dboyd001

Simple question with perhaps no simple answer. Do you prefer the normal livery or special liveries on airliners? Or maybe fantasies?

.....For me it is easy, the normal everyday livery that distinctly identifies an airline. In the era of classic airliners, it was easy. Pan American, American, TWA, BOAC, Air France, Cathay Pacific... and so on (insert your favourite airline) had liveries that were in essence, their identity. It may be boring that every American Airlines plane is pretty much identical to every other plane in the fleet as far as livery, but can they ever be mistaken for any other airline? Of course not! The majority of planes are those everyday liveries. For those of us doing our plane-spotting at smaller airports, we may never see one of those special liveries.
.....True there are airlines that have no set liveries, such as the favoured BI "jellybeans". Then there was Western Pacific that never really had a corporate livery for itself. They are certainly the exceptions rather than the rule with perhaps the only other exceptions being the post-merger/buy-out, etc. "hybrid" liveries (TWA & AA liveries merged).
.....Sure, the special liveries are fun. Some look great! Sure, some are pretty horrid and a few look like something out of a psychedelic nightmare. I'm cool to the BA tails. Give me Landor any day or even the flag. A number of the planes with pictures are done with dithering of the pictures (dots, like in newspaper pictures), which really ruins the detail. Some manufacturers do it better than others obviously.
.....Me? I'm traditional and like what is the ordinary. Perhaps boring, but that is what I so often see. My collection has the bulk of the models wearing the normal everyday liveries with a few special liveries.
.....How about you?
Dave

airParadigm.com

Good grief peoples are we so picky these days that if the thread isn't in the "right" forum we're not going to respond to it? Sheesh.

charles padolsky

The great thing about the ba world tails was the only difference in the livery was the tail. it gave the airline industry some pazzazz! It kept the fusilage consistent so you knew it was ba. For the collectors like myself it gave me reason to collect all the tails in the fleet and they were awesome. But of cause when something is good it is quickly discontinued. long live peter max and max air...these liveries keep us plane spotters on our toes!

__________________
Bball

L-1011-Heavy

Well I Own 2 World Tails, But Only Like 1. The Paithani.
A Livery Does More Than Accentuate A Corporate Identity.
A Good Livery Shows The Clean Lines Of An Aircraft.
Special Shemes Hide It & Compete With The Aircraft. It's Like Having An Egg With A Pound Of Salt. An Egg Tastes Good With A Few Grains Of Salt, But Add Too Much & Blegh!
Having Said That, Some Special Schemes Do Look Neat, Such as Alitalia Bulgari & Bacci. The Continental Peter Max Is Whacked, But I Like It.
However I Stopped Buying All Special Schemes In 2002. I Have A Dozen Or So & Already It's Far Too Many.
I Recently Parted Wth A JAAAAL 744 Res'ocha Super Resort Express.
Give Me Landor Any Day!

__________________

The Heavy Armada
"In The Absence Of Excellence, There Is Only Mediocrity."

charles padolsky

give me a pound of salt...bring back the world tails...these tails were real! they lit up the airport.

__________________
Bball

waiping

I like the BA world tails but dread collecting them because of financial issue. How many world tails had been released and how many not yet made? I just hate hunting for that missing piece that would complete the whole collection. I had a rather difficult time looking for 6 of the JAL Disney B747. I only collect the odd special scheme like Peter Max and Gulf-Air. Not really into plain livery from other airlines, though.

__________________
Air Asia - NOT everyone can fly

My collection at: Waiping's Collection

Gavin Miller

I'm with you Dave, but then, I'm an old fart.

I'm modelling a 1960s/70s airport before the days of "livery pollution". The days when airliners all had cheatlines, not goddam web addresses written right down the side of the plane (does anyone really remember those web addresses and bother typing them into their computers?).

All-over white liveries hadn't even been thought of then (except on Concorde) - airliners had white crowns and polished aluminium bellies separated by a colour with a dignified emblem proudly displayed on the fin. Simple really.

That's my 2c worth. Now, back to my BOAC Super VC-10 (oops, that had a grey belly) ...

Gavin

fazeman

I also prefer the corporate liveries from the '60s through the mid '80s.

