Starting on Plane Model Kits

[Macross-Plus]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but i'd like to start building plane model kits. I've built character kits before, But i'm not sure how that would differ from a plane model. I'd like to buy a YF-19 kit (hasegawa), but scales and such of these planes confuse me a bit, as i'm used to 1/6 scales, not 1/42 or 1/72 scale. I'd like to know some tips and tricks as well, and any must-haves that I wouldn't have normally ( Such as certain types of seam putty or different paints, base coat paint, etc). And if anyone has any questions on character kits, I'll try to answer them, haha. 

[Bolt]

Well. Here's the link for such things. Go over all of it. And then ask any questions you may have. BTW , Hasegawa is a fine choice !

 

[no3Ljm]

Welcome!

I'm not a big model kit builder than most of the gurus here. But I can help out sharing links from the Forum that probably can help you out regarding your inquiry.

First of all, the section where you posted this is a section for Model Kits and Resin Announcements. Basically, what kits announced, when it's coming out, what company, etc. should be posted in this section of the Forum.

As for tips and tricks and such, that can be found in the The Workshop! section of the forum. There you will find member's post on their builds and progress. There's also a pinned thread that you can use or threads that you can just ask questions away. 

 

What's on your Workbench:

 

Beginner's Model Building Basics:

 

Some Scratch Building/Model Modification:

 

Just browsing the Workshop section is plenty enough of getting resources, ideas, advices, and feedbacks as well.  

Anyways, enjoy and looking forward to see your builds.  

 

[KOG Water Dragon]

2 hours ago, Macross-Plus said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but i'd like to start building plane model kits. I've built character kits before, But i'm not sure how that would differ from a plane model. I'd like to buy a YF-19 kit (hasegawa), but scales and such of these planes confuse me a bit, as i'm used to 1/6 scales, not 1/42 or 1/72 scale. I'd like to know some tips and tricks as well, and any must-haves that I wouldn't have normally ( Such as certain types of seam putty or different paints, base coat paint, etc). And if anyone has any questions on character kits, I'll try to answer them, haha. 

The principle of scale is the same in all kinds of models. Character, aircraft, or otherwise. 1/1 is full size. 1/2 is half size. The bigger the number at the end, the smaller the model in relation to what it represents. When you do figures representing people (or people sized characters), scales like 1/8 or 1/6 or maybe even 1/4 are common. Aircraft (including Macross ones) are MUCH larger than people, so the models have to be done in a smaller scale in order to keep the model size reasonable. Aircraft model common scales can run from 1/144 to 1/32 or even 1/24. 1/144 is on the smaller end, 1/72 is bigger, 1/48 is bigger still, 1/32 can be quite big, and 1/24 is usually pretty darn big for aircraft. You can't do 1/6 for aircraft, naturally. Too big to be practical for most people.

In terms of Macross, a lot of the kits will be 1/72. Bandai's Macross stuff is mostly 1/72. Hasegawa's main Macross series is 1/72, and they make a few 1/48 as well. Wave makes some 1/100 Macross kits. There are other brands out there but I'm not going to mention it all. You said you were interested in a YF-19 kit from Hasegawa. They offer that one in both 1/72 and 1/48. The 1/72 is the smaller one, the 1/48 is the big one.

Edited March 24, 2022 by KOG Water Dragon

[Macross-Plus]

45 minutes ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

The principle of scale is the same in all kinds of models. Character, aircraft, or otherwise. 1/1 is full size. 1/2 is half size. The bigger the number at the end, the smaller the model in relation to what it represents. When you do figures representing people (or people sized characters), scales like 1/8 or 1/6 or maybe even 1/4 are common. Aircraft (including Macross ones) are MUCH larger than people, so the models have to be done in a smaller scale in order to keep the model size reasonable. Aircraft model common scales can run from 1/144 to 1/32 or even 1/24. 1/144 is on the smaller end, 1/72 is bigger, 1/48 is bigger still, 1/32 can be quite big, and 1/24 is usually pretty darn big for aircraft. You can't do 1/6 for aircraft, naturally. Too big to be practical for most people.

