Boeing 737-530 Smart Wings 1:144
Comments
98 10 December 2023, 18:22
Zbynek Honzik AuthorAfter a long time I got into modelling and so managed to move a number of things forward. Now I have to let the putty cure properly on the transition between the pylon and the engine. And then the careful sanding and cleaning and final painting of the pylon and engine will begin.
30 June 2024, 19:41
Łukasz GlińskiGreat to see you back on this one, the livery looks v.cool indeed.
And don't even think that Zvezda nacelles are much better 🙂
30 June 2024, 20:20
Spanjaardwow it it is looking really good. I really like the windows, and the shades you added
30 June 2024, 20:45
Zbynek Honzik AuthorŁukasz, I've got 373-800/700 waiting for me from Zvezda. And I'm looking forward to it. However, given my snail's pace, I don't know when their turn will come... 🐌🫣
30 June 2024, 20:50
Łukasz GlińskiMy both 800s are waiting as well 😄 Revell & Zvezda
Btw. How did you do such a nice pair of landing lights? I'm looking for ideas as decals are not available for all liners in 144th.
30 June 2024, 21:11
Michael KohlI am impressed by how clean and evenly you cut out the windows. Which material did you use to cover the windows before pouring the resin. I use regular Cello tape but the resin dissolves the glue and this sticks to the windows.
30 June 2024, 22:35
Zbynek Honzik Author@Łukasz - I use either "little lenses" that I bought years ago at www.morellingtool.co.uk or nail glitter that I bought at a bead store.
I seal the headlight area first, then spray paint it matt black and glue the lights (glitter) in the appropriate places.
Then I sealed everything with transparent resin. After the resin hardened, I sanded everything to the shape of the leading edge of the wing and then polished.
1 July 2024, 11:29
Zbynek Honzik Author@ Michael - I use an electrical tape that I bought on e-bay. I got a reference for it on YouTube here: Youtube Video
It's High Temperature Resistant Kapton Tape. The packaging says it is "Advanced Polymer Tape" and is characterized as "Clean Removal". And the adhesive doesn't really stick to the resin.
1 1 July 2024, 11:39
Michael KohlThanks Zbynek. I will try this. The Cello tape glue can be quite easily removed with IPA, but lazy as I am, I like the idea to omit that step.
1 July 2024, 17:31
Zbynek Honzik AuthorSo I moved forward a bit again and sanded and cleaned up the transition between the pylon and the engine.
4 July 2024, 21:55
Zbynek Honzik AuthorIn between letting the putty cure in the transition between the pylon and the engine, I started speculating how to improve the cockpit window frame.
In the end, Authentic Airliner Decals were used. I really like the way the authentic metallic finish looks on the decal, plus they depict the rivets and the thin black line showing the insulation between the glass and the frame. I had to cut the decal because the dimensions are a little different on the model, but I really like it. So I ordered another set. The windshield is wider, so one set was not enough for me.
On the photo you can see where the original frame is sprayed with Alclad and where the decal is.
19 July 2024, 17:20
Zbynek Honzik AuthorSo I found some time for modelling - Pylon/engine transition painted, wash oil paint on top of wings done, airline name decal placed on fuselage.
20 August 2024, 07:16
Mr DSee you like your Airlines 👍.
I may do a Soviet era TU in future.
You done some nice projects 😀👍👍
3 September 2024, 13:15
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThank you for your kind comment Mr D.
I am also going to do a Tupolev, specially TU-134 Malév. That was the first airliner I flew in from Budapest to Prague.
4 September 2024, 20:18
Zbynek Honzik AuthorA small step forward has been made. The window frames on the starboard side have been installed. Emergency exit also. The cleanliness of the window glazing, unfortunately, did not turn out the way I wanted due to my mistake. I have to learn to live with that. Hopefully it will be better on the port side of the fuselage...
18 September 2024, 05:07
Mr DIt's all a learning curve, as in all art forms ......it's the persute of perfection very rarely we achieve it.
Looks great to me and I'm sure others think the same.
Your Tu-134 sound like great idea.
😁👍
18 September 2024, 17:16
Zbynek Honzik Author"It's all a learning curve, as in all art forms ......it's the pursuite of perfection very rarely we achieve it." - Exactly! Thank you for the precise wording, Mr D!!!
That's also my curse...
18 September 2024, 19:01
bughunterToday I came across this: what a wonderful work 👍
Such glossy finishes (on cars or airliners) are not easy because it brings all little mishaps to the surface. But I like your careful work, and it is great that you go a step back and fix things even it is more work.
18 September 2024, 19:26
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThank you very much for your encouraging comment, bughunter!
Thanks to my almost obsessive nature, everything takes a very long time though.
