Specialists in gluing aircraft models. Tips for a beginner modeler - Guide: How to assemble good models
Gluing various models is a type of collecting. What distinguishes him from the rest is the pleasure he receives more from creating the model itself than from the fact of purchasing it. A person who has at least once tried to glue a model of an airplane with his own hands will no longer be able to refuse it.
People have long dreamed of conquering the heavens. The idea of creating a perfect aircraft occupied the minds of many eminent scientists and philosophers. To this day, aircraft designers are improving technology and honing their skills every year.
But what should mere mortals do, for whom piloting an airplane is just a pipe dream? The answer is simple - design. Moreover, today this does not require much effort. You just need to visit our online store that sells aircraft models or, without leaving home, order your favorite model for gluing or assembling an airplane in the online store.
In both options, you will receive a wide selection of models of different scale, type, and complexity of assembly.
In addition, you can purchase ready-made radio-controlled models.
Today, in the age of the Internet, people involved in aircraft modeling can communicate with each other on forums, share drawings and literature, and organize competitions.
For many of them, modeling became the embodiment of a childhood dream of heaven. And for some, it’s just a pleasant way to spend leisure time.
Collecting, as well as the collection of aircraft models, occupies a special place among the many various types hobby. Assembling a model from ready-made plastic parts, you should be as careful, precise, patient and assiduous as possible. You should also have an idea of the history of the equipment that you began to collect.
To collect beautiful model airplane, the instructions included in the kit you purchased are not enough. In order to ensure that after assembly your model turns out without glue drips, its surface is smooth, with well-applied paint, you should study the basic rules of high-quality assembly. These basic rules will be discussed in today’s article.
So, let's move on to collecting plastic model aircraft, but to do this you should purchase the set you are interested in. If you have not yet decided on your future choice, you can familiarize yourself with the large assortment of our store, as well as buy the one you liked. In our store you will find a variety of kits for assembling both military equipment of various periods and civilian ones.
Before you begin assembling the model, you should prepare necessary set tools, such as: a modeling knife, glue - modeling and PVA, special modeling tape or tape, tweezers, sandpaper, brushes or an airbrush, as well as primer, putty and paints.
Then you should remove the entire contents of the set and check that all parts are present and that they are not damaged or deformed. If, after checking, all parts are in place and not damaged, proceed to the next step.
Next you should prepare workplace- it should be a large, spacious table, which is covered with a special model rug. The room where the aircraft will be assembled must be well lit and the light must be bright. If you have an airbrush and paint assembled structure will be produced by him, the room must be equipped with good ventilation.
An important factor is how the model will ultimately look. To do this, it is worth finding images of a real prototype of the selected model in historical literature or on the Internet.
Main assembly steps:
1. First of all, we select the sprues to which the main body parts are attached - these are the fuselage and wings. Carefully, using a modeling knife, cut off the parts and process the attachment points to the sprues sandpaper.
Separate the parts from the sprues sequentially, so as not to confuse their identity and place in the model in the future.
2. Next, we put the halves of the body together and secure it with modeling tape or tape. We also attach all the main parts to the structure using modeling tape or tape. Having made sure that all the parts fit together and clearly occupy their niches, we can begin gluing the aircraft together.
3. Before you start gluing the fuselage parts together, you should assemble and paint the cockpit. After the cabin has completely dried, we place it between the fuselage halves and begin gluing the halves together.
4. Now let's go directly to gluing models. Aircraft parts should be glued one at a time. Glue each subsequent part only after the previous one has dried. Try to apply the glue carefully, without leaving drips.
5. After gluing all the parts and the glue has completely dried, we perform grinding airplane models. This is done using sandpaper. This procedure is necessary to give a smooth surface to the structure.
6. Next we apply putty, to avoid all kinds of cracks, dents and other things at the joints between the wings and the body. Carefully apply the putty to the desired areas, and remove the remaining excess with a wet rag.
7. After the putty has completely dried, we sand the aircraft body again with sandpaper.
8. Having achieved smooth surface our building, let's move on to his priming. But before you do this, you need to degrease the body, for this you should use a special degreaser or alcohol. We also cover with modeling tape areas that should not be touched by the primer, such as the cockpit window and lights.