In terms of Macross, a lot of the kits will be 1/72. Bandai's Macross stuff is mostly 1/72. Hasegawa's main Macross series is 1/72, and they make a few 1/48 as well. Wave makes some 1/100 Macross kits. There are other brands out there but I'm not going to mention it all. You said you were interested in a YF-19 kit from Hasegawa. They offer that one in both 1/72 and 1/48. The 1/72 is the smaller one, the 1/48 is the big one.

Yeah, i do get how scales work, but what i wonder is how large a 1/72 VF would be. Maybe around 8 inches? 6? i'm not too sure, is all. I'm looking at the 1/72 kit, as something too big wouldn't fit on my limited shelf space. It reminds me of the "nose collection" in where the tiny 1/20 PLAMAX characters looked just right in comparison. Makes me think how big a SDF-1  would have to be to fit the 1/20 figs in it, LOL. It's fun to imagine a city-block sized model of it, to be honest. 

[Macross-Plus]

1 hour ago, Bolt said:

Well. Here's the link for such things. Go over all of it. And then ask any questions you may have. BTW , Hasegawa is a fine choice !

 

 

1 hour ago, no3Ljm said:

Welcome!

I'm not a big model kit builder than most of the gurus here. But I can help out sharing links from the Forum that probably can help you out regarding your inquiry.

First of all, the section where you posted this is a section for Model Kits and Resin Announcements. Basically, what kits announced, when it's coming out, what company, etc. should be posted in this section of the Forum.

As for tips and tricks and such, that can be found in the The Workshop! section of the forum. There you will find member's post on their builds and progress. There's also a pinned thread that you can use or threads that you can just ask questions away. 

 

What's on your Workbench:

 

Beginner's Model Building Basics:

 

Some Scratch Building/Model Modification:

 

Just browsing the Workshop section is plenty enough of getting resources, ideas, advices, and feedbacks as well.  

Anyways, enjoy and looking forward to see your builds.  

 

Thank you both for those threads! I probably wouldn't have found those. Most of the things i already know how to do are there, So i'm glad it's not too different than character kits. Only thing i'm worried about now is brittle plastic and missing pieces, haha. 

[KOG Water Dragon]

3 minutes ago, Macross-Plus said:

Yeah, i do get how scales work, but what i wonder is how large a 1/72 VF would be. Maybe around 8 inches? 6? i'm not too sure, is all. I'm looking at the 1/72 kit, as something too big wouldn't fit on my limited shelf space. It reminds me of the "nose collection" in where the tiny 1/20 PLAMAX characters looked just right in comparison. Makes me think how big a SDF-1  would have to be to fit the 1/20 figs in it, LOL. It's fun to imagine a city-block sized model of it, to be honest. 

From the Macross wiki, I get a length of 18.62m and a wingspan of 14.87m for the YF-19.

Converted, to feet, I get 61.09 ft length, 48.79 ft wingspan. Then just divide by scale of choice.

I get 0.85 ft length, 0.68 ft wingspan for a 1/72 YF-19.

1.27 ft length and 1.02 ft wingspan for 1/48.

That should give a rough approximation. I believe later fighters like VF-25 and VF-31 are bigger?

[Macross-Plus]

1 minute ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

From the Macross wiki, I get a length of 18.62m and a wingspan of 14.87m for the YF-19.

Converted, to feet, I get 61.09 ft length, 48.79 ft wingspan. Then just divide by scale of choice.

I get 0.85 ft length, 0.68 ft wingspan for a 1/72 YF-19.

1.27 ft length and 1.02 ft wingspan for 1/48.

That should give a rough approximation. I believe later fighters like VF-25 and VF-31 are bigger?

Yep, that's the confusing part for me. I am REALLY bad at math, so i refer to user photos when i can for size. It seems like a bigger model to me, but i know they get HUGE as well. ( That 1/20 VF set i saw in box once was huge. and that was JUST the box!!) I'm sure that over time i'll learn the sizes by heart, though. Glad to know that the math is easy, and not long division or something. And yeah, I'd say that they'd be bigger, but maybe not. It still surprises me when i see a tiny pilot in a "tiny" model like that..