Your fast forward while maintaining exceptional quality and cleanness is one of the things I highly admire. Your masterpieces are a great inspiration to me.
18 September 2024, 20:50
Spanjaardit looks really good, what is the issue about the windows? they look great in the pictures
3 October 2024, 22:24
Spanjaardmaybe some tiny white spots? you can say it is result of condensation, I have seen that in quite a few real flights 😉
3 October 2024, 22:27
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThanks for the kind and witty comment, Spanjaard.
The tiny white spots are bits of dust that got into the fuselage, although I tried not to let that happen.
The other problem is that melted paint from around the windows has soaked into the clearcoat when I dripped too much diluted varnish over the dent left by the masking tape. It created some weird maps...
But you're right, it could be some condensation, I've experienced it in real flight too. Thanks! 👍🙋🏼♂️
5 October 2024, 11:28
Zbynek Honzik AuthorAfter a while, some progress again. The windows were framed on both sides of the fuselage. I finished washing the bottom of the wings and started decaling the fuselage with doors, stencils etc...
19 October 2024, 14:42
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThanks Vintas for the comment!
It is a horrible airline today, you're right.
But this is a version from way back, from 2004, when they were subsidiary of Icelandiar Group. They started with two Boeing 373-500 on leased from Lufthansa. From my point of view it was a sympathetic activity at that time to make a low-cost carrier in the Czech Republic.
But it turned out very sadly...
And eventually they liquidated CSA, a more then 100-year-old airline, originally our national carrier.
19 October 2024, 15:03
VintasSorry about the CSA. It was one of the oldest operating airlines along with KLM and AEROFLOT. You are absolutely right. By the way, they also have the TRAVEL livery.
19 October 2024, 18:14
Mr DLooks Great Zbynek 👋😁👍
Have you seen any other models like yours ??
Or is it quite unique??
I'm just doing some finishing touches to one of my models at min....all takes time n steady hands 👍👍👍
19 October 2024, 18:58
Zbynek Honzik AuthorGentlemen, thank you for your comments. They are very encouraging.
@ Alec K - Your modelling mastery is a great inspiration to me. 🙋🏼♂️
20 October 2024, 08:14
Zbynek Honzik AuthorWhile decalling I found out by reference photos that I have a incorrect positioned VHF antenna on the bottom of the fuselage. I was misled by the side view in the kit instructions without checking it against the photos. How many times again! I move forward like a snail and then fail to check such a thing! 😱🫣
So I ripped it out, sealed the hole and now I have to clean it up and repaint it. The photo shows the incorrect location and the future correct one.
25 October 2024, 18:56
Alec KAhh, I feel your pain! I was just using a jar of paint yesterday and thought: "Why the heck do I even HAVE this??" Turns out I bought it for a recent build and completely skipped applying it in one of the final steps! At least you caught it (and mine is the next level of "forget") 😄
26 October 2024, 11:32
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThat's a funny story too, Alec! Yes, that's the next level of "forget"... And that's getting worse with age...
Well, I wonder where I'll end up... When I forget what aircraft I'm actually building?🤣🤣🤣
26 October 2024, 18:06
Zbynek Honzik AuthorChristmas holidays also brought me time for modelling. I started by repairing decals that I damaged by careless handling. And then I went on to apply other decals. In doing so, I encountered a number of inconsistencies that I had to address. In some places I compromised with the fidelity to the original, in others I had to make my own decals.
1 30 December 2024, 04:48
Zbynek Honzik AuthorOther small steps done - first phase of weathering and anti-collision beacons.
1 8 January, 20:29
Zbynek Honzik AuthorYes, it seems that somewhere in the distance the finish line is beginning to appear.
Thank you very much gentlemen for your kind comments.
9 January, 19:11
Zbynek Honzik AuthorI found some time for modelling again and here are some partial results.
23 February, 21:22
DickAbsolutely stunning… a crisp paint job, those tiny PE parts, all in this scale make it look so realistic. 👍🏻Great work Zbynek!
1 1 March, 01:02
Zbynek Honzik AuthorAfter some time, I found time for modeling and finished the landing gear. Then when I finally put the beauty on her own "legs", I had to take a picture of her. Although there are still a few things to finish - pitot tubes, angle of attack sensor, gutters over the front doors, cap at the APU air intake, open cap at the pressure outflow valve, and a few other little things.
1 13 June, 20:38
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThank you so much, bughunter. A compliment from you is extra satisfying.
14 June, 21:22
Mr DBrilliant job Zbynek 😀👍 l followed you putting a lot of hard work in to this build.... But the results are very good indeed. Well done " Nice" 👏👍
1 29 June, 21:42
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThanks, gentlemen. Looks like I might be seeing the finish line soon. 😁
2 2 July, 15:38
Zbynek Honzik AuthorI stole some time for modeling after a break and took a few more small steps towards completion. The pitot tubes and angle of attack sensors are in place, the air intake to the APU is finished, and the main outflow valve for pressurization control is in place.
