RAF Tornado 1/72 - First attempt in 30+ years - disaster looming

[Guest]

Keep at it Mick, it doesn't matter how fast or how slow, you have no deadline, just enjoy it.

[Guest]

Lots of good advice above which I won't repeat, but as a fellow late returnee I can empathise with the 'everything's got smaller' feeling. That's partly just the effect of age, but also because kits have got better and more detailed and therefore the parts are smaller. I entirely agree that you should be able to compare your second kit to your first and feel encouraged - that was certainly the case for me. Keep up the good work and enjoy yourself!

[yak face]

Sounds like youre getting into it mick , as for the eyesight issue , I cant work without my cheap reading glasses ( + 1 magnification , poundland) and my Clarke magnifying lamp ( machine mart , about £18) If i didnt use them I dread to think what my builds would look like!!! keep at it and dont be shy asking anything else you need to know , cheers tony

[Guest]

Thanks for all the encouraging words,much appreciated.

I didn't get much done but I did enjoy it.

It's going to be very slow progress as I'm very busy with work but it's definitely something I'm going to be sticking with.

I've been picking up a few cheap kits to practice on,so that when I make a total pigs ear of it, I'm not out of pocket too much.

I've spent a LOT of time trawling through the threads on here and after the tip on searching youtube I'm picking up a lot of useful info,so maybe it will resemble a plane when I'm finished

Thanks again, Mick

[Alan 45]

Good on ya mike for sticking with it once painted you'll think wow that looks good believe me when you complete your first kit you will get the bug and before too long you'll be adding detail like weathering and rust

[Guest]

I have found that the easiest way for me is to complete in sections not to follow the instructions in the order they are set down.

On the Merlin for instance I cut all the pieces form the sprue for the whole cockpit. On the instructions they jogged between the cockpit and the hold. This enables many items to be airbrushed in one session with the same colour.

So I end up with all the interior parts cut form the sprue. Box with cockpit box with hold and a box for the tail door.

I also go through the instructions,using coloured highlighters, highlight each colour through out the instructions. So I can delve into the above boxes to have a session for each colour.

Also after cutting a piece from the sprue I tick it saves a lot of hassle.

Boxes. Pound shop the sealing plastic type. For £3 you end up with 12 boxes of different sizes.

That is my look on things. But then I have to have things organised to enjoy building. Saves a lot of moving items 10 times to find the item you want.

Laurie

[eddiesolo]

Good for you in sticking with it. Aircraft and me tend to disagree, if it comes out a mess, keep it as a reminder of not what to do, or make it into a crashed version-this is something else that can be fun.

Just do as much as you want, when you want, and enjoy it. Makes no odds to us if it is a glue bomb or you used a roller to apply paint...we all have been there. Nobody will pull your efforts down...and that's a fact!

Si

[Guest]

Well, I had another stab at it yesterday but had to put a stop as I didn't realise that I would have to drill some holes and didn't have anything small enough. Also didn't realise how many different colours I would need, I only have 4 colours at the moment so it's going to look a bit bland to say the least.

The bit I was struggling with was the decals in the cockpit,man alive they were tricky.i just couldn't get them to stick, is there a secret for sticking them down?

Anyway I'm still enjoying it and hopefully I can pick up some some supplies at the weekend as there is a model show in Bolton which is fairly local so looking forward to that.

Cheers, mick

[AlanG]

Keep at it Mick. I've only ever heard good things about this kit. I've got two of the Revell kits to build in 1/32

[Alan 45]

Well, I had another stab at it yesterday but had to put a stop as I didn't realise that I would have to drill some holes and didn't have anything small enough. Also didn't realise how many different colours I would need, I only have 4 colours at the moment so it's going to look a bit bland to say the least.The bit I was struggling with was the decals in the cockpit,man alive they were tricky.i just couldn't get them to stick, is there a secret for sticking them down?

Anyway I'm still enjoying it and hopefully I can pick up some some supplies at the weekend as there is a model show in Bolton which is fairly local so looking forward to that.