[pengbuzz]

3 hours ago, Macross-Plus said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but i'd like to start building plane model kits. I've built character kits before, But i'm not sure how that would differ from a plane model. I'd like to buy a YF-19 kit (hasegawa), but scales and such of these planes confuse me a bit, as i'm used to 1/6 scales, not 1/42 or 1/72 scale. I'd like to know some tips and tricks as well, and any must-haves that I wouldn't have normally ( Such as certain types of seam putty or different paints, base coat paint, etc). And if anyone has any questions on character kits, I'll try to answer them, haha. 

No worries; the workshop is precisely the right place to ask!

So, point by point here:

1) Research the version and specific craft you're building BEFORE you start! I can't stress this enough, as there are several variants to any craft, and there are specific differences to them at points in time. Also, not every kit is accurate, and some kits have their own "take" on a specific version. Macross World is a great resource for researching valkyries, for example, as is the Macross Mecha Guide.

2) Any scale is merely a fraction expressed of the actual size of the item in real life. 1/2 scale would be (for example) one half of true size, and so forth. That said, when painting these kits, the smaller the size, the lighter the same shade you will have to paint on the final finish (smaller kits don't catch as much light and the same color will look darker as opposed to a larger one).

3) Save cockpit canopies for last, as these can get glue. scratch marks on them if attached too early. If you have to, mask them off to protect them.

4) For base coats, I recommend Rustoleum Painter's Touch (NOT the regular Rustoleum; that will eat the plastic!) grey, black or white primer (depending upon the subject). if you have it available where you live. Use spray paints for the base coat, unless you're going for a metallic finish (primers

5) Fillers/ putties: there are a lot to chose from, from polyester ones, to even super glue gel and baking soda. Use care if you fill a seam enar a panel line, as it can flake off. chip if you need to re-scribe the line after filling.

6) Decals: you're going to want a decal solvent (helps the decal settle and conform) to help make decals look "painted-on", but use care with them. Some can actually dissolve the decal if used too much. Micro-Sol is one that I usually use and is mostly safe. ALSO: check your decals before you use them! Some older kits have decals that can actually "shatter" from age: test older decals by cutting out and soaking an option decal you won't need; if it shatters, apply clear coat to the entire sheet, then let dry and cut the decals out separately.

I'll see if I can think of some more stuff as I go; hope this helps start you off!!

[KOG Water Dragon]

24 minutes ago, Macross-Plus said:

Yep, that's the confusing part for me. I am REALLY bad at math, so i refer to user photos when i can for size. It seems like a bigger model to me, but i know they get HUGE as well. ( That 1/20 VF set i saw in box once was huge. and that was JUST the box!!) I'm sure that over time i'll learn the sizes by heart, though. Glad to know that the math is easy, and not long division or something. And yeah, I'd say that they'd be bigger, but maybe not. It still surprises me when i see a tiny pilot in a "tiny" model like that..

The math is pretty easy. Find the published dimensions of the 'real thing' on a wiki or somesuch. Convert that length into measurement style of choice, if needed, using an online conversion tool. Then divide that by the number of the scale. So if it's a 1/72 kit, divide by 72. Etc.

[Macross-Plus]

8 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

No worries; the workshop is precisely the right place to ask!

So, point by point here:

1) Research the version and specific craft you're building BEFORE you start! I can't stress this enough, as there are several variants to any craft, and there are specific differences to them at points in time. Also, not every kit is accurate, and some kits have their own "take" on a specific version. Macross World is a great resource for researching valkyries, for example, as is the Macross Mecha Guide.

2) Any scale is merely a fraction expressed of the actual size of the item in real life. 1/2 scale would be (for example) one half of true size, and so forth. That said, when painting these kits, the smaller the size, the lighter the same shade you will have to paint on the final finish (smaller kits don't catch as much light and the same color will look darker as opposed to a larger one).

3) Save cockpit canopies for last, as these can get glue. scratch marks on them if attached too early. If you have to, mask them off to protect them.

4) For base coats, I recommend Rustoleum Painter's Touch (NOT the regular Rustoleum; that will eat the plastic!) grey, black or white primer (depending upon the subject). if you have it available where you live. Use spray paints for the base coat, unless you're going for a metallic finish (primers

5) Fillers/ putties: there are a lot to chose from, from polyester ones, to even super glue gel and baking soda. Use care if you fill a seam enar a panel line, as it can flake off. chip if you need to re-scribe the line after filling.

