BPK Models 1/72 Boeing 737-200 Kit First Look
By Fotios Rouch
| Date of Review | January 2013 | Manufacturer | BPK Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Boeing 737-200 | Scale | 1/72 |
| Kit Number | 7201 | Primary Media | Styrene, Photo-Etch, Resin |
| Pros | First new-tool 737 in this scale in decades | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Experienced | MSRP (USD) | $107.00 |
First Look
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The Boeing 737 with all its variants is the best selling jet airliner in aviation history. It started flying for airlines in the late 60s and continues production after many upgrades to this day and in the distant future.
The 737 was done in plastic by Aurora in 72nd scale but it was a product of its time (late 60's or early 70s) with low fidelity to scale and detail.
It has also been very nicely done in vac/resin by Welch models but now it is offered in plastic/resin/photo-etch by a new company from Russia.
The company is called Big Planes Kits (BPK). Their first offering is kit number 7201.
This is a limited run kit, allegedly only 300 copies will be made, something hard to believe judging from how other small companies make their production runs.
At first look the kit looks to be very accurate with a beautifully shaped nose and a nice looking fuselage with the proper "pinch" towards the middle. The wings and tail look right as do the engine nacelles. The engines are complimented with photo-etched and resin parts.
The wheels are a combination of injected plastic and rubber. They will be easy to assemble and paint but to some the shiny dark black rubber might not be so appealing. The wheel wells will look great, they are boxed in and have lots of detail. The kit includes a very nice and detailed cockpit with a nice instrument panel, accurate yokes, overhead consoles, seats, etc. This is a good thing as the very clearly molded cockpit windows are going to reveal a decent amount of information. The decals are nice but it is up to the modeler to match the Piedmont blue to the decal blue. I wonder if there will be any adventurous decal companies that will release airliner decals for this kit considering the low production run. Draw Decals has already done some sets like the bare metal Piedmont scheme, some T-43s, one set for the "Janet" Groom Lake transports and some future sets down the road for Pan Am and British Airways. Each set costs over forty dollars.
I have already placed another order for the T-43A this time!
This is going to be a very exciting kit to build. I anticipate extra work to be needed in attaching and blending the clear passenger window inserts and matching the cross section of the clear front assembly to the main fuselage.
This kit was purchased from Cooper Models. The kit was meticulously repackaged and arrived in excellent shape.
Definitely recommended to airliner aficionados!