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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerAnyone want to hazard a guess what will be the final livery? The white primer will make for a substantial part of the paint scheme.
Robert V. Leonard
Looks like…PSA
Christian Klepp
Lightyears Landscape Photography
Where Geoscience Meets Art
www.christianklepp.comCool!!!
What color are you planning to paint it?
The first model of a BI jellybean Electra that I plan to do will be the Lemon Yellow (N9703C) Electra.
That was the first jb Electra I ever flew on. It left quite an impression. The first of many flights on jb Electra’s as a kid.
Post pictures when you’re done!!
Braniff2
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerBlue.
The first and only Electra I flew on was the Ochre one. I think only one was painted that color, the last Electra delivered to Braniff I understand.
In the summer of ‘67, my ten year old self, mom and sister flew from Omaha to KC to Wichita to OKC to Dallas to Houston to Corpus Christi. We never changed planes. I don’t recall if we ever got off. Maybe we did. I recall now putting an Occupied card in my seat.
Anyway, next up is the aluminum sections on the wings.
Robert V. Leonard
Hi Robert,
The ochre Electra (N9710C)…..I remember it well!
It is quite possible you did ride the same plane all the way through. That routing (OMA-MKC-ICT-OKC-DAL-HOU-CPS was a common one for BI.
Flew many of the different Electra’s on Braniff…..and Eastern. Occasional trips in AA and NW Electra’s.
Loved that bird.
Braniff2
MCI
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Anyone want to hazard a guess what will be the final livery? The white primer will make for a substantial part of the paint scheme.
Whoa! Even in primer / base white, that is one nice looking model. I will have to get me a couple of those X-Scale Electras now.
K/r,
Dutch
Kind regards,
DutchLooks good!!
What paint are you using for the Ochre color?
That is a notoriously difficult color to create…..and easy to get wrong.
I love the Testors bottles in the background. Getting hard to find now.
Can’t wait to see the completed model!
Braniff2
MCI
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The old Scale master BAC-111 decal instructions call the color Mustard with a mix of 8 parts Testor’s 1114 yellow and 1 part black.
Gene
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officer1241 Testors Wood is supposed to be a close match to Ochre.
But I’m doing medium blue.
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerFor those playing at home, it’s Testors 1108 Light Blue.
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerI read gloss Testors (in small bottles) took time to cure. I think it’s the first time I’ve used the small bottle paint since I was probably a teenager.
Been 24 hours since I airbrushed the blue thinned 1:1 with MLT and a careful test revealed it is going to need time to cure. Some folks wait a week based on temperatures and humidity. My modeling room is about 68 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity, even in Utah winters, is relatively low.
Waiting a week sounds good.
Robert V. Leonard
I encountered that problem many years ago, then read in an IPMS journal about using a food dehydrator to cure paint. I found that each hour in the dehydrator (at about 95 degrees) equalled about one day of air drying. I would put the parts in the dehydrator before going to bed and the next morning things were good and dry.
Gene
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerOkay Gene. It’s in the dehydrator at 95. Fingers crossed for the morning.
I’m mostly a Xtracolor, Model Master enamel, Mr. Hobby and Tamiya guy . . . . all thinned with MLT, but I had this old Testors bottle that matched perfectly, to my eye, the Braniff blue I saw in in Electra photos.
Frankly, Xtracolor would take about three days cure, so I think it might be the gloss paints that take their sweet time.
Robert V. Leonard
Last time I finished anything I was using Testor’s enamels thinned with Model Master Airbrush Thinner and the dehydrator worked fine. I also dry parts glossed with Future (50/50 mix with denatured alcohol) in the dehydrator for about 1 hour.
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerHappy to report the dehydrator hack worked like a charm. Thanks everyone.
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerI am 95% pleased. Needs some touch ups, but I have never built an airliner that didn’t need a few of those. After the touch ups, black radome and gunmetal exhausts.
Robert V. Leonard
Looking good! Glad the dehydrator worked for you.
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Hey Robert,
That is looking ssssoooooooo good!
Very excited to see this coming together. Glad you opted for one of the blue Electra’s
“The old Scale master BAC-111 decal instructions call the color Mustard with a mix of 8 parts Testor’s 1114 yellow and 1 part black.”
Gene
That would be pretty close to the actual ochre. The ochre color never photographed right. The limitations of the pigments in color film back in those days just would not reproduce the color correctly. Ochre was a dark orangeish-yellow. Mustard (the designer color) would be a good description. Ochre appears as brown in most photos…..but it was not any shade of brown.
You made a wise choice switching to one of the blue Electras…..lol!!
Your model looks GREAT Robert!!…..can’t wait to see it when you are finished!!!
Braniff2
MCI
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerToday touched up the natural metal and applied the black radome. Tomorrow touch up the blue. Then back to the dehydrator in preparation for Vintage Flyer decals. My first time using them. Any tips? They look gorgeous on the sheet and the instructions are very comprehensive.
