1:72 Ed Force One
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/2/3/6/759236-70141-60-720.jpg)
It all started in june 2016, when Iron Maiden did their ‘The Book Of Souls World Tour’. I saw a lot of pictures about the Boeing 747-400 Ed Force One, but never thought of having a model of it.. until Amsterdam was the location of their next concert, and the 747 would land and stay overnight on Schiphol Airport. I had a day off from work, nice weather, so I went to Schiphol to try to get a glimpse of the Ed Force One.
And that happened, I had a nice place at a secured gate somewhere at a cargo platform.
And that happened, I had a nice place at a secured gate somewhere at a cargo platform.
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/2/2/6/759226-70141-60-720.jpg)
Waiting for it’s crew and the band to arrive..
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/2/2/4/759224-70141-45-720.jpg)
Eddie on the tail!
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/2/2/8/759228-70141-74-720.jpg)
So I took some pictures, and what do you think.. at one moment Bruce Dickinson and the rest of Iron Maiden arrived, and I managed to to take a picture of him while speaking to the crew and entering the plane.
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/2/3/3/759233-70141-74-720.jpg)
There’s the captain, Bruce himself flying ‘his’ plane 🙂
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The Ed Force One was originally an ‘Air Icelandic’ Boeing 747-400, leased for this world tour.
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/4/7/9/759479-70141-40-720.jpg)
So at home I thought of an idea to make an ‘Ed Force One’ out of an old and damaged 1:72 Skyland KLM Boeing 747-300 desktop model.
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/4/7/8/759478-70141-29-720.jpg)
I bought that model a few years ago for a nice price, because it has wear and tear and little damage.
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/4/8/0/759480-70141-10-720.jpg)
From a distance it looks like a nice clean model...
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/5/9/1/760591-70141-47-pristine.jpg)
..but behold, a badly broken and repaired engine..
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/5/9/3/760593-70141-74-pristine.jpg)
...a damaged flap hinge with a piece missing..
![Album image #12 Album image #12](/albums/img/5/9/9/760599-70141-91-pristine.jpg)
...very badly applied decals..
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/5/9/2/760592-70141-56-pristine.jpg)
...and the cockpit window decal is applied out of line.
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/4/7/7/759477-70141-98-720.jpg)
So time for a ‘Heavy Metal’ overhaul! I also had a 1:200 Hasegawa Boeing 747-400 without box an without decals. As the ‘Ed Force One’ decal sheets come in scale 1:144 and 1:200, I thought of making a 1:200 version too for a friend of mine who is a real Iron Maiden fan.
Here’s the scale comparison of the 2 models...
Here’s the scale comparison of the 2 models...
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/4/8/2/759482-70141-55-720.jpg)
So I contacted Ben Sweezey from V1 decals, and asked him if he could enlarge the 1:200 sheet for me to 1:72.. he was enthusiastic about the idea 🙂 so I ordered both decal sheets for the 2 kits. And they looked great:
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/4/8/1/759481-70141-83-720.jpg)
Test fit of the ‘Eddie’ tail
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/4/8/4/759484-70141-23-720.jpg)
So the sanding started.. lot’s of sanding paper, as this is a model with 1 meter span and 1 meter length
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/4/8/3/759483-70141-53-720.jpg)
Last look at the Queen’s original KLM Blue jacket..
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/4/8/5/759485-70141-59-720.jpg)
...almost finished sanding..
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/4/8/7/759487-70141-50-720.jpg)
..and she’s ready for a primer gray base color.
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/4/8/6/759486-70141-18-720.jpg)
First I scratched 2 wingtips, as the model 400 has added wingtips for better fuel efficiency.
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/5/9/4/760594-70141-25-pristine.jpg)
A little filler and sanding and the wingtip is ready.
![Album image #23 Album image #23](/albums/img/4/8/8/759488-70141-82-720.jpg)
Primer coat
![Album image #24 Album image #24](/albums/img/4/8/9/759489-70141-16-720.jpg)
Smooth and ready for spraying.
I used only spraycans Tamiya paint for this project, as it’s a sleek desktopmodel with no fine details, so the effort of spraying this big model with a little airbrush is not done. Too much refilling and diluting paint, a spraycan is easier.
