Let's get started

Hello good peps, 
Let's carry on our preparations to build our model. 
We know the tools we need, we are aware of how to read the manual and we know that we need to do a good research to achieve our goal of a perfect model.
The first step to do so might sound crazy to you but I can assure that works. On opening your box, you are gone find the plastic sprues were the parts are attached. Those sprues are injected into moulds, and for them to come out easily from the moulds, they need to be sprayed with some kind of release agent. This agent has a lot of greases that doesn't let the plastic get stuck in the mould. So basically what is going to happen is that even though the sprues go through some type of washing to remove the release agent, is more than certain that some of it will still be stuck into it. So here we go, we need a bowl with warm water and dishwasher detergent. Dip the sprues into it, scrub it with a toothbrush and once finished let it dry thoroughly. 
With the sprues dry, it's time to get the tools out to start separating the parts from the sprues.

On this stage, you will need the knife, the cutter, file and sandpaper.

First in line is the cutter,  and the right way to do this is to cut a little bit into the sprue, as in the picture. This will allow you to have some extra plastic on the part, then using the knife or a file, remove the rest of the plastic.


This process will allow you to have more control so that you don't end with some plastic missing from the part that you are preparing. If you cut to close to the part instead of leaving some sprue on you can end up with a "hole" that later you will have to used loads of filler to fill it.


And this is it if you did everything as you should you will end up with a very smooth part that doesn't need any more work done to it.
This comes to prove you that the preparation of the parts is very important to achieve a great result with minimum effort.
Hope you guys are finding this useful.
See you all soon.

The Research

Hi all. 
Here I'm again to give you some more tip's. Today we gone stress the importance of a good research in order to obtain the best result possible.
Has I have mentioned in the last post about the manual, we should never take for granted the inflammations that are provided by the manufactures. Like everything in life, they are bound to fail as well, and this is where the research pays off. 
The first step for this is to decide which version of the model you want to build, has an example, on the warplanes, you can check the version you want to build, the pilot, the theatre that it was operated and the time frame that was used. At this moment you might be thinking, why on earth do I need all of this?
The explanation is extensive but of easy comprehension. The version will give you the paint scheme information, the country that operated for, the kind of armament that usually would carry and the type of markings that were used for that version.
The pilot will provide you with additional information, like personal markings of the pilot.
The war theatre that the plane operated, will give you further information on the camouflage and type of weathering that you will need to do, for example, the same model of plane that operated in Europe, will have a different camouflage if operating in the north of Africa. Following this line, the weathering will be different as well. The year that you want to do is also very important and sometimes (not very often) the markings could change. 
With all of this you have a lot of information already that will allow you to build a very good model, but if you want to be even more thorough, you can go online and research the blueprints for the plane that you want to build. 
On the following website, you can find the blueprints for the Spitfire.
http://www.modelairplanenews.com/william-wylam-march-9-1915-june-4-2015/
On this, you can see the lines of the rivets, air intakes and many other things that you can check your model.


Another situation were researching is very important is were you try to build a model that doesn't exist on the market, for example, if you want to build the Merlin EH- 101 from the Portuguese Navy, you will not be gone find an exact model for the Portuguese version, and with a bit of research, yo will find that you need to cover one window, add the winch on for the SAR(Search and Rescue) version, you will need as well to add a search light on the right side, a radar on the helicopter belly, and this are just a few. With this, I want to prove the point that every country has their own specification.You can think to yourself that grabbing a box of one Merlin EH-101, find some decals and that is it. Well, at least this what a modeller that doesn't do his research will think. In our case this will not happen, as we have done our homework, and, we are aware of all these little additions that need to be done.
Another source of research and inspiration are the books, sometimes they are brought to us on the first person, one pilot or one maintenance engineer that worked with the aeroplanes and knows them like the back of their hands. They are the best persons to give us accurate information about our project.

I think that by now we all understand the importance of a good research. Usually, I follow the principle that, if you are on the Hobie just to glue plastic, then this research thing is a waste of time. If like me you want to achieve the closest possible with the reality then you need to do all of this research. I know that it is boring but is a fundamental part of the process.
Hope you all like this piece.
Thanks.

Instruction Manual

Hi Guys

Here I’m again with another entry for the modelling essentials. This time I will be in depth through the instructions manual.
This is a vital part of your new model kit, as this will provide you, the sequence of building to your model. We do have various types of manuals, some in black and white, others in colour. They can have also different ways to present you the drawings, some might present them in 2D others in 3D. No matter what, the final target is to lead you through the construction on the most logical order that the manufacturer thinks you will achieve the best results.

The second function of your manual is to provide you with the paint scheme, this is often found on the last page of the manual, or if the new starter set’s from Airfix you will find it on the back of the box. Once again this can be in colour, you will find that the colour ones are easy to understand but with time and practice, you will understand the B&W ones as easy to follow as the others. Beware that some parts, like cockpit or landing gear bays, need to be painted on the assembly stage, the manual will indicate you the numbers of the reference that you need in order to paint the part. As we are in the paint subject, some manufacturers can provide you with their own brand references, while others will give you an array of other brands as option, if you only have the manufacturers own brand, you can try to find some equivalences for them, for that you have an APP named Hobby Colour Converter, that have a vast collection of brands and their equivalences, making your job easier. Last thing on this subject refers to the accuracy of the guide, sometimes the colours shown are not the most correct so as anything else a great dose of research is advised. The Internet is a great place to find them.
Last but not the least, you will find the reference as well for you decals, this usually is together with the paint scheme and easy to follow, you decal sheet is numbered, and you just have to follow the order and be careful to not mess them around. Further ahead on this blog we will approach the decal.

On the middle of all of this, you will find symbols like question marks, a knife, a drill etc. This is to tell you that you have an extra option on that step, you can find this symbols on the second page of the manual usually,

In conclusion,
The manual is one of the most important parts of the kit, remember to follow through it, but, always with a little bit of reserve. If you find a way that works better for you, stick to it, the main purpose of this hobby is to have fun and not stress.
Most important of all and a gold rule, study you assembly instructions and plan your construction.
Hope you guys find this useful.
See you all next time.

The almost perfect building.

December 23, 2017

You know those later builds that are going so well, that you think, this is gonna be my best build?

Right at the moment, I have one of those on my bench, the Gruman F4-F from Airfix, this is being a treat, had some issues with the cockpit but apart from that, all going well. Paint worked as a treat. Decals even after I have placed in the bin(yes I have bined the decals) went really well on the aeroplane, weathering very light and looking a treat. But, as always, disaster strikes again. I have opted for the folded wings option. Started glueing the first one and all was good. Applied the glue on the triangle on the plane, placed the wing and have held it with a clamp, so far so good. Left it for a day drying and on the next day went for glueing the second one. Same procedure as above but when I removed the clamp nasty surprise arrises, the glue runner under the clamp leaving a nasty mark on the paintwork.

So, now is back to the sanding and painting. 

Will try with a 3000 grit sandpaper and paint on top again, but not sure if it will go down well. 

Stay tuned to further developments. 

Thanks