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerTouch ups finished. Tomorrow a few light coats of Tamiya X-22 in preparation for the decals. Exhaust area is Tamiya LP-20 Light Gunmetal.
Robert V. Leonard
Looking good! One thing I’ll add on the paint curing front, do a sniff test: if you can still smell paint solvents, it’s not done yet.
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Looks Great, Robert!
I’m curious….how did you find the actual buildup of this kit? Easy?…some issues? Anything stick out as being a problem?
From the looks of your model, it seems to be a pretty easy and straight forward buildup. Painting, a little more involved….lol.
Let me know how it went.
Keep the pics coming…..they are bringing back so many great memories…
Braniff2
MCI
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerThe only trouble is the CRM/Eastern Express/X-Scale way of handling the trailing edges of wings, horizontal stabilizers and tail assemblies. To keep them razor sharp, they mold the parts so that the seams run across panel lines. But hey, that’s their method.
No one else is going to mold a new 1/144 KC-10, EC-24, Electra, MD-11 or 707-110 these days, so I dutifully messed around with the fit until I got it as even as I could, glued and then used Tamiya white putty on the seams. Taking care to put tape on each side of the seam to minimize the putty from straying.
After that I rescribed the panel lines which was not so bad since the majority was straight lines.
The remainder is pretty good. I did need putty integrating the nacelles both top and bottom.
Remember it’s short run and not Tamiya and you will have fun.
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officer
A fun afternoon decaling. First time using VFD and I am impressed. They’re thinner than a Parisian supermodel.
Their instructions are extremely detailed as well.
Robert V. Leonard
Fantastic!
I have the left hand upper/lower wing planks together. Waiting for the filler to dry. Didn’t expect to have one underway, but it started off as a feasibility study of the propellers for Darren Tamanaha…
-d-
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerWhen it comes to using the VFD Braniff sheet, I found it best to apply the glare guard first and ensure it was symmetrical. This way you can apply the cockpit decals in the right spot.
Robert V. Leonard
I just ran across this photo of your Electra (N9702C) at MKC (owner unknown) probably 1967-ish.
The model is looking GREAT!
Thanks for the memories……very fond memories.
Braniff2
MCI
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerThat’s a great shot and you are very kind. The VFD sheet is awesomely detailed.
I was looking through my Cearley Braniff book and there’s not ONE picture of a jelly bean Electra. Thank goodness for the internet.
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerFinished. First of 2025. More photos at Britmodeller.
Robert V. Leonard
WOW!!!
That is really beautiful!
I have been a little intimidated with the props…..but yours look fantastic!!
Great job!!!
Braniff2
MCI
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Braniff2,
Your not the only one intimated by the square tip props. If only Mini Craft had made theirs the right way I wouldn’t have 4 Electra’s finished without props. Doing 4 round tips into square is a time consuming job, but to do 16 x 5 in1/144 is a nightmare.
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Trying to keep all 16 blades square and with the consistent twist…..yikes!
I guess I’ll have to take a swing at them though. This Electra kit looks to be well worth the effort.
Magnificent job, Robert!
Braniff2
MCI
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerThanks everyone, in 1/144 it’s a little fiddly assembling the props and landing gear. I found looking at photos, getting the right twist (I’m not pilot, is it the pitch?) on one blade worked. Once it was set (I used Tamiya extra thin) I kept referring back to that blade as my standard for each blade on each prop.
Congresswoman, I refuse to testify that all blades are perfectly perpendicular and at the same pitch.
Large components like fuselage and wings fit together reasonably well. Nacelles took some work to blend in with the wings. It’s no Tamiya F-4B.
For the landing gear, after following X- Scale’s instructions to assemble the gear outside the wheel well for one gear, I abandoned that for the other. I glued the main gear in the wheel well, let it set up overnight and then the next morning attached the appropriate supports Worked much better for me using that method.
It is a project I have wanted for decades and thanks to X-Scale and VFD it sits perfectly on my shelf.
Robert V. Leonard
Good info to be aware of……appreciate the heads-up on things to watch out for.
Thanks Robert!
Braniff2
MCI
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If you’re curious about all the pedantry: Pitch refers to the amount of air advanced with one rotation (similar to screws, hence the term “airscrew”), twist is the change in blade angle from root to tip, that should usually correspond to pitch. With a constant-speed prop, you can probably have a couple different pitch options that are still accurate.
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That’s a beautiful and very distinctive looking model Robert.
I never had the opportunity to fly Braniff but their jellybean livery added color to the friendly skies, in contrast with the blandness of today’s jets.
I wonder if anyone has built the entire Electra color range?
A quick query on the Grok AI app returned the following text and it would be interesting to know how accurate it is:
Braniff International Airways, known for its vibrant “Jellybean” liveries introduced in 1965 as part of the “End of the Plain Plane” campaign, applied a variety of solid colors to its fleet, including the Lockheed L-188 Electra. Based on available historical data, Braniff painted the Electra in at least **seven distinct jellybean colors**. These colors were part of the broader palette used across their aircraft, which included hues like Lemon Yellow, Turquoise, Orange, Ochre, Dark Blue, Medium Blue, and Lime Green.
