1/700 Boeing 314 Clipper Flying Boat - 3D Printed Full Hull Model - Fabulous!

Description

NO RESERVE. We're offering here a beautifully detailed 1/700 scale Boeing 314 Clipper model that has just come out of the 3D printer! The Boeing 314 Clipper epitomized luxury air transportation in the years leading up to the Second World War. Produced by the Boeing Airplane Company between 1938 and 1941 the 314 was one of the largest aircraft of is day with a huge wingspan that enabled it to achieve the range necessary for flights across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The width of the 314's massive fuselage wasn't matched by a commercial airliner until the introduction of the Boeing 747 over three decades later! After the attack on Pearl Harbor , the Clipper fleet was pressed into military service with Pan American's pilots, engineers and radio operators serving as members of the US military. The type had a distinguished war record that included transport of several heads of state. Winston Churchill became the first when he made a perilous return journey from the USA in January 1942 aboard the Berwick, one of three Clippers operated by BOAC, and was nearly intercepted by German (and RAF!) aircraft along the way. On 11 January 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt flew on the Dixie Clipper to the Casablanca Conference, becoming the first sitting president to fly on a commercial airliner, celebrating his 61st birthday over the Atlantic
on the return trip . Perhaps a less well known distinction was the highly classified cargo that Clippers carried along its African route. Gabon, then part of the Belgian Congo, was the source of the richest uranium ore in the world. Clippers carried tons of Gabonese uranium to the U.S. in deep secrecy, flying high above the U-Boats that threatened surface shipping. One source claims that 75 percent of the uranium used to make the Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima was shuttled by Boeing Clippers. Three were lost to wartime accidents although only one resulted in fatalities. When the war ended, so too had the need for commercial flying boats and PanAm's 314 was removed from scheduled service in 1946. The last was unceremoniously scrapped in late 1951.
We believe that this is the first model of the Boeing 314 Clipper ever produced in 1/700 scale and this full hull model is offered as the perfect complement to our waterline model of this famous aircraft. The detail of the 3D printed model offered here easily rivals and likely exceeds comparable Pit-Road white metal and WEM resin models but we've posted high resolution photos so you can judge for yourself. The 314 was HUGE airplane and even in 1/700 scale, the size of the model is impressive. Check out the well proportioned model including the massive fuselage complete with a detailed canopy, passenger windows and doors, the wings and sponsons, the engine nacelles and that triple-fin tail assembly. The beautifully painted and finished model in photo #11 shows how some
modeling skills can take this model to the next level
.
While the surfaces are not perfectly smooth (3D printing is done in layers), the plastic used can be sanded and painted much the same way you would handle resin or styrene. The models may still have some powder and oil-like agent on them that can easily be removed by washing in warm water with a drop of detergent added to it.
This outstanding Boeing 314 Clipper model should be a welcome addition to any aviation enthusiast's or 1/700 modeler's collection, particularly those interested in pre-war commercial aviation or less well known World War II transport operations. Please take a look at the other 1/700 scale aircraft models that we have on auction this week as well. We're always happy to combine shipping for multiple purchases to save whenever possible. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions whatsoever.