A320NEO Revell BA livery 1/144

[tMikha]

Hello all!

I've decided to tell and show my progress in 320NEO building and painting.

First, I've built 4 737's different generations. And later decided to go on with his main competitor A320.

First model from Zvezda was finished yet. And now I compare kits from two manufactures and build 320NEO from Revell.

So till today I have done this basic work

 

First, it was really useful advise for Revell kits - to paint in dark colour from inside. Otherwise ready model will be yelowish if positioned under bright sun shine. I've used decorix the primer from the cylinder - it has strong adhesion and easy-to apply.

 

So, while fuselage dries up, I've painted cockpit interior.

In Russian model communities you can often read something like "I've spent a lot of time for interior but actually, it's "gopher".

This slang comes from one old russian comedy. It was one dialogue there:

-Do you see the gopher?

-No, I don't.

-And I don't see, but the gopher exists!

 

So this case is certainly about "gopher" - it's unreal to explore cabin interior in 1/144 scale on ready model. So I must to confess - I hadn't spent too mush time for perfect painting of interior. 

My "gopher" is ready 😃

 

 

So on, the next day I pasted the cockpit and nose gear niche into fuselage. Plus for more reliability added a piece of plastic between them. As Revell says in instruction, 10 g weight was added. I think couple of rubles 🪙  and some plasticine will be enough 😀 And clear details of passenger windows are already mounted. Later I'll protect them using masks.

 

Now we are reapy to connect two parts of our fuselage together. 

Next day I've mounted cockpit clear detail, and began work with engines.

Cockpit detail рas not been established very neat, so I was forced to use some putty, then apply sanding paper (from 600 to 2500 grain size) 

And what about engines - in many Reviews Revell was blamed that engines division is very complicated, illogical and heavy-to paint. Well, I must agree with that reviews. For example, I can't imagine how to airbrush this detail in two colours. So I airbrushed in steel Mr. Hobby H-18 and then painted light grey Zvezda paint #30 using usual brush. Then also I've painted with Tamiya X-11 chrome silver the shapes of blades. You can see the left and right details before and after.

 

 

So... now engines are glued together, and today plan is to finish with cockpit and engines grinding, add masks and cover with decorix white primer on my plane plus paint engines main colour (I've applied primer onto all small details before assembly). I think to use MAKR "royal blue" #47 for this. Maybe it's not the certain colour of BA engines, but as i think it's somwhere close to the truth.

 

So, hope it's would be interesting to view project. Criticism is welcome 😀

 

Respects, tMikha.

Edited June 24, 2022 by tMikha

[Back in the Saddle]

Great start so far! 👍

[tMikha]

5 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

Great start so far! 👍

Thank’s. I will try not to protract with the model and describe process in details. 

[tMikha]

Yesterday plan was realised. As usual, the worst place of the surface is near cockpit and primer had shown this. 

 

By this reason I've applied a few more putty. Later today I'll need to sand tis places tidily (not to damage masks and cabin windows) and apply a few more primer. After primer dries out (2 hr enough for sure), the plane will be ready for basic white painting.

 

 

Also engines are painted in royal-blue. But I think, there was too liquid paint, so one more layer is to be done.

And if I'll have enough  desire, undercarriage assembling also will be started.

 

Respects, tMikha.

[tMikha]

Good day! 

Let's keep on with the model.

As i planned, engines were covered with one more layer. Now I like how it looks. For engines remains only grey colour for pylons, but this procedure I'll make once with painting of wings.

Fuselage was sanded finally and first layer of Mr. Hobby H-1 was applied. 

That's for what i like so much this paint - nice gloss surface. Usually it's enough one painting session. But this time there are some darkness can be seen through first layer. Also I've forgotten one moment: blue colour of bottom doesn't reach the tail, so i have to paint tail part of the plain in white as well as upper part. 

Also it was enough of my enthusiasm to start with undercarriage. Wheels from the kit unfortunately have large casting defects. So I've purchased additional set of high-copy wheels. 

I've airbrushed with Mr.Hobby H-77 "tyre black", using masks.

 

 

So for today my plan is minimal: first to airbrush one more white layer in the fuselage. And paint details of undercarriage. Mr. Hobby needs long time enough for dry up, so today I'll not be able to proceed with blue colour for fuselage. It's task for tomorrow and yes, I'm about to start the most boring part of masking all that possible 🤔

[BerndM]

Looks great so far. Interesting to see this kit gets build.

