Pioneer 2 Beech AT-11 1/72

The Beechcraft Model 18 design was begun in 1935, when Walter Beech determined to build a low-wing monoplane to compete with the biplanes, like the Curtis Condor, which were still common to commercial aviation.

After an unspectacular introduction in 1937, the design was steadily improved, particularly with respect to engine power and economy of operation until 1939 when, with the introduction of 330-hp Jacobs L-6 engines, the plane became an attractive package. 30 were sold in 1940, at which point the war interrupted its civilian life while giving a terrific boost to Beech's future. The first of an eventual run of more than 4000 D-18s were then contracted by the government.

Plastic Model Review:
http://hsfeatures.com/beechmodel18fr_1.htm

Other AT-11 Information:
http://www.warbirdalley.com/at11.htm
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/GENERAL_AVIATION/beech/GA9.htm
http://www.twinbeech.com/at-11page1.htm

Minicraft DC-6 Independence 1/144 Scale

The Douglas DC-6 was one of the first airplanes to fly a regularly scheduled around-the-world route. With its higher performance, increased accommodation, greater payload and pressurized cabin, it was a natural evolution of the DC-4.

Although the DC-6 had the same wingspan as the DC-4, its engines helped it fly 90 mph faster than the DC-4, carry 3,000 pounds more payload and fly 850 miles farther. The DC-6 could maintain the cabin pressure of 5,000 feet while flying at 20,000 feet.

American Airlines and United Airlines ordered the commercial DC-6 in 1946, and Pan American Airways used the DC-6 to start tourist-class service across the North Atlantic. The 29th DC-6 was ordered by the Air Force, adapted as the presidential aircraft and designated the VC-118. It was delivered on July 1, 1947, and called The Independence after President Harry Truman's hometown, Independence, Mo.

More DC-6 Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-6
http://www.ruudleeuw.com/dc6_tec.htm

Airfix Boeing 727 1/144 Scale

The versatility and reliability of the Boeing 727 -- first trijet introduced into commercial service -- made it the best-selling airliner in the world during the first 30 years of jet transport service. The jet age essentially began in 1952 with the introduction of the British-designed de Havilland Comet. Several jetliners, including the Boeing 707, were developed before the 727, but none came close to its sales record.

Production of the 727 extended from the early 1960s to August 1984 -- a remarkable length of time, considering the original market forecast was for 250 airplanes. As it turned out, 1,831 were delivered. Twenty years later, when the last 727 was delivered, this versatile fleet was carrying 13 million passengers each month. As of January 2001, nearly 1,300 of the reliable aircraft were still in service.

Plastic Model Review:
http://www.airlinercafe.com/page.php?id=143

Other Boeing 727 Information:
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/727family/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_727
http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=90

Minicraft Transocean Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 1/144 Scale

After World War II was over, Boeing re-entered the commercial market with a new long-range airliner, the Stratocruiser (Model 377). It was the first Boeing commercial transport since the Stratoliner and, like its military counterpart, the C-97, was based on the B-29 bomber. It possessed all the speed and technical improvements available to bombers at the end of the war.

The Stratocruiser set a new standard for luxurious air travel with its tastefully decorated extra-wide passenger cabin and gold-appointed dressing rooms. A circular staircase led to a lower-deck beverage lounge, and flight attendants prepared hot meals for 50 to 100 people in a state-of-the-art galley. As a sleeper, the Stratocruiser was equipped with 28 upper-and-lower bunk units.

Plastic Model Review:
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/civil/377.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~aravm98/reference/MiniC97rev.htm

Other Boeing 377 Information:
http://www.aviation-history.com/boeing/377.html
http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=3563

Revell Dassault Falcon 10

The baby of Dassault's corporate jet lineup, the Falcon 10 and Falcon 100 series (Mystère 10 and Mystère 100 in France) sold in good numbers during a production run that lasted almost two decades.

