Building From the Box Construction Tips For A Better Airliner Part One By Tim Bradley

With the approaching local and regional contests this Summer and Fall, it's time to look at some helpful building tips to help you make that perfect out of the box airline model.

I was asked to do this article on my Airfix DC-9 to show you don't need all the hanging flaps, open cargo/passenger doors and full cockpit interiors to be a trophy winner. This DC-9 is 99% "Out of the Box" (OOB) with just a few small details. To date it has taken three First Places, two Second Places and a "Best Civil Aircraft" at local and regional I.P.M.S. shows here in the Pacific Northwest.

PAINT: There's More Than Meets The Eye

Let's start off with the most important item when building. It's the paint job you'll probably say right away. No, you're wrong. There are two ingredients to a great paint job. First, there is surface prep work. That's all the work you do UNDER the paint job. However, this is the most overlooked part of any model. The modeler is in such a rush to get the paint on, that a good portion of the putty and seam work is never finished well. My favorite trick to finding these pesky little flaws is to use my work light. Hold your model close to your work light at 90 degrees to the seam line. As you rotate the model to and from the seam toward the light, you will see highlights - bumps and shadows - dips or cracks. If the light is always in the direction of your sight, meaning over your shoulder, you will never see the flaws. Taking the model outside in direct sunlight also works. Light is the best sanding tool a modeler has.

Let's talk putty. I personally haven't used the standard Squadron Putty for years. This kind of putty will always shrink. What I have been using with great success is the CA glues, like ZAP for any seam lines, sink marks and to fill in recessed panel lines, like the doors. Puttying with CA is easy and very quick. Place a small amount of CA on the seam, making sure to completely cover it. Now drip, (not spray) on some CA kicker to harden it. The trick here is to sand right after you do this, because it's not as hard as it will become later. For larger holes like open windows, I use Apoxie Sculpt, a two part epoxy putty that has 0% shrinkage. After you think you have them all taken care of the flaws, shoot on a gray primer coat of paint. Now, don't think you're ready for paint, it's time to re-check all of the seams by the light again . This may take two or three times to fill EVERY pin hole. This step is what makes a winner from a "non-placer".

Is it time to paint yet, huh, huh? Well, almost. Let's look at a few items first. A little fore thought is needed when building an airliner. I almost always build in sub-assemblies. I want the easiest and quickest way to get where I am going. First, leave off the wing, stabs, gear and engines when you can. I had a nice comment from Ahmed R. Orgunwall of Flying Colors Decals. When talking about my 1/200 Alaska 727 model, he said, "…it looks like the same amount of attention to detail was given to each part of the model and that makes a big difference". Build each one of these parts as a sub-assembly to be installed during final construction. When you do this, you basically are building a completed model of each piece.

After the last primer coat has been checked and sanded with 600 grit wet/dry sand paper, the body is lightly wiped down with Polly S Plastic Prep which removes any finger grease. I also scrubbed any nooks and crannies with a tooth brush dipped in the Plastic Prep to remove any sanding dust residue.

Now we are ready for the second most important step in painting, the paint. You will have a favorite type of paint, Acrylics, lacquers or enamels. The type of paint is not important, but use one golden rule: stay with the same type of paint from start to finish. I even stay with only one brand of paint. Whether you're air bushing or using a spray can, the first coat is the same. Start by dusting the first coat on. This will look very dry and gritty. Don't apply any more paint until this sets for about fifteen minutes. This first dry coat will make the paint adhere to itself. If you don't use a primer and shoot directly onto the model, paint will bunch up along the sides of the recessed panel lines and not cover evenly. Your next coat will be closer and wetter, filling the grainy look of the first coat. You should have a very smooth and shinny coat of paint now. If you still have little bumps or "Orange Peel" you have to do one more coat. If you're airbrushing, this next step is easy. Before you clean the airbrush, add about 50% more thinner to the mix. Now lightly spray a light wet coat of this thin paint on. This will wet out the last coat to look like glass. Now, if you're using the spray can, you will have to shoot a closer and wetter coat, being very, very careful not to run the paint. I will use either type of sprayer depending on the part. If the body has a lot of surface detail you want to keep, I will use the airbrush to keep the paint to a minimum. This DC-9 body was smooth with no panels, so, I used the quicker Tamiya Colors, Pure White in a spray can.

Next month we'll look at decaling and the final assembly of the DC-9.