This procedure is necessary to identify imperfections on the surface of the aircraft model before painting it, and also to ensure that the paint lays down in an even layer and does not chip when drying.
The primer should be applied with smooth, quick movements along or across the model. The can of primer should be kept 30 - 50 cm from the surface of the aircraft. Since soil is a toxic substance, the procedure should be performed with a respirator and gloves.
First we prime the upper part of the body and leave it to dry for 30 - 40 minutes. After drying, prime the lower part, and now the model should dry for two days.
9. After the primer has completely dried, the aircraft body must be carefully sand. We perform this action until the surface becomes smooth.
10. Before painting, carefully blow off the model so that no dust particles or hairs remain on it. Only after this procedure should you begin painting the assembled model of the aircraft. Small parts should be painted without removing them from the sprue
Assembly is just part of the fun of working on a model. The final stage of such an interesting process is painting, applying decals and varnish to assembled model. And after completing all stages of assembly, painting and applying the final touches, the aircraft model you have assembled will take its rightful place in your home collection.
, "Star" and a number of others no less famous companies. The basis of our assortment consists of more than 700 models of Russian and foreign aircraft. In addition to prefabricated models of aircraft from the Second World War, you will find examples of modern technology. First of all, these are samples civil aviation And spacecraft(lunar cars and rockets).
What sets do we offer you? Most prefabricated civilian and military aviation made on a scale of 1:72 or 1:48, less frequently, but still there are examples of 1:32 and 1:144. Many of them are made according to original drawings and are highly detailed. Building an exact copy of a real passenger or military aircraft will be especially interesting for professionals. After all, such a ready-made Il, An or Boeing will take its rightful place in the collection.
What aircraft assembly model can you purchase from us?
Samples of both Russian and foreign aircraft are available for sale. Among them:
- Su aircraft. Represented in the catalog as multi-role fighters. Among them are Su-35 and Su-37.
- Airplanes Il. Among them is the famous Soviet attack aircraft. This is the Il-2, which took part in the battles of 1941.
- MiG aircraft. They are among the most advanced fighter-bombers in the world. From us you can purchase prefabricated MiG models in modifications 21BiS, 29S and a number of others.
- Tu aircraft. Presented for sale are models of passenger airliners. These include Tu-134 A/B-3 and Tu-154M, made on a scale of 1:144.
- Boeing airplanes. Famous passenger airliners produced in the USA. You can purchase from us prefabricated Boeing model from episodes 767 and 778. They are available in both standard and gift versions. The latter contains everything you need for assembly: glue, paint and a brush.
Glue for models
There are quite a lot of models available in model stores. a large assortment glue for models from different manufacturers and for different types works At first it is quite difficult for a beginner to understand this diversity. I hope this article, based on personal experience, will be useful for beginning modeling enthusiasts.
As a rule, everyone first buys glue for “Star” models. This glue has two advantages: it is available in all model stores and costs a penny. This is where the advantages end and after a very short time the glue from the bottle ends up spilled into best case scenario on the table, in the worst case - on the carpet, because... The shape of the bottle is designed just for this. In general, try it - you won't like it. :)
Tamiya cement extra thin model glue with lemon scent
This glue for models is our everything! Excellent for gluing PS plastic from which models are made, it leaves virtually no marks on the surface of the model. The lid is equipped with a brush, which is convenient for applying glue to the surfaces to be glued. The bottle is very stable, you won't accidentally turn it over.
Glue can be applied to the joints of parts before gluing, or you can first join the parts and then simply carefully apply a small amount of glue to the joint. Due to its good fluidity, the glue itself will spread over the joint and reliably wet the surfaces to be glued. In general, they are a pleasure to work with!
Tamiya has two types of this glue, lemon scented (in fact, it smells more like orange) and traditional (green label). I chose glue with a fragrance (it’s a little more expensive) so as not to cause unpleasant sensations to my household.
As practice shows, this amount of glue will last for a very long time, the consumption is minimal. The glue is very economical.
