Michael51 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 (edited) Having been an active military aircraft modeler for sixty years and having sold off my entire stash, I am turning to civil aircraft in an attempt to redeem myself: all those guns and bombs and things were too much. I mention this because I am quite ignorant when it comes to civil aircraft modelling. I wish to build an A320 in Air France Livery in 1/144 scale. The Zvezda version appears to be the preferred brand over Revell. Should I purchase the Zvezda kit, where might I find Air France decals - cockpit screen and windows included - to fit? The sites I have come across appear to have decals for the Revell version only. Any advice would be appreciated, Michael Edited November 15, 2019 by Michael51 Alzheimer remembers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Some excellent sources for airliner decals: Airline Hobby Supplies (https://airline-hobby.com/) Draw Decal (https://www.shopdrawdecal.com/Default.asp) Hannants (https://www.hannants.co.uk/) Vintage Flyer (http://www.vintageflyerdecals.com/index.html) I've ordered from all, and all are excellent vendors of first-class products with first-class customer service. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 You can get a couple of versions of Air France decals for the A320 from f-dcal here https://www.f-dcal.fr/decals/index.php?id_category=56&controller=category&id_lang=1 And for the windows I would shop at authentic airliner decals here https://www.authentic-airliner-decals.de/epages/17895661.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/17895661/Products/D144-A4 as for where to shop for a kit, I'm afraid I'm on the wrong side of the planet to recommend a shop for that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 Thank you Michael, and AP. This is very helpful. Based on your recommendations, I will proceed, Regards, Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 to airliner modelling. All the best with your A320. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 21 hours ago, Michael51 said: Having been an active military aircraft modeler for sixty years and having sold off my entire stash, I am turning to civil aircraft in an attempt to redeem myself: all those guns and bombs and things were too much. I mention this because I am quite ignorant when it comes to civil aircraft modelling. I wish to build an A320 in Air France Livery in 1/144 scale. The Zvezda version appears to be the preferred brand over Revell. Should I purchase the Zvezda kit, where might I find Air France decals - cockpit screen and windows included - to fit? The sites I have come across appear to have decals for the Revell version only. Any advice would be appreciated, Michael Hi Michael, Welcome to airliner modelling from me too! I can recommend either Revell or Zvezda A320's. The Zvezda kit is a little more advanced in that it has the option to drop the flaps and has a cockpit and entrance way. It is also a newer kit with crisper mouldings whereas the Revell kit is getting on a bit now and recent boxings can suffer from a bit of flash. With regard to Air France decals whichever you use will fit either of the kits. Here is another option for Air France decals, possibly the 'Rolls Royce' of Air France A320 decals! https://www.rocastmodels.com/store/index.php?id_category=26&controller=category I have to agree with AP in his post above Authentic Airliners cabin and cockpit windows are the way to go without a doubt. If you are going to expand into airliner modelling I can also recommend 26Decals to add to the other suppliers suggested by Space Ranger http://www.26decals.com Good luck and I look forward to seeing it in RFI in the near future! Cheers, Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 Hi Ian, Thank you for the comprehensive reply. It is most appreciated. I just purchased the Revell A320 but I will now acquire the Zvezda one as well. Regards, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodadriver Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Hi Michael Personally I prefer the Revell kit - it's accurate, readily available and significantly cheaper than the Zvezda one. However there are a couple of minor points to watch for. Firstly, the Revell wings are actually for the A321 and need to be modified for the A320. You need to remove the small fairings from the underside of the flaps and fill the associated panel lines on the upper surface. It should take about ten minutes to do the job. Secondly the winglets are too small and wrongly shaped. Resin replacements are available from BraZ models but it's an easy job to make them from thin plastic. This thread by one of our finest airliner modellers covers both points and gives a lot of helpful information about getting the best from the Revell kit. For the Air France livery I'd go for F-DCAL paired with Authentic Airliners windows. Dave G 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 Hi Dave, Thank you for your advice. Yes, that is a very informative thread on the Revell build. Your advice for the preferred decals came after I had purchased some, but as they were the F-DCAL ones, it works out quite nicely. On your advice, and because selling all those military kits has left me with some spare cash, I have also ordered the Authentic Airliners windows. They seem to have a limited range: I have plans for an A380 after my test runs with the A320 but Authentic Airliners do not seem to have an offering for that. Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodadriver Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Hi Michael Glad you found the info helpful. Authentic Airliners started making window decals to complement their own kits although they have covered some subjects not in their range eg the Boeing 787 and the A350 as well as a few Russian aircraft. I think the chances of them doing windows for the A380 are pretty remote. However all is not lost since 8A Decs based in Mexico make photo-real window decals for the A380. They're not quite up to the same standards as Authentic Airliners but 8A make a good product and although it isn't an A380 this recent model of mine should give you an idea of how they look. If you're not sold on the "photo real" concept most decal manufacturers supply plain grey windows with their A380 decals. Dave G 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 Dave, Thank you for more excellent information. I will get those 8A decals in due course. Fine work on that Tu 204 too. Now if we could just get that new, improved 757, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 26 minutes ago, Michael51 said: Now if we could just get that new, improved 757, If it's a 757 you're after Michael, look no further than this https://www.authentic-airliners.de/epages/64205758.