'fence'

 

Superb modelling!

 

Cheers

 

Colin

[klubman01]

Great model.  Having followed your WIP, the end result doesn't truly reveal the effort you put into it.  In other words, it looks as good (if not better) than a commercially produced kit assembled by a skilled model maker.  Bravo!

Trevor

[Flamingo]

Very nice model of this epic film star!

[keith in the uk]

Ya mean to tell me this thing can fly  ?   

[John R]

4 hours ago, ckw said:

That is the "passenger accommodation". People would lie flat on the top wing and hang onto the 'fence'

It did occur to me that was the purpose but thought that nobody in their right mind would consider designing something like that or that any passenger would use it. Did they do it in the film? In Hollywood anything is possible.

John

[ckw]

17 minutes ago, John R said:

nobody in their right mind would consider designing something like that

Well you kind of have to know the full story ... basically crashed C-82, stranded in desert, aircraft designer says they can salvage parts to make a plane to escape. I'm avoiding spoilers here, but the Phoenix was the only hope of survival. Actually I preferred the book.

 

The 'Phoenix' was  built for the film and did fly, but soon crashed during a touch and go, killing pilot Paul Mantz. I don't think the flying version had the wing fences, and no passengers were ever carried. 

 

Cheers

 

Colin

 

 

[Dmitriy1967]

A wonderful model with an interesting story!

I haven't watched this movie, now I will definitely find it.

Thank you!

[IanC]

An outstanding model and a great film.

 

Please don't mention the dire remake...