How to Build Commercial Plastic Aircraft Models

Hobbies help people to relax and get away from daily routine. Building aircraft models from plastic kits, while challenging and demanding a lot of patience, promises a rewarding outcome. Moreover, the manufacturer's instructions can help a lot in building such a model. Study the instructions carefully. Observe each step and the necessary pieces, some of them small and fragile, and you'll soon have a completed aircraft in miniature.

Things You'll Need

• Aircraft plastic model kit
• Manufacturer's instructions
• Hobby knife
• Plastic cement
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Water
• Tweezers

Instructions

1. Cut the numbered pieces for Step 1 off their holder, called a sprue, with a hobby knife. If more than one piece has the same number, cut them all out at once. Take out only the pieces needed to perform one step at a time. Since the number is on the holder, once a piece is cut from the sprue it will be harder to identify.

2. Remove the excess plastic, known as flash, that remained on the pieces. You can do that using a needle file and sandpaper. Glue them together as shown in the instructions. Plastic cement is available in model shops, but any super glue works. Ask about canopy glue, which is fast-drying and clear, for windows.

3. Follow all the remaining instructions as shown in the drawings, adjusting pieces as needed. Before closing up any sections of the airplane, be sure the interior has been painted. Complete the assembly.

4. Paint the plane using modeling paint and a paint brush as suggested in the instructions.

5. Apply the decals, using a little bit of water. Moisten them and wait a few seconds until the decals slide easily from the backing paper. Using tweezers, remove them from the paper and apply them to your airplane.

Tips & Warnings

• • To apply glue, do not pour it directly onto a piece. Instead, pour some glue on a wooden board, dip a toothpick or a needle into it and apply the cement to the piece. That method avoids applying too much glue by accident. • If you are a beginner, start with easier models, even if they are not as interesting, to get used to the instruction types and steps. Also, the more-difficult models have smaller pieces that require some experience to handle them. • Use paint made especially for models, whether solvent- or water-based. Many colors and brushes can be found in modeling shops or online.

• • Use gloves while building models, since you may be applying a strong glue that attacks the skin and cutting with a quite-sharp hobby knife.

References

• Building Model Airplanes Tutorials
• Airplane Model Kit Building Techniques