BY BILL ENGAR

Atlantis Models has released its Convair 990 airliner!  This is a former Revell kit that had been discontinued for a long time.  Collector examples were quite expensive and these kits have been very hard to find.  Atlantis brings it back at a very low price.  An all-new decal sheet has NASA markings!

DATELINE SPRING 2022: CLASSIC AIRLINER KIT OF A TRULY UNUSUAL SUBJECT RETURNS AFTER A LONG ABSENCE.  VINTAGE KIT HAS NICELY ENGRAVED DETAIL.  SHOULD BUILD INTO INTO A NICE MODEL WITH SOME MINOR PARTS CLEANUP WORK.  AIRLINE ENTHUSIASTS AND NASA HISTORY BUFFS REJOICE!

SEE ALSO:  YOUTUBE VIDEO FEATURING AN EARLY TEST SHOT OF THIS MODEL KIT!

Atlantis H254 -- MSRP $21.99 -- 59 parts.  Finished model 12.5 inches long - Wingspan 10.75 inches -- Recommended for ages 14 and up -- Paint and glue required for assembly (not included)

In late 2021, we received a test-shot of this model from Atlantis and did a preview.  We’ll leave that original article as part of our Bonus Features at the conclusion of this review.
 
Convair’s 990 airliner was an improvement over their previous 880.  The aircraft was one of the early pioneering American jetliners and competed with the DC-8 and 707.  The Convair’s edge was its speed.  The 990 had a heavily swept wing and “shock bodies” that pushed it closer to the transonic range than its competitors.  Superior speed came at the cost of fuel economy which eventually doomed the design and only a few were made.

59 parts molded in white styrene.  This is "production version" plastic!  Our test shot didn't come with a stand, but Atlantis includes their awesome swivel-stand with the kit.  You can build the model with landing gear down or stowed--your choice!

The 990 had unique bypass engines.  The bypass fan was at the back of the engine instead of the front.  Note that all four "hot sections" are included!

Compare this photo to a similar view of the test shot (below in our Bonus Features).  The ejector pin issue apparent there has been completely corrected!

With the demise of the Convair airliners, the model kit faded into obscurity.  Its rarity eventually made it a highly sought collectible.  In spite of a growing appreciation for the early American jetliners and a wave of nostalgia that saw many classic model kits re-released that hadn’t seen the light of day in decades, the Convairliner remained locked in the tooling bank of yesterday.

The 990 had balloon tires, correctly represented here.

The Convair liners had unique landing gear compared to their Douglas and Boeing competitors.  Note the LONG posts on that nosegear; we'd recommend shortening those up!

Atlantis Models acquired a significant amount of older Revell tooling in 2018 and the 990 was among this stash of modeling history treasures.  Instead of a trickle of nostalgic model kits we’d seen from Revell now and again, Atlantis has unleashed a firehose-torrent of vintage model kit re-releases with embellishments they never had before.

This is the top of the wing showing the "speed bodies" which helped ease the 990 further into the transsonic range than its competitors.  Note the precision-engraved detail that you'd expect to find on a modern, state-of-the-art kit.

Here's a macro close-up view of the bottom of the horizontal stabilizer.  That circle is an ejector pin mark.  On my kit, it's perfectly level, which is really unusual to find on any model kit.  Atlantis went the extra mile to correct a tooling issue that we'll explain more in our Bonus Features.

The 990 has a very cool NASA test scheme that is part of space exploration history, particularly for research and testing regarding the Space Shuttle.  Aftermarket decals will certainly be available for those modelers interested in depicting the 990 in the nostalgic airline liveries the plane wore and of course there is nothing from preventing the modeler from building the model in a “what if” scheme with an airline livery that the 990 never actually wore.

Another suggestion with the open cockpit windows is to scratch-build a cockpit!  The engine nacelle pylons were molded a bit on the thick side, so there will probably be some sinkholes.

The model has finely engraved panel lines and rivets reminiscent of those you’d find on a new, state-of-the-art kit.  Atlantis noted during the first test shot that the tooling’s ejector pins sat too low in the mold; this created puck-like protrusions on some parts.  However, this issue was resolved and kit parts look great!

