Minicraft's 1/144 scale
Douglas DC-8-72
by
Frank Cuden
Description
This is the Minicraft 1/144th scale DC-8 with a shortened fuselage to make it into a DC-8-72 with the CFM engines that come in the kit. Decals are a new release from DrawDecals. Testor's enamel white was airbrushed onto the model and the leading edges are Alclad II's "Steel" color. Minicraft provides very nice detail decals for the inner engine cowlings as well as for the engine pylons. I slit the fuselage cheat-line decals into four sections, beginning with the ones in front and continuing back from there. Subsequently adding the windshield decal brought both cheat lines together.
Several scratch-built additions were made and glued in place on the fuselage and they served as reproductions of the various items of testing equipment protrusions and sensors shown on NASA's one and only DC-8. Over time, photos of the aircraft show different items added on, depending on the tests at hand. It was easy to apply light pencil panel lines in the indented ones on the kit, and doing so, broke up all that white. Minicraft also provide inspection panel decals for wing tops and bottoms, a nice touch. Note also the small light gray kit decal panels that were applied to the natural metal of the wing leading edges. Minicraft's kit is quite accurate and makes up into a nice model.
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