It wasn't until this period that airline marketing departments gathered a full steam to create liveries that lent a unique identity to their country, region and type of operation. During those heady days, varying modifications had reached their apex and very little could surpass it beyond that point.

An example livery that struck common ground with me was Pan Am's experimental livery found on Clippers Fairwind and Crest of the Wave. For me, it was the apex between balancing their livery with the 747.

__________________
Steve

SDF

Great idea for a thread! I much prefer the normal livery. That said, my main focus is Delta Air Lines, so guess what I've been collecting? Three "normal" liveries, all being used at the same time. Wanting to have as many liveries as possible, I even have the (to me) bizarre 737 with the Powerpuff Girls. Egad! Can't wait for the missing Spirit of Delta schemes and the new Breast Cancer Awareness 757 and the 777 Habitat for Humanity. What was I saying about like the normal stuff?

SANNY-LAX

I like normal liveries, but I like special liveries as well and my favorite are Qantas Wunala, Nalanji, Yananyi, SQ Tropical, CO Petermax, MH Red Hibiscus, MH Blue Freedom but I don't like fantacy. I like old liveries and new one as well depending on the colors.

MS@SFO

You pose an interesting question, however it comes down to individual taste, some special schemes you may like others, well you may not. I don't think you can generalize, also not trying to get too philosophical especially for a Saturday night (where I am), but what defines a special livery. BA's world tails were their regular scheme (loosely put). QF Wunala (ver 1/2) was a special scheme so was Nalanji. Lord of the Rings etc.

Personally some schemes like American Airlines I like, they are strong clean and bold, I use to dislike the BA Red Tail but I like it now. But then I do like the BA world tails too, as they show diversity in their design, open mindedness and creativity.

Can we have it both ways?

Also and L-1011 heavy can comment on this more than me as I am sure he knows more about than I do, but your comparing designs from different periods in time and as new techniques are available the shape and form of a special scheme has changed too from just adding special text on the aircraft in the 70s' and 80' to painting the plane to now using full-blown colour stickers and cartoon designs, using technology developed by 3M and others.

We also see more special schemes as they are a good way to advertise and he cost to add and remove them comes down. e,g, EK World Cup, FAT Camary, so there is the commerical element too. Typically you no longer need to paint the whole aircraft.

To answer your question: Do you prefer the normal livery or special liveries on airliners? Answer both.

gospodin

I think the normal liveries are what attract most collectors. Many of us are in our 40s and 50s, and remember airliners that looked like airliners, not amusement park rides. The garish colors that many airlines paint their planes is kind of like an exhibitionist flashing..."Look at ME!". I like a few of the newer liveries, but give me a United Friend Ship or a Delta widget any day. The hockey stick that Eastern used is still a collector favorite, and really, nothing special. Braniff really was the innovator for big splashy colorful planes, but not my particular taste, although I have three. I guess I'd have to say I strongly favor classic liveries, but there are a few wilder paint jobs that have appeal. BTW, the Peter Max jobs were just plain wierd, you have to like his psychedelic style to appreciate that mess. Same with Calder. And those Qantas barf-ups.

__________________
Steve


When you wish upon a star, your dreams could come true. Except if it's a comet heading for Earth, then you and everybody else are pretty much hosed. Unless your wish was death by comet.

L-1011-Heavy

Well You Can Probably Comment On The 3M Graphics Better Than Me. All I Know It's A Cost Saving Measure, Just A Few Hours To Install As The Graphics Are Pre Made & Probably Dry Overnight.

You Have A Point On What Is Considered Special Scheme As Well. Take For Instance Alaska Themejets. I Really Like Them. Different From Thier Golden Nugget (My Fave) & 1980s Scheme. Can You Call It Thier Normal Livery Or Special Scheme? It Also Brings Back The Point Of Cost Effectiveness & Techniques. Those Liveries Were Actually PAINTED By Artisans, Apparently VERY Difficult & Took Weeks In The Shop, Losing Bundles Of Revenue. No Wonder Everyone Uses Graphics Nowadays. The BA Tails Were The Exception. Those Took Weeks In The Shop, Too & Used 50 Gallons Per Tail.
Millions In Revenue Were Lost Painting These, But That's British Airways.