I used only spraycans Tamiya paint for this project, as it’s a sleek desktopmodel with no fine details, so the effort of spraying this big model with a little airbrush is not done. Too much refilling and diluting paint, a spraycan is easier.
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/4/9/0/759490-70141-38-720.jpg)
White for body and tail ( the Eddie tail decal is partly transparant so the white color highlights the lighter skull colors).
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/3/3/4/761334-70141-53-720.jpg)
Copied the decal sheet on paper, so I could safely test fit if everything fits well.
And this way I could precisely put marks where the decals need to be applied on the big white body surface, because there are no more reference lines or windows from the old KLM livery.
And this way I could precisely put marks where the decals need to be applied on the big white body surface, because there are no more reference lines or windows from the old KLM livery.
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/3/3/3/761333-70141-36-720.jpg)
Looks impressive already!
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/4/9/1/759491-70141-65-720.jpg)
Masking tape. Lots of it, and plastic bags for the bigger surfaces to spray ‘corroguard’ grey walkways on the wings.
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/4/9/2/759492-70141-87-720.jpg)
It’s not the exact color, but it is a hard to find paint as corroguard exists from grayish anti skid material. It seems that it even has little glittering parts in it, so it’s difficult to make it exact as the real life color.
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/4/9/3/759493-70141-46-720.jpg)
Yes, the underside of the wing had also ‘corroguard’-like plating.. which I don’t understand why?
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/5/9/7/760597-70141-53-pristine.jpg)
I wanted to give the engine exhaust platings a shiny chrome-like look, so I bought a Molotow Chrome marker as a try-out to see if it’s really as chrome as they say.
![Album image #32 Album image #32](/albums/img/4/9/4/759494-70141-65-720.jpg)
But it was quite an expensive marker, and I never saw a chrome marker before (the result is always silver/aluminium look) so I tested it..
![Album image #33 Album image #33](/albums/img/5/9/5/760595-70141-17-pristine.jpg)
...and I was amazed! Really shiny result, real chrome-like color. Nice 🙂 !
![Album image #34 Album image #34](/albums/img/5/9/6/760596-70141-20-pristine.jpg)
Just like the real stuff.
![Album image #35 Album image #35](/albums/img/4/9/5/759495-70141-45-720.jpg)
After that painting the engine fanblades and intakes.
![Album image #36 Album image #36](/albums/img/3/1/0/760310-70141-36-720.jpg)
The first decal.. look at the size, really big
![Album image #37 Album image #37](/albums/img/2/3/4/759234-70141-56-720.jpg)
Applying some decal softener to remove bubbles and wrinkles
![Album image #38 Album image #38](/albums/img/3/1/1/760311-70141-16-720.jpg)
The decals look impressive at this scale
![Album image #39 Album image #39](/albums/img/5/0/0/759500-70141-33-720.jpg)
And now time to apply Eddie on the tail
![Album image #40 Album image #40](/albums/img/3/0/2/760302-70141-49-720.jpg)
But disaster struck 🙁 ...
During soaking in water I saw parts of the decal starting to come loose!! I think the transparant parts of the decal were too thin as there is almost no print on them.
Anyway, I ended up with a wrinkled damaged multi-part decal which I managed to apply on the tail in pieces.
The horror..
During soaking in water I saw parts of the decal starting to come loose!! I think the transparant parts of the decal were too thin as there is almost no print on them.
Anyway, I ended up with a wrinkled damaged multi-part decal which I managed to apply on the tail in pieces.
The horror..
![Album image #41 Album image #41](/albums/img/3/0/4/760304-70141-25-720.jpg)
I put lots of softener on the decal and tried to apply it as good as possible on the tail..
![Album image #42 Album image #42](/albums/img/3/0/5/760305-70141-86-720.jpg)
Look at the damage. Wrinkles because the edges of the damaged decal pieces are overlapping each other.
![Album image #43 Album image #43](/albums/img/3/0/6/760306-70141-62-720.jpg)
After the softener dried, it was better then I hoped for. But there were still little parts missing (nose and forehead)
![Album image #44 Album image #44](/albums/img/3/0/3/760303-70141-36-720.jpg)
Here clearly visible
![Album image #45 Album image #45](/albums/img/3/0/8/760308-70141-87-720.jpg)
So on the next decals I applied a layer of Microscale liquid decal film, to protect them from falling apart.
