Welcome to The Model Museum.
Building models of aircraft, ships, cars and almost everything else has been around practically since humans first appeared. At least in one form or another.
The next best thing to an actual museum, where one can see exhibits for real, is a virtual one - like this.
So if you build models of any kind, drop us a line and let's see about showcasing your work.
You don't have to be a professional, just enthusiastic.
Email us for more details - kjmtoday@mail.com
Begin your tour...Contents
Military....Airfix BAe Hawk - RAF
Civil..........Revell and Airfix Concorde - British Airways
Civil..........Revell Airbus A310 - British Caledonian
Civil.........Airfix Boeing 737-236 - British Airways
Civil.........Airfix Boeing 727-100 - United Air Lines 'Ship One.'
Military....Fujimi 1/72 scale LTV A-7 Corsair II, US Navy
Civil.........Airfix 1/144 scale Hawker Siddeley/De Havilland Trident 1 and 2 - BEA/British Airways, Northeast (UK)
Civil.........Minicraft 1/144 scale McDonnell Douglas MD80 - SAS Scandinavian Airlines System
Civil.........Airfix 1/144 scale Boeing 737-236 - Caledonian Airways
Civil.........Airfix 1/144 scale Boeing 707-436 - BOAC/British Airtours
Military...Airfix 1/72 scale Sea King - Royal Air Force Rescue
Military...Airfix 1/72 scale Harriers - Royal Air Force
Civil........Airfix 1/144 scale BAC 1-11 - British Caledonian
Civil........Airfix 1/144 scale De Havilland Comet - Dan Air London
Civil........Minicraft 1/144 scale Douglas DC-3 - American Airlines
Military...Airfix 1/72 scale Kaman Seasprite - US Navy
Military...Hasagawa 1/72 scale Grumman F14 Tomcat - US Navy
Civil.........Airfix Boeing 707-320C Conversion - British Caledonian
Civil.........Revell 1/144 scale Airbus A320 - Swiss
More to come soon!
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Email us - kjmtoday@mail.com
BAe Hawk - Airfix 1/72nd scale
Kevan James, 2013
The Airfix Hawk has come in a number of guises and all can be quite colourful. Whichever one you choose, at 1/72nd scale it isn't a difficult build and does make a neat little model.
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My reasoning for this particular version is simply that I quite liked the all black scheme the RAF had for aircraft used for training purposes and I'd be happy building more of the Hawk anyway...there's the Red Arrows version for a start and that's in my kit stash.
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Now then....
the model featured in the bottom picture -
As weird as this may sound I can't for the life of me recall which manufacturer released this kit.
Whoever it was, it's still a good depiction of the BAe Hawk, this time in a more mundane all-grey scheme.
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Whatever the make, I like it!
CONCORDE!
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The very name says different...special - and Concorde was. It didn't even look like other airliners and so unique was it, it never need a prefix before the name; it was never 'The' Concorde...just Concorde.
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The two main manufacturers, Airfix and Revell both came up with a model of Concorde and of the two, Revell is probably the better. Its not without problems however but whichever you build, its still going to look like Concorde.
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The cockpit windows on both are a little questionable but the most noticeable problem is the nose gear. Revell's is too long so it needs shortening a little and both are extraordinarily plain.
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My solution to that was to add some extra using stretched sprue and small pieces of plastic card cut to size and shape. A bit fiddly but worth the effort.
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My Revell version still depicts an aircraft on the ground and parked so the elevons on the trailing edge of the wings droop and part of the rudder is deflected. For a change though, the doors are all closed.
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There isn't a lot of extra to add to the upper side of the aircraft, the detail is found underneath so that's where it is and yes, even Concorde could show a little 'in-service' grime!
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Shown is the Revell kit with the bottom image being the Airfix and built straight from the box with no alterations.
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I have enough kits stashed away to eventually build an Air France model, in both liveries used, a BOAC version, even though it never flew in the scheme, obviously the final BA colours used, the BA aircraft that had Singapore Airlines colours on the left side and for the sake of it, a Braniff Orange one...at least the US airline did use the type!
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And if anybody does a decal sheet for it, Air France's 'Pepsi' Concorde as well...
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British Caledonian had a brief dalliance with the Airbus A310 in the mid-1980s with a percieved need for a smaller aircraft than the DC10-30 for some routes.
The type was not a success for the airline and was phased out after only two years.
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Revell came up with a decent kit for the A310 and is shown here.
