STAY TUNED FOR PART II.  DICK WILL COVER A KC-135 KIT BUILD.  DID YOU KNOW THAT AMT'S KC-135 HAS A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER?  DON'T GET TOO EXCITED; IT'S IN 1/72 SCALE

INTRODUCTION
​
Many modelers prefer 1/72 scale aircraft due to size and price advantages.  It is far easier to display several relatively small aircraft models, single-engine examples of which easily fit within a 36 square-inch space on a shelf or desk.  Many 1/72 scale kits can still be purchased for under $20.00.

Dick has a gallery with many of his large 1/72 models elsewhere on the site.  Click HERE to check it out!

However, true aficionados of this venerable scale occasionally like to step out of their comfort zone and try something a little more vast, such as a twin-engine B-25 or even a B-17 or B-24.  For many years, the daring soul could venture even further up the path of increasing size and try building the Airfix B-29 or the Italeri/Testors Messerschmidt Me 321 glider.  Those modelers into Japanese subjects could build Hasegawa’s 1/72 scale large flying boats (Kawanishi’s Mavis or Emily) from World War II or the more modern Shinmeiwa PS-1.  Speaking of “more modern,” the connoisseur of large 1/72 scale subjects could enter the jet age and attempt the Airfix Avro Vulcan. 

Just a few of the large 1/72 scale model kits that have appeared over the decades.  An airborne tanker was absent for a long time!  Pretend we've started our series with a well-written, comprehensive history of the KC-135.  Or, check out the Wikipedia page instead.

The 1980’s and Monogram Models brought us a 1/72 Space Shuttle stack and the original high-water-mark of large injection-molded 1/72 scale aircraft, the Monogram B-36 Peacemaker.  A few other large subjects were available to those gutsy builders of the esoteric vacuform and resin media projects, such as the B-32 Dominator or the Model Technologies hypothetical B-2 bomber, both of which are in my possession and someday will be built, sooner than later (Mr. Editor Bill sez: “Yeah, right)!

In 1985, Heller Models brought us the first injection-molded Boeing 707 in 1/72 scale.  It has been reissued regularly since then and is fairly easy to find.

Two years after the Heller 707 appeared in airline guise, Heller added a radome to make a Boeing E-3 Sentry long-range radar plane, known as an AWACS.

Gradually, more of the larger 1/72 scale kits hit the shelves in the form of the Monogram B-52 variants and Heller’s Constellation and DC-6 kits.  These were followed by Heller’s 707 and AWACS series.  Testors unveiled their model of the actual B-2 months after Revell’s hypothetical version stealthily hit the shelves, and Revell Germany entered the fray with some large German subjects from World War II.   Finally Trumpeter arguably “trumped” the rest with their magnificent but expensive TU-95 Bear H variants.

The price and difficulty of some of these newer releases culled a number of modelers (whether afflicted by Advanced Modelers’ Syndrome [AMS] or not) from the College Try.  But in the midst of all of this renaissance of wonderful offerings of very large aircraft in 1/72 scale, an unlikely player known as AMT jumped into the fray in the early 1990’s.  AMT had dominated the model car industry for years.  They surprised modelers and industry experts by producing a long-awaited but very commonly seen large U.S. subject as their first new tooling of an aircraft model in two decades.  The Boeing KC-135, a common sight at Air Force bases and some airports throughout America, became available for anyone to buy for just over $20.00. ​

AMT's specialty was model cars, mostly in 1/25 scale.  Could they do a big aircraft model in 1/72 scale???  After the success of this KC-135A kit, AMT released a number of fine aircraft models throughout the 1990's, fulfilling wish lists of many an aircraft modeler.  We also need to note that the Heller 707/AWACS and AMT C/KC-135 kits have no relation engineering-wise.

The objective of this online series is to encourage dembrudders.com visitors to pull out whatever 1/72 scale C-135 versions they have hoarded up until now, swallow a favorite placebo to cure AMS if thus afflicted, and get out some paint and glue and build the darn things!!   And hopefully, my descriptions will simplify and improve the process and our readers can use my mistakes to spare their own, adding a great American aircraft to their collection.  A 1/72 KC-135 in any of its variants will wow and impress spectators in any venue.

Of course, if you want to go half-size, Minicraft Models has molded four exquisite versions of the C-135 in 1/144 scale that are all highly recommended.  I have built the KC-135A, E and R versions and the fourth is the EC-135C which I will do eventually.  Stay tuned for articles on those on this website in the future.  For now, you can read my reviews and building descriptions in the IPMS Journal, including the January/Feburary 2020 issue which covers the Minicraft KC-135R.

