Revell 1/144 767-300

[LSP_Kevin]

Here's another quickie build that I've just started, and I thought I might do a complete build thread on it. It's the Revell Boeing 767-300 in 1/144 scale. I got this kit from our own Eric Galliers, and have had a set of Roodecals Qantas markings for it for the longest time.

 

 

 

The first thing you do with a kit like this is paint the interior flat black:

 

 

The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, the fuselage has window openings but no interior, so it pays to make the interior as dark as possible (unless you're filling them and using window decals). The second reason is that the white plastic that is commonly used on airliner kits can tend to be a bit translucent, and the black interior helps block light, which in turn means fewer coats of exterior paint - which is often translucent white paint anyway.

 

While I was at it, I painted the inside of the windscreen flat black too:

 

 

Now, in case you're wondering why I'm deigning to play with a 1/144 scale 'toy', here's a size comparison against my just-completed 1/48 Spitfire:

 

 

Not so small!

 

Kev

[ericg]

Hello Kev,

 

Just saw this one. Great to see you getting into it! I could never thank you enough for the lift to and from the airport at Expo this year.

 

Why do you guys paint the windows?????

 

 

Eric.

[LSP_Kevin]

Thanks for stopping by Eric.

 

Why do you guys paint the windows?????

 

Not everybody does, but it's mostly a matter of expedience. Since very few airliners in 1/144 come with interiors, and the cockpits often look like a black hole anyway, it becomes a simple way to fake the entire area and not have to scratch-build anything. For most airliner builders the fun is in the livery, and achieving a clean finish. Many kits and aftermarket decals come with decals for the cabin and cockpit windows, and these are often more accurate in size, shape and position than what's in the kit, and will generally do the job. And in the case of this particular kit, I know without even having to test-fit the part that the cockpit windscreen will fit really poorly. They always do!

 

That said, clear windows with some kind of interior, when really well done, clearly (pardon the pun) looks better.

 

Kev

[LSP_Paul]

Well said Kev, and Awesome looking spitty in the background too!

I have about 3 of these 767's left to build some day, they really are a great kit. I also have the same decal sheet and one for a Quantas 747-400 as well. I prefer to fill my windows and use decals, but both methods can look convincing for sure.

All the best to you and your fine build,

 

Paul

[LSP_K2]

Yep, I wish I had a case or two of those Revell kits. I built one as Delta, but screwed it up with (not so clear), polyurethane. Lesson learned, I won't be doing that again. I'll look forward to your finished kit Kev. (I have the Doyusha 1:100 kit too; talk about a monster.)

[LSP_Kevin]

K2, you're right mate: airliner models are not as easy as they seem at first blush. Very easy to screw up the finish, and many of the kits are old and leave a lot to be desired in all departments. This one appears to date from 1992, which is much more recent than anything done by Airfix (of which I have a few in the stash).

 

Anyway, not much time for modelling of late, but I did manage to push forward just a little bit with this one. Got the horizontal stabilisers glued together, and filled a couple of ejector pin marks on the nose wheel bay sidewalls (actually part of the bay doors that are built into the sidewall parts):

 

 

I've also added a couple of 'retaining strips' from scrap styrene to the inside of the windscreen cavity. This is to prevent the windscreen part from simply dropping into the fuselage void when I try to install it:

 

 

Apart from the engines, I think this one will be pretty simple to put together. Painting is the tricky part!

 

Kev

[Radders]

Never built an airliner but I really want to! Decisions...

[LSP_Kevin]

Never built an airliner but I really want to! Decisions...

 

Do it mate! Just don't take them for granted, or they'll bite you!

 

Kev

[Radders]

I'm going down to my parents at xmas, and in my dads loft there are a few airliners etc! I 'may' bring one back as I've been thinking for a while to do a B747-400 cargo version.

 

Any updates?

[LSP_Kevin]

OK, moving along quickly with this one now (which is the plan). Here's the nose wheel bay, painted, washed and installed:

 

 

The kit instructions have you install the nose wheel leg while assembling the bay, and I've been assured that no one who's ever done this has got through the build without breaking it off. I could break it off even if it was bullet-proof, so it's a dead-set certainty!