In concept a scaled down Falcon/Mystère 20, the Falcon 10/100 was an all new design except for similar wing high lift devices. Conceived in the late 1960s, the Falcon 10 was the second member of the Dassault Falcon family to be developed. Dassault originally intended the Falcon 10 be powered by two General Electric CJ610 turbojets, and a CJ610 powered prototype first flew on December 1 1970.

Flight testing was delayed until May 1971 while changes were made to the wing design, including increasing the wing sweepback angle. The second prototype was the first to be powered by Garrett TFE731 turbofans, and it completed its first flight on October 15 1971. Flight testing was completed with the aid of a third prototype, and French and US certification was awarded in September 1973. Deliveries of production aircraft began that November.

While almost all Falcon 10 production was for civil customers, the French navy ordered seven, designated the Mystère 10 MER, as multi purpose pilot trainers. Missions include simulation of targets for Super Etendard pilots and instrument training.

More Falcon 10 Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Falcon_10
http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=172
http://frenchnavy.free.fr/aircraft/falcon-10/falcon-10.htm

Minicraft PSA Lockheed L-188 Super Electra

The Lockheed L-188 Electra was developed to meet a 1954 American Airlines requirement for a domestic short to medium range 75 to 100 seat airliner. In June 1955 American awarded Lockheed an order for 35 such aircraft. Lockheed's design, the L-188, was a low wing, four turboprop powered aircraft.

Many other airlines shared American's interest in the L-188, and by the time the first prototype flew on December 6 1957, the order book stood at 144. Service entry was with Eastern Airlines (due to a pilot's strike at American) on January 12 1959.

However, any optimism Lockheed felt about a strong sales future would have been short lived, as a number of crashes in 1959 and 1960 (two of which where the aircraft broke up in flight) contributed to a number of order cancellations.

Additional L-188 Information:
http://www.answers.com/topic/lockheed-l-188-electra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_L-188_Electra
http://www.psa-history.org/hangar/l188.php

Revell Airbus A321 1/144 Scale

This is a lengthened, minimum change version of the A320. The wing area is slightly enlarged and the undercarriage is strengthened, with higher thrust variants of both CFM56 and V2500 engines. Some carriers have bought the A321 over the Boeing 757 as it shares type commonality with the A318, A319, and A320. Type certification was awarded in December, 1993, by the JAA.

Typical range with 186 passengers for the A321-100 is about 2,300 nautical miles (4,300 km). It is powered by two CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 engines with a thrust rating of 31,000 pounds force (138 kN). The A321-200 has extra fuel capacity bringing the range with 186 passengers up to about 3,000 nautical miles (5,500 km). The A321-200 is powered by two CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 engines with a thrust rating of about 33,000 pounds force (147 kN).

Plastic Model Review:
http://modelingmadness.com/reviews/civil/mansa320.htm

More A321 Information:
http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=24
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A320
http://www.flightlevel350.com/Airbus-A320_aircraft_facts.html

Back to LS Plastic Model Collection Home Page:

http://lsmodelcollectionroom.blogspot.com/

Minicraft Beechcraft Bonanza V35A 1/48 Scale

Sporting a distinctive V-shaped or “butterfly” tail, the Beechcraft Bonanza set the standard for the stylish yet well-equipped aircraft for the private pilot, albeit one who could afford to fly in relative luxury. Since its introduction in 1947, the Bonanza has been admired as a “classic” in the aviation world, even earning Fortune magazine's prestigious award in 1959 as one of the 100 best designed mass-production products.

The Beech Aircraft Corporation, confident in its manufacturing capacity after building more than 7,000 combat aircraft during World War II, positioned itself for the post-war era by designing a revolutionary single-engine aircraft with a V-tail configuration that trimmed weight without compromising control. Company founder Walter Beech envisioned a light aircraft with a level of performance and comfort that would distinguish it from the competition.

