1:72 Opravný motorový set pro C-121 Constelation

Correction set of engines for the C-121 Constellation, 1:72 scale

This is an add-on set, not a model of the aircraft. It replaces the engine units of the kit with resin castings with crisper definition. On a four-engine aircraft that means four nacelles, that is four places that are the most visible on the silhouette of the wing. An injection-molded tooling runs up against two things there: the finned cylinders of the radial engine behind the intake opening and the thin leading edge of the cowling. A resin casting handles both, because it is cast in a soft mold and does not have to be pulled out of it in a straight line.

The real subject

The Lockheed Constellation was an American four-engine airliner with an unmistakable shape: a curved fuselage that was taller in the middle and a triple vertical tail. The military C-121 version served to carry people and cargo. It was powered by four air-cooled twin-row eighteen-cylinder radial engines, that is engines that were among the most powerful piston units of their day and at the same time among the most demanding to maintain.

Usage tips

• First wash the resin parts in lukewarm water with detergent to remove the mold release agent.
• Cut the casting blocks off with a saw and level the mating surfaces with a file.
• Paint and weather the engine before you close it into the cowling.
• Glue with cyanoacrylate, as cement for plastic has no effect on resin.
• Place the nacelles on the wing dry and glue them only once you have checked the alignment.

Who it is for

The set is for modelers of airliners who want engine nacelles that match the real thing. Working with resin is not difficult, but it differs from plastic and calls for a different glue and a different preparation.

It is not a model of the aircraft. The base kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.