6) Decals: you're going to want a decal solvent (helps the decal settle and conform) to help make decals look "painted-on", but use care with them. Some can actually dissolve the decal if used too much. Micro-Sol is one that I usually use and is mostly safe. ALSO: check your decals before you use them! Some older kits have decals that can actually "shatter" from age: test older decals by cutting out and soaking an option decal you won't need; if it shatters, apply clear coat to the entire sheet, then let dry and cut the decals out separately.

I'll see if I can think of some more stuff as I go; hope this helps start you off!!

Thanks for that first tip, i had no idea there were so many variants of just 1 plane! Luckily, though, I'm pretty simple and like the basic versions most of the time. It strikes me as odd that there's no one kit alike, but i guess it does make sense. The Mecha guide is pretty extensive as well, so thanks for that also! 

I didn't know that about smaller kits. That also makes sense, though, but If you hand't told me that i would have had no idea! And with the cockpits,those are usually transparent, right? I'd save them for last as-is, as messing up paint on transparent surfaces never goes too well for me. For a base coat, would Tamiya Light Grey work? I've been meaning to get some for a while. 

I use Mr.Tamiya White Putty, and you can't find too much about it (Unless I looked in all the wrong places..) But it works pretty well. I 3D printed a Sharon Apple model, and there's practically no gaps in it now. It does get brittle, though, but luckily it dries fast and is easy to remove if need be.  And i wish i knew about decal solvent before i built my first model, haha. I am VERY careful when dusting it off now. 

[pengbuzz]

2 hours ago, Macross-Plus said:

Thanks for that first tip, i had no idea there were so many variants of just 1 plane! Luckily, though, I'm pretty simple and like the basic versions most of the time. It strikes me as odd that there's no one kit alike, but i guess it does make sense. The Mecha guide is pretty extensive as well, so thanks for that also! 

I didn't know that about smaller kits. That also makes sense, though, but If you hand't told me that i would have had no idea! And with the cockpits,those are usually transparent, right? I'd save them for last as-is, as messing up paint on transparent surfaces never goes too well for me. For a base coat, would Tamiya Light Grey work? I've been meaning to get some for a while. 

I use Mr.Tamiya White Putty, and you can't find too much about it (Unless I looked in all the wrong places..) But it works pretty well. I 3D printed a Sharon Apple model, and there's practically no gaps in it now. It does get brittle, though, but luckily it dries fast and is easy to remove if need be.  And i wish i knew about decal solvent before i built my first model, haha. I am VERY careful when dusting it off now. 

Yeah, the canopies are usually transparent. And Tamiya light grey would work; the idea of a primer is to help the paint adhere to a surface, as well as to give an initial monochromatic surface to help spot imperfections to be filled/ sanded/ filed.

One resource that helped me out a lot is a site called Aircraft Resource Center; it has a LOT of aircraft walkarounds, tools, tips and a forum as well:

https://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/

A book I have as well by Finescale Modeler called Modelling Aircraft was a big help too:

https://www.amazon.com/Modeling-Aircraft-FineScale-Modeler/dp/1627006982/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=1627006982&psc=1

 

 

 

[erewhon1872]

Hi, about the overall size of the VF-19 in 1/72nd scale, the information on the side of the kit box says that the overall length is 260mm and the wingspan is 206.5 mm, hope that helps?

 

[erewhon1872]

As for priming models if they are available in your part of the world but why not try Mr Hobby’s ‘Mr Primer Surfacer 1000’ thinned 50/50 with either their normal thinner or the levelling thinner but avoid the ‘Aqueous’ thinner as that is for water based paints

[erewhon1872]

I also found this advice online about the distance to keep the tip of the needle away from the surface when spraying the primer………….. ‘The key with these lacquers is to not get too far away. I work from about 0.25 to 1.5 inches away. Spray from too far and it dries before it hits the surface, landing as (near) powder. If the spray isn't shiny when it hits the surface, you're too far away’.

[erewhon1872]

When painting the canopy remember if you use primer first then the colour of the primer will be the interior colour of the framing, so prime it with the colour of the cockpit interior and then once dry spray over that with the airframe colour or whatever shade is immediately around the canopy as sometimes that is different to the main airframe colour.