The ESCI version of the KC-135A had the same artwork.  This is no surprise as ERTL owned ESCI's catalog at the time.

-- History of Injection-Molded Models of C-135 and 707 Variants in 1/72 Scale with Details
-- My Own Personal History of Acquisitions
 
(Mr. Editor Bill sez:  Dick kept careful records of his model acquisitions.  It is very interesting to see how the cost of these kits has varied over time; we have included the retail prices, and the prices he paid for your enjoyment.)

The first 1/72 scale injection molded C-135/707 model to see the light of day in 1/72 scale was the Heller 707 Intercontinental Version that first appeared in 1985.  It is molded with a fuselage 24 ¼” long in white plastic with several windows cut throughout.  The fuselage plastic is about 2mm thick.  The wings are standard thick plastic as well with fairly heavy engraved panel lines.  Some warpage is evident but the tail is separately molded, which should make it easier to line things up properly.  There is only one choice of engines, the Pratt & Whitney JT3D.  The only interior detail is a cockpit floor with four seats.  The kit has three decal possibilities, BOAC, TWA and Air France.  The Air France version requires an extra part; a ventral fin which comes with the kit.  I purchased my kit for half-price at a local hobby shop for $21.00 in November 1988.  The retail price then was $42.00, which was certainly pricey for the era.  Box specs list a model 647 mm long with a 617mm wingspan.

Another 1/72 scale 707 variant of this kit in my possession is the Heller AWACS kit.  It is molded in all-gray plastic and has exactly the same parts as the 707 Intercontinental variant including the 2mm thick fuselage and no windows.  The engine parts are the same plastic as as the 707 Intercontinental version, although they refer to them using their military designation as Pratt & Whitney TF33’s.  There is an additional parts sprue with the AWACS dorsal dome and support.  It is not out-of-line for Heller to simply use parts from the airliner version and call it an AWACS as the real thing is simply a 707 variant and not a version of the KC-135.  This kit was purchased on sale from Squadron Mail Order in February 1988 for $29.99; the full retail price at that time was $42.00.  Box specs match the size of the Intercontinental 707.

AMT's EC-135C, with TF33 engines as part of the "Wings Aviation Collection."  Wings was an awesome aviation TV series that ran on the Discovery Channel starting in 1988.  

Recently, I was able to get my hands on the third 707 model I craved, the VC-137 Air Force One version.  I found the Heller Boeing VC-137 kit in November 2016 in the vendors’ area at the great Modelzona contest sponsored by IPMS Craig Hewitt at the Commemorative Air Force Base Arizona in Mesa.  I spent $45.00 and thought I had hit the jackpot as I had been looking for this model for quite a while.  Bill was also surprised as he expected me to have to track one down on eBay for quite a bit more dinero than that!

Fuselage plastic from the 2009 Italeri release of the AMT KC-135R kit.

In 1992, AMT/Ertl thrilled the modeling world with their first major new aircraft tooling in nearly twenty years when they released the 1/72 scale KC-135A.  Of course you can’t take a 707 fuselage and call it a KC-135 since the KC-135 fuselage is four inches narrower than that on the 707.  That's noticeable in 1/72 scale.

The fuselage is similar to the Heller 707 molding in that the plastic is about 2mm thick but the vertical tail is molded to the fuselage itself which can present a warping problem as will be described later.  

The fuselage measured 21 ¼” long and was engraved with decent panel lines.  The vertical reinforcing bands were correctly molded onto the posterior fuselage.  The dimensions for the model are not listed anywhere on the box or the instructions.

Decals are provided for two versions along with detailed guides for painting instructions.  There are no wing walk decals with the stock set, though.  The wings are thin and nicely molded but subject to warping.  If there was one squawk with this kit, it was that the moldings were lacking reinforcement to prevent warping and sagging.  If AMT's inexperience with large aircraft was apparent, it was perhaps with this lack of reinforcement to keep these very large moldings from warping or sagging.  It is incumbent on the builder to deal with warpage out-of-the-box and to reinforce the wings so they won’t droop after the model is completed.  Stay tuned for more on this described later in this series.

The wings, Italeri KC-135R.  The "hooks" were not part of the original release.  They protect those fragile, pointy wing root junctions while the kit contents are bouncing around in the box.  AMT seems to have learned from this kit; their subsequent large aircraft kits had sufficient reinforcements built in to mitigate warping and droop in the finished model.