In theory, the Bonanza's V-tail design uses only two surfaces to perform its function as compared to the three surfaces of a conventional straight-tail design. This reduction in surfaces reduces both drag and weight, while also lowering the probability of tail buffeting from the wakes generated by the aircraft's wing and canopy. Aircraft control response with the V-tail is equivalent to that of a conventional tail of 40 percent greater surface area. Manufacturing costs for the V-tail design are also lower because fewer parts are required to fabricate only two surfaces instead of three.

Model Kit Review:
http://www.abcmodelsport.net/p350300/Minicraft-1609-148-Beech-Bonanza.html

Other information:
http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20performance/Beech/bonanza.htm
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/GENERAL_AVIATION/bonanza/GA10.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Bonanza
http://www1.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=324

Minicraft Lockheed 1049G Super Constellation 1/144 Scale

Constellation L-49 / L-649 / L-749The Lockheed Constellation L-49 was developed in the beginning of the 40's. Pan Am and TWA had made appropriate demands for a 40 seat passenger airplane. World War II gave the L-49, which had completed 1943 their first flight, however immediately a military career (among other things as Rosinen Bomber). 1945 became the Constellation for the civilian service certified. It was called now L-649 and offered to 48 to 81 passengers place, if the seats closely adjusted.

Super Constellation L-1049End of the 40's the air traffic grow rapid and the airlines wished larger airplanes. Thus 1950 those anyway long Constellation was stretched for super by 5.60 meters to the Constellation L-1049. This aspect ratio stressed the swung dolphin line of the Constellation and makes the Superconny. The charismatic airplane of the 50's. It offered place even 109 passengers up to 95, and was sold altogether in 254 copies .

Starliner L-1649Finally passengers and airlines required for larger ranges. Douglas with the DC-7c had set a new yardstick here. Lockheed reacted 1956 with a advancement of the Constellation. The airplane received a completely again designed wing unit with larger span and a larger fuel plant. The model with the designation L-1649 became as super star Constellation or - more usually - than star liner. 43 star liners were sold.

Monogram Model Kit Review:
http://www.modelingmadness.com/scotts/korean/m121preview.htm

Other information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Constellation
http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/1049.html

Minicraft Piper Super Cub PA 18 1/48 Scale

The Super Cub is one of Piper's most successful and long lived aircraft programs, with production spanning over four decades. The PA-18 Super Cub was the ultimate development of Piper's original aircraft, the J-3 Cub (described separately). The four seat development of the Cub, the PA-14 Family Cruiser, was the basis for the Super Cub, but the later differed in having seating for two in tandem (as on the Cub), all metal wings and, in its initial form, a 65kW (90hp) Continental C-90 in the PA-18-90 or a 80kW (108hp) Lycoming O-235 engine in the PA-18-105.

The Super Cub flew for the first time in 1949, and certification was awarded on November 18 that year. The first production Super Cubs were delivered from late 1949, the type replacing the PA-11 Cub Special on Piper's production lines.

Model Kit Review:
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/civil/scubpreview.htm

Revell Bombardier Challenger CL 604 1/144 Scale

Originating from the drawing board of Bill Lear, designer of the Lear Jet, this executive jet was first named Learstar 600. However when Lear sold the executive production rights to Canadair in April 1976, the type was redesignated as the Canadair CL.600 and became known subsequently as the Challenger.

Canadair’s market research indicated a sales potential for some 1000 business aircraft in this category and believing it could capture 40% of this market, the company launched the Challenger development programme on 29th October 1976, at which time it had 53 firm orders and a $130 million Canadian government loan.

Canadair introduced a number of changes in the basic design, the most noticeable being the movement of the tailplane from the bottom of the tail to the top. A major selling point for the Challenger is a fuselage of large cross section with a width of 2.49m and height of 1.85m, providing a “walk about” cabin not present in any other business jet. The aircraft provides comfortable accommodation for a maximum of 18 passengers.