Adhesive for Tamiya cement models with lemon scent
It has a thicker consistency and the brush is thicker. The rest of the characteristics are the same quality glue.
I use it in cases where I need to practically “weld” one part to another. Although, liquid glue copes with this task just as well.
I read somewhere on the forums that this glue can be diluted and you can get exactly the same liquid glue as Tamiya Extra Thin, but I forgot what. In the same way, there is an analogue of glue without fragrance.
Cyanoacrylic glue
Cyanoacrylic glue Super Moment. 3 gr.
Sold in any supermarket in packaging of 3 grams and under different brands. Used when you need to glue parts made of tin, photo-etching or any other materials other than model plastic. For example, all the tin parts were glued together with this glue. In online model stores you can find specialized glue for models based on cyanoacrylate. In fact, this is the same glue from the supermarket, only several times more expensive, I don’t see the point in buying it.
Super glue sets instantly, which is a disadvantage in our business, because... it is impossible to adjust the location of the parts to be glued after they are connected. A part glued with this glue can easily come off if you apply a certain amount of force, so you need to be careful.
For ease of use, I use empty tablet packaging. I squeeze a drop of glue into the “cup” and apply it to the surface to be glued with a simple toothpick. It turns out very neat and economical.
“Palette and brush” for super glue
It's important to remember that cyanoacrylate vapors are quite toxic and it is better to work with it in a ventilated area. Well, try to keep your nose away from the gluing area, which is not always possible :)
Glue "Moment"
Universal glue Moment
“Moment” is convenient for gluing large parts made of tin to plastic. Before gluing, you need to apply a thin layer of glue to both parts, wait a while, and then press them together. It is convenient because you can adjust the position of the parts for some time after gluing; excess glue can be easily cleaned off. The gluing area must be allowed to dry.
Denis Demin, AllModels channel, recommends diluting Moment glue with a solvent to obtain a more liquid consistency, which makes it more convenient to work with.
Glue moment crystal
Transparent glue Moment “Crystal”
I'm thinking of trying it as a model glue for gluing transparent parts. Conducted an experiment on a transparent sprue. So far it’s not very impressive: air bubbles form in the drop and the glue dissolves the plastic a little.
Experiment with glue "Crystal"
Perhaps with more thin layer glue the result will be better.
PVA
PVA-based glue is sold in any supermarket or office supply store. In its original form it is an opaque white liquid. But, when dry, it becomes almost transparent. The degree of transparency, as I understand it, depends on the purification of the glue. In general, most specialized clear glue for models is well-refined PVA. In the photo below you can see the degree of transparency of the PVA glue after drying.
Experiment with PVA glue
Actually, Futura is a floor polishing liquid, but it is used in modeling as a very fluid and opaque varnish. You can read more about Futura at this link. But in some cases it can also be used for gluing transparent parts. The gluing area must be dried for 24 hours.
There are certain difficulties in purchasing this “miracle liquid” in Russia, but I found a wonderful online store where you can buy “Futura” in 120 or 35 ml packaging. It may not be available, but the guys carry it. Monitor supplies. I recommend!
How to use model glue correctly
Don't pour too much liquid glue into the joint of parts, the result will not get better, but the likelihood that it will flow under your fingers or tweezers with which you hold the part, and they will leave an annoying imprint on the plastic, increases greatly.
If you accidentally spill glue on your model, do not try to wipe it off., you'll only make it worse! It’s better to let it dry well, and then carefully sand the area where the glue got in, in this case, the “destruction” will be minimal.
Make sure that liquid glue does not flow under the masking tape., he loves it and as a result, when you remove the tape, a surprise will await you and a section of “floating” plastic.
The place where the super glue is glued is quite fragile. A little force and the part flies off. Be careful. It is advisable to degrease the gluing area; it will hold much better.
Let the Futura bonded area dry for at least 12 hours. And even after this, the result will not be the same as if we glued with ordinary model glue.
I like both scenarios in this picture :)
In this article about glue for models, I am simply sharing my modest experience and will be glad to receive any comments and additions. Write comments!