How to Paint Plastic Airplanes With Acrylic
Model airplanes can be made from a wide array of materials like wood, fiberglass, foam or plastic. If you have chosen to construct your plane from plastic, the best option is to use acrylic paint when it comes time for you to finish it. Painting a plastic plane is similar to other materials and using acrylic paint is easy to do. You can add whatever decals or detailing you want once the acrylic has been applied.
Things You'll Need
- 220-grit sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Acrylic primer spray
- 600-grit sandpaper
- Acrylic spray paint
- Acrylic gloss spray
Instructions
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Sand the plane lightly with 220-grit sandpaper to scuff the entire surface and wipe down the plane with a tack cloth. This will provide a good surface with which the primer and paint can bond.
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Apply the primer over the sanded plane in an even, uniform coat and let it dry completely. Set the plane some place safe while it is drying.
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3
Sand the primed plane with a wet piece of 600-grit sand paper. Wipe down the sanded plane with the cloth and leave it to dry again.
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Plan to paint the plane with the acrylic spray paint using long, even strokes. It is better to apply many thinner layers rather than fewer heavy layers to achieve the correct color.
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Paint the wings first then the tail or fuselage area. Then you can move on to paint the bottom of the plane and finish with the top section. Leave the paint to dry.
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Apply a clear acrylic gloss over the dry paint and let it dry. The gloss will provide a finish to the plane and protect any decals if you want to apply them.
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Tips & Warnings
You can use foam brushes for applying paint and primer if you are uncomfortable with using spray paints.
Do not point the spray paint directly at yourself, or you could easily get it into your eyes by accident.
References
- Photo Credit Model Airplane image by Sydney van Rensburg from Fotolia.com
