Beyond The Sprues
Modelling => Completed GBs => Group and Themed Builds => Retro Futuristic GB => Topic started by: Brian da Basher on September 21, 2017, 04:58:13 AM
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(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_001.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_001.jpg.html)
With great fanfare, the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) project was announced by President Reagan in his 1986 State of the Union address. It is often forgotten that the Gipper was a long-time proponent of aeronautics well before he entered politics.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/RR%20air%20corps.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/RR%20air%20corps.jpg.html)
Sensing the opportunity provided by government funding of such an audacious concept, many large U.S. firms started to position themselves to take advantage of the nascent NASP technology.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_002.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_002.jpg.html)
It's no wonder that the foremost U.S. international carrier, Pan American Airlines, would want to be in on the ground floor.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_004.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_004.jpg.html)
Pan Am began their involvement in NASP by apparently mobilizing their entire marketing department, with stunning results.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PanAm_Hyper_Sonic.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PanAm_Hyper_Sonic.jpg.html)
Bold posters and futuristic Pan Am hyper-sonic airliner desktop models began appearing at select travel agents known to have well-heeled clientele.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_003.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_003.jpg.html)
Unfortunately for the fast, bright future of global air travel, the NASP engine technology never became workable.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_005.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_005.jpg.html)
This, coupled with the demise of Pan Am meant no one would ever fly from New York to Tokyo in two hours in an arrow-like white craft with those iconic blue globes on the tail.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_006.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_006.jpg.html)
The NASP project breathed its last within a year of Pan Am folding and little of it survives today except for this desk-top model found in an abandoned travel office just outside of Shaker Heights, Ohio.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_007.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_007.jpg.html)
Few historians acknowledge that Pan Am ever had such a bold plan for the future, but some of us know better even if it was ahead if its time.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_008.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_008.jpg.html)
Brian da Basher
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This all began with a Monogram Snap-Tite "Orient Express" kit I picked up for a whopping $2 at the Renton Show a couple of years back. Isn't that box art uplifting?
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/Monogram%201130%20OrExpexc.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/Monogram%201130%20OrExpexc.jpg.html)
What's inside is about as simple as it gets.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/468549517_tp.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/468549517_tp.jpg.html)
Still, you gotta love a kit that's a whiff right out of the box.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_009.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_009.jpg.html)
I took inspiration instead of intimidation from the Snap-Tite logo and decided to build this one like I did many of my first models when I was a kid.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_011.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_011.jpg.html)
That meant no paint, only decals. I almost got away without using glue, but since this kit's almost 30 years old, it would only Snap so Tite.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASsT_010.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASsT_010.jpg.html)
The one modification was the decals. I used a sliced-up 1/200 DC-9 cockpit decal and added hatches, registration and U.S. flags from spares. The cool Pan Am logos were printed for me by Frank many moons ago. I can't thank you enough for these, Frank!
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/PASST/PASST_012.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/PASST/PASST_012.jpg.html)
I hope you enjoyed the Pan Am NASP airliner and reading a little more aircraft history that's flown by too fast to get written down.
Brian da Basher
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Wow wonderful! This past future would have been amazing! :-*
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Beautiful!!
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Is speed and grace wrapped in zactly right looking Pan Am markings. :smiley:
Looks related to some the Aurora project aircraft.
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:smiley:
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You nailed it Brain. I guess I'll be packing up my modelling stuff and try again next year.
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That's a beautiful model and it makes me a little wistful thinking of what could've been.
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Simple but very effective especially with excellent, and plausible, backstory. :smiley:
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Beautiful! And quite the plausible backstory.
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Beautiful, Brian, a simple, genial idea!
:-*
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Nice one, Brian!
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Looks good, Brian! That is a nice, simple (spat-less) kit.
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Nice build Brian.
I have the same kit and have been trying to figure out what I want to do with it. 72nd scale it and add landing gear but still haven't decided on markings.
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Beautiful work, as usual.
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Nicely done Brian, a Whiff of a Whiff and I agree it lends itself to being built straight out of the box. The Pan-Am livery seems to give it a 2001ish sort of feel ( I would put a round of applause icon here but I can't find one)
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... The Pan-Am livery seems to give it a 2001ish sort of feel ...
I was thinking the same. Another BdB triumph! :smiley: