Removing the seams and joint lines is necessary when building model airplanes. Many assemblies often result in unnatural gaps or cracks in the fitting. Among the most common problem areas are the wing roots and the mating lines between both sides of the fuselage. To produce an … [Read more...] about Filling Seams and Sanding Scale Model Aircraft
Tutorials
Removing and Repositioning Parts on Your Aircraft Model
You can greatly enhance the realism of your model aircraft by removing and repositioning parts. Also, going this extra mile can give you the edge in modeling competitions. This is because real aircraft are rarely seen with their control surfaces (i.e. ailerons, elevator, rudder, … [Read more...] about Removing and Repositioning Parts on Your Aircraft Model
Vacuum-Formed Canopies for Added Realism
When you look at a warbird, especially with the canopy open, you will notice that the cross section of the glass or plexiglass is quite thin. A detail that reduces realism in scale plastic models is the out-of-scale thickness of the clear plastic parts especially in 1/48 and 1/72 … [Read more...] about Vacuum-Formed Canopies for Added Realism
Adding Aftermarket Details – Photo-Etched Parts
As stated in the corresponding article about adding aftermarket resin parts, Model Aces specializes in building authentic-looking, museum-quality scale model replicas of actual WW II aircraft. In this article, we’ll touch on the high points of working with photo-etched parts, but … [Read more...] about Adding Aftermarket Details – Photo-Etched Parts
Adding Aftermarket Details – Resin and Brassin Parts
Model Aces specializes in building authentic-looking, museum-quality scale model replicas of actual WW II aircraft. Because of this, we often have to start with an off-the-shelf kit and customize it with aftermarket detail kits, also called upgrade kits. These kits include resin, … [Read more...] about Adding Aftermarket Details – Resin and Brassin Parts
Scribing Surface Details on Your Aircraft Model
This tutorial explains how to replace raised details with scribed lines. Prior to about twenty-five years ago, the typical plastic model airplane kit had unrealistic-looking raised panel lines or countless rows of rivet heads covering the model’s surface. This is because it was … [Read more...] about Scribing Surface Details on Your Aircraft Model
Add Realistic Radio Antenna Wires to your Model Aircraft
Creating the radio antenna wires is essential when building model airplanes. In most cases, this is an added detail which is not included in the scale model kit. Model aircraft antenna wires are commonly built from scratch using one of several techniques. This tutorial will … [Read more...] about Add Realistic Radio Antenna Wires to your Model Aircraft
Getting the Decals to Look Like Part of the Paint Job
This is probably the most enjoyable aspect of creating a realistic looking model aircraft kit. In most cases, this scale modeling technique is procedural and the results are fantastic. In order for your decals to look like they have been painted on, it is important that they … [Read more...] about Getting the Decals to Look Like Part of the Paint Job
Painting the Panel Lines of your Aircraft Model
Once you have completed the paint scheme of your airplane model kit, it's time to tackle the panel lines. Properly painted panel lines add realism and detail to the exterior of the aircraft model. The best results can be achieved by pre-shading all the panel lines of the airplane … [Read more...] about Painting the Panel Lines of your Aircraft Model
Painting Techniques for a Realistic Model Aircraft Canopy
A detailed canopy is one of the most attractive features of a finished scale model aircraft. You may want to pay close attention to this part of the process. Smudged frames, scratches, stained or dirty glass and fingerprints can be very damaging to the final look of the airplane … [Read more...] about Painting Techniques for a Realistic Model Aircraft Canopy