first airfix model
Discussion
petemurphy said:
RichB said:
Let's be honest when we were 8 or 9 years old we didn't worry about roundels and detailed mouldings as long as it stuck together and looked good hanging from our ceilings! I was probably 7 or 8 when I started making Airfix planes, it helped that I had an older brother but we got zero help from mum or dad so they were all our own work. I know we both made the 1st world war biplanes before I was 10. Frankly, too much assistance from eager parents does away with the point of kids learning to do it themselves. The OP's daughter is 9 years old, rather than over thinking it I would have just bought her a spitfire and some glue and let her get on with it. She will either enjoy it or never do one again. 
basically this ive bought her the spitfire starter set! well its for me mainly i just want to remember the smell of that glue! thanks all some good advice if we progressRichB said:
dr_gn said:
...but you had help from an older brother.
I wouldn't give a kit to a 9 year old and let them get on with it, IMO they'd need at least some guidance. My son is 13 now, and he mainly builds and paints Warhammer figures. He's been at the stage where he does everything himself for about a year or so, although I still wouldn't let him have a scalpel unsupervised yet. Side cutters and files work fine - just as they did for me at his age.
I wouldn't give a kit to a 9 year old and let them get on with it, IMO they'd need at least some guidance. My son is 13 now, and he mainly builds and paints Warhammer figures. He's been at the stage where he does everything himself for about a year or so, although I still wouldn't let him have a scalpel unsupervised yet. Side cutters and files work fine - just as they did for me at his age.
you don't know my brother... I made what I considered some very decent models and I know they were before my 10th birthday because that's when we moved house. My brother's help consisted of knocking to the floor a model of an Albatross that I had painstakingly painted the harlequin camouflage on! By 13 I was building my model railway and was using scalpels, x-acto knives, drills and soldering irons and lots other things that I could hurt myself with. Yes he encouraged me but being 4 years older he did his own thing, by the time I was 13 he had girlfriends.I assumed you meant that your brother gave you help/advice, but you say his help consisted of smashing your models up. I’m confused!
dr_gn said:
You said it helped that you had an older brother because you didn’t get any from your parents? I assumed you meant that your brother gave you help/advice, but you say his help consisted of smashing your models up. I’m confused!
Sorry to confuse, my dad never touched a tube of polystyrene glue in his life. Mum used to take me to Woolworths to buy the planes, tanks, railway locos, trucks, buildings or whatever. It helped in that my brother, John would make suggestions what to get, so if I chose a Fairey night fighter he'd choose a Stuka. We'd then take them home to glue together and paint them. I think you have a different image of two brothers growing up in the '60s making Airfix models. We were kid amusing ourselves, not building show pieces for a Horticultural Halls model exhibition. We were competitive and yes he was 4 years older but he didn't build them for me... Actually, I just looked on Google and I would have been 9 1/2 when I started building Brave Moppie, a 2' long powered motor boat with the plans featured in the Meccano Magazine from January '66 for several months. The boat was pretty good actually although it took me about a year to build!
Anyway, back on topic - get an Airfix Spitfire like everyone has said
Edited by RichB on Thursday 29th October 12:32
robemcdonald said:
thinking about it weren't airfix working on beginner kits to sit between the quick builds and normal kits?
or did i dream it?
Yes they were/are. I think is was in one of their news emails.or did i dream it?
This will not help with ww2 subject but the little Revell Star Wars kits are great basically snap fit but look great.
Back on topic 1/72 B-25 Mitchell easy click £12.99
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/revell-1...
If your daughter or her mum (or you I guess) have any fingernail sanding sticks, they are very useful for smoothing seams off and removing moulding marks. You might want to try thinning the acrylic paint with a spot or two of water first, and invest £2 for some not quite so pants paintbrushes from The Works or The Range, or wherever. I do wonder if the gift sets might put more people off modelling than attracting them to the hobby!
For a next step, if you don't mind them being a bit cartoony, then Meng make some amazing little snap together kits with good detail. No paint supplied though.