The kit comes with one choice of engine, the Pratt & Whitney J57-P-59W turbojet.  One highlight of all AMT variants is the full fuselage floor, which is standard on all C-135 model versions AMT released.  The refueling boom parts are all injection molded.  I purchased my model of this kit in November 1992 for $18.28 from a local hobby shop.  Around that time, the suggested retail price noted in the FineScale Modeler kit review published in their May 1993 issue was $21.50.  Compare that to the Heller 707 variant suggested retail price of around $42.00 during the same timeframe!  Following the kit review cited, several articles appeared in the IPMS/USA Journal and other publications describing ways to improve the initial and subsequent versions of the C-135 kit, especially the RC-135.  I have listed those articles that I unearthed at the end of this first article in the series to assist readers in doing their own research after, hopefully, reading this first tome of an ongoing series rekindles their own interest in building these kits.

The first release, a KC-135A, came with these J-57 engines (AMT kit).

These engines were simple, with only four parts each.

AMT/Ertl issued other variants, of course, which is a common way to counter increasing tooling and manufacturing costs as well as maximize profits off the initial tooling expenses.  An interesting variation of the KC-135A model described above was an issue labeled ESCI/Ertl Desert Storm KC-135 Stratotanker.  The box art is exactly the same as the initial AMT/Ertl version and the same Seahawk markings were pictured.  The box states “Authentic Desert Storm Decals.”  I was given this version as a gift from my brother Bill for Christmas 1996.  Not one to turn down a deal, I bought another Desert Storm KC-135A from our Guinness Record man Rob Humphrey for $10.00 as he was selling off part of his large collection in September 2013.

TF-33 engines found in the "E" variants.  The "collar" gives the impression that there is an opening for the fan bypass in there somewhere.

Instructions for the TF-33 engines.

The other kits I obtained initially were the EC-135C “Looking Glass”Airborne Command Post (bought for $30.00 in September 2005 at the Gathering [our former local contest] from a collector for $30.00 which included several resin parts for enhanced detail).  Earlier, I tracked down the RC-135 V I bought for $17.00 at local MRS Hobbies in July 1994.  The EC-135C has the same basic fuselage molding as the KC-135A kit at 21 1/4” long.  All parts are molded in gray plastic.  The engines in this kit are Pratt & Whitney TF-33 turbojets, which are molded on a different mold tree from what you get with the J-57s with the KC-135A. 

​The full fuselage interior is part of the kit.  The difference between it and the basic KC-135 kit consists of a small tree of antenna/sensor bulges as well as the set of different engines.  There are two decal options with the kit, which include black cheat lines but no decals for wing walk lines.

KC-135's were upgraded to the "R" variant by the addition of a modern high-bypass turbofan engine widely known as the CFM56.  The military designation is F108.  More plastic from the Italeri KC-135R.

​The RC-135V does have the longer “thimble” nose molded as part of the fuselage, so it measures at 22 1/8” long.  The kit is molded in gray plastic and features the full interior of the other AMT versions plus separate trees with all the SLAR bulges and antennae injection molded.  The TF-33 engine moldings come with the kit.  Kit decals allow for “any one of eight RC-135Vs in operation.”  I purchased my version from a local hobby shop in July 1994 for a discounted price of $17.00; full price was marked at $23.00.  I bought a second version without decals from a collector for $10.00 in September 2004.

Speaking of longer noses, the longest comes with the AMtech EC-135N/E ARIA/ALOTS “Snoopy” kit (Figure 13).   I was inspired by the sight of one of these aircraft flying around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base while I was visiting the museum there in September 1980.  Aficionados call this version the “Nose that Goes” since it has the unusual elongated, drooping nose which housed a seven-foot diameter parabolic dish antenna.  I purchased the kit as a birthday gift to myself from a local hobby shop in March 2003 for $40.48 discounted; the manufacturer’s suggested retail price was $44.98.

Another interesting version is the NKC-135A Laser Lab, which cost me $24.99 in January 2008.  This kit has been around a while, though, as the box has a copyright date of 1996.  The molding is AMT gray and the fuselage is the standard 21 ¼” length.  All other parts of the kit are the standard issue, including the wings and interior parts, and there is an additional parts tree for the laser housings, etc.  Decals come with the cheat lines but no wing walk lines.  The kit comes with the Pratt & Whitney J57-P/F engines only. 

Cargo area and cockpit floor, Lower wing/fuselage, an tail surfaces are found here (Italeri kit).

Decals, instructions, and clear parts that come with the Italeri release of the KC-135R/FR kit.

The most recent Stratotanker upgrade, the KC-135R, was produced as a kit by Italeri and is the priciest, with a MSRP of $99.00.  I picked up my kit of this version in February 2009 for $65.69 from a now-defunct local hobby shop.  Unfortunately, prices of these large 1/72 scale kits, whether a KC-135 variant or a B-36, keep going up.  I did pick up another Italeri KC-135R kit for $25.00 at an auction during the SLC XII contest in September 2012 for $25.00.  The other most recently available kit is the Heller C-135 FR version, which represents one of the eleven tankers used by France.

