Roden Convair twin

Hi Don;

  Would that be the one that Hawk or Aurora used to have ? That's an airliner that's evaded us for years. I remember those flying in and out of Buffalo Municipal many, many years ago. Usually in Capitol or Alleghany livery.

Don, I have to admit, when I saw your header, I had another image in mind entirely....

Nonetheless, I share your excitement for the Convair kit! I'm sure AM decals will be forthcoming.

Don't know whether you've seen these, but Two-Six Decals does sheets for the SwissAir and the very attractive Sabena schemes.

Thanks for the notice on that new Roden "Convairliner" kit. 1/144 is going to be pretty small. Brain calculator suggests a wingspan of about 8".

United flew a large number of the 440 model, to replace the DC-3. The 240 family was the first twin engine pressurized commercial airliner.

We had a grandmother who lived in Solvang CA, about an hour outside of Santa Barbara by car. You would know the area from your time at Vandenberg. We flew SFO-Monterey, then to Salinas by flying east down 68, then south to Paso Robles following 101, then over the hill to the coast and down to Santa Barbara.

The Captain would often fly low over Hearst Castle at San Simeon on the return trip north.

I would think a set for a DC-4 would be a good place to start, those of course being available in hundreds of airlines.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Don Stauffer

I am not a fan of the HA livery- hope I can find some aftermarket decals.

But they run one heck of an airline, IMHO. Other airlines could take lessons.

Say, speaking of Convairs, do you remember Lake Central Airlines with the pale blue schemes and duck logo on the tail? They remain a fairly vivid memory out at SBN (South Bend) for some reason. I don't know if you were in the area back then, though.

If you find any good decals, could you let us know if you remember, Don?

Tanks- according to scalemates the Roden kit is new tooling.

That's cool.  Heres a few interesting liveries.

https://joydecals.com/decals-by-aircraft/convair/

Vintage Flyer does Convair Liner decals for the old Hawk kit--

I'm sure they will be available in 1/144 for this kit

The Roden kit is a new mold, and although it says it's a 340 it has many of the features of the 440.  I have heard that most 340's were modified with 440 features, such as the square exhaust instead of the two augmentor tubes of the 340.

AHS has a good page on the kit with sprue shots;

https://airline-hobby.com/2019/07/25/rodens-convair-340-kit-update/

Greg

 

 

Don Stauffer

I am not a fan of the HA livery- hope I can find some aftermarket decals.

 

 

But they run one heck of an airline, IMHO. Other airlines could take lessons.

Say, speaking of Convairs, do you remember Lake Central Airlines with the pale blue schemes and duck logo on the tail? They remain a fairly vivid memory out at SBN (South Bend) for some reason. I don't know if you were in the area back then, though.

If you find any good decals, could you let us know if you remember, Don?

 

Sure do remember the Lake Central.  My favorite Convair livery was the ruptured duck.  Trying to remember the airline (names come hard to me at my age)- was it North Central?

Don Stauffer

 

 

Greg

 

 

Don Stauffer

I am not a fan of the HA livery- hope I can find some aftermarket decals.

 

 

But they run one heck of an airline, IMHO. Other airlines could take lessons.

Say, speaking of Convairs, do you remember Lake Central Airlines with the pale blue schemes and duck logo on the tail? They remain a fairly vivid memory out at SBN (South Bend) for some reason. I don't know if you were in the area back then, though.

If you find any good decals, could you let us know if you remember, Don?

 

 

 

 

Sure do remember the Lake Central.  My favorite Convair livery was the ruptured duck.  Trying to remember the airline (names come hard to me at my age)- was it North Central?

 

PointerDog Decals (on Ebay) used to do a North Central 'blue' set for the Welsh Models Convair 580, but I have no idea if they're still available.

I wonder if its the same airline that was based at Amon Carter field in Ft Worth? Central Airlines?

My favorite logo for the Convair Liner was the "circus" type livery of Braniff of the early 50s. I remember these as a kid at Amon Carter. Vintage Flyer does this Braniff one for the DC-4, Convair Liner and others. 

Yes they have lots of liveries for a 1/144 Convair Liner already.

Mike at Vintage Flyer has a great product. I've bought three sets and they are well designed. He normally includes window decals that have tone and highlights.

Don Stauffer

Sure do remember the Lake Central. My favorite Convair livery was the ruptured duck. Trying to remember the airline (names come hard to me at my age)- was it North Central?

It's neat we both have fond memories of some Great Lakes area regional airlines. In the meantime. It was the pale blue with the duck on the tail that is such a vivid memory for me too, and that is what I thought I was referring to when I mentioned Lake Central, Don. I loved that scheme so much that it is the essence of the local airport as a child to me.

I would have sworn it was Lake Central, and that's why I mentioned it. But I guess you and Greg Bale got it right, it must have been North Central. I thought sure I found a pic the other day of the same scheme on a Lake Central Convair. Wow, starting to hallucinate now. Neat-o.

I see Squadron's flyer calls the kit a 340, not a 540.  I do remember the 340s, just don't remember a 540.

Lake Central had some overlap in service area with North Central, but mainly operated east toward Cleveland and Pittsburg. (Lived in the Cleveland area in the early '60s, so as an inveterate 'airport hound' the scheme is a familiar one in the memory.)

They also had a striking dark blue livery, but usually with red flashes on the tail and by the cockpit. I think they were taken over by Allegheny around 1970 or so.

Don Stauffer

I see Squadron's flyer calls the kit a 340, not a 540.  I do remember the 340s, just don't remember a 540.

I was most familiar with the 440.

gregbale

Lake Central had some overlap in service area with North Central, but mainly operated east toward Cleveland and Pittsburg. (Lived in the Cleveland area in the early '60s, so as an inveterate 'airport hound' the scheme is a familiar one in the memory.)

They also had a striking dark blue livery, but usually with red flashes on the tail and by the cockpit. I think they were taken over by Allegheny around 1970 or so.

 

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Nice little trip down nostalgia lane.

accidental post- disregard- is there any way to erase an inadvertent response?

What you've done here is what I do. The mods can delete a post, but it's usually not worth the trouble.

I had been delaying my purchase of the kit because we have had a lot of bills adding up in November.  But noticed several online hobby shops being out of stock and that worried me, so I popped out an order yesterday.  My wife will kill me, but....

I had been wanting to do the plane in a North Central scheme, but can find no evidence that NC ever had 340s.  They flew earlier models, and the 540, but I guess not the 340.  I did find a lot of Delta pictures, and even graphics of some kit decal sheets, so may go with a Delta scheme (it is the successor of NWA, the hometown airline).

Don Stauffer

I had been wanting to do the plane in a North Central scheme, but can find no evidence that NC ever had 340s.

I don't know, Don. I thought for sure North Central flew 580's, and I just read those were 340's and 440's with Allison turboprop conversions.

Well, still have not received my kit yet.  Now it is supposed to arrive later this week or early next week.

Finally got my kit!  Took almost four months but it is here now.

It looks like that is going to be a nice build when finished. I'll be watching.

After flying jet fighters (F-86, F-100, F-104) for ten years my father took basic Twin pilot training for the USAF in the T-29 at Mather AFB, CA in 1960. I believe the T-29 was based on the Convair 240 produced in the mid 1950's. He later flew the C-131 (USAF transport version of the Convair 340 and 440), as well as the C-123, C-54, C-118, and the C-9. I would like to see a larger scale Convair with USAF markings. On another note, Lake Central Airlines flew Convair twins out of the Kokomo, IN municipal airport north of town during the mid-1960's. We lived there for a year when Dad was flying C-123's out of Phan Rang AFB, South Vietnam.

Have my kit, and the decals are due tomorrow.

On the other hand, still waiting to find someone on their B307!

Don Stauffer

Have my kit, and the decals are due tomorrow.

On the other hand, still waiting to find someone on their B307!

 

GMorrison

 

 

Don Stauffer

Have my kit, and the decals are due tomorrow.

On the other hand, still waiting to find someone on their B307!

 

 

 

 

How so? I have a nice set of TWA decals from Mike for the 307.

 

 

I meant someone offering the kit itself.  Everyplace I tried it was not in stock yet.