My Boeing 707 project

[F-27pax]

PS
Here is how the 720 is looking these days:



and the -138



Leigh

[tor lives]

Thanks for the photos TOR, I'm not sure that I wanted to see anything so complicated. Besides, I can't work out what all the colours and shades are. Around the wing root it seems to be your standard Boeing grey, but I don't know about the rest of the wing which seems to be another shade of grey, or perhaps some darker metal. Does anyone have any suggestions, this is driving me bonkers.
Leigh

You are right Leigh.....the 707-138 wing is certainly a complex, kaleidoscope of "patch-work" finishes. The last time I built one, (a few years ago now and with many flaws), I took a very much more simplistic approach, (based upon the limited references I had at the time).



As can be seen, I made some incorrect assumptions about the wing surface finish, (including assuming that the wing had over-wing exit escape arrows painted on it ).
Research indicates that, as you have correctly surmised, the wing roots and body-to-wing fairings are standard Boeing grey, as are portions of the upper wing spoilers. Leading edge engine pylon-to-wing fairings also appear to be the standard Boeing grey. Coroguard areas also appear to be present. Based on the supplied photos, you might just have to wing it, (excuse the pun ).
TOR

[F-27pax]

Those models look so good that I obviously don't need to continue with mine. However, I shall, of course, continue. Like you I will battle on with the information available. It does interest me that modellers know more about the appearance of every square inch of every Bf109 and we struggle to understand that the top wing of a giant 707 made fifteen years looks like.

Leigh

[Graeme H]

That -138 looks so nice almost a shame not to do an American Airlines scheme on it, i'm no expert on them, wonder if they had any 720's with the lighfning bolt scheme.

[scotty100368]

...a shame not to do an American Airlines scheme on it, i'm no expert on them, wonder if they had any 720's with the lightning bolt scheme.

Yes Graeme, they did:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boeing_720-023B,_American_Airlines_JP6876201.jpg
http://www.aussieairliners.org/b-707i/United%20States/american/n7538a.html

Decals available here:
http://www.vintageflyerdecals.com/720.html (scroll down a bit)

Scott.

[F-27pax]

Well Graeme, it seems that great minds think alike. Here's what arrived in the mail today:



The differences is that this will be a -123. I figured that I had these left over fuselage plugs from turning 720s into a -138s that would do nicely in converting a 720 into a -120, and so that is the plan. The wings will need converting as well but, as our club motto says, 'it will be beautiful' (in Latin of course).

Leigh

[F-27pax]

Here's the first 707 model, which isn't a 707. It's a Roden 720 kit straight out of the box with 26 decals:





Leigh

[tor lives]

Well now......that is just beautiful Leigh!!!. She came up a treat.
Bring on those Qantas jets
TOR

[F-27pax]

They're on the way Ray. I had hoped to have at least the -138 completed by now but I was so unhappy with the metallic finish that I had to sand them both back for another try, and made the two Caudron racers to fill in time. I reckoned that the finish looked bad this time because it was so cold (in Ballarat) that the paint was coming out of the rattle can too thick and so I decanted the paint and had to wait for it to settle before pressing on. The decanted paint is looking a lot better after coming out through my airbrush so hopefully you will see them completed by this time next month.

Here they are back in the paint shop:



Leigh

[F-27pax]

I'm slowly getting over my fear of Boeing 707 engine pylons. I decided it was easier to replace the engines with aftermarket ones and bought in some Authentic Airlines JT3C engines. They are beautiful examples of what resin moldings can be like. I've already pulled the kit engines off my 707-138 and after I've finished painting the engines and pylons they will be attached to the model and then it's getting on with the wings again.

An interesting point though. Remember how there were complaints that the kit JT3D engines in the kit are too small. Judging from the Authentic JT3Cs, the kit JT3Cs are way too big. A quick test fit suggests that these new engines are going to look better on the model than the kit ones.



Leigh