Alex1978 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Hi folks, It has been a while since I last posted a build of mine. My computer and my camera said byebye,so I had to organize new tools and also I had been kept busy at work. Nonetheless,I was also busy building models,even more so during this darn pandemic...the only positive thing about the pandemic is that I have plenty of time,but thats really the only positive thing I see in that matter. But back to topic; I am actually not an A380 fan,but when I saw the first images of ANA`s upcoming A380 with its turtle scheme,I knew I had to have this in my collection. The search for the decals was on,the Revell A380 Demonstrator kit was bought and the project was started... Then the problems began; The decal set was found on Ebay,but when I received it,I knew instantly that this wont work. Bad printing quality and also the subjects were printed as two large decals. Apart from the poor quality it seemed impossible to apply them in a way that would look good.So the whole project was on hold for a while.Despite that,I decided to continue the build of the model anyway,so it would at least be built in components. The build itself was also not easy as the parts were warped and the overall fit was not the best. I dont know if this is a problem in particular or just due to the worn out moulds,a problem many of the newer kits from Revell seem to get very quick.Same I found on their 747-8I / 8F. I kept looking for a decal set on the various sites from decal manufacturers but no one seemd to offer them. I then had the idea of painting the whole scheme with the airbrush,creating masks out of the decal set that I had,but one day when I thought I will give it another go,I came across images of a built A380 in exactly that livery. That guy used decals produced by Dream Decals,I never heard of them before,and the result looked awesome. Great I thought,went to their homepage,tried to order a set...failure. After numerous e-mail requests I still got no reply,hence I could not get me one of these decal sets and the project was further delayed. Being me,I had no intention to give up and I kept searching and then during the first lockdown in march,I suddenly came across TBdecals from Italy.They also offered that schem as well as the 2 other turtle schemes. Well,I had nothing to lose,so I gave it a try and placed an order...10 days later I received a wonderfully printed decal set. Project saved... The Airbus was already built,so I just had to paint it and then the endless decaling session was on. The decals were of great quality and went on rather nicely.I devided the more complex decals in smaller sections,so they were easier to handle. It took well over 15 hours just for decalling the whole fuselage but I managed it in the end. Due to the complex design,it was clear that it wont come out perfect,but the result is more than satisfying. After more than a year the ANA A380 "Lani" is finally done. The display stand was obtained from the AN-225 kit as the A380 sadly lacks one. Paints are from Revell (white from a spray can) Tamyia (sky blue and white mixed for the front) Testors (dark grey for the coroguard panels) and Gunze for the metallic parts. All Nippon now operates 3 A380s,all in this particular turtle design but in 3 different colours, blue,turqoise and orange. They are used on the Tokyo-Honolulu route Enough text,enjoy the pics. More airliners will follow in the next days,as I still have to get used to my new equipment. 46 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchem Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Nice to see you back Alex. Thanks for persevering because that’s a cracking build and a corker of a finish. mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Beautifully done! That's really impressive! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picard Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Ditto and ditto, a fabulous job and majestic big bird sir. Cheers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skodadriver Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Hi Alex, good to see you back and in such spectacular fashion! That really is a fantastic model which fully justifies your hard work and persistence. I associate TB Decals with racing cars and I didn't know they made airliner decals. I've just had a look at their website and I'm very impressed - an Ethiad A350-1000 might happen at some point! Hope the cats are well Dave G 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Hi Alex, Well that's quite superb! You mentioned because of the complex design it wouldn't come out perfect but to be honest it looks pretty perfect to me! I've heard of TBdecals but never seen or used them so it's reassuring to know they're good quality. Glad you're back, I'm looking forward to your next models. Cheers, Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 (edited) 49 minutes ago, Skodadriver said: Hi Alex, good to see you back and in such spectacular fashion! That really is a fantastic model which fully justifies your hard work and persistence. I associate TB Decals with racing cars and I didn't know they made airliner decals. I've just had a look at their website and I'm very impressed - an Ethiad A350-1000 might happen at some point! Hope the cats are well Dave G Thank you very much Dave. Yes,thats right,TB decals produce mostly racing car designs but they also offer some rather nice airlinerdecals. Their quality is really good,the decals are thin but very durable and can handle a lot of movent while placing them correctly. I hope they will extend their airliner range,I would certainly buy from TB again. Yes,the cats are well,I also have one more since October 2019,a girl cat and an absolute sweetheart. Hopefully I can convince her to appear in one of my next photosessions....