After reading posts on here for a couple of days, I have to admit that I am confused about several things. Naturally with so many different techniques, tools, paints, etc, it is obvious that there are an overwhelming number of approaches to building a model. I just started a couple of weeks ago, and am having great fun making tons of mistakes and messing up a couple of models.
So I would like to ask just really basic questions just to get a place to start:
1. Should I apply some type of sealing/protecting coat to my finished model?
Does this depend on the type of paint used...acrylic or enamel? Some posts indicate this might obscure details.
2. Would it suffice to rub down a plastic assembly with a Qtip and alchohol to clean it before painting?
3. If using tenex 7R or liquid weld to glue halves together, do you hold the parts together first, then apply the weld to the seam, like in joining fuselage halves or wing halves? If you can't get to the seam from the inside, I can't think of how else to do it. It seems like doing this the weld would muck up the plastic near the seam.
4. I'm not sure I am understanding how to get those enhanced raised panel lines and so forth inside the cockpit. I see it here on lots of builds, but don't understand how to achieve the effect. What I have read about it is confusing... apply a gloss coat to the interior, then apply a dark coat to the lines, then light coat of paint..etc. What is the easiest way to achieve the effect?
4. This is the most concerning for me. You gotta paint that plane, and there are lots of parts that need painted before assembly, and lots of parts that go on the outside after the plane is painted. Tiny little parts that have next to no glue area. How in the world do you remove paint from the plane and the part for such tiny things so you can glue them on, or in, or over? Example: two wings halves with a slot for a machine gun. The wing and machine gun are different colors, so both have to be painted before the machine gun is inserted in the little hole in the wing. How do you get the paint off such a tiny area to glue the machine gun in, and not remove too much paint?
5. Is it critical to use a primer on everything on the outside before the color coat? I think I understand you don't need a primer in the cockpit area. Like the protective coat I asked about earlier, does this also depend on the type of paint used?
I apologize because I'm sure these basics are covered all over the place..but for just trying to get something built, someone please just tell me what to do step by step here. I wish there was a beginner tutorial build that assumes you know next to nothing.
Thanks for any help!
So I would like to ask just really basic questions just to get a place to start:
1. Should I apply some type of sealing/protecting coat to my finished model?
Does this depend on the type of paint used...acrylic or enamel? Some posts indicate this might obscure details.
2. Would it suffice to rub down a plastic assembly with a Qtip and alchohol to clean it before painting?
3. If using tenex 7R or liquid weld to glue halves together, do you hold the parts together first, then apply the weld to the seam, like in joining fuselage halves or wing halves? If you can't get to the seam from the inside, I can't think of how else to do it. It seems like doing this the weld would muck up the plastic near the seam.
4. I'm not sure I am understanding how to get those enhanced raised panel lines and so forth inside the cockpit. I see it here on lots of builds, but don't understand how to achieve the effect. What I have read about it is confusing... apply a gloss coat to the interior, then apply a dark coat to the lines, then light coat of paint..etc. What is the easiest way to achieve the effect?
4. This is the most concerning for me. You gotta paint that plane, and there are lots of parts that need painted before assembly, and lots of parts that go on the outside after the plane is painted. Tiny little parts that have next to no glue area. How in the world do you remove paint from the plane and the part for such tiny things so you can glue them on, or in, or over? Example: two wings halves with a slot for a machine gun. The wing and machine gun are different colors, so both have to be painted before the machine gun is inserted in the little hole in the wing. How do you get the paint off such a tiny area to glue the machine gun in, and not remove too much paint?
5. Is it critical to use a primer on everything on the outside before the color coat? I think I understand you don't need a primer in the cockpit area. Like the protective coat I asked about earlier, does this also depend on the type of paint used?
I apologize because I'm sure these basics are covered all over the place..but for just trying to get something built, someone please just tell me what to do step by step here. I wish there was a beginner tutorial build that assumes you know next to nothing.
Thanks for any help!