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Built almost straight from the box the only additions made are the drooping slats on the wing leading edge, notable feature when the aircraft is on the ground.
British Airways initially introduced the Boeing 737-200 into its fleet in the late 1970s leasing aircraft from Transavia Holland in late 1978 and early 1979. The airline then received its first brand new 737-200 in February 1980, calling it the 'Super 737.'
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The Airfix kit, like all their airliner offerings, is an earlier version so needs a little work to depict the version used by most airlines.
There isn't much that needs doing but the most obvious are the engine pylons, which need widening; this can be done with filler.
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Once done, the completed model looks like a 737-200 (36 is the Boeing customer number for BA hence a -200 becomes a -236)
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Boeing's Baby lasted a long time with BA and saw service across Europe and within the UK and wore three liveries, all depicted here.
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The 'red tail' scheme as I call it, is what the type arrived in, with full British Airways titles before a short period with truncated 'British' titles.
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One aircraft wore an experimental silver scheme in 1984 before the Landor scheme was unveiled in December 1984. This is the scheme for which BA is best known and was quickly applied across the fleet.
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Me being me and something of a detail maniac, as well as wanting to depict most models parked and on the ground, means open doors and whatever is visible inside being scratch built, usually from plastic card.
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It makes me something of a minority among airliner modellers along with my habit of giving them an 'in-service' look, adding some grime to the parts where grime is usually found.
Each to their own and it satisfies me...!
The Airfix Boeing 727-100 is essentially accurate with some very minor flaws but easily corrected. So it isn't a difficult kit to build.
Given the numbers of the real aircraft that were built (exceeded by its larger sister, the 727-200) there is no shortage of subjects.
Having a model of the very first one is a must!
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Ship One.
On November 27, 1962, N7001U was rolled out of the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington (the state, not the capital city)
The aircraft took to the skies for the first time on February 9, 1963, and after completing the flight test and certification program, it was delivered to United Air Lines on October 6, 1964. United operated N7001U for 27 years, accumulating 64,495 flight hours and executing 48,060 take-offs and landings during its time in service. In 1991, United donated the aircraft to The Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Over its years of service, N7001U carried approximately three million passengers.
Fujimi LTV A-7 Corsair II, 1/72 scale
Kevan James 1990s
Possibly one of the lesser-known aircraft types, the Corsair served from 1964 until the start of the 1990s.
This is a neat little model, built straight from the box with no modifications and not difficult to build with few banana skins to slip up on.
Needless to say, my reasoning for acquiring was once again inspired by the Movie 'The Final Countdown.'
Originally developed by De Havilland (DH), the Trident airliner was in many ways, revolutionary.
The original design was for a larger aircraft but British European Airways (BEA) the obvious primary customer, said it was too big.
DH then modified the design to fit BEA's requirements and also invited Boeing to study the type, with a view to a co-operative venture.
The moves effectively neutered the Trident as far as world wide sales were concerned and Boeing came up with the 727, which was much closer to DH's original design.
The 727 sold in large numbers worldwide...the Trident didn't.
Even so it was a very good airliner and BEA (later merging with BOAC to become British Airways) used the type extensively, in three versions - the T1, the longer-range T2 and the bigger capacity, stretched T3.
Other users included the UK's Newcastle-based Northeast Airlines (pictured) and Southend's Channel Airways, who subsequently moved to Stansted and folded in 1972.
Northeast were merged into British Airways.
The Airfix kit, like all of their airliners, is based on the earliest PR drawings so does have some minor inaccuracies. The most noticeable is the leading edge of the fin and the nose gear, which is centrally located (like most aircraft). The real aircraft, and uniquely, had the leg offset to the left, allowing it to retract sideways instead of forwards or backwards like other aircraft.
Neither are too hard to put right but less obvious is the absence of wing root fairings, which differed on all three versions of the aircraft. Some filler, shaping and sanding can deal with this.
One can build it just as it comes without any modifications however, and it still looks like a Trident 1.
The longer-range Trident 2 doesn't look very different from the 1, the most obvious being the wing roots, so it isn't a hard conversion.
Attention does need to be taken over the small details however, but its easily done.
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The Trident 3 is another beast, being much longer, a greater wingspan and has a booster engine at the base of the fin.
This is best dealt with separately.
