out, can be built up as separate assemblies and
plugged into the aft fuselage right at the end of
the build. I used these as handy little test pieces
for experimenting with the final paint scheme.
The MD-87 initially did not have an external
tank, but was soon modified after issues with the
engines ingesting retardant during drops. The kit
provides two optional belly tanks, of which the
one with the prominent clasp detailing appears
to be most often seen in photos of the real thing.
If you wish to preserve the sleek lines of the
original configuration, decals are provided to
represent the drop doors in the lower fuselage.
The belly tank fits immediately forward of
the wing, and the instructions aren’t terribly
helpful about exact placement, but lining up
the aft end of the tank with the leading edge of
the wing root looks about right to me. Again,
the fit isn’t quite perfect so filler is required.PAINT AND DECALS
Erickson Aero Tankers allegedly has seven
MD-87s at its disposal, but decals for just two
examples - 101 and 103 - are provided. These
include door, window, and windscreen details,
for both transparent and opaque options,
as well as the prominent green stripes.
While the white, orange and green livery is
undeniably handsome, figuring out how to mask
and paint it all was a challenge. Helpfully, masks
are provided for the front fuselage stripes. I
did my best with a rattle can of gloss white and
some Humbrol 18 acrylic and hoped the green
stripe decals would cover any sins. Happily,
the green decals are totally opaque, coveringup the joins between the white and orange and
smoothing out any inaccuracies in my masking.
The decal stripes are slightly overlong, so
some trimming is required, especially around
the engines, but this is a good thing as it allows
a certain amount of wiggle room. The decals are
very finely printed and reasonably tough, but will
only withstand limited poking before they lose
patience and start to fracture. Handled carefully,
however, they really bring the model to life.
The only decal I was disappointed with
was the windscreen framing, a lovely piece
of delicate silver printing, but unfortunately
much too big to fit accurately, so I ended up
painting the framing instead. Those who
prefer a fully opaque windscreen might want to
thoroughly sand away the moulded frame detail
so it doesn’t conflict with the decal’s detail.
While the full-sized aircraft are generally
kept pristine, there is noticeable retardant
staining around the underside of the
wings immediately after a drop, so I had
some fun adding weathering using bright
red rather than the usual mud brown.CONCLUSION
It’s good to see the noble aerial fire fighting role
getting a bit of attention, and while this kit requires
a bit of effort at times the end result is more than
worth it. Not one for the complete beginner,
perhaps, but well recommended to anyone who
wants something a bit different on the display shelf.
My thanks to AMP and SAMi reviewer
Konstantin Malinovski for supplying
the review sample for me to build.Social iconRounded squareOnly use blue and/or white.For more details check out ourBrand Guidelines.Available from all good model
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