Specific evidence confirms the following colors for the Electra:
Lemon Yellow : Electra N9703C is widely documented in this bright shade.
Turquoise : Electra N16816 (leased for about a year, 1966–1967) is noted in this color, though some sources suggest it may have also been Lime Green at one point.
Orange : Referenced in discussions of Braniff’s Electra fleet.
Ochre : Known to have been applied to Electras, consistent with its use on other Braniff aircraft like the BAC One-11.
Dark Blue : Electra N9704C is often cited in this shade, though some debate exists about whether it was a darker or medium tone.
Medium Blue : Another Electra, N9702C, is described as a “dark purplish blue” but sometimes categorized as Medium Blue in later references.
Lime Green : Electra N16816 is occasionally identified with this color, possibly indicating a repaint during its lease period.
The exact number can vary slightly depending on how one interprets repaint timelines and color definitions (e.g., distinguishing between Dark Blue and Medium Blue), but seven is a well-supported count based on model enthusiast records, historical photos, and Braniff fleet documentation. Braniff operated a relatively small number of Electras (around 10), and not all may have received unique jellybean colors, as some were leased or repainted quickly. The airline’s palette evolved over time, with early colors like Lavender (used briefly on a Boeing 720) being discontinued, but the Electras predominantly carried the core jellybean shades listed above.
So many kits, so little time …
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerThanks everyone. I interpreted N9702C as medium blue and used Testors 1108 (small bottle).
Your mileage may vary. ????
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerMade a generic background.
Robert V. Leonard
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officer
Outdoor light looks better.
Robert V. Leonard
Hi everyone,
“Braniff International Airways, known for its vibrant “Jellybean” liveries introduced in 1965 as part of the “End of the Plain Plane” campaign, applied a variety of solid colors to its fleet, including the Lockheed L-188 Electra. Based on available historical data, Braniff painted the Electra in at least **seven distinct jellybean colors**. These colors were part of the broader palette used across their aircraft, which included hues like Lemon Yellow, Turquoise, Orange, Ochre, Dark Blue, Medium Blue, and Lime Green.”
I was around in the 1960’s and frequently flew BI in those days (my other family members as well). We travelled extensively on the BI system and I became VERY familiar with the entire BI fleet….and their associated colors.
It is important to note that BI repainted airplanes very frequently…. sometimes less than a year after a plane was painted in one color, it was repainted in a different color.
I can confirm the following information from memory:
Lemon Yellow = N9703C (my first Electra jellybean trip), possibly repainted in the darker Panagra Yellow later.
Turquoise = N16816 (one year lease to replace the One-11 that went down in Nebraska),
Orange = N9706C,
Ochre = N9710C (this color photographs as a brown shade (usually)…but it was in fact a dark orangish-yellow — mustard color),
Dark Blue = N9704C for certain wore this color,
Medium Blue = N9702C and N9704C have been photographed in this color,
Lime Green = N9708C (one of my favorites of all the Electra colors)
Red = N9709C
N9701C = That leaves the other two “greens” — Dark Panagra Green (an evergreen color) and the “New Panagra Green” a lighter, much nicer, shade of green.
I know for fact that both the DPG and NPG colors were worn by Electra’s….I flew on the NPG one and boarded another Electra which was parked right next to the DPG one at MKC. I remember it because I was thinking “what an ugly color to put on my favorite plane” (I was not a fan of the DPG color). I think these two colors were worn by N9701C. The DPG color was a very short-lived color. It was around for probably 1 year (starting in early 1967) or so, before most of the planes that had that color applied were repainted in either NPG or the Lime Green color. I think N9701C wore both these colors. It was first in the DPG color, and then, was repainted in the in the NPG color sometime in 1968…..it looked good!
I remember these birds (as well as the One-11’s, 727’s, and 720/707’s very well…and very fondly.
Thanks, Robert, for bringing back such wonderful memories from my childhood!
Braniff2
MCI
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Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerIn honor of the Ochre bird, N9710C, my ten year old self flew on in the summer of ‘67, I painted the BI sign on the side of the hangar Model Master Sandgelb RLM 79. My take on Braniff Ochre. I make no claim as to its authenticity, but it does the job for me.
Robert V. Leonard
I have to say, I love your generic background. Very cool hangar, or whatever building. Makes a great backdrop for photos! Nice work!
I don’t always say “Proceed as requested”
But when I do, it is because I have no clue what you just said.
Posts: 43Location: Salt Lake CityOccupation: Retired. Twice: Civilian HR manager and US Army officerI have to say, I love your generic background. Very cool hangar, or whatever building. Makes a great backdrop for photos! Nice work!
Thanks very much. For awhile I had been thinking about some generic backdrop hangar. Didn’t have a particular hangar in mind. Just looked at some photos. Got out a bunch of Evergreen plastic sheets, plastic strip and went to town.
Funnest part was weathering. Not tank on the Russian front weathering, but a hanger that’s seen a few years.
Robert V. Leonard
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