Revell Boeing 747-8 Lufthansa

[BetaSingh]

I am new to this forum and my first build (I am a complete beginner to building models) will be a Revell Boeing 747-8 Lufthansa aircraft. I have tried to use the internet to buy the equipment needed before building it in a few weeks but I am looking for some advice, like what equipment I will need, how long it generally takes you guys to build this plane, and if anyone has had experience building this aircraft, how it was and if there are any tips, tricks or advice. I am a complete novice so all answers will be greatly appreciated!

[Jessica]

You'll need all the tools to required build any model. The absolute basic necessities are a razor knife such as the very popular Xacto knife with #11 (pointed) blade, various grades of sandpaper, filler putty to cover up the inevitable mistakes, paints, brushes and for this model, spray cans of white, light grey and silver (just because it's rather too large to paint well with a paint brush). You can make good use of tweezers, clamps. rubber bands and a largish flat board to work on without endangering your table. There are many good beginning modelling guides available on the internet. A few minutes with google will find you all sorts of good advice.

The best advice is to work slowly, and get a small cheap model to practise on so you don't ruin your 747. Also, don't forget to enjoy yourself. Our hobby is supposed to be relaxing

[BetaSingh]

Thanks for replying 

One other thing, how do you use enamel paint, like can you not breathe the fumes and do you paint it straight out of the can?

[Skodadriver]

Enamel paint can be brushed straight out of the tinlet although most modellers invest in an airbrush sooner or later.  If you are brush painting, breathing fumes from a small tinlet of enamel paint is very unlikely to do any harm. However if you are airbrushing you should always wear a good face mask.  Standard enamel paint needs to be thinned before it can be sprayed through an airbrush.

 

Brush painting white enamel on a large surface isn't easy and many airliner modellers use aerosol cans.  Cans of paint designed specifically for modelling are available from Tamiya, Revell and Humbrol although the Tamiya cans are expensive and I've seen mixed reports about the quality of the Humbrol cans.  By far the best aerosol white paint is  Applicance White sold by Halfords.  It's relatively cheap, good quality and available in any branch of Halfords.  Many modellers spray it directly from the can although personally I prefer to decant it into my airbrush.  Many car paints sold by Halfords can be used for modelling, for example Fiat Capri Blue is a very good match for the current British Airways blue.

 

It's always good practice to paint the model with primer before applying the final coat of paint.  Priming the plastic helps the paint to adhere and it also shows up flaws (poor joints and stuff like that) which you can correct before the final finish. Aerosol primer is available from Tamiya, Humbrol, Revell (called "Basic Color") and Halfords.  I always use Halfords plastic primer which is cheap and easy to find.

 

You can find all manner of hints, tips and discussions about painting in the Tools and Tips section of this site.

 

Finally I strongly echo Jessica's advice to get a cheap model to practice on first before starting on something like a 747-8.  Techniques like using Halfords paint aren't difficult but they do need practice. 

[BetaSingh]

But is primer necessary, as Revells website say that you don't need it, and I'm just wondering if washing the sprues with soapy water would do instead?

[Skodadriver]

No it's not necessary but it's good practice and you'll find that all the experienced modellers who post here use primer.  As I said, primer serves two purposes - it shows up building flaws so that you can correct them before applying the final coat and it helps the final coat of paint adhere to the plastic.

[BetaSingh]

Thank you for replying and one thing, will I need to get enamel thinner to paint on my model, because I don't really understand the purpose of thinning enamel paints, so I don't get if the thinner is needed or not.

Just now, BetaSingh said:

Thank you for replying and one thing, will I need to get enamel thinner to paint on my model, because I don't really understand the purpose of thinning enamel paints, so I don't get if the thinner is needed or not.

Or is enamel thinner the primer?

[Skodadriver]

Enamel thinner and primer are totally different substances.  Primer is a type of paint, normally with a matt finish, which is applied to the model before the final coat. Enamel thinner is mixed into enamel paint to thin it. 

 

 

[Dave Swindell]

Primer can be useful when painting with enamels,  but isn't essential.  I never used it when I brush painted enamels before I had an airbrush, and don't always use it now unless there's been a lot of filling and sanding or its a resin kit. If I do use it its either Halfords ordinary white or grey depending on the top coat colours, I don't use the plastic primer as this is a reference primarily to the properties of the paint (flexible without cracking) rather than for the material it is to be applied to. If however you decide to use some of the water or alcohol based acrylic paints, then a primer Is pretty much essential as this type of paint has poor adhesive properties when painted directly onto plastic.