Three pre-production aircraft were built, the first of them flying on 8th November 1978 with the power plant of two Lycoming ALF502L-2 turbofan engines each rated at 7500 lb st (33.35kN). The first production aircraft flew on 21st September 1979 after which Canadian and US certification was gained during late 1980.

By 1982 Canadair had firm orders and options for 200 aircraft. Out of those 150 were for the CL.600 and the remainder for the CL.601. By the middle of the 1990’s deliveries had exceeded 300 with sales of subsequent models increasing.

The CL.604 first flew on 18th September 1984 and delivered from 1996. Engines were uprated to two CF34-3B each rated at 8730 lb st (38.83kN) and fuel capacity extended to 1242 litres for a range of 7408km. Other changes included new landing gear, strengthened tail unit and a Collins electronic flight instrumentation system.

Revell Model Review:
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/70s/cl-604_swissair_144.htm

Doyusha Fokker F27 Friendship ANA 1/144 Scale

Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful DC-3 airliner. The manufacturer evaluated a number of different configurations before finally deciding on a high wing twin Rolls-Royce Dart engined layout with a pressurised cabin for 28 passengers.

The first prototype, registered PH-NIV, first flew on 24 November 1955. The second prototype and initial production machines were 3 ft (0.9 m) longer, addressing the first aircraft's slightly tail-heavy handling and also providing space for more passengers. These aircraft also used the more powerful Dart Mk 528 engine.

In 1956 Fokker signed a licensing deal with the US aircraft manufacturer Fairchild for the latter to construct the aircraft in the USA. The first U.S.-built aircraft flew on 12 April 1958. As at the end of the Fokker F27s production, 786 units had been built (including 206 in the USA by Fairchild), which makes it the most successful turboprop airliner of all time.

In the early 1980s, Fokker developed a successor to the Friendship, the Fokker F50, with upgraded engines and systems.

Doyusha Model Review:
Type: injection New model : yes, 4th quarter 1998 Suited for: beginners Number of parts: 18 Accuracy: credible Looks like: ... a real F-27 This model is available since the end of 1998 and results in a nice small model the Fokker F-27 Friendship, the most built post-WW2 commuter type aircraft in its class. The model can be built quite easy, and goes together without any problems. As is often seen in this scale, windows are represented by decals, which can be a problem if you prefer building a slightly different version for a different airline.

Fortunately, Doyusha have included registration numbers for the entire All Nippon F-27 fleet. I finished my kit as JA8621, which was operated by All Nippon Airways and later also by the dutch Limburg Airlines and finally by Air Anglia of the UK (incidently: this airframe once suffered a nose gear collapse during take off at Schiphol). Conclusion: This model is nice to build and seems to be a real F-27 when ready. It is quite small however in this scale, and can be nicely portrayed next to the derived modernized Fokker 50 of Welsh in the same scale.

Other information:
http://www1.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=217
http://www.answers.com/topic/fokker-f27
http://www.flightlevel350.com/Fokker-27_aircraft_facts.html

Doyusha Boeing 777-200 1/200 Scale

The Model 777, the first entirely new Boeing airplane in more than a decade, was the first jetliner to be 100 percent digitally designed using three-dimensional computer graphics. Throughout the design process, the airplane was "preassembled" on the computer, eliminating the need for a costly, full-scale mock-up.

The 777 program was launched in October 1990 with an order from United Airlines. In June 1995, United flew its first 777 in revenue service. The Boeing board of directors authorized production of the 777-300 on June 26, 1995, and the first 777-300 was delivered to Cathay Pacific Airways in June 1998.

The 777 is the widest, most spacious airplane in its class and includes improvements in airfoil technology, flight deck design, passenger comfort and interior flexibility. Its greater payload and range capability result in lower operating costs to airlines, and its standard equipment includes many features that are optional on other airliners.

Additional information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_777
http://www.aviationexplorer.com/777_facts.htm