WHICH KITS HAVE REAL WINDOW OPENINGS?

GMorrison

I like decals so much more than open ports that I usually glaze them, then smooth them over with putty and use decals.

My father (retired UAL) always used to say that if the engineers had their way, the seats would face backwards and the cabin would not have windows, but marketing could never be made to agree.

No cabin windows was a serious consideration for Concorde.

I like decals so much more than open ports that I usually glaze them, then smooth them over with putty and use decals.

My father (retired UAL) always used to say that if the engineers had their way, the seats would face backwards and the cabin would not have windows, but marketing could never be made to agree.

No cabin windows was a serious consideration for Concorde.

To the best of my knowledge, Revell Germany, Airfix, and Zvezda kits have open cabin windows. Zvezda and older Airfix kits usually have clear inserts (I prefer Krystal Kleer). Revell tends to just have open windows. Some of the more recent Revell kits have window decals included, for modelers who prefer to fill them. Minicraft, Roden (with the notable exception of their C-47/DC-3), F-RSIN, and AZ Models, use decals. A couple of other companies — Eastern Express and Amodel — have some kits with and some kits without open cabin windows. Daco/Skyline's pretty 737 family have solid fuselages but mark the openings if you prefer to cut them open.

Cheers, Aaron

There are NO transparencies in the kit, other than the cockpit and lights.

CrashTestDummy

CrashTestDummy

Don Stauffer

But how good are they?  Do they really end up flat and flush with outer surface of fuselage, and really fill the openings?

I guess I can check that.  I wasn't going to open the bags of the kit, but have opened the kit to put some of the AM goodies i got in the box.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Okay, so I opened the box and had a look.  The windows on the fuselage are all open, but they include decals for the windows, with a few optional decals for windows with the shades pulled.  I'm guessing they go on the outside of the fuselage then the other decals go over the top of them.  Odd.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

That will work. I did that on a Beech D-18 recently.  I left the kit transparencies off, then used strip of clear decal film over the windows. Actually, I made sets of decals for the whole window strip with a light gray outline around the windows to represent the frames.  In my opinion it looks better than ill-fitting die cast clear plastic.

CrashTestDummy

Don Stauffer

But how good are they?  Do they really end up flat and flush with outer surface of fuselage, and really fill the openings?

I guess I can check that.  I wasn't going to open the bags of the kit, but have opened the kit to put some of the AM goodies i got in the box.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Okay, so I opened the box and had a look.  The windows on the fuselage are all open, but they include decals for the windows, with a few optional decals for windows with the shades pulled.  I'm guessing they go on the outside of the fuselage then the other decals go over the top of them.  Odd.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

An amazing serendipity!  RE the old DC-10 kit,1/144 scale from  scale Aurora, not Monogram as previously mentioned, I tested the decals today by putting the nameplate on the stand.  They are as good as new, as if made yesterday, yet the copyright on the old box which is turning brown, is 1972!  The previous owner must have stored it in a proper location, over many years.  I think I can make a great model out of this thing.

I have searched Sprue Bros. and Squadron and found no DC-10 kits nor aftermarket decals. This is one of the original old Jumbo Jets that went into service in the 60's and has long since been retired.  Since I have flown many times on these beasts in my old days of business travel, I will be glad to resurrect this old model.

Don, thanks for the advice on the windows- I will try that.

Don Stauffer

But how good are they?  Do they really end up flat and flush with outer surface of fuselage, and really fill the openings?

I guess I can check that.  I wasn't going to open the bags of the kit, but have opened the kit to put some of the AM goodies i got in the box.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Cadet Chuck

I recently  got a freebee Monogram DC-10 model from the family of a deceased modeler.  It is circa 1970.  The windows are are open holes, and I don't know what to do with them,  Also, the decals are questionable, being so old.  They depict a United "Friendship" model.  If the decals are shot, so is the whole model.  Looks like it could have been very nice, if built when new.  Any suggestions?

I'm sure you can get new decals for that, they might not be the exact plane, but DC-10s are common enough, there have to be some aftermarket sets for it.

If the DC-10 is 1:144 scale, then Micro Glaze or the Testors liquid transparency equivalent can do a pretty good job of making windows.