I received this one as a birthday gift from my company’s law firm in April 2014.   Although I had seen one of these model kits at Colpar Hobbies in Denver in 2012, they had to order the kit from a company in England – probably Hannants!  And it was not cheap- $60.00!  But I was grateful to get it and added it to the queue in my mind, but put it off as an actual project for a few years. Finally in April 2017, I got started on it, and finished it on July 30, 2018.  

AMT's RC-135V, released circa 1993, was apparently the first version that came with TF-33 engines.

Although molded by Heller, the kit does indeed represent the original AMT molding but with the current CFM-56 engines and wingtip refueling pods.  An article describing the history of the French version of the venerable KC-135 and a description of my saga of finally building this Heller kit along with a 1/144 scale Minicraft KC-135R was published in the January/February 2020 issue of the IPMS Journal, Volume 32, No. 01.  If you are not an IPMS/USA member you should be if you want to read that article!  Tell them that dembrudders.com sent you (it really drives them crazy)!

Back to my description of the 1/72 scale Stratotanker types:  Aside from the AMtech kit, samples of which are becoming increasingly scarce, a few of the other variants are still available at very reasonable prices compared to other large 1/72 kits (TU-95 or TU-160, for example).  Check your nearest hobby shop, online model suppliers or regional model contests or swap meets.  I remember seeing several of the more common C-135 variants for sale in the vendors area at the IPMS Nationals for the past few years.  

The "Snoopy Nose" EC-135N/E from AMtech.  In a subsequent installment of our series, we'll present a full-build of this model.

Probably the easiest one to still find online might be Italeri’s version of the KC-135R/FR Stratotanker which was available as of March 2020 through Squadron’s website.  MSRP was $99.00.  On eBay, the ESCI/Ertl Desert Storm KC-135A was available ranging in price from $25.00 to $59.00 to $64.95 to $129.99!  A 2002 Heller KC-135 kit was on sale for $79.99. 

In summary, the lineup of these 1/72 C-135 kits goes as follows:
AMT/Ertl KC-135A
ESCI/Ertl KC-135A Desert Storm
AMT/Ertl EC-135C Looking Glass
AMTEch EC-135N/E “Snoopy”
AMT/Ertl NKC-135A Laser Lab
AMT/Ertl RC-135V
Italeri KC-135R/FR
Heller C 135FR

1996 brought us AMT's Boeing NKC-135A Laser Lab.  Mr. Editor Bill has connections to the "lab" part of this program.

You had better hoard the versions you have now until someone decides to reissue the various old AMT/Ertl kits!  I have my ten unbuilt kits handily stored away in my crawl space  along with my two built kits on display in a large glass case in my office.  Am I a hoarder?  Of course, but everything is at least organized and not spread all over my house!  Have I spent a bunch of money on these kits?  Add it up yourself.  Are any of my kits for sale?  Not yet but be patient!  Do I plan to build all of them, even the duplicates?  Of course, with one or two having cuts made in the fuselage so I can show off the interiors.  Do I have any words of wisdom about this situation?  Check out what the Most Interesting Man in the World has to say about model collecting!

​It is interesting to note that every single model kit described except for the Heller C 135 FR kit has box art which shows only the port side of the aircraft flying from right to left on the box.  Only the Heller AWACS kit appeared to show what looked like an actual completed model for the box.  The Italeri KC-135R kit had a photograph of the actual aircraft, also shot from the port side.  Maybe the artists were only provided with pictures of the airplane flying in one direction.  Why is the French version the only one with box art that shows a starboard view?  Are they right-wing over there??  Oh, well.

Italeri KC-135R.  

Now, out of all of the box art described, however, I preferred the AMtech version – you can be the judge of your own favorite!  So, of course the first version that I chose to build was indeed “The Nose that Goes,”  the EC-135N. 

Did you know that The Most Interesting Man in the World was a modeler?  Who'd a thunk!

​In an article on the ScaleWorld March 2003 edition from the internetmodeler.com website, Richard Marmo wrote that the EC-135N/E was originally created by AMT/Ertl but never released until AMtech reached an agreement with AMT/Ertl to produce a limited run of these kits.  According to Marmo, only 5,000 of these kits were produced.  Unfortunately, AMtech went the way of many kit manufacturers by fading into oblivion, so the kits are harder to come by.  Nevertheless, you may be able to find this kit for sale to bidders on E-Bay or you might be able to pry one out of the hands of a not-so-parsimonious collector (like me).  I actually found another EC-135N kit in March 2008 at a now-defunct local hobby shop and purchased it for $40.49.  So there are still at 4,998 kits out there somewhere, but I know that at least five others have been finished by other builders who have sent me pictures of their finished projects.  Do you want to buy mine?  Only three figure offers accepted for now but four figures just might land you a sale!  Unless I decide to build the E version, of course!

