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Revell 1/72 Scale Airbus a-400 Atlas...anyone built it?


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I found a Gallery-entry here:

 

http://www.arcair.com/Gal15/14601-14700/gal14660-A-400-Hakim/00.shtm

 

And a WIP of a german modeller who built the kit-prototype. Apparently the gear is a bit sensitive, and he recommends to build the gear as last item.

 

http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Flugzeuge/Wiegmann/Rev_A400M_Prototyp/Rev_A400M_72.html

 

 

HAJO

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I built one back in 2018 and I enhanced it with a few little bits and pieces.

 

Build thread is over on BritModeller and display thread here

 

Construction went pretty well, the only big issue I had was getting the fuselage together, it needed a lot of tape to hold it all together when gluing the fuselage around the cockpit/cargo bay cylinder. I did add some lighting (which may have affected the fit) to it and modified position of flight controls.

 

The other thing I will add after transporting to and from model shows is the the axles are flimsy and should be replaced with brass rod. I will do that on my next wheels down build (I have another two kits).

 

72_Rev_A400M_RAF_140

 

 

Edited by Trojan Thunder
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  • 1 year later...

I am well into building this beauty. I concur with the comment about needing lots of tape to hold the fuselage together, both internal and external. I did it in steps, starting with gluing the internal floor first, letting that set solid overnight then gradually working my way from front to back. There's a lot more room to manouver at the back!  I have read other comments that there is a big gap when fitting the outer tube, but I believe that is due to mistakenly fitting  the inner tube OVER the foward bulkhead that forms the back of the cockpit. It's easy to do, (🤭oops!)  but it should sit flush BEHIND the bulkhead. With that ensured, the outer tube closes up easily. I've built the wings separately and will be fitting them next. Also I thoroughly recommend taking the time to detail the internals if you are leaving the ramp down (and why wouldn't you!🙂) The only slight disappointment so far is that the internal seats are moulded in folded position, it woud be nice to have a deployed option, but I suppose it would be possible to create some with card and fine thread. (except there's 40 of them  🙃) I'll check back later with a further report!

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And don't forget the nose weight. I taped everything together to get an idea of the weight required. About 90Grm (just over 3oz in old money) I used 2*1.5 oz Bullet Cube fishing weights which fit inside the nose under the cockpit. I've seen elsewhere leave the ramp down to prop it up, but strictly speaking that's cheating since the ramp doesn't actually touch the ground on the real thing 😁.

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52 minutes ago, Trojan Thunder said:

Good to hear you are getting on with one of these beasts Billos, what markings do you intend to add to yours?

 

Straight out-of-box Luftwaffe. Here's progress so far. Dry fitted wings and tail, initial primer applied. It's a monster. But a beautiful monster!

BillosAtlas1.jpeg

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I built it nearly 7 years ago! 

 

The landing gear is so fragile. Otherwise it is not bad.  I enjoyed building it.  What I did not like was having to research the revell paint conversions.  That was the hardest part.

Edited by Kurt H.
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1 hour ago, Billos said:

KurtH - your paint comment - yeah - 14 subtly different shades of grey! Sheesh!

 

I looked up the instructions for that kit again, and you are right... so many grays. Now Revell Paints are available in the US so I would at least have a chance of getting the right colors. I did not realize how long ago I built the A400M so it was interesting to look back on how I did things before. I cringed at  some of what I did in that thread. It does show what to expect if one were to build the kit. 

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9 hours ago, Kurt H. said:

 

I looked up the instructions for that kit again, and you are right... so many grays. Now Revell Paints are available in the US so I would at least have a chance of getting the right colors. I did not realize how long ago I built the A400M so it was interesting to look back on how I did things before. I cringed at  some of what I did in that thread. It does show what to expect if one were to build the kit. 

"so it was interesting to look back on how I did things before/. I cringed at  some of what I did ......"