There is just a small amount of flash to trim but it's minimal.  You may want some putty on hand, particularly if you plan to use the cheatline and front window decals.  Some experience building glue-together model kits will be helpful.  If you've never built a glue-together airliner model, this is a great kit to learn and practice those building skills.  Experienced airliner modelers will have no trouble with it and will be pleased with the kit's detailing.  1/135 scale is very close to 1/144 so it'll look great on your shelf with your other 1/144 airliner models.

No, it's not a pricey aftermarket decal set--this is what comes with the Atlantis Convair 990 kit!  It's not uncommon to pay over $20 for a decal sheet with this quality.  It's like Atlantis threw in the plastic as a freebie!  Note that THREE different NASA registrations are included.  NASA's Convair aircraft had some variations; we'll include additional pictures in our Bonus Features.

The kit never had any cockpit glass so the front windows are open.  You have several simple options for very nice-looking cockpit windows.
 
To use the included decal, you will have to fill the open windows.  You could cut some pieces of sheet plastic that will fit in the window openings and fill any remaining gaps with putty.    Or, you can paint the inside of the fuselage flat-black and leave the window openings as they are.  Or, with the fuselage inside painted black as mentioned, you could use a product by Testors called  Window Maker and Clear Parts Cement.  You simply put a small glob on a toothpick, carefully insert it in the window opening, touch the glob to the window frame, and move the toothpick around so that the liquid spreads around the window opening like a soap bubble.  It dries very smooth and clear.  Or, you could scratch-build a cockpit and carefully cut and insert some clear sheet plastic in the individual window openings, securing with the Testors clear parts cement!

The back of the box has a full-color decal placement guide for either NASA 712 "Galileo II" or NASA 810!  810 was used to test the Space Shuttle's landing gear.  We have some good pictures in our Bonus Features!  You could scratch-build the landing gear rig to make a nice piece of NASA Space Shuttle history!  Also included on the decal sheet is N710NA; we'll have pictures of that aircraft as well as the newer version of NASA 712.  This means you can choose one of FOUR versions of NASA aircraft with what comes in the kit!  Warning; you're going to want more than one kit!  At Atlantis' low prices, buying multiples won't break your bank.

If you cover and putty over the front cockpit window openings, you can use this exquisite decal.  Yellow markings for emergency exit egress openings are included.  The other frames are silver ink, not gray like you'd expect to find on low-budget sheets.  Atlantis decals are aftermarket-quality!

The moldings on the engine nacelle pylons were pretty thick.  When the kit was engineered, these should have been split in halves attached to the engines.  But they were instead molded as a thick piece.  So one can expect sinkholes there.  We did observe that they were less pronounced than what we saw on the test shot.

Fill these with putty if the sinkholes bother you (this might only be of concern to modelers building for a contest).  If you lose detail, it won’t be that big a deal since it’s only the pylons.
 
Another interesting quirk is that the wheel posts on the front landing gear are pretty long.  They’re made to press-fit the wheels on so they’ll roll on the completed model.  If you want a little realism, you might want to cut the posts shorter so they’re even with the wheel hubs.  It’s a minor issue.

An important item to keep in mind if you want to pose your airliner on its landing gear is that you might need to put a little weight in the nose to prevent the model from sitting on its tail!   A half-ounce or so should do the trick.  You can temporarily "tack" the model together by taping the wing and fuselage halves together, and add the rear stabilizers.  Tape your planned weight to the nose and check if the nose drops forward if you balance the model across the holes in the wings for the landing gear.  You might need just a tad more than that to factor for your paint, which will add a small amount of weight rearward.  Fishing sinkers or spare bits of hardware such as nuts and bolts work great for ballast in your airliner models.

Note that the passenger windows are engraved.  To use the decal, you’ll want to fill those with your favorite modeling putty as well.  While the NASA decals are a great option providing the modeler with some interesting possibilities, we’d guess the aftermarket will respond with other airline markings.  My guess is that you’ll want to get more than one of these kits!

