A 'different' Airbus A-400M Atlas - FINISHED!

[PR19_Kit]

I needed a break from doing all those fiddly little things on the Monterey's beaching trolley, so I thought I'd do something a bit simpler to fill in the gaps. A couple of years ago Mrs_PR19 bought me a Revell 1/72 A-400M for my birthday pressie, and it's been sitting on the top of my 'I should build that one day' pile ever since. I've also got a conversion kit for something else that should fit it OK, and make a pretty striking model when it's all done. 

So I started on it..................

NOT a good idea, it's ENORMOUS!

I can only just get my hands around the fuselage when it's put together, and it has TWO fuselages. No, not like a Twin Mustang, but one inside the other. In order to provide full internal detail, including all the para-troop seats, Revell have you build the entire inner fuselage first, assemble the cockpit bits onto the front, and then put the outer fuselage skins around it all. Currently I've got the inner one assembled, and the cockpit, but not painted it yet, and one half of the outer fuselage glued in place.



There's vastly too many parts really, much of the cockpit stuff can't be seen at all, there's two bunks behind a folding screen at the rear, but the screen is closed so you can't see them! I did try and see if I could  do without the inner fuselage entirely, but I don't think it can be built strongly enough like that, and you'd need the rear part anyway to hold the rear hatch in place.

More when I take another break from the Monterey.

[sandiego89]

Big "breather" project! 

I never get some of that inside detail in some kits- but agree sometimes it is needed for rigidity. 

Appreciate a scale reference in the next photo when you get a chance...screwdriver, beer can...so we can see how big she really is!

[PR19_Kit]

Appreciate a scale reference in the next photo when you get a chance...screwdriver, beer can...so we can see how big she really is!

Good thinking there Dave, I'll do that for sure. 

[zenrat]

The Italeri SM82 Marsupiale has a full complement of paratrooper seats which can't be seen.  I will be transplanting them onto something with bigger windows.

Will you be extending the 400's wings he asked innocently? 

[rickshaw]

Let me guess, Kit, its either an AEW or a MR aircraft you're building?   

[McColm]

I've got one of those in my stash, I thought of using the engines on the Revell Dassault Breguet Br1150 Atlantic and using a pair from the Monogram B-52D on the Atlas. Just to be different.
My first thought was AEW or a gunship.

[PR19_Kit]

Will you be extending the 400's wings he asked innocently? 

Actually no, just for a change.    It'll take up enough shelf space as it is.

Let me guess, Kit, its either an AEW or a MR aircraft you're building?   

Nope, none of the above. 

[PR19_Kit]

Did lots of the Atlas today, and I was thinking that after the trials and tribulations of the Monterey this very modern Revell kit would be a doddle.

Wrong..........

While the enormous fin/rudder and tailplanes went together nicely, as did the main wing parts, trying to get the other half of the fuselage to fit was impossible. Even with vast amounts of tape and re-gluing parts that had come unglued it still won't fit. See the second pic below showing the MASSIVE gap above the cockpit. It's too big for PSR so I'll have to add a wedge of styrene and then PSR it. The rest of it doesn't really want to fit either but brute force managed to get some of the edges to join up, the rest will be superglued.

The guy who designed the engines is insane, Revell supply parts to replicate the complete compressor and turbine section of the engine, including a MIND bogglingly complicated intake area, all of which is totally invisible after assembly! I only built the #4 engine like that, all the rest had just the minimum amount to look good from the outside.

The main pic shows the whole thing, some of the yellow tape is just to hold the bits in the place, but some of the rest is holding it while the glue sets. I'm going to model the port para drop door in the open position, just because it's weird, which is why the port main gear fairing is glued in place now. Quite a chunk of it folds down to become a 'door mat' for the para drop door, as you'll see later in the build.

[zenrat]

Wow, that is a big gap.
It that going to cause issues with the glazing?

[Thorvic]

It will be the interior fuselage not 100% true as these kits have almost no build tolerance these days. I bet if you did a dry fit of the outer fuselage halves it would be a an almost perfect fit. The Transall, Condor and Globemaster are all the same and the engines sound like the Atlantque being over engineered.

Thankfully somebody at our club built one as soon as it came out so I only got the one and put it in storage as no chance it was going to be built anytime soon. Its massive - Nice but Massive

[Gondor]

I plan to get the 1/144 scale version as I consider the 1/72 scale version way too big

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

Wow, that is a big gap.
It that going to cause issues with the glazing?

It may do, but the glazing is all one piece, and the rear half has to be painted too, so if need be I can saw a 'V' cut into it and add a small wedge there too.

It will be the interior fuselage not 100% true as these kits have almost no build tolerance these days. I bet if you did a dry fit of the outer fuselage halves it would be a an almost perfect fit. The Transall, Condor and Globemaster are all the same and the engines sound like the Atlantque being over engineered.

It is the inner fuselage being too wide just near the entrance door, yes. I tried the outer halves together beforehand and they fitted pretty well, but now it's glued together you can feel that it gets wider just around the door. The well over complicated interior bulkheads would seem to be the problem, but I can't take them out now of course. 

I've got a Revell Transall too, but I've not opened the box yet. Perhaps it'll stay that way...........

[zenrat]

At least they are nice big parts you can get a good grip on when you are wrestling with them (trying to find a bright side here).

[PR19_Kit]

And I NEEDED a grip last night while trying to get the sides to meet!

It's a hefty piece of kit when it's assembled, makes a Herk look like a toy. 

[kitnut617]

As you might remember Kit,  I've got two of those beasties. Using wings from one for something else and the other will have all the left over bits to make a 'stretched' version.
Watching your project with interest