I am becoming interested in airlines and their history and thought I'd begin building a series of landmark airliners (assuming I can find them).

First on the list is the Douglas DC-3. The second would be the Boeing 707.

What would you include?

A suggestion in my opinion would be to include the de havilland comet, 747, concorde, A380 (if available) all landmarks in modern air travel.

Add to that list the Lockheed Constellation & Douglas DC-8

Hi Steve

Definitely the Boeing 247 - Williams Bros did a kit if you can still find it. And no collection would be complete without the de Havilland Comet!

All the best

Rowan

Not forgetting The Boeing 737, specifically the Western Pacific Logo Jets as they were one of the first companies to sell the fuselage "canvas" as advertising space for other firms.

Tentative link for one of my "logo jets"

The charming DH Dragon Rapide is a must-build!

The DC-3 (for obvious reasons for those who know me) is the must-have! I would also include:

(Early birds)
Ju 52
FW 200
Fokker (and Ford) Tri-motor
Lockheed Vega
any of the flying boats

(middle birds)
DC 4, 6 & 7
Constellation
DH Dove
Bristol Brabazon
Boeing Stratocruiser

(Jets)
Comet
Convair 880
B 707
Caravaile

Just remember the howl of the freightdog, "Jets are for kids! Real airplanes have round engines!"

Lockheed Constellation
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
Ford Trimotor
Pan Am Boeing 314
DC-3

How about the smaller aircraft?

Dash-8
BAe146 (if anyone knows if there is a kit of this, I would be interested)

Larger ones:

Concorde
Boeing 747
Boeing 737
Tristar

Dave

The list begins to firm up (so far). It reads like this:

Early Birds
The Ford Trimotor, OR, The Fokker Tri. (Availability of Fokker model?)
The Boeing 247 (I have the Williams Bros kit)
All the flying boats. Sikorsky, Martin and Curtiss, Shorts and
Supermarine(need kits - where? (have Sikorsky
S-38)
Boeing 314 (Gets special mention - have kit)

Middle Birds
Douglas DC-3 and possibly, the DC-4(have kits)
Boeing Stratocruiser (have kit)
Dragon Rapide (the most beautiful biplane ever built? have kit)
Lockheed Constellation (have kit)

Jets
deHavilland Comet (How could I leave out the first jet airliner? - kit?)
Boeing 707 (kit?)
Boeing 747 (kit?)

Jury still out on the Focke Wulf 200 Condor

Suggested but not put on list

JU-52
A great airplane but later than the other tri's. Solid but not revolutionary design that, in terms of airliners, was obsolete very quickly.

Lockheed Vega
possibly intended as a small airliner, I can't find that it was ever used as one. Perhaps the Electra?

Douglas DC-8
broke same ground as the 707 only slightly later.

Boeing 737
A great workhorse airplane like the DC-3 but no new ground

A380
If all the expectations are met it might become a landmark, however. it has yet to fly commercially.

deHaviland Dove
I researched it briefly but didn't see that it was a groundbreaker.

Bristol Brabazon
Although a technological advance, it was unfortunate to have come along shorlty before the jets. It was also delayed by bureacratic regs. It was required to land on a 2000 ft runway!!?? (kit?)

The Concorde
I'm agonizing over this. A technological breakthrough, certainly. But a terribly expensive one to develop, to buy and to operate. I am struck by the fact that it spawned no competitors and, as far as I could determine, was only used by BOAC and Air France. Nobody else bought it. Until the tragedy in Paris it had a 100% safety record


More suggestions or comments? Now all I have to do is build them and find a place to display them.

Hi there, thought I'd add my two cents worth. I went through my commercial aviation stage about fifteen years ago and wished some of the kits out now were out then.
One kit that is sort of neat is the Glencoe Vickers Viscount, I believe it was the first turboprop aircraft for commercial use introduced. It is in an odd scale 1/96 or something like that but a nice kit nonetheless.
I also like the Boeing 757, it looks like a great big bird sitting up on its landing gear!
Take care. Russell

My thoughts on airlines... Well there was this one time while I was transferring from Ft. Ord to Ft. Gordon and this cute little hippy chick was sitting in the next seat and... wait thats not what you were talking about... er uh ...early landmark airliners.

There a s a converted Handley Page 0/400 and several 0/1500 that serves at civilian airliners 1919-29. Then there was the Brunelli C-2 Google "Lawson Airlines". Here is the first entry.
http://www.livingweb.com/samename/lawson/files/flyforfu.htm

How about a Sikorski JRS-1 (S-43) Baby Clipper?

Hi Jan -

I am very partial to flying boats and although only the Boeing 314 was a land mark (IMHO) there is a special place in my heart for the Sikosky and Marting luxury FB's.

At one time (many moonsago) I tried to build a Martin 130 China Clipper. Not sure of the numerical designation) but messed it up and junked it. I don't remember the kit manufacturer but it was one of the bigger ones.

Do you (or anyone else) have any advice on where I can get kits of that Martin or any of the other FB's? I have an S-39 in 1/72 which I got from the Osa and Marting Johnson Museum in Wichita. It's resin and kinda pricey but it's the only kit of this that I could find.

Thanks for your interest.
Steve