painting models before or after..

[Guest]

my airbus turned up and im about to start but id like to know how people apply their paints..i read on line that people paint all the parts first before they separate them from the plastic frame. has anyone done it like this? or do people build the model, then paint it..id be interested to know people work on theirs. thanks.

[papa 695]

Hi Cheryl i useualy build sub sections then paint ie cockpit because when you take the parts off the sprue you need to sand down where it joined so spoiling the paint if painted on the sprue. although some parts can be painted before taken off I think its just a matter of choise realy

[Guest]

i think a lot a people paint small items on the sprue and then touch up the area when the cut it off. i suppose it's personal preference.

As i usually do vehicles i tend to glue all the bits (large and small) together in sub-assemblies then paint the whole lot the base colour then pick out details after, this works for me.

Never built a passenger aircraft so i don't know what parts there are, i would imagine the the cockpit and passenger seating can be made up seperately and painted before encasing it in the main fuselage, this would help you to do any detailing on these bits beforehand.

As far as painting goes, I would brush paint the internal bits and then (when the planes put together) mask off windows etc then spray paint the exterior to achieve a nice gloss finish.

Like i say ... i dont do planes so there's someone out there (such as Ian ^above^)with a lot more knowledge and experience to give you hints and tips.

[Guest]

Only produce aircraft.

I always look at a section at a time as Ian. Cut those items from the sprue. Then easier, for me, to prepare them for priming & painting.

Difficult on the sprue as each part with a different colour would have to be screened or masked. That is unless you are hand brushing.

Also parts which have to be glued together, the fuselage for instance, have some filling of seams & then preparation which destroys paint & primer.

Some parts it is easier to paint in position as the finished article. Also airbrushing on the sprue will entail scraping paint from the glued edges.

This is my way of doing things. Bet there are 25 other ways !

Ian how did you know the name of one of the few ladies on this forum. This intrigues me.

Laurie

[stona]

Pretty much the same as Laurie and Ian. Painted surfaces simply don't glue together well. You can't make a proper join and you will make a mess!

Removing parts from the sprue (frame) is one of the most difficult parts of the whole process! I use a sharp pair of side cutters,though you can by special sprue cutters,to initially remove the part followed by a sharp No10 scalpel and sand paper.

Cheers

Steve

[papa 695]

No mystery Laurie Cheryls name is on her welcome to the forum thread

[Guest]

i do the same as papa,i also find it better that painting on the spur.

jeff.

[Guest]

thankyou for the advice guys. i started the model last night. i painted the really tiny parts. its amazing how detailed all this is... some really tiny parts need two colours, and it not like anyone will ever notice these small parts. the cockpit is three colours and its gonna be inside the plane.. so detailed. i love doing this so far, its so much fun.

[Guest]

thankyou for the advice guys. i started the model last night. i painted the really tiny parts. its amazing how detailed all this is... some really tiny parts need two colours, and it not like anyone will ever notice these small parts. the cockpit is three colours and its gonna be inside the plane.. so detailed. i love doing this so far, its so much fun.

Yes you are right Cheryl about the small parts. But I have found with all the detailing you realise how much goes into an aircraft. Most will not read the two colours but I do when I look & study models already made. It is also one of the enjoyable parts & they look great when finished. Like you have found it is nice sitting there carrying out all the detailed work in a new world of satisfaction.

I also have found the digging for information really interesting. There are also so many photos of not only exteriors but also the more difficult to find interiors.

One of my failures when I started was not to show my work on the forum. I left it until I thought it was of an acceptable standard. Now know that was not a good decision as I have found the support given to those who are new to model making on this forum second to none.

Laurie

[Guest]

hi laurie. thanks so much for the advice. i will take pics of my progress and upload some. yes the detail is amazing. ive watched alot of documentarys on how the real a380 airbus was built, its so interesting. what ive painted so far looks nice, the colours are nice and the paints go on nicley aswell. im kind of stuck a bit on a particular part that needs painting.. you know how you have the letter that points to the part that needs painting? well on this part there is the letter and a DOTTED line pointing towards the part.. and im not sure what the dotted line is about..it says to paint the part in N..but then there is a G pointing towards it aswell with a dotted line. so does the part get painted in N or G? N is one colour and G is two colours mixed. not sure if i make sense here. ive gott alot to learn here.

[Guest]

Difficult to answer that one Cheryl as do not know the make & they all have different instructions.

Usually they have instructions at the very front of the instruction booklet. Failing that can you take a picture & post it here of the part. Some one will have the know how.

Laurie

[Guest]

[ATTACH]51637.vB[/ATTACH]thanks laurie. ive uploaded a pic. dont know if its clear enough though. theres two letters. G and N with a line pointing..the line from the G is a dotted line. where as usually the line is black. maybe someone will see this and be able to tell me. thanks again laurie.

[ATTACH]54222.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

thanks laurie. ive uploaded a pic. dont know if its clear enough though. theres two letters. G and N with a line pointing..the line from the G is a dotted line. where as usually the line is black. maybe someone will see this and be able to tell me. thanks again laurie.

Cheryl that is an indication to show that the underside of that piece is in the colour indicated at the end of the chain line. IE A way of illustrating that the line is hidden as it goes under the piece.

The full line is the top of the piece as illustrated.

Laurie

[Guest]

laurie..thankyou sooo much! youve been a great help. :thumbs-up: will prob take me a year to build at this rate :lol