As usual, Atlantis packs the real estate on their boxes with all sorts of useful information including an image of the decal sheet!

Instructions include vintage Revell artwork.  The only diversions we'd recommend are to fill the window openings with modeler's putty if you're planning on using the cockpit window or passenger window decals.  Refer to box bottom for decal placement instructions.  Note that Atlantis included several registrations for NASA's Convair 990 fleet.  In our Bonus Features, we'll explain your options and include photos.

I've had the opportunity to look at quite a number of Atlantis model kits and compare them to previous releases of those models.  In virtually every case, Atlantis has cleaned up the tooling and added a decal sheet that is better in quality and content than previous versions of the kits.  I've come to the opinion that the folks at Atlantis are perfectionists and it's great for us modelers that they are.  The net result is that we get a better model kit.

As mentioned, we had the unique opportunity to evaluate one of the first test shots of the parts to this model.  We discussed decal options with the company.  So we had a sort of fly-on-the-wall view of the development of this kit and as always, we're impressed with the effort that has gone into this one from start to finish.

Here's the view when you first open the box.  Check it out for yourself!  Order your Convair 990 kit today direct from Atlantis-Models.com or pick it up at your favorite local hobby shop!

See our YouTube video featuring the test shot of this model!  Get a closeup look at the parts!

What is even more remarkable is that Atlantis offers these kits, made here in the USA, at very low prices.  In the past, certain manufacturers would offer limited runs of vintage model kits and issues like the ejector pin issues that you'll read about here in a bit were not addressed.  And they'd charge you a premium for the "limited edition."  What was limited was the quality.  You won't find that in Atlantis' kits.  The term "low price" is something not heard to often as this is written in mid-2022 when inflation is raging and it seems the cost of everything is going up faster than the national debt.  Atlantis has held kit prices at a low "pocket money" threshold for quite some time now.  Their kits have to be the best value for your hobby dollar.

All said and done, we’re very impressed with what Atlantis has been able to accomplish with the Convair 990 model kit!  Modelers for many years have hoped to see it return.  It’s quite possible that the ejector pin issue was known prior to Atlantis receiving the molds and the 990 was excluded from re-release for many years for that reason.  But Atlantis resolved the issue and brought the kit back with an all-new decal sheet better in quality and content than anything the kit had seen before.
 
We are very excited about the return of this kit and bowled over by Atlantis’ release of it!  We give this kit four enthusiastic thumbs up!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR PROVIDING THE KIT AND TEST SHOT USED FOR THIS REVIEW

BONUS FEATURES

PHOTO REFERENCES FOR YOUR ATLANTIS NASA CONVAIR 990

Your Atlantis Convair 990 model kit includes registration numbers to do three different NASA research aircraft.  Of note is that the some of the color schemes changed while the aircraft were in use.  We'd recommend searching the Internet for additional photos and you may find a particular version of the 990 that appeals to you and you can build your model kit that way.

NASA N710NA has the "Worm" logo first used in 1975.  This was an attempt to "modernize" NASA, replacing the familiar "Meatball" logo that had been used throughout the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.  It quickly became an icon of the Space Shuttle era.  In recent years, the Meatball has made a return thanks to its nostalgia value.  Note how clean the airplane looks in this photo!  If you don't feel like weathering your Atlantis model, here's some nice proof of a "clean" airplane.

Our references indicate that while in use at NASA, the 990's had light gray wings.  The color appears close to what is known as "Boeing Gray,"  or a very light gray.  If you choose to airbrush your model with Testors enamel paints, we've found that adding twelve drops of gloss-black paint to a 1/4-oz bottle of gloss-white paint creates a pretty close match.  We simply transfer the paint using a toothpick dipped in the black paint about 1/2- to 3/4-inch or so to create the drops.  Be sure you stir your paint bottles thoroughly before mixing; Testors paint mix the best if stirred well first with the toothpick and then stirred again and shaken throughly after mixing.

At one point, Nasa's Galieo II, N712NA, had a natural-metal fuselage.  Check our photos of this particular aircraft further on in this article.