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Top - BEA Trident 1 built straight from the box
Centre - Northeast Trident, also built straight from the box
Left - British Airways Trident 1, once again built just as it comes with the exception of the open forward door and partially opened centre door (they slid upwards when opened), and beneath that, a Trident 2, with modified fin and wing roots.
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Converting the Airfix Trident 1 into a 2
Top left, top right and above:
One can never have enough references, especially pictorial.
Centre left:
The fin leading edge shows the correction made to the leading edge using filler and the addition of wing root fairings with plastic card and more filler. Plus a bit of sanding to shape.
Left:
The T2 had slightly extended wing tips, so the kit's need to be removed and new tips made from the inevitable plastic card.
And more filler...
Filling the windows
One of the other aspects to the Trident that made it different was the spacing between the cabin windows. All other airliners have these an equal distance apart, but the Trident doesn't. Airfix's mould however has them equal so the obvious option is to fill them, sand them smooth and use decals.
The same applied to the cockpit windows. As supplied they are usable but it can be as well to fill and decal them. Unless of course, one is super-detailing the model with a fully fitted out flight deck....
When Minicraft began releasing airliner subjects, a collective sigh went up from enthusiasts, as the market had been not best served over the years.
Some of the kits had a number of issues over accuracy, fit or parts and so on - all common complaints regardless however.
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The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 wasn't one them and looks the part and goes together quite well. And given my liking for stuffing the interior with extra detail, it's just as well.
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This model depicts one of two that Scandinavian Airlines painted in a special scheme; known as 'paper planes, one carried a red base colour, the other blue. The design was the same on both aircraft otherwise.
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As with many of my models I included the cockpit and the area seen inside the open doors. This included the galleys and an open cockpit door, revealing a crew locker with a coat hanger on the door.
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At the rear I also scratch-built seats and curtains...as usual most of it can't be seen but again as always, I know it is there.
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One of my most satisfying builds, made even more so by its winning it's class at the former Southern Expo Model Show in Hornchurch and taking third at the Scale Model World national show at Telford.
When British Airways took over British Caledonian in 1988, what was the charter arm of BA (British Airtours) became Caledonian Airlines.
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The newly constituted inclusive-tour carrier used Boeing 737-236 aircraft transferred from BA's mainline operations and supported these smaller types with some of BA's Lockheed L1011 TriStar wide-bodied aircraft,
In addition, at least one of the former BCAL Douglas DC-10-30s appeared in Caledonian colours, although for the most part, all eight of BCAL's DC-10s were repainted in full British Airways colours and continued to be used on scheduled services from London Gatwick.
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With the plethora of after-market decals available during the late 1980s and 1990s, building a Caledonian 737 was a must to add to the BA collection.
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Airfix's kit can be built almost straight fom the box but the engine pylons do need altering - a little filler and some sanding can deal with this however.
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The Boeing 707, along with the Douglas DC-8, pioneered the era of mass travel around the world and was produced in a number of versions by Boeing. BOAC had a fleet of Rolls-Royce powered aircraft and this is the one depicted by Airfix. It isn't the most accurate kit but it's flaws aren't too difficult to put right.
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The most obvious is the height of the fin and a little plastic card can extend it to the right height.
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When BOAC retired the type, a number of them were transferred to BEA, who utilised them on charter flights to Mediterranean holiday hot-spots, as well as occasionally supporting scheduled flights to the same destinations.
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That's how I came to fly on the two models built for my 'flights made' collection, to Cyprus and Malta.
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The same also applies to the BOAC version, upon which a very little me and my Father returned from New York to London Heathrow, with a stop at Glasgow Prestwick.
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The Airfix Sea King is another kit that has been re-released a number of times over the decades since the original 1960s issue (which came with US Navy markings).
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This particular kit was built originally back in the 1990s and has had a complete rebuild, depicting the RAF Rescue scheme seen here.
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The rebuild involved adding a number of modifications not seen with the original issue, including various 'lumps and bumps' and so on.
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It's not a bad kit overall and not that difficult to build - although that can depend on which version one wants to have.
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But it's one of my personal favourites, not least because the exhaust stains turned out quite well.
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At least to my eyes anyway...
Growing up in (West) Germany in a British Armed Services community meant being surrounded by the Army and...the Royal Air Force.
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Making models of tanks and aircraft was pretty standard for most kids and one of the most popular was the Hawker Harrier.
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This has had a number of versions from Airfix and depicted here are two GR3s and a GR7, from Operation Telic.