 

sounds like a life lesson not just modelling !😄

 

Anyway...gonna need a bigger table....   All in all This is not really so different/difficult from any other model, just on a larger scale.. needs more time for everything. I found that there were some injector pin on the wing underside with a  considerable amount of flash, which neded to be removed to get the wing to sit flush

Atlas_040.jpeg

Atlas_038.jpeg

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Engines on. 

 

I have to say, there's an absurd amount of detail inside the engines, very little of which can be seen. But You Know It's There. I thought the instructions were none too clear on how the internals actually sit. In the end, I found fitting the internal to the Chin fairing first, and then seating the chin fairing and tailpipe worked best.  You can still fit the prop pivot after the chin fairing is in place. I also took that opportunity to add a few more grams weight in the front of the engines, because I found it stills seemed to be teetering tailwards, especially with the tailplanes fitted.  

Then a little bit of fiddling to close up each side. Be sure and note which engine is which. They are Not the same.

Atlas_042.jpeg

Atlas_044.jpeg

Atlas_046.jpeg

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In truth there's nothing particularly complicated about this model. It's fairly straightforward and conventional in structure, with the exception of the "Twin-Tube" fuselage , but even that is straightforward, and results in a very rigid and robust model.  

Even the parts count (212) is actually not that high. For comparison, the Airfix 1/72 Shackleton MR2 has 272 parts, and I found that actually more fiddly model to build than this Atlas. ... (I think it's a fair comparison, four engine, multi blade prop, wingspan only 6 cm less, huge amount of internal detail....)

I decided it would be a shame to discard either set of props, so searched around the interthingy, and found evidence of mixed feathering! Admittedly only during Taxi tests.... So I've got both prop configs. It may technically not be valid, but I feel it makes amore interesting model.

Although masking painting and decalling the props is mind numbing.... I'd estimate four hours each prop... there are 96 (ninety-six) decals just for the propellors....

 

In short don't be intimidated by the sheer physical size, just take it slow, use lots of tape to hold parts, and have a LOT of room to handle it.

 

 And you'll need a huge spray booth.....

Atlas_052 Large.jpeg

Atlas_053 Large.jpeg

Atlas_050 Large.jpeg

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Almost finished my "Beast"; Built it separate parts at a time - engines, props, wings and join all to complete. Yes, the undercarriage is the one thing I'm concerned about...get the metal set available?

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Almost There. Wheels fitted, ramp installed (correctly not touching the ground (!) I will probably make some extensions from thin card for the plates that actually connect the ramp to the ground. I'm surprised they don't come with the kit.

 

Test fit of refuel boom and canopy to check assembly order.  Best to fit canopy first then trim boom to sit properly, I feel.

 

For all the comments about flimsy wheels, I find they are pretty robust when assembled carefully, using copious cement.  I appreciate they are probably fragile if you move the model around a lot, but if it's just going to sit on a display shelf, they seem fine. Although I have come across wheels that seem robust and over time sag under the model weight.. (Hello Airfix 1/24 typhoon... that one I did reinforce with metal pins.) We'll see how it goes. Check back in 6 months.... ;-0

 

Be careful with the nosewheel. The instructions seem counter-intuitive, but they work! Fit the strut to the nose leg before inserting in well - it's a bit fiddly, but works out the easiest (I tried several different dry fit approaches, and as per the straight instructions work best.

 

So pretty much just the decalling to go. All in all a very satisfying three and a half week build (I'm lucky I can do this full time).

 

Atlas_059.jpg

Atlas_056.jpg

Atlas_058.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok So the nosewheel axle is indeed very weak and susceptible to the slightest disturbance. I'll look into some way of pinning  it. Probably a metal rod right through the wheels and leg, unless anyone has another suggestion. Not had any trouble  with the main gearthough.

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  • 1 month later...

OK so here she is finished, with a small freind. Quite pleased, even if the spraying didn't quite come out as well as I'd hoped...lesson learned leave it 2000% longer than you think after spraying before you touch it! 😉

Odd to think that there's 100 years between the EIII and the Atlas..... and you could fit a complete Jagdstaffel: of EIII in an Atlas....

 

Atlas100.jpg

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