This photo of the other side of N710NA shows some nice details in profile such as the "hump" on the rear fuselage.

N810NA in a takeoff pose.  Note that there is a very narrow white stripe that meets the gray fuselage below the narrow blue stripe.  Atlantis includes this white stripe on the decal sheet so you don't have to be super-careful where you mask your gray paint!

N810NA became NASA's LSRA, or Landing Systems Research Aircraft.  Data obtained benefited civilian commercial aviation.  Landing an airliner on a packed dirt surface as shown in this photo is probably similar to landing on ice.  Such testing allowed modifications to landing gear components and procedures increasing passenger safety.  This aircraft also was fitted with a Space Shuttle landing strut and wheel!  We have pictures of this configuration later on.  It would be an interesting scratch-building exercise!  Again, just one Atlantis Convair 990 kit won't be enough with all the interesting possibilities for building and displaying your model just using the kit decals!

The wing looks white in this photo but the flat overhead light has washed it out in this view.  It's light gray!  We'd guess the picture was taken on a hazy day.  The rather faded-looking shadow is the giveaway.  It illustrates how colors and tones of an aircraft's decor can vary between photos depending on weather conditions alone!

Later on, we have additional photos of N712NA, "Galileo II."  This view shows an older version; note the blue striped tail.  The tail of this aircraft was later updated with the Worm logo.  This aircraft had a natural metal lower fuselage!

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AND HISTORY OF NASA'S CONVAIR 990'S

NASA 711 - THE ORIGINAL GALILEO CONVAIR 990

NASA is obviously known for its spacecraft, but an important part of its mission has always been aeronautics and it has had an extensive aircraft fleet over the years.  As the first jet transports matured, increasing fuel costs made the Convair 990 less attractive to commercial operators.  NASA economically obtained a small fleet of Convair 990's which were perfect for research where occasional test flights wouldn't be severely impacted by their relative inefficiency compared to the DC-8 and 707.

N711NA was the original Convair 990 aircraft flown by NASA, known as Galileo.  It was an airborne observatory.  Note that Galileo has natural metal wing bottoms and engines with an unpainted wing leading edge.  The fuselage below the cheatline is also natural metal.  Unfortunately, in 1973, a tragic midair collision destroyed the aircraft.

Two photos of the original Galileo, N711NA.  This aircraft had a series of observation windows cut in the upper fuselage.  Various types of telescopes could observe such celestial events as solar eclipses.  Flying the aircraft along the track of the eclipse would lengthen the time the eclipse was visible.  At its altitude ceiling of nearly 8 miles (over 12 km), most of the air obscuring earthbound observations would be below the Convair 990.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF NASA 810 IN ITS LSRA GUISE

We put a couple nice photos of NASA 810 with its Space Shuttle wheel mount in our original Atlantis Convair 990 Test Shot article continued below, but here are two more interesting views of this aircraft.  Mounting a Space Shuttle tire on the Convair 990 allowed engineers and scientists to determine the actual failure limits of Space Shuttle landing gear components.  In one experiment, the tire was braked hard to heat it just to the point of failure.  A test rig was needed to simulate a small breach; simply drilling a hole in the hot tire was needed.  However, with the tire in a superheated state, it was expected that the results would be catastrophic; it was certainly a task that would be far too hazardous for a technician to attempt.  An economical solution was found in the form of a remote controlled tank of the type found in a hobby shop.  Sharp-eyed armor enthusiasts will note the running gear of the Tamiya 1/16-scale King Tiger RC tank model in the photo below!

This view shows the center landing gear mount containing a retractable Space Shuttle main landing gear wheel.  The Convair 990's landing gear had to be fixed in the down position during this research project.

Is this a case of NASA geekery run amok?  This special remote device was needed to drill a hole in a superheated tire.  Don't try this at home!

BONUS:  ORIGINAL ATLANTIS CONVAIR 990 AIRLINER TEST SHOT PAGE!  A 2MODELER.COM EXCLUSIVE!

