Model Airplanes

[Rovey Wade]

I remember a while back there was a thread going on model cars/airplanes and people had posted pictures of their collections.

So I know there are some hobbyists in here.

I decided I wanted to build a model airplane so I bought one. I don't have any experience and so my question is:

Can anyone give me some advice on painting?

As far as what I need, procedures, techniques...

[MR_MADHATTER]

If we are talking about plastic static models, I suggest you talk/listen to the experts. Besides all the info in the model magazines, you should go see the guys at Hobby Island on Richmond. They have and know just about everything.

Hobby Island
9430 Richmond Ave Ste E
Houston, TX 77063-3900
Phone: (713) 781-4790

There's a nasty rumor that they have closed. If they are, your second choice would be M&M's.

M&M Hobby Center
6703 Chimney Rock Rd.
Bellaire TX, 77401
Phone: (713) 661 - 7137
http://www.mmhobby.com/

P.S. What are you building?

[Rovey Wade]

Thanks for the info. The problem with that is that I'm actually in College Station, Tx now going to school.

What are you building?

It's a spitfire.

[MR_MADHATTER]

Gigg'em Aggies!! Although I'm actually a Longhorn fan...it's Texas so it's all good.


Paint your parts on the parts tree...it's easier. Then do the detailing once it's assembled. Use soap or floor wax on the parts and places you don't want paint. They actually make a special fluid for masking that you can paint on. It drys firm so you can trim it back with a razor and peel off after you are done. Depending on the model and scale you can sometimes find aftermarket kits with extra detail parts. After decals are affixed you should always use decal set over them. Makes all the difference. For more tips see...
http://www.modelaces.com/home.php

[Rovey Wade]

Ha. Gig Em' indeed.

Questions:
What is the parts tree?

What's the difference between enamel and acrylic paint?

Do I need to sand the pieces?

Is there clear coat involved?

[sopek_]

Congratulation on getting your airplane
I?m not much help? but I have always been told to get a mini airbrush and work with that.
Well I?m no artist So what I do is I get spray paint and well? that seems to do the job.

Now what I recommend is research your plane and look for a color scheme, and go from there. Also look for paint that can bond with what the plane is made of, which is key.

This is what I did with my raptors canopy

[MR_MADHATTER]

These are parts on a tree or sprue.


enamel and acrylic paints can both be used on models. Enamels are usually easier to work with. Acrylics are more often used on flying models. Enamels are oil based and acrylics are mineral based. You do not need to sand parts but you can sand off flash (extra plastic that seeped out when the part was molded) and after you assemble the parts you can use a filler to cover any gaps. the filler will likely need to be sanded. I found one of the best fillers was Liquid Paper correction fluid. You can add a clear coat if you want to achieve a deeper looking shine. But the less paint used the better. Most aircraft of WWII had rather flat dull finishes and lots of paint chipping. Weathering a model is an art unto itself. I like my models to look brand new...but that's just me.

Looks awesome Sopek! Reminds me of what I was doing today. I was applying stencils to a B-2 including the "Star and Bars". Same colors but reversed...light grey on dark.

[Murder Simulator]

As far as paint goes, I learned that enamel based is much harder to work with than acrylic paint.

Enamel paint smells horrible, it's hard to correct mistakes on your model because it requires paint thinner to clean,and it can't be washed off your hands unless you have turpentine.

Acrylic paint washes off with water. If you make a mistake, no problem. A small sponge or a wet cloth will rub out any over painted lines. As I got more experienced I switched to all acrylic paint.

Enamel paint can dry with your brush strokes still visible, making your model look like it has wrinkles. If this happens you have to remove the entire coat with thinner, and thinner isn't paint dissolver. It takes on the color properties of the paint you are trying to clean. What you wind up with, if you can even clean it all off your model, is a stain, a thin see through coat of the same color you just tried to remove.

White is a thin color. It requires multiple coats to make a solid white. Trying to paint a second coat while white paint is still wet will just leave obvious paint strokes. For this reason I always tried to prime a model with standard, bright regular white, let it dry, then repaint the surface with a duller coat of white. Gray, metallic, any off white color will do on top of a thin primer of bright white. The primer color will show through, making the second coat lighter, and you avoid the multiple coats and brush strokes of pure white.

Ideally, you want a separate set of brushes to use with white and black, as well as the three primary colors red, green, and blue. You don't want to use the same brushes because pigment can alter your jar of paint of you dip it into white, then black.

[sopek_]

OHH you are talking bout plastic model airplanes I was thinking radio control model airplanes. where detail counts