![Album image #46 Album image #46](/albums/img/3/0/7/760307-70141-18-720.jpg)
Applying it on the other Eddie decal
![Album image #47 Album image #47](/albums/img/3/0/9/760309-70141-54-720.jpg)
Let dry for a few minutes
![Album image #48 Album image #48](/albums/img/5/0/1/759501-70141-31-720.jpg)
And behold, perfect result 🙂
![Album image #49 Album image #49](/albums/img/2/6/3/759263-70141-76-720.jpg)
Nice tail!
![Album image #50 Album image #50](/albums/img/2/4/3/759243-70141-99-720.jpg)
Time to apply the Eddies on the engines
![Album image #51 Album image #51](/albums/img/2/3/5/759235-70141-38-720.jpg)
And it’s finished! Ed Force One is ready for inspection
![Album image #52 Album image #52](/albums/img/2/3/8/759238-70141-40-720.jpg)
Nicely detailed decals, in this scale even better
![Album image #53 Album image #53](/albums/img/2/4/1/759241-70141-51-720.jpg)
Eddy dried up very well with the liquid decal fluid applied
![Album image #54 Album image #54](/albums/img/2/4/8/759248-70141-92-720.jpg)
Took the Ed Force One to a friend of mine who is a master in weathering techniques. He won 2 prizes with beautiful built 1:35 WWII dioramas, so I asked him to ‘repair’ the damaged Eddie tail decal
![Album image #55 Album image #55](/albums/img/2/4/9/759249-70141-84-720.jpg)
Which he did.
![Album image #56 Album image #56](/albums/img/2/5/2/759252-70141-27-720.jpg)
Nice work!
![Album image #57 Album image #57](/albums/img/2/4/7/759247-70141-46-720.jpg)
That’s a different engine then the old KLM one 🙂
![Album image #58 Album image #58](/albums/img/2/4/6/759246-70141-32-720.jpg)
Final inspection by our cat Bella
![Album image #59 Album image #59](/albums/img/2/4/2/759242-70141-41-720.jpg)
Better and more accurate cockpit windows
![Album image #60 Album image #60](/albums/img/2/4/5/759245-70141-87-720.jpg)
![Album image #61 Album image #61](/albums/img/2/6/2/759262-70141-21-720.jpg)
The complete tour-info as nose art
![Album image #62 Album image #62](/albums/img/2/5/4/759254-70141-58-720.jpg)
Putting it on a better quality black stand
![Album image #63 Album image #63](/albums/img/2/5/5/759255-70141-33-720.jpg)
And I contacted Mr Ben Sweezey from V-1 again that my project was finished; he was very enthusiastic and asked permission to place some of the pictures on his site as an example.
Sure, why not?
Sure, why not?
![Album image #64 Album image #64](/albums/img/2/5/6/759256-70141-53-720.jpg)
![Album image #65 Album image #65](/albums/img/2/5/7/759257-70141-96-720.jpg)
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The next project is in the background..
![Album image #68 Album image #68](/albums/img/2/8/4/759284-70141-45-720.jpg)
2 Queens 🙂
![Album image #69 Album image #69](/albums/img/2/8/0/759280-70141-66-720.jpg)
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And now the 1:200 version
![Album image #71 Album image #71](/albums/img/4/9/7/759497-70141-54-720.jpg)
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Same story over again
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Comments
17 4 May 2020, 11:01
![](/profiles/img/70141-472-s.jpg)
Thanks Andy😉!
If it would be possible I'd give him this model for his office, but I think he's allready got a nice model of this temporarily Ed Force One..
4 May 2020, 13:40
![](/profiles/img/14105-839-s.jpg)
Wow, a great transformation on the old KLM Bird! Did you happen to use an orbital sander to get the old paint off? 🙂
16 June 2020, 01:07
![](/profiles/img/70141-472-s.jpg)
@Frank: Thanks!
@Andy: lol 🙂 !!
@Erik: Thanks 🙂 !
@Ray: lol!! No, just sanding. And sanding. And sanding...
It's a dull job but someone's got to do it😉 ...
19 June 2020, 21:38
![](/profiles/img/70141-472-s.jpg)
@Ben: True! I was really surprised how real chrome the result was.. Amazing indeed!
19 June 2020, 21:48