​What follows is the original, unedited web page we published in late 2021 when we received the test shot from Atlantis Models for this model kit!  Learn about test shots and see what the Convair 990 kit looked like before any tooling work was done to the molds!  Atlantis Models does a great job cleaning up model kit tooling that has been stored for decades.  The 990 kit had a problem with the ejector pins.  See how this can affect a model kit!

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HOT OFF THE PRESSES:  NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO FEATURING THIS TEST SHOT!

UPDATE 23 OCTOBER 2021:  This page and our YouTube video are more popular than anticipated.  There is a lot of excitement out there for this model kit!  We've added an Update Section at the end of this article where we'll include additional news and thoughts about the upcoming Atlantis Convair 990 airliner kit!

ATLANTIS MODELS HAS SHARED AN EARLY TEST SHOT OF THEIR UPCOMING CONVAIR 990 KIT WITH US!  FOR AIRLINER MODEL BUILDERS, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RETURN OF THIS KIT IS HUGE NEWS!

IN BRIEF:  THIS IS AN EARLY TEST-SHOT.  ATLANTIS HAS IDENTIFIED WHAT APPEAR TO BE MINOR TOOLING ISSUES.  BUT EVEN AS-IS, THIS KIT IS READY-TO-BUILD, SHOULD MAKE A FANTASTIC MODEL, AND WE'RE GOING TO START OUR KIT RIGHT AWAY!

BY BILL ENGAR

In late 2020, Atlantis Models announced that they were releasing a model kit of the Convair 990 based on the classic Revell plastic.  Revell’s Convair 990 was very difficult to find, not having been available in nearly half a century.
 
The last release (according to Scalemates) was 1975.  The molds were possibly evaluated for a Revell SSP release in the 1990’s, but for whatever reason, a re-release did not happen.  So original examples were hard to find and pricey!

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL MODEL PARTS PHOTOS IN THIS ARTICLE DEPICT AN EARLY TEST-SHOT OF THIS KIT.  IT IS STANDARD PRACTICE TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TOOLING PRIOR TO AN ACTUAL PRODUCTION RUN.  CHANCES ARE THE PARTS IN YOUR UPCOMING KIT WILL BE AN IMPROVEMENT ON WHAT YOU SEE HERE.

On October 13, 2021, we received this early test shot from Atlantis Models.  It's the upcoming Convair 990 airliner kit, originally a Revell kit first released in 1961.  So, where's the box, instructions and decals???  At time of posting, October 2021, these items do not yet exist!  Atlantis Models will reveal them in due time.

Atlantis Models has begun the process to bring this kit to market and 2modeler.com (AKA Dembrudders.com) has been in on the action!
 
On their Facebook page, Atlantis has provided a number of tantalizing details!
 
First of all, when the molds were first cracked open in Atlantis' Long Island, NY factory, it was obvious that there was work ahead!  The gross-looking yellowy-brown stuff inside the mold is not regurgitated oatmeal.  It is a wax preservative which provides a barrier to the tooling surface that protects it from its arch-enemies, moisture and oxidation!

Atlantis Models cracks open the vintage Revell Convair 990 airliner kit mold for the first time in decades.

Peter Vetri and the Atlantis crew were able to clean up the mold in a day or so.  With their own injection molding machines, a recent acquisition, Atlantis was able to quickly run some test-shots!  While you can tell quite a bit by inspecting a mold visually, seeing actual plastic is a very important part of re-releasing a kit and the ability to check the parts and their fit is vital to making a kit as good as it can be.
 
One issue that was identified with these initial test shots was that some 26 ejector pins sat a fraction of a millimeter too low in the mold.  Peter indicated that disassembly of the mold will be in order to troubleshoot this issue.  I’m not any sort of expert in injection molding, but the injector pins are somewhat like the valve stems in a car’s engine and if they don’t sit at the right height during the injection stage of the molding process, there is possibly some debris on top of the pin plate or a height adjustment is off.  Let’s hope that a fix is easy.

