Kit: No. 14443
Scale: 1/144
Manufacturer: Minicraft Models Inc., P.O. Box 3577, Torrance, CA 90510, &310-325-8383
Price: $12
Comments: Injection molded, 64 parts, decals.
Lockheed's graceful Constellation shows up on just about everyone's favorite airplane list. With input from TWA's Howard Hughes, Lockheed designed the Constellation in the early days of World War II. A handful were placed in service as military transports, but the Connie came into its own after the war, quickly becoming the reigning queen of international air routes. A longer fuselage, radar, and tip tanks distinguished the Model 1049G, or Super Constellation. Like all the large propliners, the Constellation eventually fell victim to the jet age.
Minicraft has answered the pleas of modelers everywhere: an injection-molded Connie in "airliner" scale, 1/144. Once I got past gazing at the graceful fuselage shape, I noticed the lack of surface detail. The only engraved lines were for control surfaces and the doors. Small parts were marred by flash. Tip tanks and a replacement short nose are optional, but the decals for TWA and Iberia are for long-nose, tip-tanked versions.
Minicraft's eight-step instructions are clear and include a brief history, markings diagrams, and parts map. The only clear part is for the windscreen; cabin windows are supplied as decals.
The landing gear is nicely detailed. The nose-gear strut should slant forward slightly, while the pair of nosewheels should toe in at the bottom. You shouldn't have any problems making the kit parts achieve that stance. The cowls provide adequate engine detail for the scale, but appear too curved.
The fit of the parts is average; some right-angle joints have soft corners that need to be sharpened with a file for better fit. Removing locating pins helped the fit of all components. The windshield is thin, clear, and fits well. I trimmed flash from the rudders and fit them to the horizontal stabilizers before gluing the stabilizers to the fuselage. The fit here is poor, requiring putty for a smooth joint.
Be patient with the tip tanks - you'll need to trim flash, and you'll have to enlarge the openings for the wing tips. The propellers have heavy flash at the mold- parting lines and the blades are too thick and wide for the scale. Don't force the cowls onto the wings or they will split open (a couple of mine did).
When it came to choosing the paint scheme, there was no contest. The TWA Super G was one of the cleanest paint schemes ever. My sample's decals were slightly out of register, but they went on well. Be sure to slide them off near where you want them as they don't move easily. The rear door of the fuselage decal didn't line up with the door engraved in the kit. The instructions swap the numbers for the TWA tip-tank logos, although the diagram is right; No. 5 goes on the right tank, 6 goes on the left.
The finished model measures two scale feet long in span but right on the money in length. An excellent reference is the new Airliner Tech Vol. 1, Super Constellation by Scott E. Germain.
After about 15 hours, I had a beautiful Connie to add to my growing airliner collection. (My wife says, "Who's this Connie you keep mentioning?") I recommend it to experienced modelers who can deal with the detail and fit problems.
- Chuck Davis