[erewhon1872]

On the subject of the canopy transparency the one in the YF-19 Hasegawa kit does not have a  mould seam down the middle but earlier kits like the VF-1 do have a seam. It can be removed with a new scalpel blade, just scratch away the seam (add masking tape either side of the seam to protect the rest of the canopy) and then sand with successively finer grades of sanding sticks, once reasonably clear again polish with Tamiya Polishing compound or the Mr. Hobby liquid equivalent. This will leave the transparency clear again but to give it a shine I dip the canopy in ‘AK Interactive's Gauzy Glass Coat’, wick off the access on tissue paper and leave to dry in an airtight container to avoid dust settling on the surface as it dries. Other people use ‘Finish’ floor polish for this and no doubt there are other alternatives too.

[erewhon1872]

Attached are some before and after pictures on a VF-1 canopy that I removed the seam on, it was my first attempt so while not perfect it is still a lot better than leaving the seam in place

[no3Ljm]

Hey @erewhon1872. If you kindly change the default color of your text. It's not showing anything for those whose using forum's IPS Default (Light) theme.  

[erewhon1872]

I also replaced the kit seat with a resin alternative, it’s an FA-18 seat by ‘Quickboost’. As it is of course not designed for the VF-1 kit it’s a great fit in the cockpit, you just need to take a little material from its base to avoid a clash with the inside of the canopy

[erewhon1872]

5 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Hey @erewhon1872. If you kindly change the default color of your text. It's not showing anything for those whose using forum's IPS Default (Light) theme.  

ok thanks I'll post the messages again

[erewhon1872]

As for priming models if they are available in your part of the world but why not try Mr Hobby’s ‘Mr Primer Surfacer 1000’ thinned 50/50 with either their normal thinner or the levelling thinner but avoid the ‘Aqueous’ thinner as that is for water based paints.

I also found this advice online about the distance to keep the tip of the needle away from the surface when spraying the primer………….. ‘The key with these lacquers is to not get too far away. I work from about 0.25 to 1.5 inches away. Spray from too far and it dries before it hits the surface, landing as (near) powder. If the spray isn't shiny when it hits the surface, you're too far away’.

[erewhon1872]

When painting the canopy remember if you use primer first then the colour of the primer will be the interior colour of the framing, so prime it with the colour of the cockpit interior and then once dry spray over that with the airframe colour or whatever shade is immediately around the canopy as sometimes that is different to the main airframe colour.

On the subject of the canopy transparency the one in the YF-19 Hasegawa kit does not have a mould seam down the middle but earlier kits like the VF-1 do have a seam. It can be removed with a new scalpel blade, just scratch away the seam (add masking tape either side of the seam to protect the rest of the canopy) and then sand with successively finer grades of sanding sticks, once reasonably clear again polish with Tamiya Polishing compound or the Mr. Hobby liquid equivalent. This will leave the transparency clear again but to give it a shine I dip the canopy in ‘AK Interactive's Gauzy Glass Coat’, wick off the access on tissue paper and leave to dry in an airtight container to avoid dust settling on the surface as it dries. Other people use ‘Finish’ floor polish for this and no doubt there are other alternatives too.

[erewhon1872]

6 minutes ago, erewhon1872 said:

 

Attached are some before and after pictures on a VF-1 canopy that I removed the seam on, it was my first attempt so while not perfect it is still a lot better than leaving the seam in place

I also replaced the kit seat with a resin alternative, it’s an FA-18 seat by ‘Quickboost’. As it is of course not designed for the VF-1 kit it’s a great fit in the cockpit, you just need to take a little material from its base to avoid a clash with the inside of the canopy

[erewhon1872]

thinking about it both of those are 'after' pictures 😊

 

[no3Ljm]

7 minutes ago, erewhon1872 said:

ok thanks I'll post the messages again

No worries. Cheers! 

 

[erewhon1872]

When cleaning up the seams on joints it may be useful to find a putty that you can clean up with water as this can save both time and the need to sand a seam which risks removing surface details. Again this depends on where you are in the world and what’s available near you but I use one called ‘Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty’ which sets after ten minutes and any excess can be removed with a cotton bud dipped in water. This is particularly useful to fill gaps where wings meet fuselages as those areas are both difficult to sand and very difficult to re-scribe if you wipe out nearby panel lines.