Simple Logos Were More Common In The olfer Days. Easterns Yellow Bicentennial Logo Which I'm Not Fond Of. Delta's "Spirit Of '76" Widget, AWSOME! EL Al's Many Anniversary Logos On Their Heaven/Sea Livery, Official Olympics logos On Every National Airline That Country Has Hosted.
Generally I Call These Little Logos Livery Pollution.

But Today's Special Shemes Are Certainly Defined Differently. Crazy Graphics & Wild Colors. It'sThe Disney, Pocket Monster, Snoopy EtAl I Hate The Most.
Not Fond Of The Wunala/Nalanji Or SAA's Ndzidani Either, But I Love Singapore's Tropical Megatop. It's Difficult & Near Impossible To Set A Standard To What's Acceptable Or Not. It's Up To The Viewer.
But My Generalization Covers All Of These, Including the Little Logos That Some Are Very Annoying. They Disturb The Clean lines Of The Aircraft & Disrupt The livery, Most Of The Time.

__________________

The Heavy Armada
"In The Absence Of Excellence, There Is Only Mediocrity."

L-1011-Heavy

Love Your Definitions! Beats The Hell Out Of Livery Pollution! LMAO!
Good Taste Too . I Grew Up On Those Hockey Sticks & Widgets!Though I Liked Braniff Too.

__________________

The Heavy Armada
"In The Absence Of Excellence, There Is Only Mediocrity."

fazeman

When the time came for Delta to update their long standing widget scheme, I wished they had stayed with their interim livery. Very clean and well defined. The current livery is vague at best.

__________________
Steve

fazeman

Couldn't have said better. Kudos to American.

__________________
Steve

L-1011-Heavy

That's Why It's Called "Wavy Gravy" As Is Their Service These Days. And How About Identity Crisis? Deltaflot.
I'n Not All That Fond Od The 1996 Replacement Scheme, Either. The Widget Was 50 Years Ahead Of It's Time If You Ask Me & Still Looks Sharper Than Any Of Today's Liveries.

__________________

The Heavy Armada
"In The Absence Of Excellence, There Is Only Mediocrity."

fazeman

Speaking of amusement park rides, it was the genius of Eastern Airlines that won them the "Official Airline" designation of the new Disney World built in Orlando. They didn't put the Disney characters on their jets. Instead, they foot the bill for their "If You Had Wings" attraction. It paid for itself hand over fist. I also loved their hockey stick scheme until they went to a bare metal fuselage. I was in Richmond in 1980 waiting for a flight and looked out the window to see a gaggle of Eastern jets. Just butt ugly.

I enjoyed Braniff's corporate theme schemes. Their Jelly Bean "End of the Plain Plane" campaign, the two tone "Flying Colors" theme and their touch of class "Ultra" liveries got my attention. Mary Wells Lawrence was truly a marketing genius. As for Calder, he was commisioned by Mary's ad agency to apply his art to two of their aircraft. He even painted the hangar mechanic's tool boxes. Far out stuff.

Peter Max was better left to create the advertising art for Continental's brochures back in the late '60s. I agree that his artwork on today's Continentals is a bunch of crap.

__________________
Steve

fazeman

Although the four "story telling liveries" of Alaska Airlines were special or promotional in nature, they still shared the standard or corporate titles, gold cheatline and white fuselage. As we all know, they eventually standardized their corporate identity with the blue and green cheatlines of the state's colors and tweaked the Eskimo's stoic expression to a smile.

With regard to the cost of promotion, the airline industry is second to none when it comes to spending a dime when a nickel would serve.

__________________
Steve

psalover

I like the traditional liveries from the 80's. recently though, I have enjoyed the different liveries of Alaska, and Southwest Airlines.

fazeman

"Wavy Gravy". Never heard of that.

Talk about an airline that had an identity crisis; It was United Airlines during the '60s and early '70s. The title and some stars and bars just didn't git 'r done. Luckly, they came up with an advertising slogan that I never forgot: "fly the friendly skies of United."

Your gonna have to explain the Widget scheme being 50 years ahead of its time. That's a mighty tough one to swallow.

__________________
Steve

fazeman

Southwest graced ORF with the New Mexico livery awhile back. Totally cool.

__________________
Steve

gospodin