1:144 Revell Boeing 787
Dreamliner
by Marcus Jellyman
The 787 Dreamliner was born out of the cancellation of the proposed Sonic Cruiser. After the terrorist attacks on the USA in 2001 the airline industry drastically changed. Efficiency became the airlines main priority over speed, forcing Boeing into re-thinking its design. The Sonic Cruiser project was officially cancelled at the end of 2002, and a new design (the 787) announced in January 2003. The pioneering design looked similar to aircraft already in service but was drastically different in its construction. As much as 50% of the aircraft's structure would be built from composite materials, giving the Dreamliner unrivaled fuel efficiency of up to 20% over similar sized aircraft. To date the Dreamliner has been Boeing's fastest selling wide bodied aircraft, with 827 orders from 59 airlines. After years of delay's, the first aircraft was delivered to All Nippon Airlines of Japan in late September 2011
The kit come's in one of Revells usual end opening boxes, with art work of one of the Boeing test aircraft. Sadly this is in the blander of the two test schemes, the other being the 'Dreamliner' colours which this build will show.
Marcus
Dreamliner
by Marcus Jellyman
- Kit:- Revell Boeing 787 Dreamliner 04261.
- Scale:- 1:144.
- Decals:- SKY144-69 Boeing Dreamliner House Colours + Photo Etch.
- Paints:- Halfords Appliance White & Grey Primer, Daco PA-31 Western Pacific Dark Blue, Gunze Sangyo Mr.Metal Color 218, Gunze Sangyo H137 Tire Black.
- Materials Used:- 800 Grit Wet & Dry, Squadron White Putty, Microscale decal setting solution, Bare Metal Foil.
The 787 Dreamliner was born out of the cancellation of the proposed Sonic Cruiser. After the terrorist attacks on the USA in 2001 the airline industry drastically changed. Efficiency became the airlines main priority over speed, forcing Boeing into re-thinking its design. The Sonic Cruiser project was officially cancelled at the end of 2002, and a new design (the 787) announced in January 2003. The pioneering design looked similar to aircraft already in service but was drastically different in its construction. As much as 50% of the aircraft's structure would be built from composite materials, giving the Dreamliner unrivaled fuel efficiency of up to 20% over similar sized aircraft. To date the Dreamliner has been Boeing's fastest selling wide bodied aircraft, with 827 orders from 59 airlines. After years of delay's, the first aircraft was delivered to All Nippon Airlines of Japan in late September 2011
The kit come's in one of Revells usual end opening boxes, with art work of one of the Boeing test aircraft. Sadly this is in the blander of the two test schemes, the other being the 'Dreamliner' colours which this build will show.
The two fuselage halves.
Wing sprues with the large belly insert.
Main sprue which includes the engines, landing gear and horizontal stabilisers.
Decals from Skyline, with added Photo Etch Metal for the ariels and pitot tubes.
As the aftermarket decals includes windows i decided to fill the kit openings. Some 20thou Evergreen plastic strip was first fixed into place with Tamiya Extra Thin cement. This will give the putty something to 'grab' onto when filled from the other side.
With the cement cured, i applied a line of Squadron White putty along the window apertures with a small putty knife.
And again once cured, this could be sanded back to achieve a flush finish with the fuselage.
Next i applied a coat of Halfords Grey Primer to the two fuselage halves to check the finish. The putty will almost always shrink as it hardens, leaving small indentations where the windows were. You could add more putty, but i used Mr Surfacer 1000 from a jar. Using a coffee stirrer (Costa Coffee or McDonalds are a good supplier!!) dab small dots of the surfacer onto the trouble area's. After about half an hour it is ready to sand back. Just spray another coat of primer and if needed repeat the process. This is also a good process from removing seam lines.
One of the fuselage halves suffered from putty shrinkage.
When sanding the window area's, take care not to remove the guttering aboe each door.
Here the fuselage halves have been bought together, and the seam lines removed. To be honest this didn't take as long as expected as the fit is very god indeed. I have also cemented the wings together, and mated them up with the fuselage. Again only minimal putty was needed, this being my own fault when not paying attention! The horizontal stabilisers have been dry fitted to check the fit.
Just a dab of putty needed in the wing root area (all my own fault!).
The excellent fit of the kit continues. Not much to do here!!
Next to be build are the superbly engineered engines. Revell have answered the prayers of liner builders everywhere with a new approach in engine construction. Separate fan blades and intake cowling make building the engines and removing seams a breeze.
The inside of the cowlings were first painted Burnt Iron, before Gunze Aluminium. These were both brush painted. The exhaust cone was painted silver before being airbrush with Tamiya Clear Blue.
Once the blades had dried i painted the centre cone gloss black and added the spiral decal.
A small fret of Photo Etch Metal is included with the Skyline decal sheet, and this includes small aerofoils for the engine cowlings.
Here the Halfords Gloss White has been sprayed from a rattle can. I gave it several coats, rubbing it down with 800 grit wet & dry inbetween. The model has now been masked ready for the blue.
Daco supply the correct Blue, this can be ordered diract from them.
The Skyline decals look pretty daunting due to their size, just make sure to use plenty of water when applying them to avoid the risk of tearing. To help them settle i used Daco's 'Medium' setting solution.
All that was left to add was the landing gear, arials and pitot tubes.
If you're after a quick and easy build to either get yourself back into modelling, or a break between challenging kits, this one is for you. Building the kit was a breeze with almost no filling needed. If you looking to improve your gloss work, airliners are a great way to enhance your skills. For a kit of its size, your money goes a long way, leaving you some spare cash to purchase one of the many after market decal sets that are now available.
This is a great kit that i will deffinitly be building again in the future.
If you're after a quick and easy build to either get yourself back into modelling, or a break between challenging kits, this one is for you. Building the kit was a breeze with almost no filling needed. If you looking to improve your gloss work, airliners are a great way to enhance your skills. For a kit of its size, your money goes a long way, leaving you some spare cash to purchase one of the many after market decal sets that are now available.
This is a great kit that i will deffinitly be building again in the future.
Marcus