[erewhon1872]

I hope these few suggestions are helpful to you, I’m no expert but bitter experience has taught me what is likely to work and what doesn’t work so well!

[erewhon1872]

2 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

No worries. Cheers! 

 

First time I've ever posted anything so it was odds on I'd make a hash of it! Thanks again 👍

[Macross-Plus]

34 minutes ago, erewhon1872 said:

First time I've ever posted anything so it was odds on I'd make a hash of it! Thanks again 👍

Thanks for ALL of that! That was actually exactly what I was looking for, especially the putty and primer details. And with the canopy, I wonder how i'd be able to get the teal tint on the window, as I don't know of any clear/transparent drying paints I could use. I have some Testors paints and acrylics, and I plan on using chalk pastels to make the inset lines and such on the sculpt stand out. I don't think i'd change the seat, as i'd like to keep it as faithful as possible to the anime, But i like that you CAN change the seat if you wanted to put a small model in the cockpit. I also have Mr. White Tamiya putty, and it works pretty well. If there's something i'd want to fix, all i'd have to do is get a blade and chisel it off, as it tends to be flaky when not inset. And thanks for the measurements, that's a BIG kit for my standards! Might have to set a bit of shelf space for it, haha. 

[erewhon1872]

1 hour ago, Macross-Plus said:

Thanks for ALL of that! That was actually exactly what I was looking for, especially the putty and primer details. And with the canopy, I wonder how i'd be able to get the teal tint on the window, as I don't know of any clear/transparent drying paints I could use. I have some Testors paints and acrylics, and I plan on using chalk pastels to make the inset lines and such on the sculpt stand out. I don't think i'd change the seat, as i'd like to keep it as faithful as possible to the anime, But i like that you CAN change the seat if you wanted to put a small model in the cockpit. I also have Mr. White Tamiya putty, and it works pretty well. If there's something i'd want to fix, all i'd have to do is get a blade and chisel it off, as it tends to be flaky when not inset. And thanks for the measurements, that's a BIG kit for my standards! Might have to set a bit of shelf space for it, haha. 

I have never tried it but Tamiya do something called 'Smoke' which is a tint, you could try that on a spare piece of transparency and see if you like the look of it? I never use pilot figures and to me, heresy I know, but the seat on a Valkyrie looks more like something you'd recline in rather than be ejected from 😊I used thinned down oil paint for my panel lines and on a light grey finish use dark grey rather than black so they don't stand out so much

[MechTech]

Tinting canopies can be fun. Spraying the coating may become uneven and look unrealistic - hand brushing is worse! Get some Future or Pledge floor cleaner/coating (depending on where you live). Its good for coating the model as a final sealing coat and over your decals (airbrushed). It's also great for tinting large clear parts. Clean your canopy and get a small cup of Future/Pledge and add a tint to it. Tamiya clear paints are fine. Then dip your canopy in it and let it dry. I've used that technique and its great! - MT

[pengbuzz]

I've been known to use sharpie marker ink squeezed into a cup of Pledge (you pop open the marker and use a pair of pliers to squeeze a drop or two of ink into the Pledge) to tint windows. And sharpie makes a teal marker, so that may work out for you.

[Macross-Plus]

The kit came in today! Bigger than expected, even though I knew how big it would be.  Though, the box was damaged for the kit itself, and a few parts broke off the risers during transit. The main part I think I'm upset about is the scuffs on a lot of the bigger parts due to poor packaging from the seller. Luckily, they're not deep and a coat of primer should hide them (I hope) I also remembered to buy almost everything. But somehow I FORGOT GLUE. I really don't know how that happened either, But I'll see if i can get some soon (It all depends if i have anywhere to go, as I'd like to get glue in-person if possible)

 

The kit has a nice sculpt, but I wasn't ready for those SUPER tiny parts. I thought the 1/20 Minmay I built was tiny, but some parts on this blow it away. I'll have to make a new workspace so I won't lose them as I build. I also like the extra decals for some parts too, but that's pretty standard (I hope?) I'll start working on it after I get my big project done, as I don't want to burn-out and be unable to build this. Once again, thanks to everyone for the help!

[pengbuzz]

Hey, just wanted to check in with you... how's your model going?