Maybe this for Christmas
For a next step, if you don't mind them being a bit cartoony, then Meng make some amazing little snap together kits with good detail. No paint supplied though.
Maybe this for Christmas
Zad said:
If your daughter or her mum (or you I guess) have any fingernail sanding sticks, they are very useful for smoothing seams off and removing moulding marks. You might want to try thinning the acrylic paint with a spot or two of water first, and invest £2 for some not quite so pants paintbrushes from The Works or The Range, or wherever. I do wonder if the gift sets might put more people off modelling than attracting them to the hobby!
For a next step, if you don't mind them being a bit cartoony, then Meng make some amazing little snap together kits with good detail. No paint supplied though.
Maybe this for Christmas
good ideaFor a next step, if you don't mind them being a bit cartoony, then Meng make some amazing little snap together kits with good detail. No paint supplied though.
Maybe this for Christmas
[quote=petemurphy]Wahoo!
[/quote
Cool
5 years ago I bought my lad one of those...
Fast forward to 2020 and he’s more gutted than me that Scale Model World was cancelled...
Another tip is to use a cocktail stick to apply the glue to the plastic rather than directly from the tube, also if you have any pva glue use it to stick the canopy on as the supplied glue can make a right mess of the clear parts if it gets where it shouldn’t.
[/quoteCool
5 years ago I bought my lad one of those...
Fast forward to 2020 and he’s more gutted than me that Scale Model World was cancelled...
Another tip is to use a cocktail stick to apply the glue to the plastic rather than directly from the tube, also if you have any pva glue use it to stick the canopy on as the supplied glue can make a right mess of the clear parts if it gets where it shouldn’t.
Edited by r159 on Wednesday 28th October 22:09
r159]etemurphy said:
Wahoo!
[/quote
Cool
5 years ago I bought my lad one of those...
Fast forward to 2020 and he’s more gutted than me that Scale Model World was cancelled...
Another tip is to use a cocktail stick to apply the glue to the plastic rather than directly from the tube, also if you have any pva glue use it to stick the canopy on as the supplied glue can make a right mess of the clear parts if it gets where it shouldn’t.
The other option is to buy Tamiya cement - comes with an applicator brush and is very good. It comes in different thicknesses too, the ultra-thin is great for running in to seams.[/quoteCool
5 years ago I bought my lad one of those...
Fast forward to 2020 and he’s more gutted than me that Scale Model World was cancelled...
Another tip is to use a cocktail stick to apply the glue to the plastic rather than directly from the tube, also if you have any pva glue use it to stick the canopy on as the supplied glue can make a right mess of the clear parts if it gets where it shouldn’t.
Edited by r159 on Wednesday 28th October 22:09
is it me or do you have to basically glue everything? instructions only say glue certain bits but it all seems to need glueing.
seems fiddlier than i remember but my daughter seems to be able to fit it together better than me! I didnt have fat fingers and bad eyesight when i used to do them i guess!
seems fiddlier than i remember but my daughter seems to be able to fit it together better than me! I didnt have fat fingers and bad eyesight when i used to do them i guess!
petemurphy said:
is it me or do you have to basically glue everything? instructions only say glue certain bits but it all seems to need glueing.
seems fiddlier than i remember but my daughter seems to be able to fit it together better than me! I didnt have fat fingers and bad eyesight when i used to do them i guess!
Apart from possibly the propeller spindle, which bits do the instructions indicate are you not supposed to glue?seems fiddlier than i remember but my daughter seems to be able to fit it together better than me! I didnt have fat fingers and bad eyesight when i used to do them i guess!
petemurphy said:
any recommendations for a first airfix model for my 9 yr old daughter?
she's doing world war 2 at school at the mo so thinking a spitfire?
she's never done any modelling and we dont have any glue/tools etc so an all in one kit would be good.
something to do at half term and hopefully bring back some good childhood memories for me too!
thanks
Yes, Spitfire!she's doing world war 2 at school at the mo so thinking a spitfire?
she's never done any modelling and we dont have any glue/tools etc so an all in one kit would be good.
something to do at half term and hopefully bring back some good childhood memories for me too!
thanks
petemurphy said:
is it me or do you have to basically glue everything? instructions only say glue certain bits but it all seems to need glueing.
seems fiddlier than i remember but my daughter seems to be able to fit it together better than me! I didnt have fat fingers and bad eyesight when i used to do them i guess!
