The Academy Boeing 377 Stratocruiser has been on the market now for about 3 months. Those who have built or started to build the kit are suitably impressed with the kit, but have been clamoring for some aftermarket decals. Apparently the kit ones do not go on too well or the builders just want to have aftermarket ones!  Here is a link to a preview of this kit.

Liveries Unlimited has come out with a very impressive decal sheet for this aircraft. Unlike the kit decals, this is the later scheme that came out about the time that Pan Am was starting Boeing 707 jet service. It is basically the scheme that was carried until the 'billboard' scheme. That one was in use when the airline went into bankruptcy in the late 1980s. (FYI, Pan Am has started flying again, but is now a very small airline with a fleet of 6 modified 727s serving smaller airports).

There are enough decals to one of over 20 named aircraft. Some of these planes will need modification to the kit as the kit only portrays an early B.377. There were two other airframe/window configurations used and the instruction sheet details each of these and what needs to be modified. The basic kit itself is off somewhat and LU shows what is needed to produce an accurate representation.

There are also some inaccuracies in the kit from using B-29/B-50 sprues. It appears that Cobra Company will soon be offering replacement items to correct those deficiencies. They are mostly in the nose gear/wheel and propeller area.

This is a great decal sheet and I can only hope that Liveries Unlimited will produce a sheet for other 377 users.

Review copy courtesy Liveries Unlimited . 

If you can't find their decals at your local hobby shop, you can order them direct from the link above.

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