My mother was a pilot who flew anti-submarine patrols in Florida during WW2. When the men came back, she could no longer fly and became a stewardess until 1959.
I built the 1:72 Heller kit. It arrived without most of the nosecone due to short throws. I formed a plastic replacement and rescribed it. I added 2x the recommended weight to the nose to prevent a tail-sitter. It still was a tailsitter, and the nosegear snapped. I replaced it with a metal one.
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I added orange curtains inside the passenger cabin & detail to the cockpti (now all but invisible).
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After painting the colors, I realized I had painted myself into a corner. How can I create the white lettering? So I spent $200 for DecalProFx's kit. Basically, for those who haven't used it, you create your image on a laser printer in black ink. Then, you bind a foil to it by running it through a laminator. Then, after getting rid of the excess, you bind it to a mylar carrier, water treat it to remove the base, trim to size and apply with a slight aerosol glue to your target. Peel off the mylar, and the image remains.
Steep learning curve. And you get one chance. Once the letters touch, you can't reposition. It also seems to slightly pull up the paint when you remove the mylar. I had to do some touchup. After 3 days, I finally got all the letters and images down.
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Unfortunately, with the letters to scale, the upper windows did not allow enough space to put the Airline of the Stars script on the back. I transfered as best I could, and left the tape in place for the uppers.
The board was ordered from www.thebaseshop.com, as the local trophy shop couldn't make a 20x18" stand. I found an old picture of my mom (she's the center figure, tinted slightly pink) and got the trophy shop to make enamel metal plaques of it and the route she flew.
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All said, about 6 months of effort and $400 invested. (including the National Airlines pin I bought on e-bay and will present to her in a ring case). I wasn't able to get it ready for her birthday, christmas or mothers day...but I will bring it to her this weekend.
Now to work on the UH-34D my father flew in Vietnam. His 80th birthday is at the end of July.