There are many steps in the process to bring a model kit to market, whether from a new mold or existing tooling as in the case of the Convair 990.  In addition to tooling considerations, licensing is a big step, one that has become onerous over the past few years.  The processes involved take more time and cost more than they used to and, in some cases, getting an iconic set of decals for a beloved air carrier, whether still in existence or not is simply impossible on a model kit nowadays due to the hassles and expense of the trademark licensing process.

Revell nicely caught the shape of the Convair 990 fuselage in their 1/135 kit.  Panel lines are finely engraved, similar to their DC-8 kit.  The wedge-plug doors, accurately depicted, are open (separate parts) on the port side.  The starboard side are closed, represented by finely engraved lines.  

In their social media post, Atlantis has teased a couple possibilities for decals that the Convair 990 may wear.  Plans could change, of course, and keep in mind that aftermarket decal makers will probably spring into action to provide options for the kit that would be difficult or impossible for Atlantis to do.  Most aftermarket decal makers are small operations.  While the airlines that vigorously defend their trademarks can take legal action against an established toy or model company that uses an airline scheme without permission (and usually, payment), the legal departments generally don’t have time or resources to hassle small-time hobby businesses run by individuals.

WHAT DECALS WILL COME WITH ATLANTIS' NEW CONVAIR 990 KIT?  We don't know for sure.  Plans may change, of course, and there are a lot of variables to consider when it comes to licensing and so on.  Atlantis has teased a couple interesting possibilities on their Facebook page, however, including Denver Ports of Call and NASA!

Convair’s 880 and 990 jet airliners came on the heels of their successful Convair 240 family.  The Convair 240 was designed as a potential DC-3 replacement, a tall order.  The aircraft was the first twin-engined plane to feature a pressurized cabin and it utilized a tricycle landing gear configuration, two significant improvements over the DC-3.  Originally built with piston engines, the airframe was advanced enough that many were converted to turboprop power as that technology caught up with the aircraft.  Convair sold over a thousand "Convairliners" while Boeing had sold only 56 of their larger four-engine Stratocruisers.  Passengers and airlines liked the Convair twin-props and it was natural for Convair to enter competition with Boeing and Douglas for the next-generation airliner. 

Convair's 990 is distinguished from its 880 predecessor with teardrop-shaped "shock bodies" which optimized a higher cruising speed.

Another identifying characteristic of the 990 is the thick engine nacelles.  These were perhaps the most unique turbofan bypass engines ever created with the fan at the rear of the engine instead of at the front as in virtually all other turbofan engines.

Boeing's Model 377 Stratocruiser and 367 (C-97) Stratofreighter evolved directly from the B-29.  Boeing mashed this basic "double bubble" design up with a swept wing and podded turbojets from their B-47.  The promising 367-80 concept went from paper to metal and the 707 was born.  Douglas responded with its DC-8 and Convair, then a division of General Dynamics, knew it could make a new civilian transport by combining its expertise with the Convairliners and technology from its military programs.

During competition to build a successful jetliner, Convair's latest military aircraft was the B-58 Hustler, which could fly at a blistering Mach 2.0.  Convair decided that its airliners would also be known for their exceptional speed and chose 5-abreast seating in a sleeker fuselage and a faster wing that had more dramatic sweep than Boeing and Douglas.  They essentially put four B-58 engines (without afterburners) on an airliner airframe!

The original Revell tooling included the internal turbojet stage for each engine!  The larger inlets (bottom right) will be recessed inside the nacelles.  COOL!

This view shows the effect of the ejection pin offset.  Those plastic "discs" filled the void created by the pin sitting a tad low in the mold.  Chances are, Atlantis will resolve this prior to production.  Even if they don't, it's not a big deal; they'd be a cinch to trim.

However, with the new jet transports already nearing the trans-sonic speed range, the edge they could claim was minimal with about fifteen minutes shaved off a long flight.  GE engines weren’t quite as efficient as those made by Pratt and Whitney and fuel economy eventually controlled the purchase choices of the airlines which did not favor Convair.

CHECK OUT THAT EXQUISITE DETAIL!  Those are recessed panel lines, finely engraved.  Revell's skill in tooling progressed markedly between 1957 when the KC-135/707 was first tooled and 1961 when this kit debuted.

