1/72 moonraker 747

About a year ago I built a Moonraker shuttle from the revel 1/72 kit.



more pics documenting the build here:

1/72 revell shuttle

I was thinking of finding a 1/144 747 and shuttle kit but I saw that Hannants in the UK had the 1/72 vacformed 747 back in stock.

Kit arrived last Monday... fuselage is 39" long:



The kit comes with a vacformed internal support but I decided to CNC cut a foam plug to fit inside which will keep everything straight and aligned while the seams are filled and sanded:





The engines are a bit tricky - lots of superglue and epoxy putty required:



I have no clue where I'm going to put it when it's finished though

Very nice ! If you do as good a job on the 747 as the shuttle, it'll be fantastic.

Please post pics when its totally done.

I would try hanging it somewhere, with the thinnest nylon fishing thread you can find.

PHArchivist said:

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How crisp is the detail?

Kind of non-existent... Ailerons, rudder, elevators all need to be scribed. Windows and doors are all supplied as decals. There's evidence of lines for the landing gear doors but they're pretty soft.

I was planning on adding detail with a combination of scribing, computer cut vinyl and panel shading. Since I have a scan of the fuselage (which I used to make the foam insert) I could lay out the windows in CAD and cut them out on my CNC router (although I really need a bigger router so I could do it in one hit).

Since I'm trying to replicate the Moonraker miniature, not a real SCA, it seems doable.

I'm finding it less stressful to put together than a smaller injection moulded kit since it's big enough to attack with power tools and 120 grit sandpaper.

For what it's worth - this is the same vf kit built in this thread:

http://www.therpf.com/f11/1-72-boein...mission-66048/

Which, I have to say, turned out pretty well.

And there's another build of the same kit here:

SCA #905 with Columbia - ARC Air Discussion Forums

Ambitious project, that's for sure. But it should look great when done. Only thing is if you plan to go for the appearance of the Moonraker as it was seen in the sequence, you'll probably have to take the 5 off the tail since that bird apparently had no number assigned to it (and the movie didn't exactly specify which shuttle of the fleet that launched was the one Drax hijacked). But of course, one figures even Hugo Drax needed the same 747s to transport his private fleet.

The Meddings crew did a very good job on their model and even went so far as to give it the N905NA tail number (just like the real NASA 905). Only real difference I can see that is obvious is the nose strut for the shuttle is rather noticeably forward swept.

Some research shows that this kit may have been scaled up from the early Airfix 1/144 kit - hence it's missing the distinctive bulge under the wings that 747s have. So I vacfomed a piece to add it:



I also decided to bite the bullet and cut out the windows:






On the Meddings miniature all the window shades seem to be closed except for the first class cabin at the front as shown in this blu-ray grab:

moonraker reference grab

which kind of makes sense since that's the only section which hasn't been completely stripped on the NASA 747.

That pic is also great reference for the panel shading and the shuttle mounting points.

I decided to replace the cockpit completely...





Just about ready to seal up the fuselage halves and permanently attach the wings...

This is amazing. I can't wait to see what you've done with it next, I only DREAM of having model skills like this.

You should put led's in it as well. It would be a shame to build such an elaborate and HUGE model and not have a little lighting.

Awesome work on those windows. That looks like a lot of patience payed off.

I might make some mods to the tail section of the fuselage before sealing it up. The tailcone needs to be shortened and have the APU exhaust added but, looking at more pics of real planes, they have an interesting flat spot on the side where the tailplane attaches to the fuselage which should be easy enough to add.

I dream one day to have a SHOP like that. I love the work you are doing thus far Jon.

Turned out to be easier to make an entirely new fuselage tail section rather than reshape the existing one.



This was vacformed in 2 halves which include a recessed lip at the front so it can connect securely with the existing fuselage. Vertical stabiliser was cut from the orginal fuselage but I kept a chunk of the top which fits inside the new tail and will keep it on straight. It's sitting about 10mm too far forwards in the pic BTW.

The flat spots on the side will make more sense when the tailpalne is attached.

minor update:

to get the horizontal stabilisers on straight I milled fillet pieces which match the contour of the flat spots on the side of the tail (which are slightly concave). There's a brass rod epoxied into the tailplanes which slides into a brass rod inside the fuselage. So basically I've emulated the tailplane trim pivot which means I can decide what angle the tailplanes need to be set to once I add the extra vertical stabilisers on the end.



In hindsight, cutting out the windows may have been a bad move. On the other hand, black decals for windows don't really cut it on models this size. Figuring out the best way to tackle them is holding me up from sealing up the fuselage halves.

Current plan (which seems to be working) is window strips milled from 2mm acrylic which fit exactly into the holes and sit flush with the outside.


Then I can add a separate internal window frame. Means I'll need to paint the blue stripe before gluing the windows in. Then mask the stripe to protect the windows while I seal up the fuselage and paint the rest... Then a thin white line decal around each window

OOoooooh... NICE!

i love this build

Outstanding! I can only dream of having a 1/72 747...where are you going to put it when done?

Gorgeous. I'd love to have the skill and tools you have.

My plan for the windows seems to be working - this was just a quick test of a decal to outline each window (final window frames will be silver). I've since repainted the blue stripe since I had a masking tape malfunction...



I've actually blacked out most of the windows from the inside (I should take another pic from the outside since you can see the white inner window frame through the clear acrylic)



Last night I epoxied all the windows in permanently and did a final test fit of everything prior to sealing it up...



I could probably start gluing this up now - but there's a slight kink at the starboard wing tip which I want to straighten out before gluing the wings in - which means I can't glue the tail since I want to make sure the wings and tail are all aligned correctly.

Loving it! The Boeing 747 is a beautiful plane...

Was Moonraker a good movie? It was a great novel...

Seriously, amazing work here!

Bit of an update...

test assembled to figure out the centre of gravity and added a 5/8" tube as a mounting point. This slips over the spigot on light stand.



Chopped up the engines to add an opening for the fan exhausts.


Got the wings smooth and added some detail with computer cut vinyl. I'll scribe around the flaps and air brakes.


Next pic doesn't look that interesting but I finally sealed up the fuselage halves and permanently attached the tail section. Still need to fill the seams and prime.


Wings are still removable but at some point I'll need to epoxy them in so I can finish off the bulge in the fuselage. That's a monogram shuttle from the full stack kit on the back - if I paint this one up with no number it'll match the one in the film - then #5 can go on the launch stack...

Beautiful Work man!!!