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64205758/Products/K144-12RR Cheers, Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plumbum Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Michael-Welcome. I am currently building a Revell 1/144 A320-232 in Jet Blue livery. The build thread is here under A320-232 Jet Blue heading. It is a decent kit but is getting old and the molds are showing signs of wear. Next Airbus for me will be Zvezda. Check out my progress of this build to see what you may be up against. Good luck.---John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 19, 2019 Author Share Posted November 19, 2019 On 11/17/2019 at 9:15 AM, Turbofan said: If it's a 757 you're after Michael, look no further than this https://www.authentic-airliners.de/epages/64205758.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64205758/Products/K144-12RR Cheers, Ian Ian, I have sent a PM about that resin kit, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FortyEighter Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Hi Michael and welcome to the world of airliners. I'm a bit slow to reply to your questions but can see that you've received some great advice, especially from #Turbofan and #Skodadriver. Having built quite a few airliners over the past four years I wholeheartedly agree with their suggestions of Authentic Airliners cockpit and cabin windows, using them does mean an extra expense as any windows with your livery decals are not used but the effect is well worth it. I've also used both 26Decals and F-Dcals for the livery and can recommend either depending on the particular scheme that you need. Just be aware that most (but not all) of the F-Dcals are laser printed and so are quite translucent compared to screen printed decals - this means that they cannot be overlapped without getting a darker shade of the colour and that, if your livery has a broad cheat line with different top / bottom fuselage colours you need to make the demarcation between the two colours along one edge of that cheat line - if not, you will see a small difference in shade in the cheat line due to the two underlying colours. With screen printed decals this isn't an issue. Hope to see your Air France example in RFI soon. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 20, 2019 Author Share Posted November 20, 2019 Hi Mike, The high degree of advice and helpful commentary on this forum never ceases to amaze me. I will keep your observations in mind. Whilst waiting for the A320 and A321 kits and decals to arrive, and in a state of impatience, I went to my local hobby shop and purchased a Revell A380 - complete madness for one who intended to enter the 1/144 airliner domain with caution. Fear of trying to successfully apply the British Airways white/ blue demarcation has now led to a further purchase of Air France decals from F-DCALS - a more white on white scheme. Presently I am working on whether it is possible to bring the A380 fuselage together prior to installing the u/c. There is a site that describes such a procedure but I found it completely unintelligible. Setting aside my learning difficulties on that guidance, I will see if some dry fitting reveals a solution, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FortyEighter Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 (edited) On 11/20/2019 at 6:35 PM, Michael51 said: Hi Mike, The high degree of advice and helpful commentary on this forum never ceases to amaze me. I will keep your observations in mind. Whilst waiting for the A320 and A321 kits and decals to arrive, and in a state of impatience, I went to my local hobby shop and purchased a Revell A380 - complete madness for one who intended to enter the 1/144 airliner domain with caution. Fear of trying to successfully apply the British Airways white/ blue demarcation has now led to a further purchase of Air France decals from F-DCALS - a more white on white scheme. Presently I am working on whether it is possible to bring the A380 fuselage together prior to installing the u/c. There is a site that describes such a procedure but I found it completely unintelligible. Setting aside my learning difficulties on that guidance, I will see if some dry fitting reveals a solution, Michael Hi Michael, I'm pleased to be able to offer comments that may help - many others have done the same for me since I returned to aircraft modelling. Regarding the Revell A380, this was only the third airliner that I built - it's BIG but the methods are more or less the same on any size aircraft. If it helps this is a link to the build. Having just re-read it, I certainly assembled the fuselage (and painted and decalled it) before fitting the wings or undercarriage. Oh no I didn't! They just got broken off very quickly and so aren't on most photos - sorry folks. The hardest part of the blue / white demarcation line is getting the masking tape in exactly the correct position. I always use Tamiya tape now (after some cheaper tape leaving residue on previously painted sections) and rub the edge with the back of a finger nail or the end of a cocktail stick - take particular care where the tape meets the front wing edge. Any small bleeds of the blue onto the white can usually be made less noticeable by gently rubbing with fine micromesh cloth or pads. Mike Edited November 22, 2019 by FortyEighter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 22, 2019 Author Share Posted November 22, 2019 Thanks Mike, A remarkably fine build on your A380. Also sent a PM Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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