KC (135) and the Sunshine Band!

[Spellbinder99]

So this is the progress on my Revell 1/144 scale AWACS kit that I have added 1/200 scale Hasegawa 747 engines to. Personally I thing they look very natural there and add some very nice fan detail to the front view.







Coming at you!




All pointing in the same direction! Most important for good flight.... ( and something to keep in mind when chopping out the engine mounts)



Recievers eye view. The kit comes with a flying boom, but no boomers station. Two choices are to either build the station or as I want to do a probe and drogue style refuelling setup as used on a TSR-2 then making some refuelling pods and gubbins springs to mind.



I have glued the gear doors closed and filled them and sanded off all the raised detail. I will replace it with decal and drawn lines or I may even go crazy and rescribe some panel lines, but in 1/144 scale they may be better done with paint or such.
Any comments happily recieved. At time of taking the pictures I was still in the process of filling and sanding the right wing to fuselage joint.

Cheers

Tony

[The Rat]

And comments are happily given - looking good!    

[elmayerle]

Looking very good.  Perhaps wingtip drogue installations like the Canadians use/used?

[K5054NZ]

That sounds real good...I prefer probe-and-drogue anyway. Dunno why...maybe cos there's more skill involved.
What markings will you be using?
Well, best of luck with the build Tony!

[Spellbinder99]

RAAF markings, so I may cheat and get the Hawkeye RAAF tanker conversion that will give me the wingtip pods, camera housing and low-viz RAAF markings appropriate to a 707-style aircraft.

I want to try something different for the paint scheme plus I am toying with adding some ECM/ Satellite NavCom external features.

Tell me if this is too out-there? Add the redundant AWACS Rotodome to an Arii 1/144 scale P-3C kit and scratchbuild a cabin top IFR probe and have the P3 refuelling from the KC?

Cheers

Tony

[Eddie M.]

I like the engine refit. It does look very good! I do the same with a B-52 recently. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. The KC is very near and dear to my heart, especially since I help make a part on it .
  Eddie

[retro_seventies]

those engines DO look good!

[elmayerle]

RAAF markings, so I may cheat and get the Hawkeye RAAF tanker conversion that will give me the wingtip pods, camera housing and low-viz RAAF markings appropriate to a 707-style aircraft.

I want to try something different for the paint scheme plus I am toying with adding some ECM/ Satellite NavCom external features.

Tell me if this is too out-there? Add the redundant AWACS Rotodome to an Arii 1/144 scale P-3C kit and scratchbuild a cabin top IFR probe and have the P3 refuelling from the KC?

That doesn't sound too out-there at all.  Granted, it's a bigger rotodome than the AEWC Orion usually carries, but that's not a problem for what-if.  *chuckle*  If you do decide to finish the tanker in RAAF markings, perhaps a "Wedgetail" antenna on top so it can serve double duty while on station?

[Spellbinder99]

Actually, I was thinking of adding an assortment of aerials and bulges, perhaps even make it a dual role tanker/command post aircraft.

Was the AEW/C Orions rotodome lifted directly from an E2 Hawkeye? I have a couple of the Heller 1/144 scale Hawkeyes that I could take one from....

Cheers

Tony

[Brian da Basher]

That looks really spot-on Tony! I think you're really doing excellent work on this one! My office is out near the airport here and those 135s fly over like clockwork. It looks like something I'll see above me at about 500 feet when I take my smoke break. I work in 1/144 a lot and I'd reccomend using decals as opposed to rescribing just to save a little sanity. Unless of course those dang decals curl up on you.  

Best of luck...can't wait to see the finished product!
Brian da Basher

[K5054NZ]

B) I like the RAAF idea. And the Orion sounds good too. Keep us posted!

[elmayerle]

Actually, I was thinking of adding an assortment of aerials and bulges, perhaps even make it a dual role tanker/command post aircraft.

Was the AEW/C Orions rotodome lifted directly from an E2 Hawkeye? I have a couple of the Heller 1/144 scale Hawkeyes that I could take one from....

Yes, it was lifted directly.  It's the same radar even, though the Orion interior is a tad more roomy than the Hawkeye's (I've worked on the first and visited the source of the second on a job interview).  If you really want to have fun, add both the Wedgetail antenna and the ventral canoe antenna from the E-8.

[John Howling Mouse]

Brilliant work.

And perfectly natural-looking, IMHO.

Love the receiver's perspective shot.

[Spellbinder99]

Elmayerle made me do it!  

I bashed together this approximation of a MESA last night using some pictures of the Wedgetail setup.



I am quite happy with the cooling inlet detail in the pylon leading edge, but I may thin the array edges down a little more to better match the real Wedgetail array.



The large underfuselage strakes are to counter the destabilizing effect of the top array so I HAD to add them as well...



Lovely day on the roof of my house. The bump on the fuselage top is a piece of something in the kit, but it makes a quite nice antenna fairing I think.

I am still going to add tanking pods to the wingtips to make it dual-role, but I am quite happy with the array for a quick scratchbuild job.

Cheers

Tony

[Captain Canada]

Wow Tony...is that ever looking good ! Coming together quickly as well, eh ? You're not in some secret club with Eddie now, are you ?

Love the Wedgetail idea, and the multi-role a/c. You know what else would look cool ? Having an AAR pod on one wing, and a Sidewinder mounted on the other ! I love the look of sidewinders on big a/c.

Cheers !