[tMikha]

So... let's continue. Now I'm about to finish the most boring stage when you are to mask anything for 30 minutes just to airbrush for 2 minutes. 

Engines are almost ready. Despite their not best way of division, I painted them successfully as a result. 

Also undercarriage is painted as well as wheels and ready to be installed. 

So the main task is fuselage painting, and the most complicated for me is to get straight and neat border of colours on the fuselage. I' ve masked it using photos of real plane, Revell's paint instructions and even a laser pointer. As result I've got something like this:

Actually, first of my "adult" models with bicolour livery. 

After been painted it was like this. 

So till now it's painted the bottom, wings in light gray, as well as tail stabilizers, and corogard in dark-gray. And the main exciting me question is HOW MUSCH blue paint I'll see on upper white part of fuselage, when I'll remove masks 😱 (I'm certainly sure that it WILL BE some blue over white)))

 

But before removing masks, I have to paint last colour - aluminium for wing-edges. This is task for tomorrow. And after it will dry up, the moment of Truth will come.😆

 

Respects, tMikha

[tMikha]

So, today I've removed all the tape. And after that I wasn't surprised that as usual, I made a lot of painting defects. But there is one feature that lets me if not repair it totally, but to make the model much more neat than it was before.

The trick is that this royal-blue MAKR paint is water-based acrylic. I mix it with some vodka to use with airbrush (haha Russians and no vodka - it's nonsense🤣) 

And in contrast to this, white mr. Hobby is ethanol-based acrylic. For mixing it I use special diluent (analogue to original but cheaper).

So it's possible to remove blue paint easily (using vodka again)) and I may not worry about damage to white surface, because it's much more persistent to alcohol.

After cleaning smudges of pait, I've masked locally places where blue was removed, and then painted there with usual brush.

The result you can see below:

 

OK, not the brilliant border of colors, but in my opinion it's well enough, 4 out 5 if compare with school score.

Also I painted minors like lights in wing-tips and red tips of wing pylons. After it all have dried up, I airbrushed with first layer of Future. So today's work is over because Future needs a long time enough for drying up.

 

And BTW, I'm near the most interesting part of process, which I like most of all - applying decals. 

 

Respects, tMikha.

 

[tMikha]

So, yesterday I started with decals. First, I removed masks. Generally there are no any big problems with windows

And this time I decided to change the sequence of final works. Before this, I used first to asseble model completely with engines, undercarriage and stabilizers. So often I've damaged something, especially nose gear. 

This time I decided to make complete work with decals separately, and glue all elements together after that.

Decals from Kartograf is neat, very high quality and detailed. Finally, I spent more than 6 hours to apply it and during that time I thought "It's too detailed for 1/144. Really I don't need all this tiny hatches that nobody will discern onto blue colour"😆

But actually, the decal-sheet really the best I've ever seen included in other manufacturers' kits. 

 

I haven't finished with decals yesterday and left a few tiny elements for today. My eyes and brain were ready to exhaust after 6+ hours of applying the decal 🤪

After that, engines, stabs and undercarriage will be assembled together with fuselage. After that model could be named "almost ready", and it  would only remain to cover with pair layers of Future. 

 

Respects, tMikha

Edited June 6, 2022 by tMikha

[tMikha]

So, as it's used to be said in Russia, "if you hurry, you'll make people laugh"

And that's exactly my case. Really, I've finished with the model a few days ago but... only during photosession I've noticed that border of blue and white on the nose part turns up from center and significantly not horizontal as on the real plane. That's all my crooked hands. And I've to say, I was really upset, especially I've cathed this in the end, after applying all the decals 🙄🙄

really, something like that:

Really really big fail of mine.

But we are model-builders and we never and ever lose our heart!

So not easy but necessary decision was to mask plane from wings and to tail, and windows in front part as well, than remove paint and repaint again with correct horizontal line.

In this case I loose BA logos abowe passenger doors and "BA" title as well, but there was no any other option for me.

How it looks now:

And now I have correct border at least (but don't have no longer wonderful "cartograph" decals on the nose) 🤨

So the latest task is to paint with royal blue once more (god bless that there is clear colour from MAKR, not a mix!), and cover with Future. But now I have no need to hurry up - because element's of decals that I've ordered will arrive only in a week or so.

That's all with NEO for today.

I'll be back soon 😎

[tMikha]

So, well or not well enough, I've finished it! You are welcome to rate it in RFI

 

 

Respects, tMikha.