 

Once the nose wheel bay was in place, I could figure out where I to put the anti-tail-sitting technology:

 

 

On one side is a large fishing sinker, and on the other is a handful of small round ones. You might be wondering what's holding them in place. It's just Blu-tac. I've had problems in the past using CA, and epoxy glues can take too long to harden. Blu-tac works much better than you'd expect. It grips the weights really well, will conform around internal obstacles, doesn't need curing or venting, won't react with the metal, and can be bunged straight in. It's all I use now for any model that needs weights up front.

 

Here's the assembled wings, with the main wheel bays painted and washed:

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, the engines look to be the only tricky part of construction for this model. I made a start on them today. Firstly I painted and washed the front fans. The instructions call for 'aluminum' fans and 'silver' cones. I used Tamiya AS-12 for the fan blades, decanted from the spray can, and decided to do the cones in Testors Aluminum Plate Buffing Metalizer. Here's how I masked them off:

 

 

And after a quick polish with a cotton bud, here's the difference (polished one is on the left):

 

 

OK, here's where it's at now:

 

 

All the major components assembled except the tail planes, which fit well enough to be added after painting. That's great news, because I have a whacking great multi-piece decal to put on the fin and rudder, which wraps around the entire back end of the fuselage. The foam mat that it's resting on is my attempt to protect the nose wheel leg...

 

I also broke the kit's windscreen while trying to install it. It fit almost as well as I thought it would. I got the two pieces in as best I could, but I think I'll have to give the entire area a liberal dose of CA and fair the whole lot in. So far this has been the only problem I've encountered with this kit.

 

That's all for now.

 

Kev

[LSP_K2]

I recall you're doing at least one other Qantas machine Kev, and I really liked the white finish, (one of my stumbling blocks as far as airliners are concerned). What do you you recommend for the white finish?

[LSP_Kevin]

I'm going down to my parents at xmas, and in my dads loft there are a few airliners etc! I 'may' bring one back as I've been thinking for a while to do a B747-400 cargo version.

 

Sounds like a plan mate!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

I recall you're doing at least one other Qantas machine Kev, and I really liked the white finish, (one of my stumbling blocks as far as airliners are concerned). What do you you recommend for the white finish?

 

Yeah, I try to build most of my airliners in Aussie liveries. I'm not slavish to it, but it's the predominant theme. As for the white, I'm still experimenting myself, but I'll give a more detailed answer when it comes time to paint (which isn't really that far away). I want to have this one done and dusted by year's end.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Nice Kev...

 

If it ain't BOEING......

 

Real great start..

 

Thanks Maru, good to have you aboard.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Time for another quick update folks. I've spent most of my modelling time since the last update dealing with the seams and fairing in the windscreen:

 

 

As you can see, the windscreen looks quite grungy. There are basically two reasons for this. Firstly, I glued the part in using liquid cement, and some of it has wicked up the inside and marred the black paint on the inside. The second reason is that I used the CA/talc mix to fair the part in, and unlike straight CA, it doesn't necessarily dry clear.

 

So, my plans to simply mask out the windscreen using the pre-painted inside for effect has foundered. But that's OK, I've discovered that Flying Colors Decals produces a 1/144 sheet of 767 detail decals, which includes two types of windscreen. I've now ordered that, plus their 767 Corrogard set, as that can be a PITA to paint. No idea how long these will take to arrive this time of year, but I still have some faint hopes of finishing this build by year's end.

 

Here's a test fit of the tail planes:

 

 

They're just pushed into place in that photo, which means I can leave them off until after painting without fear of wondering how on Earth I'm going to fair them in after the decals are on. Great work Revell!

 

I tried to get a photo of the seam on the inside of the engine halves, but the lighting just obliterates them:

 

 

In the flesh they're very noticeable, and I'll have to at least reduce them somehow. It's a very common point of difficulty with airliner kits.

 

Anyway, I'm off to get some primer on this beast!

 

Thanks everyone for looking in.

 

Kev