Boeing 737-530 Smart Wings 1:144

Danny Coremans from Daco did a fantastic thing with this kit - for those who prefer glazed windows to decals, he had the inside of the fuselage molded with a template to cut out the cabin windows. I thanked him several times in my mind for that. How clever and kind! So I took a sharp chisel and carved out the windows.  

In order not to be completely empty behind the transparent cockpit windows, I made a dashboard and pilot seats. I was making an airliner in 1/144 for the first time and with hindsight I realized that the seats are much bigger than they should be. But hopefully then it won't be distracting and at the same time there will be "something" behind the cockpit windows. 

Here I used Extratech PE parts No. 14417. I made the flap actuator from metal wire and sprayed it red and black. 

Control layer of surfacer applied to the sanded door. The Daco Skyline model has this door higher than the original, so it was necessary to use a putty.
A pilot checklist is already on the dashboard. 

Blocker doors in the NACA cooling air intake are now installed in the fully extended position. I made them from a leftover frame from a PE part.
The landing gear wells are painted and wheathered. 

The PE part from the Daco Skyline set was used to protect the engine pylon from hot jet exhausts. According to the original, I have emphasized the engraving and the division of the individual plates. 

Static strips are installed on the radome. I made them from thin wire. The mouldings did show them, but not ideally. And, of course, they were not at all at the junction of the two fuselage halves. With hindsight I can say that they should have been thinner. But I won't redo them. 

There is an attempt to do a detail of the hot section of the engine that is not on the moulding, but I find it quite a defining detail.  

There is an attempt to do a detail of the hot section of the engine that is not on the moulding, but I find it quite a defining detail.  

Vortex generators instaled.  

Here I made this Boeing into a convertible because I decided to additionally glaze the passenger windows with clear resin. I originally thought I would do it with clear decal film, but I was becoming more and more doubtful. So I made this rather drastic intervention... 

And here back after the operation codenamed "Convertible". 🙂
I also added sunshades to the windows - one fully rolled down and one partially. I am satisfied with the result. 

The masks were made by my colleague Jarda Král. The ones on the Boeing 737-800 Zvezda are a bit smaller than they should be.  

There was a big problem with the cockpit masks, because even the ones from the KV MODELS designed for B737 Skyline don't fit precisely. 

Masks applied and the model is ready for the first coat of surfacer. 

Surfacer was successfully applied and I started airbrushing the first thin coats of white. 

I let the paint cure well and remove minor surface imperfections. I will need to add more white as the grey surfacer is still showing through slightly. 

I did the cockpit. It's not final yet, but it's been a lot of work. When I was peeling off the masking tape, part of the surfacer with the white paint came off. I probably didn't degrease the surface enough... I had to fix it and was glad I did it before I would airbrush orange paint or even apply decals. I also found that some dust and dirt had gotten into the cockpit. You can't see it in the photo now, but there are some dust crumbs wandering around and it's disturbing. Next time I need to be much more consistent in sealing it before closing the fuselage.  

Livery is painted. Now I have to do the underside of the wings (Boeing grey), leading edges and then a lot of decal work. I'd like to glue the engines on near the end.  

The transition between pylon and engine is a bit of a challenge with the DACO kit. Everything was finally set up after many adjustments. I will now let the putty cure properly. I hope I don't ruin the already painted parts when sanding and cleaning.