1/144 KC-135R.
This is the newly released Academy model. It's actually a re-pop of the Minicraft kit. Academy has been slowly reissuing Minicraft's more popular kits recently. I always wanted one of these but waited too long as Minicraft went out of business a couple of years ago. I'm glad I didn't pay eBay prices for a Minicraft issue. This one was a true bargain that retailed for around $16 when I bought it last month. I finished it with Xtracolor AMC Gray enamel and Caracal decals for a 128th ARW bird from the Wisconsin Air Guard. These planes are based at Mitchell Field in Milwaukee. Overall it's a very nice kit with excellent molding quality. It is missing some antennas and I just realized that it's lacking the boom operator's windows on the underside. A couple of decal squares can fix that. Thanks for looking!
Great work John! Glenn's older brother flew these planes for a good part of his 42 years of service in the USAF.
Thanks, Jim!
Beautiful, John @j-healy. How big is the footprint?
Thanks, Eric. Roughly 12x12 inches.
These airplanes are going to outlive us all. Very nice work on this, @j0healy.
Thanks, Tom. You’re right about these being immortal.
Nice work - you don't see too many of these build!
Thanks, Greg. It’s a good kit, it should be built more. It’s not as nice as the Minicraft DC-8, which was their best 1/144 kit, but it’s close. I’d like to see them do a 707 to this standard.
Well done, John. Even at 1/144 it looks impressive.
Thanks, Gary! It has presence but it’s shorter then a 1/144 727-200.
Great build, John. What a great looking aircraft. I flew on these twice, to Panama and back. Loved it. The 914th Air Refueling Wing out of Niagara Fall NY did the transporting for us. Great unit, great plane, and a great time in Panama.
Thanks, Clint!
That's a very fine result, John @j-healy
Very smooth paint work, which is definitely not easy on such a large build.
Well done.
Thanks, John. Xtracolor, God’s own paint. Nothing sprays smoother in my experience. I finished it with a light Testor’s dullcote thinned 1:1 with lacquer thinner.
Excellent job and really nice result, John! Great that Academy released this fine kit.
Thanks, Spiros!
A great build John. Very neat and of a kit not often seen. Wonderful.
Thanks, Guy!
Great job on your build, this is a sharp looking KC-135!
Thanks, Bob!
This really came out nice, John (@j-healy), and doesn't at all look like a 1/144 kit. The details, paint, and decals look quite nice. I have done a couple of refuelings behind early model KC-135s, and the bigger engines on the later model KC-135s have always looked odd to me.
Thanks, George! Those CFM56 engines gave new life to a lot of planes. DC-8, 737, and finally these Stratotankers.