All that remains are the windshield wipers, and ADS B/L DME antenna (which I almost forgot) on the lower rear part of the fuselage behind the main landing gear, a drain mast under the lavatory, and one drain mast from the APU cover.
And then it should be done!
I wonder how long it will take... 🤣🤣🤣
2 31 July, 13:13
Christian BruerExcellent work and great attention to detail. I'm always impressed by the clean paintwork on airliners. Would you mind sharing which colors and clear coats you used, and whether you polished each coat.
1 7 August, 18:22
Michael KohlWhich parts did you use for all the bits and pieces? The PE-set or do you have a special set for these things?
8 August, 00:46
Zbynek Honzik Author@ Christian - Thank you! Your words of compliments made me very happy, as your modeling skills especially for small scale ships are breathtaking and inspiring.
I use mostly Gunze Mr.Color paints, sometimes Alclad for metal surfaces. For clear coat I use Mr.Color GX100 Gloss. I usually dilute the paints and varnish in a ratio of 1:5, with about 1 to 2 parts of Mr.Color Thinner and 3 to 4 parts of Mr.Color Leveling Thinner. I apply paint and varnish in thin layers and several coats. I'm very careful not to get specks of dust on the surface. As soon as this happens, I stop immediately, wait for the layer to harden at least a little and remove the speck. The point is to keep the speck from getting covered in paint or varnish. I usually polish off a well-hardened coat of paint or varnish. I use Tamiya paste. Sometimes to level the surface I spray a layer of Mr.Color Leveling, which levels the surface beautifully. But you have to be careful. The final finish is a mix of GX100 Gloss and C181 Semi-gloss. The ratio depends on the aircraft type and scale. The point is that the model should not be glassy polished. Such a surface does not look authentic on the model and looks more like a toy. However, the perfectly smooth and polished surface after Semi-gloss spraying looks awesome and very authentic in my opinion. But I spray some parts with matt varnish sometimes - escape paths on the wings or dirty or worn areas on the fuselage and wings.
5 8 August, 17:06
Zbynek Honzik Author@ Michael - Some small accessories are from PE sets. I've used PE from Skyline and ExtraTech (pitot tubes, VHF antennas, angle of attack sensors). Some I made from leftover PE (e.g. TCAS antennas). ADS-B/L DME antenna and marker beacon antenna is from Rocast Models 3D prints kit. They also have pitot tubes, drain masts and classic VHF/UHF antennas. They look really cool. But I haven't had a chance to use them all here yet. They have them in 1/72, 1/144 and 1/200 scale.
1 8 August, 17:23
Christian Bruer@Zbynek, thank you for your kind words about my ship modelling. I much appreciate it.
Excellent and useful Exploration about the techniques an paint and varnish you use to gain the high quality surfaces on your airliners, thank you 🙂
2 8 August, 18:31
Spanjaardcongratulations on the perseverance for such a long time, and of course, in a fantastic result!
1 12 August, 22:24
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThank you very much, Spanjaard!
The model is finished after 7 ½ years of sneaking to the finish line.
I made a test photo of the finished model, taking into account some older photos from Prague airport, which I could use as a backround for photo montage. And then I tried to put it together. It was a little joke, and it made me happy. I'll take the liberty of sharing the photos with you.
I hope I will be able to take the main photo of the finished model this weekend.
2 13 August, 16:12
Alec KOutstanding build, hats off. I really like that composite photo, very well done 👍
1 14 August, 16:58
Zbynek Honzik AuthorThank you very much, Alecu!
From a master of your level, such words are especially gratifying.
14 August, 19:22
Zbynek Honzik AuthorMy modelers mates, I added final photos of the completed model.
Thank you all for your support and "likes", it made me very happy many times and encouraged me in the build.
I hope to be able to share my next modeling project with you soon and possibly inspire someone. Because the projects of many of you are a great inspiration to me and I have learned a lot thanks to them.
Thank you.
3 20 August, 19:19
bughunterAfter all the effort you spent during the loooong build phase this is now a "WOW!" model, simply F - A - N - T - A - S - T - I - C 👍
Your polished paints are looking very clean.
1 20 August, 19:45
Album info
Towards the end of 2017 I started a project to build Boeing 737-500 Smart Wings by Daco Skyline. My basic impetus was the successful completion of the same aircraft in 1:200 scale and the desire to try the same thing in a larger scale. And to what extent I can improve the level of detail, execution and also the fidelity to the original. The work was progressing rather slowly due to my work commitments and sometimes occasional laziness. And finally after almost 7 ½ years I managed to finish the model.