Cheers, mick

There is solutions you can by that help them stick better but what I do is after I've got them in position I get a piece of kitchen towel and press down lightly on them this forces the water from underneath the decal and helps them grab the surface , if you have a problem getting them into position due to too much water on the decal just get a piece of kitchen towel and use a corner of it to soak most of it up then you should be able to adjust it more easily

[Guest]

Yep, what Alan said. I've found the only thing I can successfully use to move decals around once they're in place is a fairly small clean paintbrush. Even then it can be fiddly.

The next level of complicated with decals is all about decal setting and softening solutions, which can really help ensure that the decals look 'painted on' in the proper scale rather than just stickers on a model... so much to get into, and fortunately so much time so no hurry!

My first model was also made with only 4 colours, and while it did look a bit bland (and purists would have totally freaked at the brown prop on my Spit IIb!) ultimately I didn't care and was pleased as punch when it was all done. I found that doing multiple layers of quite thin paint (I use acrylics, so I just added about 30-40% tap water) gives a less textured finish (no brush lines) and also gives a bit of character & slight unevenness to the final coverage that so far for me has worked quite well.

For drilling tiny holes, many people use a creature called a "pin vice" (link) with micro drill bits (link). I got one over Xmas but haven't had to use it yet. May have to start drilling holes randomly just for fun.

Oh the other thing I got myself for Xmas which I have already used quite a lot is a set of needle files - they've def been worth the outlay. This is the set I got - under a tenner. Trouble is all these things add up pretty quickly! I managed the first five models without them, so not urgent; sandpaper was fine. Local model shop bloke was really helpful about telling me what grades of sandpaper I should get and they had single sheets so that was dead cheap.

I think I must be avoiding work - this post was only supposed to be a sentence long...!

Have fun...

[Guest]

Mick on your decals.

Best not to drown them. With decal facing upwards place on a plate with the minimum amount of water just to seep into the underside of the decal carrier. Most decals only need the backing to get wet and this will seep through to loosen the decal adhesive.

If put the decal with carrier next to the final position. Brush a little water on the final position then slide the decal of into position. Found this works well as there is very little water.

If you drown the decal there is a risk of losing the adhesion before transferring the decal to the model.

If the decal dries and does not allow moving gently with a brush dampen until it release. Use the brush to move into position.

Laurie

[Guest]

Thanks once again for the words of encouragement

Had a couple of nights on the kit and I seem to be getting used to the fiddly bits. It seems to be going together ok but I've ended up with a couple of large gaps behind the canopy



The 'cowl' (not sure of proper term) is a snug fit everywhere else but on top

Being a decorator I've filled it with some easy fill that I had in the van,don't shout it was all that I had.



Took it in the garage and gave it a quick blast of primer.



I'm putting it together slightly different from the instructions but I want to paint it before I start putting all the fiddly bits on

Hopefully I'll have a bit of spare time over the weekend to give it a lick of paint and completely ruin it

Cheers,Mick

[stona]

I'm putting it together slightly different from the instructions but I want to paint it before I start putting all the fiddly bits on

Hopefully I'll have a bit of spare time over the weekend to give it a lick of paint and completely ruin it

Cheers,Mick

I'd say that looks pretty good Mick. It certainly appears well built. You might find that the primer coat reveals a few problems in construction, it's good for that. I always take a really close look at the primed model and fix anything nasty at this stage. It's MUCH more difficult to do later.

As for those fiddly bits I do the same thing. Most aircraft modellers do, they tend to get broken off and/or lost in the latter stages of a build. I try to treat them the same way as the rest of the model (priming, painting, varnishing etc) until they are attached to avoid them looking 'stuck on'.

You'll see my current Hobbyboss Spitfire is painted and decalled but isn't sporting any antenna, pitot, cannons or even undercarriage yet.

Cheers

Steve

[yak face]

That looks fine Mick , as Steve says a coat of primer is great for highlighting anything that needs sorting before the paint goes on. The joint on the top of the intakes is meant to be a step but dont worry , its good practise! Youre doing a great job , i hope youre enjoying it , looking forward to seeing some paint go on , cheers tony