I was just wondering, do you guys build and paint the bulk of your plane and then gloss, decal, weather, flat coat etc. Or, do you finish the whole model first?
It depends on the type of plane. I’m working on a biplane now, so I’ve painted the major sub-assemblies, coated them with Future, and installed the decals. Now I’m doing some rigging. After that, I’ll do some more assembly, including putting the top wing on. Then I’ll do some more rigging. Then I’ll do final assembly. [:)]
I finished an F-4 Phantom not too long ago. For that one, I assembled the body, painted it, put a gloss coat on it, then did the decals. After that, I painted and attached the canopy, missiles, landing gear, etc.
Neither model gets a dull coat, but other models would after the decals are applied.
Regards,
You can get an idea of the way I do things here: http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/buildarticles.htm
I imagine that it’s an order that’s followed by most modelers.
Hope this helps !
I normally assemble most of the model, add primer, paint, gloss coat (either Future or clear gloss paint), decals, clear (either flat or gloss as appropriate) then landing gear, ordnance, etc. I usually attach the canopy prior to painting so that it get the same amount of color and type as the rest. This is especially important if a camouflage demarcation line goes throught the canopy area.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
I was thinking of this very thing the other day. It finally occurred to me that after so many years of modeling, each one of us falls into our own particular habit of how we build our models, regardless of the order the instructions give us. While the instructions are important for the details (such as where that actuator locator pin fits on the gear leg), for experienced modelers they provide only a general guide as to overall building. And as we get more experienced, we don’t even think about the order we build in. It just sort of falls into place out of habit, which is one definition of “experienced.”. Does this make sense to anyone out there?
And, as a sub-topic, the instructions on biplanes and just about any WW I subject can be more of a hindrance than a help, especially when it comes to painting, decaling and rigging. If you follow the instructions that come with the majority of WW I kits, it’s darn nigh impossible to do all those things after the model has been completed. So I’m betting most WW I modelers are like me, and do the finishing work before the top wing has been added, and in many cases before the struts go on and the landing gear and guns are installed.
TOM
Pix, your attention to detail is remarkable! You offer some of the finest examples of aircraft in this forum. Thank you for creating your web-page, can’t wait to see more.
I tend to follow the instructions as a general guide. Example: I always start with the cockpit. But for sub-assemblies that can be build in parallel, I build those in a different order.