Minicraft Models 1/144 scale Delta DC-8 71

Kit: No. 14521
Scale: 1/144
Manufacturer: Minicraft Models, 847-429-9608,
www.minicraftmodels.com
Price: $38
Comments: Injection-molded, 62 parts, decals
Pros: Great subject, good detail, excellent decal sheet
Cons: Slightly warped wings, vertical stabilizer leading edge is thick

The ultimate version of the venerable DC-8 was flown by Delta Airlines in the early 1980s. The fleet of re-engined "stretch eights" with the highly efficient CFM turbofans were sold to UPS later in the '80s, and may well be delivering cartons of Minicraft's kit to your city today!

Minicraft touts the new DC-8 71 as its most detailed yet, and it's right. One look at the incredible deep-draw seam-free molding on the exhausts, and I knew this kit would end up looking right. Details on the engines include Minicraft's signature seamless intakes as well as decals to line the intake wall. These are tricky to install and aren't quite long enough - I placed the gap at the top of the intake where it is less visible. The engine nacelles take some planning - many parts, natural-metal sections, and decals all compete for priority. If I were to do it again, I would completely assemble the nacelles to improve the fit and I would spend more time masking instead of painting the parts separately and trying to deal with seams.

Just as the real thing, this kit is designed for fuselage-length changes - internal formers indicate standard-length fuselages will be available in future releases. My sample's fuselage went together with just a bit of filler at the large cockpit-window insert. There are no optional parts. An extra nose and wingtips, and engines on their own sprues, point the way to future versions as well.

The wings fit well, but I had to straighten a warp in one wing by clamping the parts between two wooden boards and submerging them in near-boiling water for about a minute, followed immediately by a dunking in cold water. The engines, wings and stabilizers fit well enough that they were finished separately and installed after the fuselage was complete.

The fit of the nose-gear doors is tricky; the rear doors should be closed unless the gear is cycling up or down, but there is no lip for them to rest on. A piece of scrap sprue spanning the width of the gear bay might solve this issue.

I primed my DC-8 with Alclad's gray primer, then covered it with Alclad II for the natural-metal areas and Testors enamels for the gloss white fuselage top and flat-gray central wing structure.

The highlight of the kit is the beautiful Cartograf decal sheet. Dozens of access hatches and vents are printed, along with silver-bordered dark-gray cabin windows. You can choose silver borders for the clear cockpit windows, or an alternate decal for dark-gray windows. The decals went on without problems, although the outlines for the emergency exits don't quite line up with the engravings on the fuselage. You might want to fill and sand smooth the door engravings. The decals provide registration and fleet numbers, and the instructions show which go together.

If you're a fan of the DC-8, this is the kit for you. It's Minicraft's best, and the prospect of future short- and long-fuselage versions is tantalizing. I spent about 20 hours on mine, and I'm pleased with the results.

- Chuck Davis