Douglas DC-7c

**scon10** · #1 02-23-2014, 08:13 AM

Hello, Forummembers.
I have always wanted a DC-7C in my collection, and at last, I have found the time to do so. I think the DC-7C is a beautiful aircraft, very functional and yet of a classic appeal, see the pictures 1 and 2 of the real thing.
There is no accurate DC-7C model to my knowledge in the colours that I wanted, the original KLM livery. The Schreiber Swissair one is basically all right, but the engines are actually DC-7 ones, while the 7C had saddle tanks incorporated in the engines. That gave them a bulky appearance, as you can see in the photo's. The other card model is the ancient Veritas one of the 1950's, and as a copy available with Scaldis, see pic 3. This one had the correct KLM livery I was looking for, but I wanted more detail in the model. There was also a model of the DC-6B, also of the 1950's, published by Emsco with an accurate fuselage, pic 4. A copy is availlable I believe at Zeist Bouwplaten. I decided to use the Emsco one as the base, and modify the nose and the engines to 7C shape, together with the extensions of wing and fuselage. Also, the airline livery of the Emsco model is the old KLM livery, so I also needed to repaint all parts, usiong the colours of the Veritas model as template. Finally, I will build the model with aluminium parts and the coloured parts as a separate print, as I did earlier with the Ken West Super Constellation conversion of the C-121

So I copied the engines and enlarged them around 5 % to represent the huge Wright R-3350 engines, which were larger than the original Pratt and Whitney's, see picture 5. The engine middle section I widened somewhat to match the bigger cross section of the saddle tank addition, see the picture as compared to the DC-6B engines in picture 4.
In the next posting, we'll see if this works.

**Don Boose** · #2 02-23-2014, 09:01 AM

This is an excellent project. Best wishes for success in replicating this wonderful airplane.

Don

**Ponytail** · #3 02-23-2014, 09:23 AM

Gonna follow you, Scon.

Always loved the old Veritas and Emsco kits.

**scon10** · #4 02-25-2014, 08:28 AM

I have built a try-out engine, just to see how it would look like to reshape a DC-6 engine to a DC-7C engine with the big saddle tanks on top.
By the looks of it, see pics 1,2 and 3, it seems that expanding the engine root, at the wing station, gives a good impression of the higher "lump-back" effect of the saddle tanks. The parts need some tweeking to make them fit better, and get a symmetry where needed. Also, I think the propeller spinners need to be a bit more pointier. I took these from the Schreiber kit, so they also need some tweeking.
All in all, I think I will continue along these lines. So I will construct the engines first, and then I'll need to make the wing, so that I can determine the correct cut-out shape in the engine roots for attachment to the wing.

**Don Boose** · #5 02-25-2014, 08:29 AM

That engine looks really good!

Don

**scon10** · #6 02-25-2014, 02:44 PM

Thanks, Don.
Sometimes it seems that getting the shape right is more an artistic thing, than a matter of accuracy. It's the overall effect, that counts, I think.
So does that makes us artists?

**Don Boose** · #7 02-25-2014, 03:03 PM

Definitely artists, as well as artisans, at least in your case!

Don

**scon10** · #8 03-02-2014, 03:01 AM

For the construction of the wing, I started with the templates of the outer wings from the old Emsco scan, see pic 1. I printed the wing in its original size on normal paper (in grey, to save colour ink), cut out the rough form and glued it to the backside of silverpaper that I bought in the art supplies shop, 2,50 euro for a sheet of 50 x 70 cm. As you can see, I cut the wing without the aileron and flap, so that I can later insert them as separate parts. That will give some more detail, pic 2.

In pic 3 I am rolling my rivet simulator wheel over the silver paper to simulate the rivets and the skin plates on the wing. I made that wheel from an embroidery accesory, look in your (wife's) sewing basket. However the little toothed wheel that these things have is way to course for an airplane in scale 1 : 66, so I took an old egg alarm -make sure it's mechanical-, and took it apart. Inside you will find gear wheels with the tiny teeth, that you need for rivet simulation. Finally, you replace with some bending of metal the course wheel with the fine wheel.
The result can be seen, I hope, in pic 4

**Longbow** · #9 03-02-2014, 07:26 AM

Looks really good !
Creatief !
How do you put the lettering &c on the metal foil ?
Will follow this one

**MacSongLi** · #10 03-02-2014, 08:51 AM

WOW, you have a lot of work ahead of you, it looks great with the silver paper. ery tedious.

Gary