Manufacturer: Minicraft Models Inc., P.O. Box 3577, Torrance, CA 90510, 310-325-8383.
Kit: No. 14450
Scale: 1/144
Price: $16
Comments: Injection molded with decals.
Pros: Needed subject, overall good fit, beautiful decals, excellent landing gear.
Cons: Soft detail, fit of engine pylons and cockpit clear part needs work.
Before the space race, there was the Atlantic race - who could cross it with the most people the fastest, and in comfort. After World War II, Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed fought for dominion using the elegant but old-fashioned prop liners. Enter the new upstarts, de Havilland's Comet and Boeing's 707. De Havilland's troubled entry was quicker off the mark, but Boeing's classic 707 soon became queen of the airways.
Minicraft's 707 is captured well in 1/144 scale, with engraved panel lines, well-executed landing gear, and accurate shape. Oversized trailing edges and soft detail and engraving are minor disappointments.
Parts breakdown is typical for an airliner kit in this scale, but you should devote extra time cleaning up the mating edges of the major components to ensure a good fit. There's a bit of flash which is removed easily with a blade. While the landing gear moldings are well detailed, they fit into gear bays devoid of detail - not a big issue in this scale. My sample's engine pylons needed work to make them fit properly. The fairings molded to the wing are supposed to connect to the pylons, but they fade into ill-defined lumps instead.
The windscreen did not fit well, and needed plenty of filler to blend it in. I made a decision to use the black window decals provided rather than the clear molding. This allowed me to concentrate on a good fit, and not worry about keeping the windows clear.
After minor clean-up, the wings fit so well to the fuselage that I decided to leave them off until final assembly. The kit comes with gorgeous Pan Am decals. I used Testor Ghost Gray for the wing center sections, with Tamiya Aluminum for the control surfaces. Leading edges were finished with Bare-Metal Foil.
The fuselage was painted Testor Gloss White. After it dried for about a week, I traced the outline of the blue-and-white cheatline decal onto an index card, then transferred it to masking tape. The masks were applied to the model, then the fuselage was sprayed with Testor Metalizer Non-Buffing Aluminum. I shaded the engines with Gunze Clear Smoke.
After all the paint was dry, I applied the Pan Am markings. They went on without a hitch, though my sample's tiny American flags were out of register.
After about 20 hours of work, I had a 707 in beautiful Pan Am markings. The kit looks good when complete, and can be made to look even better with a lot more work on details. Overall, I am pleased with Minicraft's 707 and would recommend it to anyone who wants to add the queen of the early jetliners to their collection.
Chuck Davis