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Hi, all. I have a few questions about the KC-135. Were all of the A's natural metal? If so, what would need to be done to convert an A to an E or R? I just picked up the Minicraft A kit, and I'm really not wanting to do a NMF as this was intended to be a quick build to get over an AMS hump. The box art sure looks gray to me but the instructions call for aluminum. 

 

Thanks, and happy modeling. 

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R models had the CFM engines. E models were originally As refitted with TF-33 engines from donor civilian 707s (with the turbocompressor hump configurations on the struts matching which 707 supplied them). Yes, the A models wore gray and shamu schemes later in life and another option would be the KC-135Q models, which externally looked like A models. KC-135As were used up to at least the early 90s, so they operated for well over a decade (the 80s) in ADC gray.

 

As for the silver color, not sure it was necessarily "natural metal". It is more likely it was doped silver for corrosion control purposes since it would take A LOT of man hours to keep a true natural metal finish polished.

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Jay is correct. There was a short time that the A model flew in an aluminum tinted paint, after the initial natural metal factory finish and before the all ADC gray. During the aluminum paint time, the engine nacelles were often partly gray painted. 

 

Rick L. 

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