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Hasegawa NASA 747 + Shuttle


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Hello guys,I have seen that Hasegawa is about to release a limited edition of the NASA 747 carrying the Space Shuttle at 1/200 scale and looks really nice.But I´d like to read your words before making any decision.

20101222111413-10680-space-shuttle.jpg

Mmmm...first polished metal 747 looks better than the withe one... :doh:

enterprise-02.jpg

Thanks!!

I.Martin

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Mmmm...first polished metal 747 looks better than the withe one...

Not necessarily. To me the white livery looks better because it's not a patchwork that's the result of a converted airframe with no time or money spent on paint. You can still make out the "American" titles on the side, as well as the rough work done to the modified sections, particularly around the orbiter attach struts. At least the later, white paint scheme has a cleaner look, and I really like the modern NASA logo on the tail.

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To me, I grew up with the original 747 livery on the SCA and I saw it twice painted that way (both times when it passed through Kelly AFB taking Columbia and Challenger back from missions). I personally think when the bird was still fresh from its modification during the ALT days with Enterprise, it looked the best. By the early 1980s, it was starting to look a little dull in finish top-side. I liked the patchwork finish of the panels that were added for the shuttle struts as they gave it some nice splashes of color.

When the plane got repainted in 1984-85, it lost some of its unique charm, but I do admit it looked better over the long term and I'll bet it was a lot easier to keep its coloring clean as a result of its new finish.

Personally, I like both finishes enough to want to do both. But I would do the first finish with Enterprise on its back from the ALT tests as opposed to a ferry configuration. For the second one, I would do it with Endeavour or Atlantis painted in the current NASA meatball livery (perhaps as NASA 911 while the first plane would be NASA 905).

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DRAW Decal makes a good white and blue decal sheet for the 747 SCA.

I haven't built the Hase 747, but I can say for sure that the Shuttle (I have it, modded into the Columbia, and it's in the paint shop right now) is a beautiful little kit.

Edited by Antonov
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Thanks all for your words!!.Ok,now who can tell me about the kits?,detail level,panel lines and overall appearance...

I found that info about the schemes

"- Decal (Space Shuttle Orbiter): Discovery, Enterprise (gliding flight test aircraft), Columbia, Challenger, Atlantis, Endeavor

(747 shuttle transport): NASA New Logo [N911NA] [N905NA], NASA old logo [905]

(American Airlines colors yuan), NASA old logo [911]

- Tadashi Arata plastic parts: B747 horizontal tail stabilizer on the shuttle attaches to the upper strut mounting body of Busutanozurukaba shuttle Enterprise Pitot Tube"

Perhaps they´ll look better at 1/144 scale!! :thumbsup:

Thanks again

I.Martin

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I have a question, is the grey underside "Boeing" grey? In relation to the new livery of course.

Thanks

Tony

Hello Tony,the underside grey,according to the instruction sheet,says that is the FS16440,the same as the Tomcat one!!

I´ve already placed my preorder.I want to do the polished metal 905 but in all the pics,the shuttle shows that early scheme that I don´t like.Fortunately,I´ve found this other pic but must investigate more about it,I can´t read the Orbiter name and the 747 number.

S82-33394.jpg

Thanks all!!

I.Martin

Edited by I.Martin
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Fortunately,I´ve found this other pic but must investigate more about it,I can´t read the Orbiter name and the 747 number.

That's 905 carrying Challenger. 911 never wore that American Airlines scheme (from whom NASA acquired the first SCA), and details on the orbiter make it out to be OV-099

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That's 905 carrying Challenger. 911 never wore that American Airlines scheme (from whom NASA acquired the first SCA), and details on the orbiter make it out to be OV-099

Yes,you´re right,what I wanted to say was if the 747 tail wears the Nasa letters inside the yellow stripe or the later red ones.I believe it´s the second option.

And thank you for the Challenger name!!

I.Martin

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Yeah it looks like a nice little kit. Thanks for your help on the Shuttle Jay.

I have been looking around at SCA pictures. It seems to have a different style of wing colour compared to other 747s. Although I know there can be some combinations.

What I can see is that the underside of the wing is a darker grey to the fuselage colour. I was expecting to see corogard. Corogard appears on the top surface. Now is the top of the wing (not corogard) standard Boeing grey or the fuselage gray?

Is the bottom wing colour the same as the corogard colour on top? (Hasegawa seems to think so and calls that out in the paint insts)

Engine struts and nacelles are the fuselage colour.

Horizontal stabs are white; top and bottom.

Anything I have missed, got wrong?

Here are some pictures?

633156107_fc72eac2d9_z.jpg

3120611291_cb4058ee1f_b.jpg

Thanks

Tony

Edited by Tony P
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Hello again!.I know it´s unusual to see the shuttle without the engines protection cone but found a couple of pics where the orbiter can be seen without it,probably during flight tests like this one capturing the release moment

S77-30022.jpg

Is it possible to reproduce the scene with later orbiters?

The Hasegawa kit is already available in asian online stores,mine should be leaving Japan,I´ll try to post a preview when it arrives.

Thanks a lot!

I.Martin

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Hi I.Martin! The use of the tail cone is standard practice when transporting a shuttle on the SCA. I do not beleive that any shuttle was transported on either of the SCAs with the tail cone missing. The only reason that the Enterprise was flown on the 747 without the tail cone was for the Landing tests to reproduce the air flow patterns (flight handling characteristics) during the landing phase.

A shuttle could be transported from point A to point B on the 747 without the tail cone in an emergency, but it is not practical. I do not recall ever seeing a photo of any shuttle mounted on a SCA in flight without the tailcone other the the initial ALT tests. Tony, Jay and some of the other shuttle experts in this group may have photos that prove otherwise.

Have fun modeling!

:worship:

Mike

Hello again!.I know it´s unusual to see the shuttle without the engines protection cone but found a couple of pics where the orbiter can be seen without it,probably during flight tests like this one capturing the release moment

S77-30022.jpg

Is it possible to reproduce the scene with later orbiters?

The Hasegawa kit is already available in asian online stores,mine should be leaving Japan,I´ll try to post a preview when it arrives.

Thanks a lot!

I.Martin

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Is it possible to reproduce the scene with later orbiters?

To my knowledge the tailcone is used more for aerodynamics, to reduce drag and buffeting. It was only absent for two of the five free-flight tests using Enterprise. This was done in order to gauge the orbiter's actual aerodynamic properties during the final approach and landing phase. Although I've never seen a photo of the other orbiters on a ferry flight sans tailcone, perhaps someone else has an answer? My guess would be no, only two carrier flights using OV-101 occurred without the cone.

Edited by MiG31
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