Questions about the A350 (re: winglets, wing color and windows)

[Columbia20713]

I'm going to be building Revell's 1/144 A350-900 in either Cathay Pacific or Philippine Airlines colors, and before I get to the build, there are just a few questions I want to ask about it:

 

1.  Philippine Airlines' A350 has the new Airbus sharklets that are different from the ones on the first batches of A350s. From the comparison pictures I've seen, the shape is only slightly different from a distance but can be told apart from the older winglets, and if what I read is correct, all following A350s will have these new winglets. Revell's kit has the older "stubbier" winglets though.

 

Does anyone sell any 3aftermarket winglets that reflect these changes? Or if not, does anyone know how I could go about scratchbuilding them or have drawings of the new winglet? I'm also considering just leaving it as is as the change might not be all that visible anyway and whatever I could muster would probably not be close anyway.

 

 

2. I'm looking for colors that could match the A350 wings' offwhite appearance, and Tamiya's Insignia White seems to be the closest one I could get readily. Has anyone tried this color for their airliners? Or does anyone know any other paints I could use for the A350 wings?

 

 

3. (Not really A350-related as the other questions but still airliner related)

 

I want to use clear windows for the A350 build rather than going with decals. I'm not sure how I'd go about it though - I can either use the windows provided in the kit or glaze the windows with Krystal Klear. If I go for the former, I'd have to mask all the windows off or pre-paint a part of the fuselage. If I go for the latter, I wouldn't know how to recreate the thin gray outlines around the windows; In my experience, placing decals over Krystal Klear makes them less transparent and more of foggy. 

 

Would anyone know a way of how I can mask the windows off, or know a workaround around the issue with Krystal Klear and decals and the like?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Doom3r]

You can try masking off the windows using masking liquid before inserting the clear piece. To make the mask leave window easier when painting is done I give a bath of Future to the clear parts 48 hours before applying masking liquid.

 

I know some people would paint a cheatline before assembling fuselage, then glue windows and mask off the whole cheatline but never tried this approach.

 

Another approach that I used was to insert the clear part from below the wing when the fuselage is painted. But this works only for the models which has a one piece wing with a lower part of the fuselage (majority of Zvezda airliners).

 

PS: Just checked instructions sheet for Revell A350. Looks like 3rd option is doable if you can insert wheel wells pieces after the fuselage assembled and painted

Edited March 4, 2019 by Doom3r

[A350fan]

I believe Guillem from Rocast Models is going to do the new winglets.

Worth checking out his site : https://www.rocastmodels.com/

 

Cheers,

Jan

[Columbia20713]

On 3/7/2019 at 11:28 PM, A350fan said:

I believe Guillem from Rocast Models is going to do the new winglets.

Worth checking out his site : https://www.rocastmodels.com/

 

Cheers,

Jan

That's great! Thanks for linking it to me, I'll wait patiently for their release then. I hope Philippine Airlines A350 decals are made with these winglets in mind.

On 3/4/2019 at 8:58 PM, Doom3r said:

You can try masking off the windows using masking liquid before inserting the clear piece. To make the mask leave window easier when painting is done I give a bath of Future to the clear parts 48 hours before applying masking liquid.

 

I know some people would paint a cheatline before assembling fuselage, then glue windows and mask off the whole cheatline but never tried this approach.

 

Another approach that I used was to insert the clear part from below the wing when the fuselage is painted. But this works only for the models which has a one piece wing with a lower part of the fuselage (majority of Zvezda airliners).

 

PS: Just checked instructions sheet for Revell A350. Looks like 3rd option is doable if you can insert wheel wells pieces after the fuselage assembled and painted

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Those approaches all sound definitely doable. The last one with inserting the clear windows from underneath definitely sounds like it's a good risk-free approach, although gluing them into place might be harder..