Color Scheme: Final Colors

Registration: N45090

Composition: Die-Cast Metal

Dimensions: Length: 4.5" (11.5cm), Wingspan 3.5" (9cm)

Condition: Mint

Model History: Produced by Starjets. Acquired on January 2, 2002 from an eBay Seller.

National Airline's DC-8 History: National Airlines was an Original Delivery Customer of the DC-8. They received their first 3 DC-8-21s in 1960 and placed them in service on their lucrative New York - Idlewild to Miami and Tampa routes and their Philadelphia to Miami route. They had originally ordered six DC-8-21s from Douglas but cancelled the last 3 in favor of ordering 6 Factory Delivered DC-8-51 Fan Jets which had more power and produced less noise than the DC-8-21s. To add much needed capacity during the 1960-62 period, prior to the delivery of the new order, National leased DC-8-51 'Ship One' N8008D from Douglas and had the distinction of being the first airline operator of 'Ship One.' The delivery of the 6 new DC-8-51s in 1962 allowed further expansion on the east coast and more importantly allowed National to begin their recently awarded "Southern Transcontinental Routes." These routes incorporated service from Florida to New Orleans, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. This was the beginning of the era when National Airlines truly lived up to it's name & to reflect this they adopted the new sales slogan of Service from "Coast to Coast to Coast " and a new Color Scheme that was similar to the original "Airline of the Stars" scheme but used a new logo which National referred to as the "Purposeful N" Logo. National also purchased 4 used DC-8-32s from Northwest Airlines to supplement their expansion into the jet age. In 1967 & '68 National accepted Factory Delivery of two stretch DC-8-61s which were utilized on the high volume New York - Florida and Florida - California routes. Early in 1968 National also adopted their third color scheme on the DC-8 -- the very colorful "Sunking" Scheme which National utilized until they were acquired by Pan American. Finally, in 1969 National leased two DC-8F-54s from Airlift International to use in inaugurating service from Miami to London, England. National continued to utilize it's DC-8 fleet into the mid-1970s with the last DC-8 being sold on December 1, 1975. Click Here to See National's DC-8 Fleet Information. With the advent of airline deregulation in 1978 National was sought after by several airlines but ultimately Pan American won out and the two airlines merged on January 7, 1980 with Pan Am being the survivor. Though Pan Am had finally acquired the domestic routes they has wanted for decades it was just too little, too late and Pan Am faced bankruptcy in the late 1980s. By November 1989 we not only lost the great "National Airlines" and then we lost our National Flag Carrier - "Pan American World Airways" as well.

Links To Other National Models On This Web Site:
DC-8-21 1/50 Scale in Sunking Colors
DC-8-61 1/400 Scale in Delivery "Purposeful N" Colors