[cathasatail]

Hi!

Welcome aboard! It just so happens I got the same 747 kit on Thursday, what are the chances

 

I personally use an airbrush and Vallejo acrylic paints but as a basic guide, I think these videos are quite nice:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope that helps

 

Sam

 

[BetaSingh]

2 hours ago, Dave Swindell said:

Primer can be useful when painting with enamels,  but isn't essential.  I never used it when I brush painted enamels before I had an airbrush, and don't always use it now unless there's been a lot of filling and sanding or its a resin kit. If I do use it its either Halfords ordinary white or grey depending on the top coat colours, I don't use the plastic primer as this is a reference primarily to the properties of the paint (flexible without cracking) rather than for the material it is to be applied to. If however you decide to use some of the water or alcohol based acrylic paints, then a primer Is pretty much essential as this type of paint has poor adhesive properties when painted directly onto plastic.

Thanks for replying but on the videos posted in the thread it says that primer can be avoided by washing the sprues well in soapy water. Is this the case, or do you have to use primer with acrylic paint, or do you have to do both. 

[Dave Swindell]

If you're goig to paint with acrylics,  I'd recommend both washing and priming to be sure that the paint sticks,  enamels I'd say both are optional

[Skodadriver]

Just to add to what Dave has said, even if you wash the parts before you start building you should still wash (or otherwise de-grease) the finished model before you apply any sort of paint. No matter how clean you think you hands are they still produce grease which doesn't help paint to adhere. 

 

At at the end of the day there are really only two absolute rules in modelling:

(a) There is rarely a right way and a wrong way. There is what works for you and what doesn't.

(b) The most important thing is that you are happy with the finished result.

[BetaSingh]

Thank you all for replying, your advice has really helped me clear things up, but if possible, I would really, really appreciate if you could answer the few remaining questions I have.

1) Should I build the model, then paint, then add the decals? If not so, which order should I do it in?
2) Do I need to add multiple coats of paint for both enamel and acrylic, or can I just add one? If I should add more than one coat, how many coats do you guys think I should add?

3) Saying it has 172 pieces, and I only need to paint the undercarriage, tail, fuselage, wings and engines, how long (approximately) will the building take?

4) How long will Revell Contacta Liquid Glue take to dry?

5) Lastly, how long should I wait for the decals to set into the model before wiping of the excess solution.

 

If anyone can answer any of these questions, I will be immensely grateful. Once again, I thank you all profusely.

 

[Jessica]

1) This question varies for every model, but generally you need to paint small parts which will wind up inside other parts before you assemble them. Remember that glue will not adhere to painted surfaces, so always leave the edges to be glued free of paint (this takes a bit of practise). You can do the main painting after assembly, making certain to mask those places where you don't want the paint to go. Decals are usually almost the last thing you do, but you might want to leave off the small, fiddly parts (such as landing gear) which may break off while you're handling the model putting the decals on. Read through the Work in progress threads to see how other people do it, and if you see a technique you like, then borrow it.

 

2) Use as many coats as needed.You'll see how the paint covers when it dries. It's better to do several thin coats rather than one heavy coat.

 

3) Building takes as long as it takes. You can do all the gluing in an afternoon, but the model will look as though you rushed it. A model that size will take an experienced modeller a couple of weeks to build, allowing for drying time for the glue, paint and putty (and of course, all those times Real Life intrudes into your hobby time).

 

4) Liquid glues cure in several hours. I usually allow 6 to 8, just to be certain. Liquid glues work by chemically melting a bit of the plastic, "welding" the two parts together. The bond is very strong, but it has to be allowed to completely cure.

 

5) If you're not using setting solution, then wait about 15 minutes before patting off the excess water. If you've used setting solution then don't touch them for several hours. Setting solution melts the decal so it can settle down onto the model's surface like a coat of paint, and even the slightest touch will be enough to smear it all over the place.

[BetaSingh]

Thank you so so much Jessica, that has really cleared up everything I was concerned about!