😉 Edited December 8, 2020 by Alex1978 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Wow! Awesome, and then some! That is a beauty. Thanks for the Tbdecal review, much appreciated. Your hard work has really paid off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Turbofan said: Hi Alex, Well that's quite superb! You mentioned because of the complex design it wouldn't come out perfect but to be honest it looks pretty perfect to me! I've heard of TBdecals but never seen or used them so it's reassuring to know they're good quality. Glad you're back, I'm looking forward to your next models. Cheers, Ian Thank you very much Ian. Yes,there are wrinkles in the decals in some places,which were unavoidable,but from a normal viewingdistance,they are hardly noticeable. I can really recommend their decals. I have a load of airliners waiting to be posted,ranging from the A318 to the 747. Stay tuned for their appearance,just need some time to photograph them all,also the weather is an issue sometimes now as I usually photograph them on my balcony due to better lighting. Edited December 8, 2020 by Alex1978 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Unusual and attractive scheme! Congratulations. All the tribulations paid off at the end. Sea turtles are indeed magnificent creatures, it's wonderful to see them celebrated. I photographed them frequently while snorkeling in Hawaii: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 34 minutes ago, Moa said: Unusual and attractive scheme! Congratulations. All the tribulations paid off at the end. Sea turtles are indeed magnificent creatures, it's wonderful to see them celebrated. I photographed them frequently while snorkeling in Hawaii: Thank you very much. Thats right,I also find turtles very interesting and wonderful creatures. Very nice picture you made here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 8 hours ago, Alex1978 said: I have a load of airliners waiting to be posted,ranging from the A318 to the 747 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Aer Lingus Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 That's another stunner Alex well done on finally finishing the beast thanks for sharing regards Eamonn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Fabulous job on that Alex, it has come out beautifully. One to be proud of for sure! Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busnproplinerfan Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 It looks good on the stand. Well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swralph Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Lovely modelling.😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Very colourful piece of work, well done 👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Outstanding 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 That was worth persevering with - excellent result Alex! 👍 When are you building the other two...? 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted May 15, 2021 Author Share Posted May 15, 2021 17 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said: That was worth persevering with - excellent result Alex! 👍 When are you building the other two...? 😂 Thank you very much. No way that I am going to do the other two. They are very nice too but live is too short...😉😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndM Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Your big boy looks great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Hotel Alpha Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Fantastic job! A380 may not be the most attractive airliner to look at but have enjoyed flying on it's upper and lower decks on various airlines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil1 Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Looks amazing alex! an absolute stunner and..... great to see you back. I love the ANA a380 themes and thought about doing one of these myself one day. That table is probably quite large but the model has dwarfed it! Any chance you can get any larger pictures of it? (the model not the table) thanks again Phil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted May 28, 2021 Author Share Posted May 28, 2021 58 minutes ago, phil1 said: Looks amazing alex! an absolute stunner and..... great to see you back. I love the ANA a380 themes and thought about doing one of these myself one day. That table is probably quite large but the model has dwarfed it! Any chance you can get any larger pictures of it? (the model not the table) thanks again Phil Thank you very much Phil. I can do some detail shots,if this is ok for you.The model is very big,so larger pictures of the whole A380 are not really possible Alex 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1978 Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 On 28/05/2021 at 11:34, phil1 said: Looks amazing alex! an absolute stunner and..... great to see you back. I love the ANA a380 themes and thought about doing one of these myself one day. That table is probably quite large but the model has dwarfed it! Any chance you can get any larger pictures of it? (the model not the table) thanks again Phil Hi Phil, Here to your request some close up pictures .I hope these are ok.Due to the size of the model,its not that easy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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