Manufacturer: Minicraft
Scale: 1/144
Additional parts: Wingsfrom Mistercraft Caravelle, 3D printed parts
Model build: Aug - Dec 2019
Swissair Lockheed L2049 Jet-Constellation
Minicraft
1/72
1/72
Going Home for Christmas
The crisp December air bit at Amelia's cheeks as she hurried through the bustling Zurich airport. Inside, the warmth and aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries washed over her. Excitement bubbled in her chest – it was Christmas Eve, and she was finally on her way home to New York after a year studying abroad in Paris.
Her flight, a majestic Swissair Lockheed L2049 Jet-Constellation, was a marvel in itself. Though not as sleek as the newer jets, the "Jet-Connie" with its four jet-engines and elegant lines, held a certain nostalgic charm. Amelia settled into her window seat, her heart brimming with anticipation for the holidays.
The flight attendants, dressed in their smart red and white uniforms, bustled about, spreading holiday cheer. Christmas carols filled the cabin, sung in a delightful mix of languages. Passengers exchanged gifts and stories, the spirit of the season erasing cultural and language barriers.
As the plane soared above the snow-covered Alps, a sense of wonder filled Amelia. The world below looked like a pristine white blanket, dotted with twinkling village lights. A young boy across the aisle, his eyes wide with fascination, pressed his nose against the window, mimicking the action of an airplane with his arms. Amelia smiled, a wave of warmth washing over her.
Over the Atlantic, she fell asleeep as suddenly, a jolt rocked the aircraft. The festive mood in the cabin was replaced by gasps and worried murmurs. A thick fog had rolled in, and the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, informing them that landing in New York might be impossible. Disappointment settled in Amelia's stomach. Would she be spending Christmas Eve stranded in a foreign country?
Just as despair threatened to overcome her, a flight attendant named Clara approached Amelia's seat. "Don't worry, dear," she said with a warm smile, her English heavily accented. "We have a plan B."
The plan, as it turned out, was a delightful surprise. The resourceful crew diverted the flight to Boston. Upon landing, they were met with a heartwarming sight. Local families, touched by the stranded travelers' plight, had organized a makeshift Christmas celebration at the airport. There was a decorated Christmas tree, carols sung by a local choir, and even a table laden with homemade cookies and hot cocoa.
Amelia spent the evening laughing and sharing stories with fellow passengers, the disappointment of the missed connection forgotten. By the time another flight was arranged to take them to New York the next morning, Amelia had formed new friendships and felt an unexpected sense of belonging.
As Amelia finally touched down in New York on Christmas Day, a newfound appreciation for the unexpected filled her heart. The journey, though not as planned, had brought her closer to the true spirit of Christmas – one of kindness, community, and the joy of human connection. And that, she realized, was the most precious gift of all.
In the 1950s, the Lockheed Constellation series with the "Lockheed Constellation", "L-1049 Super Constellation" and "L-1649 Starliner" was the backbone for long range or transatlantic air travel. Over 800 aircraft were build until the late 1950s.
With the introduction of the much faster jetliners like the Boeing 707 or DC-8, the Lockheed aircraft were not competitive any more Most airlines switched to the new aircraft in a shot time, but Lockheed had no alternative in their production portfolio.
As the construction of a complete new plane would take up too much time and money, Lockheed engineers investigated an option to build a jetliner based on the existing aircraft available. Something that one of their main competitors Boeing would do many decades later when introducing the Boeing 737MAX instead of going to a complete new design.
Therefore it was planned to refit the L-1049 with new wings and jet engines. At that time, Lockheed was offered the plans of Sud Aviations Caravelle though some very suspicious sources. Today we can clearly say it was industrial espionage, but in the late 1950s, this deal was make in complete secrecy. As US-based engine producers did not had the capacity to build engines for another passenger jetliner, Lockheed choose Britain based Rolls Royce with their Avron engines for the new plane.
From project start to rollout, it took 11 months to complete the first L2049 Jet-Constellation. The first flight was made on December 13. 1959 and lasted 22 Minutes. While flights tests di succeed without any major issues, the second prototype was send to a big sales tour to the USA, Europe and Asia. But despite all their sales effort, not many planes could be sold. After the six month tour, 25 aircraft were sold to 8 different airlines. The technical advantage of the 707 was simply too big.
With a maximum range of just over 6000km and a speed of just 800kph, the performance of the 94 passenger plane was well below of those of a 707 or DC-8. Therefore its not surprising that only 131 aircraft wee sold until the production stop in 1965. By the mid 1070s, most of them were already put out of airliner service, a few were rebuild as cargo aircraft, adding a huge door on the left side of it.
About 20 were used in Africa until the early 1980, today, there is no aircraft left in flying conditions. Three of them are on display in aircraft museums.
The model shows a Swissair Lockheed L2049 Jet-Constellation in December 1961. Swissair was one of the initial users of the aircraft with a total of 7 in their fleet.
The 1/144 scale model was made using a Minicraft Lockheed L-1049 kit for the fuselage and forward landing gear. The wings and stabilisers are taken from a Mistercraft 1/144 Caravele kit. Engines, main landing gear and fin are 3D printed, the engines were taken from a Il-28 3D model and printed on an Anycubic Photon resin printer. The landing gear was designed by myself and printed on the same printer. The fin is an upscaled middle fin of a Constellation 3D model, printed on an Anycubic Mega FDM printer.
The model was airbrushed with Revell Aqua Colour, decals were taken from the spare part box.
6 Images