Overview
Authentic Airliners has become known for their accurate 1/144 resin airliners, but just recently have expanded into 1/72 scale with their 727-100 and -200 kits. I have an old KMC injection molded styrene 727 kit but it had some major shape issues in the fuselage and wings, so I decided to give this one a try.
The Kit
The kit arrived in a sturdy shipping box, with the major parts well packed in bubble wrap for protection, and the smaller, more delicate ones in a small cardboard box. Pieces are gray, tan, and clear resin, but also include some cast zinc landing gear struts and photoetch parts.
My first impression was how big this thing is. Having the KMC kit I expected this, but you'll need a large shelf or display case for the finished model. The set comes without instructions or decals, but the modeler is referred to the Airliner Café website for a build report by the man behind Authentic Airliners, Kurt Lehmann. It walks you through his build step by step. Finding decals for 1/72 727s shouldn't be a problem since several after-market producers offer them.
The fuselage comes as one large piece of solid resin with the #2 engine inlet and clear cast canopy as separate parts. There are no cabin windows, so these must be represented by decals. There is a mold parting line running along the top of the fuselage and up over the top of the vertical tail, but other than a few panel lines there isn't much detail to be lost here on the roof during the cleanup process. Fortunately, there is no seam on the fuselage underside where there is much more detail. The only air bubbles seen on my example were at the trailing edge of the rudder.
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A cutout area for a cockpit interior is there in the fuselage, and very nice pilot and copilot seats, control yokes, and main instrument panel/center pedestal are included. The cockpit area opening does not extend much behind the front seats, so there is no provision for the flight engineer's station or jumpseats, but these would probably not be seen much in the completed model anyway. There is also a beautifully molded recess for the aft stairwell under the tail of the airplane – more on that later. The fuselage includes nose gear well detail, cabin outflow valves, door handles and sills, and all the little vents and holes seen on the real airplane. Panel lines are recessed and delicately done.
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The other large parts in the kit are the wings. These are again cast as single pieces with fine surface detail and shape. One thing the old KMC kit got wrong was the taper of the wing when looking at it from the front, but Authentic Airliners has nailed this precisely. Main gear well detail is missing here, so you might be inclined to busy this area up with some strip plastic structure and wire plumbing. There are also cast clear resin navigation light covers included for the wingtips.
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One of the high points of this kit is its engines. The side engines come in two pieces each: a front half which includes a wonderfully molded inlet with stator and compressor blades, and rear half with its turbine detail. There are thankfully no seams to deal with in the inlets or exhausts. The engines model the later JT-8Ds with reverser exhaust vanes, commonly seen on the 727-200 advanced version. For a true 727-100 or early -200 version you will need to fill in that exquisite vane detail to represent the older "clamshell" style reverser doors.
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The center engine parts consist of the inlet atop the fuselage and the exhaust cone. The inside of the inlet gives the illusion of the S-duct continuing down to the engine compressor - a welcome change from either a blank wall or an open space into the vertical tail. The -100 and -200 versions had differently shaped center engine inlets, and this has also been accounted for in the AA kits.
With all this solid resin on a model this big, one might be concerned about landing gear strength. Mercifully, the main gear struts are cast from zinc, giving them the needed brawn. The nose gear strut however is cast in resin. Kurt advised me that most of the weight would be on the mains, but the nose strut seems a little delicate for its job, especially under any kind of side load. I'd consider drilling out the strut and inserting some steel wire to beef it up. Landing gear are finely done and include detailed brake accumulators and strut retraction arms. Gear doors are nicely detailed on their inside surfaces as well. The only things the AMS sufferer might be tempted to add are hydraulic lines.
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A complete set of parts for the rear passenger airstairs is provided for displaying the model as an airplane parked on a ramp (the stairs were usually extended down to insure against tail tipping while loading). This consists of the upper steps and pressurized door (which fit nicely into the stairwell recess), the lower steps/movable door, and the photoetch handrails.
Small parts provided to finish out the model are: VHF antennae, pitot probes, water drain masts, windshield wipers, main gear debris deflectors, and even a nose gear landing light lens. There are also detailed resin air conditioning pack inlet and exit doors which are installed in recesses in the lower fuselage. These fit well and are very convincing. You have the option of using the photoetch exit doors if you prefer even more detail, but these might be a bit fiddly for the average builder.
The only thing I would really like to see added to this kit is the option of separate flaps and slats. A model this large could really benefit from them. Whenever a 727 was parked at the gate with its hydraulics unpowered, the inboard leading edge flaps would drop downward. It would be nice to have openings in the wing leading edges and separate LE flaps to show this, and it would be more appropriate with the aft airstairs extended down. I am told that this option is being considered for a future offering.
Conclusion
I'm very glad to have this kit. Having done many, many preflight walk-arounds as a 727 flight engineer, I am impressed with the overall shape and accuracy of Authentic Airliners' kit. Airline modeling enthusiasts who are willing to spend the money will have the most accurate 1/72 Boeing 727 available. The 727-100 and -200 kits are priced at 255 and 275 euros respectively and can be ordered from the Authentic Airliners website.
Though their website states that these kits are unavailable, they are actually produced after the order is placed. They can be emailed for details.
Photos of the finished model, photoetch, and small resin parts courtesy of Authentic Airliners. Kit courtesy of my wife (for my birthday - thanks, honey!)