Airfix 1/144 scale
Douglas DC-9
by
Frank Cuden
Description
This is the venerable old Airfix DC-9 1/144th kit resplendent with DrawDecals United States Marines livery. Over the years, the Airfix kit has proven to be an accurate representation of the airliner, however, in this case, I added new resin engines from Contrails. Small, additional antennae were made from both sheet plastic and plastic strip. From photos, I positioned the left elevator in the "up" position, with the right elevator "down." Both Testor's and Alclad II paints were used for the finish, with Floquil Primer being sprayed on the wing box section..
The decals go on well and careful measuring beforehand will insure correct positioning. I penciled in light panel lines on the model to break up the vastness of the white crown and added them to the wings to outline the control surfaces and wing box section. Most of the time was taken up with masking - you know, an hour of masking followed by five minutes of spraying and another three minutes to remove the tape - and then hope! I thought the scheme to be striking and something a bit different than the "normal" airline liveries. It certainly stands out in the showcase, otherwise occupied by a selection of both other military and airline schemes. My main reference source was the DC-9 book by Jody Peeler.
The full-build article will be appearing in an upcoming issue of FineScale Modeler Magazine.
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