Good going, it's not that hard once you get going at it.

It may be too late for you but after I'd done a couple I created a blank word template with just the headings to guide me along, it helps this fool away.

I've been doing much the same by finishing one review, erasing the unique bits and putting in new content. They'll look a bit cookie-cutterish but the important stuff will all be there.

I have only done two reviews of the airliner genre. It really needs someone who is better versed in the subject. I can point out the fit problems but I am not an airline expert.

Roden #301

Roden #303

Those two reviews were sufficient for me to run out and get my own DC-7.

We airliner modellers have been so poorly served up until the past 10 years or so that this kit is pretty much par for the course. We're so used to overcoming bigger obstacles than the ones you've noted that it's just pretty much modelling as usual.

We're airline modellers. We take rubbish and make it look good.

This review writing lark is getting adictive
The Constellation review has been posted and I've submitted reviews of:
Revell Airbus narrowbodies (A-319, -320, -321 and a bonus -318 conversion fuselage).
Revell 737-800
Airfix 737-200

Must run, more typing to do...

J

Nice, thorough review of the Connie.
Looking forward to the next one (or two, or...)

2 more reviews up

Hello Jessica,very nice reviews so far!

Do you maybe have Minicraft's Boeing 757-200 that you could review??

Thank you in advance.

Kind regards,Sven.

No I haven't. I was scared away by all the reports of its shortcomings. I've done the Masterkit one twice and several Welsh ones so you know I'm not easily frightened by "less than mainstream" kits.

All the reports say that the vertical stabiliser is too short, one wing is set higher than the other, the nose profile is not quite correct, the aft fuselage is 5mm too long (so aftermarket decals may not fit) and the engine pylons cause the engines to point upwards. The simplest solution to these problems is to cut both the nose and tail off and replace them with aftermarket replacements, then glue them on at a slight angle to the fuselage. Since I can't be bothered with that kind of aggrivation, I simply do another Welsh kit whenever I want a 757. You might also want to check out these two kits for the ultimate 757 building experience.

J

Airfix 737 and A-300 are up now

Comet 1 and 3B are up

Hi Jessica and Sven, the Minicraft kit of the 757 I've built in Northwest markings. It does have some problems, I'm not sure about the tail being too short, but one thing the engines that came with the kit were Rolls-Royce and should of been Pratt&Whitney! I had two identical kits and both sets of engines were the same.
Also the wings don't fit quite right into the fuselage and seem to leave you with one slightly higher than the other. Yikes! Thought I would present some photos for your edification! Take care, keep up the reviews. Russell

P.S. I used RLM 02, the German WW2 aircraft color for the fuselage! Thought it was a close match to the type of grey used on the 757.

Thought I would throw up this picture of the Minicraft MD-80 series in USAir markings I built. If you get this kit be VERY careful and coat the decals (USAir) with decal preserver so that they don't distinigrate on you when they hit the water! I went through three sheets, cobbled together to finish this model and it isn't the best in my opinion. Presentable barely. Thought you'd like to see it though on this forum. Russell

The way to correct the Minicraft 757's wing problem is to cut the fuselage into 3 parts: nose, wing section and tail, then glue them back with the nose and tail at a slight angle to the wing section. Then the wings will sit level once everything's assembled.

The kit itself is very buildable with few fit problems, sink marks, ejector pin marks or any of the other usual modelling gotchas. It's just a pity that Minicraft got the shapes so wrong

Still, it looks like a 757, and a kid doing her[1] first model won't care about the shapes.

I've found that Minicraft's decals can be iffy. Sometimes they work fine, others they destroy themselves. My TWA MD-80's decals started shredding, and when I tried coating them with Microscale film the gold washed off like watercolours in the rain. I had to strip it and use an aftermarket sheet. Since I don't often buy kits for the box scheme I don't let it worry me.

Minicraft is famous for getting the wrong parts into their airliner kits. They're also famous for customer service, so if you do get the wrong parts in your box, drop them a line and they'll get you the right ones.

[1] Or his. I don't want to get sexist