Zvezda 1/144 747-8i

Congrats there John.  That kit is my current WIP; i've been working on it for about 3 months now off and on.  The engines themselves are like little models.  If you do gear down, make sure you secure plenty of weights in the nose and glue down all those clear parts for the windows.  I added a few vertical strips of styrene as additional bracing so they don't fall back inside the fuselage  Even though the fit is generally good, i still had to fill and sand the seam down the spine and the belly as they were obvious underneath the primer.  I think i'm on the 6th coat of white paint to make the seam completely disappear.  All 4 engines will show a thin seam, but you will also want to eliminate them with sanding, little filler, more sanding and primer.  What's unfortuate is that Zvedza didn't make provisions for the landing lights in the wing root, which are prominent on the real deal.  Perhaps you can fabricate some or simulate them.  I'm leaving them off however, i may add navigation wing tip lights and windshield wipers.  Be careful keeping track of all 18 wheels once you free them from the sprue.  I almost lost one the carpet monster.  For painting, I ended up lightly gluing toothpicks to each wheel as a handle.  Can't wait to see yours; i'm just using the Boeing decals that come with the kit and will paint that long wavey red on the bottom.

Nice! I have one too, build it eventually. Draw is a great source for the decals, they have a great assortment for this one. 

Hi John! you certinaly DO have a wonderful wife that gives gifts such as this one. The Zvezda kits are really nice, carrying good detail and even more importantly, accurate fit. You'll have your hands full with the 747-8...she is huge, and she is quite detailed. I would suggest building her as a set of sub assemblies, i.e. gear, engines, wings, etc. She'll require an ample amount of weight to hold her nose down...to determine what would be enough, put together as much as you can hold together with tape, i.e. wings, egine halves, tail and fuselage, then add weight accordingly. She'll also require quite a bit of filler putty and sanding...patience and perseistence will pay off well. The Lufthansa livery will be absolutly beautiful when finished. Looking very forward to seeing her complete. Might I suggest life-like cockpit and passenger windows from Authentic Airliners Decals? They are quite beautiful and add to the realism. Authentic Airliners Decals also makes a sheet of landing lights for all of the Boeings, and they look quite beautiful. They'll certainly suffice in the absence of kit lights. Happy Modeling! 

Hi;

 Well now, this is one big bird! I am waiting to see what you do with it. I had one bad experience with a 747 and Lufhansa many years ago. Still one of my faves though.

Shes big TB!  Thanks for the tips steve.  Challengers I ordered the decals.  Very cool - thanks!

And when you are done with the “big” 747, know that Eastern Express has announced a new tool 747SP.  So you can build the “little” version too!