The kit's engine nacelle pylons are thick moldings, perhaps a weak point of the original engineering.  Sink marks are pronounced here, but this is likely because of hastily prepped test-shot process conditions.  Our guess is that this will be less pronounced on the production plastic.

The Convair 990 was an effort to increase speed even further over the 880.  The 990 had a longer fuselage to add two rows of passengers.  Challenges of the trans-sonic flight envelope necessitated the addition of “shock bodies” to the wings.  These teardrop-shaped pods look somewhat like swollen flap track actuator covers, but they in fact helped cut transonic drag and were placed on top of the wing.  The inboard pods could hold fuel, which helped increase the aircraft’s range.

Wheels, landing gear and all doors are included on this sprue.  At right are the nose and tailcone.

More powerful engines were required to provide potential transatlantic range.  The existing GE CJ805-3 engines would need re-engineering to accomplish this.  Turbofans utilizing bypass air were seen as the wave of the future.  Normally, a large fan at the front of the engine would pull air inside for the combustion stages but the air at the outer part of the fan would bypass the engine.

Landing gear struts are reminiscent of Convair's B-36.  Trapezoidal landing gear doors are nicely depicted.  I'll probably trim those long axles on the forward gear strut just a bit during my build.

The wheels on the Convair airliners had a somewhat bulbous look compared to their Boeing and Douglas competitors.  Revell depicted them nicely in the Convair 990 kit.

The CJ805-23 added a new free-floating spool to the back of the existing engine which would be driven by the output of the existing -3 turbojet.  A new, larger nacelle that essentially bypassed the old engine pulled in air for both stages.  The intake for the inner turbojet is centered inside the new nacelle.

Here's a screen shot from Atlantis' Facebook page with a closeup look at their built-up Convair 990 from one of these test shots.  Note that the original kit did not come with any clear window piece!  

Above is a screen-shot from Atlantis' post about the 990 kit.

Airlines were more interested in filling the most seats at the lowest operating expense and this did not favor the fast Convair jets.  Only 37 Convair 990’s were built.  Convair was hopeful the 990 would outsell the 880, which amounted to only 65 aircraft.  Convair’s gamble to produce the fastest subsonic airliner did not bode well for the company.  The Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 considerably outsold the 990.

Boeing’s competitors half-derisively referred to Boeing as a “sausage factory” where the 707 could be cut into any length the customer wanted.  The 707 derivative known as the 720 was "hot rodded" with an inboard wing glove that added additional sweep and thus speed to a shortened fuselage.  It was marketed as a fast jet for smaller markets and its balance of economy between a low purchase price and efficient performance was the last nail in the coffin for Convair’s commercial airliner aspirations.

Prior to this shakedown, however, the famed Revell model kit company followed the progression of jet airliner development with model kits of the 707 (1958) and DC-8 (1959).  The 990 kit came out a couple years later in 1961 in Swissair markings.  Along with faltering sales of the 990 airliner, The model kit likewise didn’t equal sales of Revell’s 707 and DC-8 and after 1965, the 990 was no longer sold in the USA.  A reappearance in 1975 in a Revell-Lodela box for sales in Mexico represented the end of the line for Revell’s Convair 990 kit.  By the 1980’s, the model was rare and pricey when the occasional example was seen for sale on the secondary market.

BoxArtDen images!  According to Scalemates, these represent the first (1961) and last (1975 releases of the Convair 990.  To our knowledge, Revell's 990 only appeared in Swissair colors.

As we all know, the molds for the kit were mothballed and warehoused.  The original Revell went through several owners and imploded with the demise of then-owner Hobbico in 2018.  New owners purchased the assets of the German division of Revell, and the prior assets of Revell USA also eventually fell under that umbrella.  Only a portion of Revell’s tooling assets, particularly newer subjects, were deemed worth transporting to Europe.  Hundreds of older molds were left behind with no buyers immediately interested.