I recently  got a freebee Monogram DC-10 model from the family of a deceased modeler.  It is circa 1970.  The windows are are open holes, and I don't know what to do with them,  Also, the decals are questionable, being so old.  They depict a United "Friendship" model.  If the decals are shot, so is the whole model.  Looks like it could have been very nice, if built when new.  Any suggestions?

But how good are they?  Do they really end up flat and flush with outer surface of fuselage, and really fill the openings?

I'm guessing this is a 'feature' for Revell of Germany 1:144 airliner kits?  My recent-arrival RoG 737-800 has clear windows.  

Gene Beaird,

Pearland, Texas

While I do prefer decals for the passenger windows, I like actual transparency for the cockpit windows.  Thing is, virtually none of the Minicraft 1:144 kits have any cockpit details- not even a bulkhead separating the cockpit from the main cabin.  At least the bulkhead is essential for a cockpit with windows.  Seems to me there is a great opportunity for some third party accessory line.  Or, does someone already make cockpit kits for the Minicraft airliners?  I do some myself, but it is a lot of work and would gladly buy such stuff if it were available.

The Revell Airbus 320 has open windows, I backed them with styrene and filled them in using the optional decals.

It would be nice to have an optional set of decals that maybe showed the outline of some passengers or something to help provide a little more realism.  Though they would have to be a little indistinct as the glare would cause them to be that way in real life.  As can be seen from some of the aircraft I have photo'd in another thread on here.

I'm with Don on using Testor's Clear Parts Cement or something similar to fill in the windows, if you don't want to use deals. Much, much easier to get a "smooth" looking skin on your civilian bird. But sheesh ... airliners can have dozens of itty-bitty windows. On the other hand, patience is a good teacher.

Some Hasegawa airliner kits have open window frames. I might be thinking of their 1/200 kits though, not the 1/144 ones. I've seen a couple of builders do amazing work on those kits using clear tape inside the frames to simulate glass.

Scotty T

I just opened up the Revell/Germany 787 and saw that it had open windows as well....was kind of disappointed as I have come around to liking the decals for windows myself.  Not looking forward to painting and masking them.

An option to using the kit transparencies is to leave windows open while painting, and then after painting is finished, use Micro Glaze or some other window material to add the windows. I find as long as the opening is not too large, those liquid window treatments look better than poor cast windows.

I just opened up the Revell/Germany 787 and saw that it had open windows as well....was kind of disappointed as I have come around to liking the decals for windows myself.  Not looking forward to painting and masking them.

I'm currently building the Minicraft (old Airfix) B-314 Clipper with the transparent window.  A lot of work masking all of these little windows.  I briefly thought of decals but I looked the transparent window look on this plane.  

Otherwise I agree with the decals.  Decals are very realistic to the planes I see at the airports.

Trick question? Airliners dont have windows that open. 

Frankly, I have never owned/seen a kit with window openings.  I just got the MC TW727-200 kit and the decals there did look better;  more of a gray than black; slightly less fake looking.

But real airliners do not have bumpy windows.  That is, the windows are flush with the side of the airframe. It is extremely difficult to obtain this with the windows supplied with most kits.   I do like real transparencies for the cockpit, but even then with the transparencies supplied for this area in many kits, it is a lot of work to get the cockpit windshields and windows right.  To have to work this hard on all the passenger windows would be a real pain.

Thanks for the responses.  I'm very surprised to see all the preference toward decal windows.  I felt as though the took away from realism.  I only built one Minicraft AA 737-100 and was unhappy with how the windows were merely blacked out.  Just doesn't have any realism.  Looks more like one of those wooden desktop models on a stand.  Perhaps my skills need to develop.

For my first airliner, the ancienttttttttttttttttt Airfix DC-9 kit that does have the window inserts, I experimented - one half got the plastic window inserts and the other half was filled in, sanded smooth and window decals used.

I have to say, at the end of the day, I side with the window decal crowd. UNLESS you do each itty-bitty window individually, it's virtually impossible to get the "runs" of clear plastic window inserts to line up and seat correctly; some are always going to be bulging out or sunken in too far. You just don't get that smooth, uniform skin look that makes are airliner look like, well, an airliner.

I also now prefer the decals.  Most windows in kits do not fit that well, and trying to "fill" and level the bumps screws up the transparencies so bad I end up needing window decals anyway.  In fact, I am working on a Lockheed Lodestar now, and the windows are so bad I plan on making my own "window decals" and using them instead of the kit-supplied windows.

Hello?