The plastic in this kit is NOT from the Heller 707.  It is the AMT KC-135 tooling.  The plane in the box art is the only one that faces to the right, if anyone's interested.

SPECIAL BONUS MATERIAL
Dick took some additional pictures of plastic from the Heller 707 kit as well as the original AMT KC-135 so you can compare components of the various kits.

In the late 1980's, Airfix released the Heller 707 plastic as an E-3D.  Note the CFM56 engines (this is one version that Dick does not currently have in his collection).

Dick's KC-135 stash.  Brudder Bill would like to see him build that B-50D soon.

This is AMT plastic.  It's lighter in color than on the Italeri kit.  AMT broke down kit sprues more than on the Italeri release.

The plastic from AMT's original release.  There was a small wing spar piece (far right) but it is really inadequate to keep the wings on the finished model from sagging over time.  It is incumbent on the modeler to add some extra reinforcement in this area.  Also at bottom center of the photo on the right is the refueler's station.  The boom operator lies prone, facedown, on a cot-like affair to "fly" the probe into the receiving aircraft's receptacle.  This is another nice detail depicted on the AMT kit.

Wings and engines for the AMT KC-135A, and clear parts/decals for first AMT issue.  One detail we like on this kit is the depiction of the landing gear pivot fairing cover on the top of the wing.  It's that long teardrop-shaped thing.  AMT captures this pretty well in their kit.  Another item of note is that on the clear windshield piece, AMT built in the upper console.  It'll be hard to see on the finished model, but it's there!  

The Boeing 707's fuselage was known as a "double bubble."  There were two intersecting circular fuselage lobes.  The older 377 Stratoliner/C-97's had this same characteristic, only it was more pronounced on those aircraft.  The 707 fuselage has a noticeable crease at floor level.  Even though the KC-135 has the same double-lobe design, no crease is present.  Both AMT and Heller are correct with their depiction of this feature.

Let's examine the plastic to the Heller 707.  Note the shorter AMT KC-135 fuselage half for comparison.  The Heller fuselage does not have the stabilizer integrated; it's a separate assembly.

The original release of the civilian Heller 707 provides markings to satisfy modelers wishing to build models representing Air France or BOAC liveries.

The kit appeared in the mid-1990's with TWA decals.

Heller's Air Force One decals.  Is something missing???

Clear parts from the Heller 707 kit, along with the lower center section to the wing, wing tops, and ventral fin.  Note that the main gear pivot  fairing isn't quite as well-executed here as on the AMT KC-135 kit.  Also, note the differences in wing shape.  These represent the later, Intercontinental wing on the 707.  The wing on the KC-135 is more like the early wings on the 707's.  There are differences on leading/trailing edges, and the tips were extended on the 707 Intercontinental.

The Heller 707 kit has engraved panel lines.  The cockpit isn't quite as well appointed as the AMT KC-135, but it is still very nice  with four crew seats, control yokes, instrument panel and center control console.  JT3D engines.

Heller wing bottoms and rear stabs

Heller 1/72 VC-137 released circa 1986 (707 kit).  No presidential seal is included on the box art or decal sheet.  Hello, aftermarket or print-your-own!

REFERENCES 

Boeing C-135 Family, Current Operations.  International Air Power Review, Vol. 10, Fall 2003, p. 50
 
Kit Review, FineScale Modeler, May 1993, Vol. 11, No. 4, p. 10
 
Stratotanker!!! – The KC-135, by Charles T. Davenport, IPMS/USA Journal, Vol. 5, No. 5, July/August 1993, p. 12
 
Boeing RC-135V….Me and My RC, by Scott Hackney, 1994 IPMS National Convention Program,
            p. 20
 
Offut’s White Tops, World Air Power Journal, Volume 17, Summer 1994, p. 136
 
​Building AMT/ERTL’s RC-135V “Rivet Joint,” IPMS/USA Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, Nov/Dec.
            1994, p. 39
 
KC-135 Stratotanker in Action, Aircraft #118, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX; Squadron.com
 
theaviationzone.com Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker by Mike Neely
 
www.internetmodeler.com/2003/march  Scaleworld by Richard Marmo

KC-135 Series:  Part Two, KC-135 History and a buildup of an interior of an AMT KC-135 Kit Variant