HX Models - News & Discussion

I’m also wondering why the fuselage is painted on N221GF after if the MLG? HB-IGF doesn’t have it and it’s the same aircraft , just re-registered. I’ve looked at evey pic of this plane and am not able to notice this paint on 221GF. Does anybody have any info on this ?
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I’m also wondering why the fuselage is painted on N221GF after if the MLG? HB-IGF doesn’t have it and it’s the same aircraft , just re-registered. I’ve looked at evey pic of this plane and am not able to notice this paint on 221GF. Does anybody have any info on this ?
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Same reg. different timeframes. Keep in mind, such airframes were usually repainted with the next D-check.

However I'm not aware of a Swissair 747-300 that did not have the light grey FOD-coating running all the way aft and up the underbelly to the cheatline - just like HX did on HB-IGF.
If you want the better version, take HB-IGF which might be ok for a late 1990's scheme - the screwed up elevators withstanding.

N221GF however would need its wings in a different, darker grey (I think I say that with every 747Classic release) and with corogard on the undersides, plus the light grey underbelly.
 
Same reg. different timeframes. Keep in mind, such airframes were usually repainted with the next D-check.

However I'm not aware of a Swissair 747-300 that did not have the light grey FOD-coating running all the way aft and up the underbelly to the cheatline - just like HX did on HB-IGF.
If you want the better version, take HB-IGF which might be ok for a late 1990's scheme - the screwed up elevators withstanding.

N221GF however would need its wings in a different, darker grey (I think I say that with every 747Classic release) and with corogard on the undersides, plus the light grey underbelly.
At least some of Swissair's 747-300s were delivered without the light grey coating: http://swissair00.ch/a_Index/boeing-747-357----1.-.html
 
The grey is there, just barely to not vissible side on.

Here she's factory fresh:
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I vaguely remember there was a difference between the PAX and the COMBI versions with regard to livery details or between the US registered and the European ones. In this photo HB-IGE does not appear to have any grey in front of the wings although it's the late 90s: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8635260#modal-large-photo
But it is tricky to make out in pictures. Here is another one where the front fuselage appears to be bare metal only:
 
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I vaguely remember there was a difference between the PAX and the COMBI versions with regard to livery details or between the US registered and the European ones. In this photo HB-IGE does not appear to have any grey in front of the wings although it's the late 90s: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8635260#modal-large-photo
But it is tricky to make out in pictures. Here is another one where the front fuselage appears to be bare metal only:
LIke I said, these grey underbelly coatings are damn hard to spot. They are either shiny and reflective when fresh or as dirty as the bare metal when older.
Here's a good example how reflections (and image compression) can fool the eyes.
Factory fresh HB-IGD, the very same scene taken from two different photo angles:
igd.png
 
The real noteworthy difference between "as delivered" and 1990's are the wings.
Post D-check the wings usually received the "standard" light grey (matching the wing-body-fairing und underbelly) but when new, the wings were painted medium grey (BAC 7025) with corogard on the undersides too.
Aeromini already posted this image (which shows IGD as well) - both medium grey wings and the grey underbelly are vissible - well, the latter at least in the full res. version.
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I am not yet convinced that all Swissair 747s had the grey area in front of the wings at all times. But it doesn't matter because at least HB-IGF seems to be mostly spot on (despite the elevators). When I went through some of my 747 books und photos I found that newly delivered QANTAS jumbo jets sported a large grey area on the lower belly (winged roo scheme), which was not even replicated in 1/200.
 
When I went through some of my 747 books und photos I found that newly delivered QANTAS jumbo jets sported a large grey area on the lower belly (winged roo scheme), which was not even replicated in 1/200.
Yes, Qantas' early 747s were painted in a standard pattern seen on quite a few operators. Same as D-ABYA for example (IIRC).
This pattern or a real bare belly back in the early 70's.
Nothing I've ever seen correctly replicated on anything diecast. But also not something I'd expect to be honest.
 
Yes, Qantas' early 747s were painted in a standard pattern seen on quite a few operators. Same as D-ABYA for example (IIRC).
This pattern or a real bare belly back in the early 70's.
Nothing I've ever seen correctly replicated on anything diecast. But also not something I'd expect to be honest.
I've been on D-ABYA, the 747-8I!
 
Lufthansa and Qantas are about the only two airlines I can think of that reuse old reg numbers. Are there any others?
I wish United reused old regos cuz now instead of using N###UA they use 5 numbers after N. American isn't much better, for their 737 MAX 8s they seem to be using three numbers after N and then two random letters (an example I flew on in December on ORD-MIA is rego'd N812UP). Delta is the only of the three kind of making an effort, using DA, DL, and DU after three numbers.
 
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