A-380
Comments
36 21 May 2023, 15:41
Roland SachsenhoferThat makes me very happy - feel welcome! The warped wings require a little extra work, but the stretching, filling and sanding is coming to an end - soon we will continue with the construction.
25 May 2023, 07:58
TreehuggerInteresting. Did this kit come with clear parts for all the windows? I think mine came without any. Edit: I seem to have the Revell "new livery" version with a different boxing.
25 May 2023, 13:08
Roland SachsenhoferSame with mine, no clear parts for the fuselage. Personally, I prefer decals in this scale, the fuselage windows are filled with Klearfix and possibly also detailed with the provided decals.
25 May 2023, 16:09
Roland SachsenhoferTime for some new pictures and, above all, some progress on the building! 🙂 The somewhat format-blasting size does not really suggest the scale 1:144. But you probably don't suspect that the construction is a bit "tricky" because of its size: the huge wings were connected to the fuselage with metal rods, the overall somewhat soft, because empty fuselage was stiffened, so that the buildability and also the later stability can be improved. At present, the thing is one thing above all: big!
8 June 2023, 16:37
Roland SachsenhoferYou can see several Alclad metal tones here - even if the recordings don't actually show it well. Next, some real colour will come into play, so the pictures should be a bit better again!
24 June 2023, 18:24
Roland SachsenhoferTime for a little construction progress here too! The four engine nacelles are waiting for the decals; tomorrow I want to apply them. I am glad that the masking could be removed and that I could finally check the result of these several successive colours.
2 July 2023, 17:12
Roland SachsenhoferHere are the last pictures without decals- meanwhile the two-day undertaking to transform the surface into the British Airways "LEA" is underway....
13 July 2023, 09:50
Roland SachsenhoferNow the "little giant" is finished! This was a project that really challenged me - especially or even though it is in 1:144 scale. A certain precision is advisable, especially with airliners - and the A-380 really has a large area to offer, which should be designed exactly!
In my opinion Revell does a good job here. However, the building instructions are often complex and, unfortunately, unclear in some places. This concerns, for example, the decal assignment for the engine nacelles or the instruction to keep the wing leading edges in aluminium. Photos of the real thing show otherwise. The extensive decal sheet is in any case a real highlight of this kit, the decals work fabulously!
Thank you for your interest and comments, I hope you like the pictures!
17 July 2023, 14:04
TreehuggerVery nice.
I wish you had a photo showing the direct front, because the jet imo has a beautiful and a characteristic look from the front, showing the wing roots flowing over onto the wings.
To get a nice front photo, one would imo have to use zoom, to avoid the "scale model look", for a more flat perspective.
17 July 2023, 16:15
Michael KohlUuups, that was quick now. Beautifully crafted and experty presented. Real airliner feel.
Can you share a thought or two on how you painted those large areas? Rattle can? Regular airbrush? Any hints? I insist as my Il-62 is nearing the painting stage and I am eager for any shared experience I can get.
17 July 2023, 17:37
Roland SachsenhoferIt's really wonderful to see all your motivating feedback - thank you for that and for your interest!
@ Treehugger: I will take a photo from the front, should be easy to do.
Michael, I have reasonable respect myself for the task of painting large volumes in white; even more so on an airliner, where the thing should also turn out with a certain perfection! I worked here with my usual Iwata with 0.2mm nozzle. Since I already know that glossy white acrylic paint is extremely unpleasant to apply, I painted the surfaces once with matt white (Tamiya) in two or three passes. Between the passes I smoothed the surfaces with 600 and then 1000 grit sandpaper. This helps well against the grainy paint that flakes out in some places. Finally, glossy white was applied. After the white was well prepared, it doesn't matter that glossy white doesn't cover the underground perfectly or only with difficulty.
After this preparation, a glossy clear coat was applied to make the whole thing ready for the decals. For all these steps I needed maybe two or three days, because with acrylic paints a hand-dry surface can be achieved very quickly, which can also be sanded well.
Well, that's at least my approach to the interesting theme of having to apply large areas of white (as well as yellow) paint!
18 July 2023, 11:14
Michael KohlRiesendankeschön Roland for your elaborate hints and tips concerning my question. Much cherished and will surely find their way into my builds. Thanks again.
18 July 2023, 14:53
Roland SachsenhoferFinally, here's a little "fun fact": I was very surprised when I saw the difference in size between the big airliner giants once and now! Below: Beoing Model 307 Stratoliner anno 1940, above Airbus A 380 anno 2000....
21 July 2023, 07:46
Roland SachsenhoferThank you, Łukasz and Oliver! Yes, the Boeing Stratoliner was one of those models that made me appreciate the benefits of the small scale. 1:144 has seductive power! 🙂
22 July 2023, 06:44
