1/144 Boeing 307 Stratoliner.
This is the Roden kit which has been available for a few years. I've always wanted one of these in this scale and bought it when it was a brand new release. Unfortunately, the decals were useless as always with Roden products. Vintage Flyer decals to the rescue!
The model is a little rough but builds up quickly. Pitting, sink marks, warpage all meant various fillers and time with sanding sticks. I felt it needed a primer after all that and hit it with some Tamiya AS-12 silver. I masked over the fabric control surfaces to preserve the AS-12 in those areas because it's a pretty good representation of silver dope. I sprayed the rest of the plane with Mr. Color Super Metallic2 “Duraluminum”. Detail painting was done with Humbrol enamels.
The Vintage Flyer decals represent an aircraft that is slightly different than what's in the kit. Only 10 of these were produced. 5 for TWA and 5 for Pan Am. All were requisitioned by the US army during WW2. TWA repurchased their aircraft and basically rebuilt all five for about $2 million total. In addition to receiving new airliner interiors, the planes received new B-17G wings and up rated engines. In model terms, this means the cowling and exhaust positions look different. Roden provides two sets of cowlings and one set of exhausts. I mixed, matched, trimmed, and repositioned these parts in order to get the plane to resemble the later configuration.
Another cool airliner to add to the shelf. Happy modeling!
Looks great John. Every time I go to Air and Space Uvdar Hazey in Virginia I linger over their beautiful 307.
Thanks, Jim. I haven’t been to U-H in over 10 years. Gotta get back up there. They have a Pan Am 307, right?
Correct. If you haven’t been there in 10 years you will love what’s on display now.
Came out very nicely, John, “Stratoliner” - what a great name.
Thanks, George. Definitely a fitting name for the first pressurized airliner that could fly above most weather thanks to its turbocharged engines.
Really nice, John (@j-healy). Metal finish came out very well, but I bet masking the windows was fun. I still have one of the old 1/72 Williams Brothers kit that I want to do one day. Well done.
Thanks, George. The windows are 3D decals that came with the Vintage Flyers set. They’re really cool.
Fantastic Stratoliner, John! Excellent job on a most challenging kit!
Thanks, Spiros!
Very nicely done, John @j-healy
A beautiful shiny metal finish as well.
Thanks, John!
Nice work John @j-healy. A superb result.
Thanks, Tom!
Nicely done John, looks good.
Thanks, Allan!
That looks really sharp, John. Well done!
Thanks, Gary!
Lovely build, great subject!
Thanks, Rick!
That looks great! Nicely done!
Thanks, Greg!
Great plane, and such a beautiful finish. You definitely captured the lookout the real NMF, common of the aircraft of the period. Awesome work.
That’s a beauty! Considering Roden kits are usually a pain, you really pulled it off nicely, John @j-Healy. Did you encounter any issues with Mr Color Super Metallic2?