Another New Constellation

[MichaelB]

Hey kids! - here's something you don't see every day! Authentic Aircraft of Coral Gables, FL was a maker of display/give away models for a number of airlines in the early '50s. They sold kits with decals for the appropriate airlines, like Delta, TWA, AA, EAL and others.
They really had only two molds: a DC-6 and a Super Constellation. The DC-6 also got passed off as a -7.
Each consisted of only a few parts: upper and lower fuselages with the horizontal stabs molded in to one or the other; a wing/engine center section; and engine face inserts with propellers. Customers were supposed to apply the decals.
These are of surprisingly high quality and are in 1/150 scale; there are no clear parts and no undercarriage. To my knowledge none were sold on the "kit" market. Both Revell and Monogram would bring their kits of the same subjects to market a couple of years later and I suppose that made AA withdraw from the market.
In a wicked twist of fate Revell and Monogram would market their Constellation kits with enhanced detail. What that means is that lots and lots of rivets and raised panel lines were added! The ironic part is that this TWA Constellation is smooth with recessed control surfaces - which is more like the real thing!
I picked this up off of eBay recently; it was in the background in a pile of other "built" models for which I had no interest. When I saw it I knew it wasn't anything I'd seen before so - I had to have it!
The tail section has broken away from the fuselage, but that should be fixable. The original buyer put the decals on and they are really, really stuck!
The ship number is for an early TWA 1049, N6908...not an "A" model or anything...that came into the fleet in 1952 as one of their first Super Constellations.
Since I actively collect promo and "giveaway" models/toys, this is a happy historical addition!
Michael
PS: I have included the flyer that one would find in their seat back while aboard. It's for the Delta DC-6 but others are similar.

[Tone]

I remember finding a link to that American Airlines DC-6 advertisement many years ago, but I lost it. Thanks for showing it again!