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In-Box Review
1144
DC 7C
The City of San Francisco
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by: Stephen T. Lawson [ JACKFLASH ]

History

Japan Airlines International Co., Ltd. (JAL) (株式会社日本航空インターナショナル, Kabushiki-gaisha Nihon Kōkū Intānashonaru?), is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport. The airline and four of its subsidiaries (J-Air, JAL Express, JALways, and Japan Transocean Air) are members of the Oneworld airline alliance.

JAL was established in 1951 and became the national airline of Japan in 1953. After over three decades of service and expansion, the airline was fully privatized in 1987. In 2002, the airline merged with Japan Air System, Japan's third-largest airline and became the sixth largest airline in the world by passengers carried. The airline filed for bankruptcy protection on January 19, 2010, after losses of nearly ¥100 billion in a single quarter.

Japan Airlines used the Douglas DC 7C during the Nineteen fifties.

Kit Contents

105 Plastic pcs.
1 decal profile for a Japanese Airlines DC 7C.
8 page instruction booklet.
1 colour sheet for decal appliations.

With this kit #303, the issues with pulling the sprues from the mold too early seem to have been some what arrested. There is no warping or distortion. The front nose area is clean without ripped edged issues. But there is still flash on the spine and at the rear trailing edges of the wing union on the fuselage. There is also a distortion on one of the wing tip lower surfaces. I believe this to be a sprue ejection from the mold issue. Though easily fixed by the modeler it may be something of a regular issue / fingerprint with this mold.

Decals

DC-7C JA6301 "City of San Francisco", Japan Air Lines 1959.

I am just guessing mind you but the other airline liveries that could possibly be coming down the road are; Aeromexico, Alitalia, American Airlines, BOAC, Braniff Airways, Caledonian Airways, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, Japan Airlines, KLM, National Airlines, Northwest Orient, Panair do Brasil, Pan American World Airways, Sabena, SAS, South African Airways, Swissair, THY, TAI, and United Airlines.

When contacting manufacturers and publishers please mention you saw this review at AEROSCALE
SUMMARY
Highs: Decent engraving. Overall scale length and wing span appear very close to original type. Some of the complaints I had in the first issue seem to have been recified as this sprue has no warps.
Lows: Cockpit windshield needs to be replaced with cut sections of sheet plastic or a sharp vacuformed version. More than an average clean up is needed.
Verdict: Interesting subject matter now in a common scale. Possiblities for other markings versions, very high.
  DESIGN & DETAILS:88%
  INSTRUCTIONS:88%
  DECALS:90%
Percentage Rating
89%
  Scale: 1:144
  Mfg. ID: #303
  Suggested Retail: $23.85
  Related Link: Website
  PUBLISHED: Apr 02, 2011
  NATIONALITY: Japan / 日本
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 90.97%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 87.05%

Our Thanks to Roden!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Stephen T. Lawson (JackFlash)
FROM: COLORADO, UNITED STATES

I was building Off topic jet age kits at the age of 7. I remember building my first WWI kit way back in 1964-5 at the age of 8-9. Hundreds of 1/72 scale Revell and Airfix kits later my eyes started to change and I wanted to do more detail. With the advent of DML / Dragon and Eduard I sold off my ...

Copyright ©2021 text by Stephen T. Lawson [ JACKFLASH ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

Stephen I always thought the DC-7 was a piston engined aircraft and not a jet? [See title:Homepage> Reviews>Aircraft>Jets.] tom
MAY 07, 2011 - 11:12 AM
Hi Tom Thanks for spotting that, I'll shift it. All the best Rowan
MAY 07, 2011 - 10:39 PM
You are absolutely correct, my faux paux. I got the first issued kit review right. Must be my trifocals. I hate getting old.
MAY 12, 2011 - 03:43 PM
As suspected this kit will be released again with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines markings.
JUL 25, 2011 - 04:22 PM
   
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