Zvezda 1/144 Boeing 767-300

The Boeing 767, built in Everett, Wash., alongside the 747, can carry from 200 to 300-plus passengers. The 767 is a wide-body, double-aisle jet, but, like the smaller standard-body 757, is designed for fuel efficiency. Both planes have nearly identical digital cockpits, allowing crews to be easily qualified on both. The 767-200 was first ordered in 1978, and the last was delivered in 1994. Its extended-range model (767-200ER) entered service in 1984. The 767-300 was first ordered in 1986 and was followed by its extended-range model, first delivered in 1988.

The 767 family currently includes three passenger models -- the 767-200ER, 767-300ER and the 767-400ER. The 767-400ER, which first flew in 1999, can carry 304 passengers in a two-class configuration more than 7,000 miles. The 767 Freighter, based on the 767-300ER fuselage, rolled out in May 1995 and was first delivered in October 1995.

THE KIT

This is the second Zvezda 1/144 airliner that I'm aware of and like the first, they have chosen something operated by Aeroflot, which makes sense. The molding of the kit is quite good with nicely done engraved detailing. The lone glitch I found in the molding are some span length sink areas on the horizontal stabs. This is undoubtedly due to the thick plastic there as Zvezda has molded the elevators as one piece on the upper tail plane half. Break out the filler and rescriber as this is rather deep.

Back to the rest of the kit. The long fuselage has been developed with open windows into which one puts long clear window sections. Some people like this and others would have wished for a blank window area, the windows being represented by decals. One benefit of the latter is that not all 767s have the exact same window arrangement, so decals obviate what might be some filling and cutting if using aftermarket decals for another livery. The kit has no cockpit and no cabin. It can be built either on a stand or on its wheels. If the latter, 20grams of weight will need to be added to the nose to prevent tail sitting. If the former, a hole for the stand will need to be opened.

The rest of the kit is pretty standard airliner stuff. These kits are generally not parts intensive and doing wheels up will cut the parts count pretty much in half. Instructions are well done and should provide no obstacles to even the newest modeler. Livery options are quite limited. You can either do the box art plane from Aeroflot or the more flamboyantly painted Boeing demonstrator. Frankly, I doubt if many have the painting skills to the the demostrator plane as it requires the very close blue and grey striped area of the aft fuselage to be masked. Not only that, but the 767 logo for the tail is quite faint on the decal sheet and will probably blend in with the light blue fin. Decals are well printed providing only the white stripe for the demonstrator and the red stripe for the Aeroflot plane. Much masking will be needed even for the simpler Aeroflot scheme. I'd like to think there are aftermarket options for this kit, but it may be too new for that as of yet. My personal experience with Zvezda decals several years ago was not good as they silvered rather badly. Perhaps these are better.

CONCLUSIONS

It very much looks like a nicely done kit, aside from the sink areas. The results of one's efforts should be a super, and pretty good size airliner. It seems to already be a popular kit. The two my LHS got in were both sold in the hour I was over there last week.

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