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Not hard builds, as a means of transporting one back to growing up, this is as good a way as any.
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The two earlier versions have slightly differing colour schemes (which is why I made two of them...) and the later GR7, with its longer wingspan and greater power, is self-explanatory.
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To really go back in time means finding an ancient original Airfix GR1 and adding that to this collection.
The Airfix BAC 1-11 is another mould from many years ago and, as with most Airfix airliner kits, was produced using the first version of the real aircraft.
Delivered to British United (BUA), a forerunner of British Caledonian, the aircraft quickly underwent in-service modifications, the most obvious of which was a longer nose cone.
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One 'could' have built the original kit straight from the box using the early decal release for BUA, but to build it as depicted here means making the modifications.
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How one does is very much up to the individual modeller but the result here satisfied me.
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This very standard Airfix De Havilland Comet 4 is my oldest model, originally built in 1982 - which makes it 41 years old in 2023.
Built straight from the box and using the decals supplied by Airfix, the mould goes back to the 1960s so there are some minor fit problems but nothing an average modeller can't deal with.
The important part to this kit is , like many other model kits, the historical importance it represents.
And it does build into a nice little model!
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Douglas DC3, American Airlines,
1/144 scale, Minicraft.
Kevan James
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Minicraft's airliner kits were a boost to airliner modellers but came with a few caveats; some were not particularly accurate although this one wasn't too bad. It did have some fit problems but nothing that couldn't be overcome.
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A 1/144 scale it's also a small kit when built and probably falls into the category called 'cute'...
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But it does make a neat little model.
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​​​​​​​Kaman Seasprite, US Navy.
1/72 scale, Airfix.
Kevan James
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Probably one of the lesser-known helicopters, the Seasprite was actually in service with the US Navy for thirty years.
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It's a neat little kit at 1/72nd scale, doesn't take up much space when built yet still contains a fair amount of detail.
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I confess to not knowing much about the Seasprite, my acquisition of the kit was really due to an increased interest in building some model helicopters.
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Some kit manufacturers are known for not providing the most accurate depictions of their subjects, but this one, to my uneducated eyes, looks like a Kaman Seasprite.
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Grumman F14 Tomcat
US Navy, 1/72 scale, Hasagawa.
Kevan James
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​​One of the most influential movies for me was 'The Final Countdown', in which a US Navy aircraft carrier goes through a time-warp and ends up back in WW2, just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
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It resulted in my interest in US military hardware, hence my build of the Tomcat shown here.
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It's not the most complex kit to construct and does make a nice model.
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As is usual for me, added detail includes extra work in the cockpit and nose gear bay.
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It might seem a little superfluous to add detail to the nose gear bay as it can't normally be seen. It is however, one of the little quirks of building models - I know it's there...
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British Caledonian Boeing 707
1/144 scale, Airfix.
Kevan James
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This is my second oldest model, close to 40 years old now (in March 2023).
It's an Airfix kit so to build this needed the kit to be converted to the type of 707 used by British Caledonian (BCAL).
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The model had a makeover a few years ago, with new decals specifically for the BCAL 707.
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However, the registrations provided were the wrong font and were too large so I didn't use them. Once I find a set that's right, they'll be applied and this model will represent the same aircraft that was used in the 1969 movie 'Airport'.
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At the time owned by US-based Flying Tiger Line, the 707 later spent a period in the UK with BCAL.
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The modifications include Pratt & Whitney engines from the Revell 707 kit as the Airfix kit comes with Rolls-Royce engines, altering the shape of the wing trailing edge, and making the fin taller.
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Swiss Airbus Airbus A320,
Revell, 1/144 scale.
Kevan James
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There are some who feel that the predominately all-white colour designs used by many airlines is boring, and to an extent this is true. That doesn't mean a boring model however and by adding detail it becomes more interesting.
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I confess to being a detail freak anyway so most of my models have scratch-built visible interiors, including the cockpit and areas shown through open doors.
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Engines and pylons usually have considerable potential for extra detailing and even on a plain white fuselage by gently scribing panel lines, adding aerials and other bits that stick out, a more realistic depiction of a real aircraft is the result.
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All aircraft, civil or military, don't sit on the ground doing nothing. They are made to earn their keep flying so they will (like your car) get a little dirty. Some aircraft can actually be filthy - depends on the operator...
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But a little judicious grime can make a difference. As can the extra detail, even on a rather unimaginative colour scheme.
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