Convair's 990 in "House Colors."  The aircraft in the background are Convair 880's identified by their thinner engine nacelles.  Both have a green preservative wrapping to protect the polished aluminum surface prior to delivery.  The aircraft at right has the iconic TWA "Starstream" spear livery.

However, Atlantis Models, then a small company with a handful of original releases, had already established a good relationship with former Revell executives thanks to cooperative agreements to re-release such classics as Zorro and Flash Gordon.  An arrangement was made whereby Atlantis could take possession of the tooling that Revell Germany didn’t want.  Had this relationship not been in place, it’s very possible that all this tooling—hundreds of classic, beloved model kits—could have been sold for their scrap-value only.  We are grateful that Atlantis Models saved these classic model kits so we can build and enjoy them again!  They are bringing back so many of these classic model kit subjects that have not been seen in many decades--and they always do it with style!

This Wikipedia photo shows a Convair 990, at right,  compared to a DC-8.  Both aircraft are in Swissair colors.  Note how the passenger entry door on the 990 sits quite a bit higher than the opening.  It was designed to lift upwards prior to swinging outwards.

UPDATE
March 2022:  Atlantis Models verifies that the ejector pin issue with the tooling has been resolved!

23 October 2021:  Our YouTube video has had a spectacular debut indicating that there is a lot of interest in the upcoming Atlantis Convair 990 model kit!  A number of modelers I'd not normally associate with interest in the airliner modeling niche have expressed excitement about the model.

One of Dem Brudders' pals is Jay Chladek.  We've known Jay for years through our IPMS connections and we've enjoyed his various online posts and the contributions he's made to the model building hobby and aerospace history.  Jay's an author, historian, and modeler!

Jay was first to comment on our Convair 990 YouTube video.  He mentioned two important parts of Convair 990 history that we'd like to add here.

​SPANTAX

Like Denver Ports of Call, Spantax is another "dead" airline brand that possibly wouldn't present challenges for licensing to include as decals with the Convair 990.  We think the classic "racing stripe" cheatline livery is awesome!

Spantax was a Spanish (based in Madrid, Spain) charter airline that operated from 1959 to 1988.  They had the largest Convair 990 fleet after obtaining aircraft secondhand from American and Swissair.  Their 990's were used well into the 1980's.  Spantax had an unfortunate demise with plans by other companies to purchase the assets and brand failing in the late 1980's.  Jay Chladek reminded me that Spantax is long gone and has no current trademark holder making it a decal option with potentially no licensing issues.

NASA

NASA #810 in its LSRA (Landing Systems Research Aircraft) guise.  

The research landing gear strut was placed on a moving rig which could lower the center test wheel below the Convair 990's landing gear.

NASA actually used a handful of Convair jets.  NASA 810 was used for medium-altitude atmospheric research, but in 1993 to  increase safety for the Space Shuttle, it was modified as the LSRA aircraft.  The Shuttle was known for its very high landing speed and there were a number of safety concerns that began as early as the first flight.  The LSRA was able to test brakes, wheels, and struts to their limits.  Research also benefited conventional airline landing gear design considerations.

A locked landing gear wheel can cause serious problems in a landing.  Note that the locked wheel was nearly half abraded away.

The LSRA aircraft had its regular landing gear fixed in place since the simulated Shuttle gear occupied the center gear well.

NASA 810 LSRA takes off!  Note the inner turbojet stages visible inside the large intakes.  This detail is faithfully executed on your upcoming Atlantis Convair 990 kit.  Custom building suggestion:  Scratch-build a center wheel rig to make a model of NASA 810 during its Shuttle-test LSRA phase!

NASA 712 was a flying observatory.  Atmospheric ozone and Solar eclipse observation are examples of the type of research work done by this aircraft.  The original Galileo observation aircraft, NASA 711, was destroyed in a midair collision with a Navy P-3 Orion on April 12, 1973.  Both aircraft were on approach for landing at Moffett Field in CA.

NASA 712 in an older livery

As mentioned, we're excited to start building a Convair 990 airliner model right away, even though it's not "official" production-run plastic.  SEE OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO FEATURING THIS MODEL!
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