How to Build a Plastic Model Airplane

Plastic model airplane building is a hobby that appeals to a wide variety of people and age groups. From the youngster building his or her holiday gift to the veteran re-creating a piece of history. Following the basic instructions is generally a good place to start, but there is a whole world of knowledge beyond the instructions. Here are some tips for creating a better-looking model:

Wash the parts first. The parts are made by injection molding, and are covered with a release agent to help un-stick them from the mold. This agent will prevent paint from sticking well to your model. Wash the parts in soap and water, then air dry. You can use a hair dryer to help.

Cockpit. Assemble and paint the cockpit next. The cockpit will be permanently enclosed within the fuselage halves, and will be nearly impossible to paint later.

Scale Model Aircraft Building an Overview and Details of the Hobby

When the Wright brothers realized their initial successful flight in the early 1900's, the entire world was altered. At last, it was proven that man could soar like the birds! That primary airplane wasn't perfect and the flight was not very long, but this was incredible! Ever since, millions of people have flown millions of miles around the globe.

Scale Model plane Making became a common hobby not long after the first real planes were built. Enthusiasts from all social classes, yound and old and income levels participated. Early scale model makers were fascinated with the Wright Bro's and had to be a part of it all.

In the beginning, there were no model plane model kits on the market and the complete model had to be made by hand. Though quite simple in design, these early models really had the ability to fly! As time when by, flying machine kits were developed for home hobbiest to assemble. The early kits were sparse and only included basic parts, but no power source. Most used twisted rubber strips and could only fly short amounts of time.

What Do I Need To Get Started Painting My Model Airplane?

Building model aircraft is a popular hobby, with many people making a range of different things, from scale models of historic airplanes to re-enacting battles with miniature figures. In order to add the finishing touches to these, then model builders use a number of methods, such as airbrushing or painting by hand to make them look more authentic.

The airbrush approach has become one of the best options for those creating scale model airplanes, due to the precision, type of finish and quality of finish that can be accomplished. One key tip from the modelling community online is that it's important to make models that appeal to you, because that way the interest will keep flowing. Similar tips come when it comes to your chosen method of adding the finishing touches.

The Art of Building Plastic Model Airplanes - Part 1 of 3

A very informative clip

Choose From a Large Selection of Model Plane Kits

There are a lot of different model plane kits that are available to choose from. Every one of them will have different features and be a different size. Some people prefer to have the smaller ones while other people like to put together the larger ones.

People of any age can be excited about getting new model plane kits. There will be different skill levels for each one. People will be able to choose one that is at the level that they are at.

Most people are not going to start out by picking something from a difficult level. If they have help from someone who is experienced, it will not be a problem but a lot of people like to do these kinds of things by themselves. They want it to be something that they can do as a hobby.

Model Aircraft Kit Making - Simple Weathering Guide

A guest post by Frank LeGrand

For this guide I have taken the model Spitfire that I built when I was compiling my Model Kit Making Guide, and spent some time weathering where necessary to aim to make it look a bit more real.

As when making a model from the start research is one of the first things to do. I checked out the web to find some pictures of the most common places to find wear & tear on Spitfires.

Painting Your Model Aircraft Kit - Hints and Tips

A guest post by Frank LeGrand

PAINTING YOUR MODEL

This is one area of model making that has to be 'spot on'. Any imperfections when painting really show up and can be difficult to fix.

Paint

There are 2 main types of paint you will use when painting model kits:

1. The first is acrylic paint. This is a water based paint meaning you must wash your brushes in water, not white spirit. You will often find acrylic paint in 'starter kits' as it is the easiest to paint with and can be cleaned off when wet with water and a paper towel if a mistake is made (although you have to be quick).
2. The second is the oil based enamel paint. This is the most common type you will find in model stores, and has the broadest range of colours so that you can 'colour match' you model for authenticity. It can also be mixed as required to produce a one-off colour for special parts or areas that need a colour you cannot get off the shelf.