It is worth bearing in mind that the glue doesn’t stick the bits together in the conventional sense, rather it actually melts the plastic so both sides kind of fuse with each other. So use sparingly and avoid getting it on areas you don’t want it. seems fiddlier than i remember but my daughter seems to be able to fit it together better than me! I didnt have fat fingers and bad eyesight when i used to do them i guess!
Actually, having had a quick look at the instructions, I can see the issue.
If you've never built a plastic kit before (and bearing in mind it's a starter kit), the instructions on glueing/not glueing are very confusing. Difficult to see how they managed that, but they did.
Basically, glue everything apart form the propeller assembly to the fuselage (if you want the propeller to spin). If you've painted anything before assembly, make sure you remove the paint from the surfaces to be glued. You can use white PVA woodwork adhesive for the canopy - it dries clear , and you can wipe excess off with a damp glasses cleaning cloth before it dries if necessary. You can also wipe PVA into any small gaps and clean off the excess in the same way - it will act as a makeshift filler. You can build it up in layers after drying, for any larger gaps. PVA doesn't dissolve plastic so its quite benign. Not as strong as poly cement, but fine for small items.
If you've never built a plastic kit before (and bearing in mind it's a starter kit), the instructions on glueing/not glueing are very confusing. Difficult to see how they managed that, but they did.
Basically, glue everything apart form the propeller assembly to the fuselage (if you want the propeller to spin). If you've painted anything before assembly, make sure you remove the paint from the surfaces to be glued. You can use white PVA woodwork adhesive for the canopy - it dries clear , and you can wipe excess off with a damp glasses cleaning cloth before it dries if necessary. You can also wipe PVA into any small gaps and clean off the excess in the same way - it will act as a makeshift filler. You can build it up in layers after drying, for any larger gaps. PVA doesn't dissolve plastic so its quite benign. Not as strong as poly cement, but fine for small items.
Edited by dr_gn on Thursday 29th October 12:30
dr_gn said:
Actually, having had a quick look at the instructions, I can see the issue.
If you've never built a plastic kit before (and bearing in mind it's a starter kit), the instructions on glueing/not glueing are very confusing. Difficult to see how they managed that, but they did.
Basically, glue everything apart form the propeller assembly to the fuselage (if you want the propeller to spin). If you've painted anything before assembly, make sure you remove the paint from the surfaces to be glued. You can use white PVA woodwork adhesive for the canopy - it dries clear , and you can wipe excess off with a damp glasses cleaning cloth before it dries if necessary. You can also wipe PVA into any small gaps and clean off the excess in the same way - it will act as a makeshift filler. You can build it up in layers after drying, for any larger gaps. PVA doesn't dissolve plastic so its quite benign. Not as strong as poly cement, but fine for small items.
thanks yes the instructions have a symbol for gluing that is'nt used much so ive ignored them and glued everything in the house i can find! not too worried about it being perfect as its just for fun with my daughterIf you've never built a plastic kit before (and bearing in mind it's a starter kit), the instructions on glueing/not glueing are very confusing. Difficult to see how they managed that, but they did.
Basically, glue everything apart form the propeller assembly to the fuselage (if you want the propeller to spin). If you've painted anything before assembly, make sure you remove the paint from the surfaces to be glued. You can use white PVA woodwork adhesive for the canopy - it dries clear , and you can wipe excess off with a damp glasses cleaning cloth before it dries if necessary. You can also wipe PVA into any small gaps and clean off the excess in the same way - it will act as a makeshift filler. You can build it up in layers after drying, for any larger gaps. PVA doesn't dissolve plastic so its quite benign. Not as strong as poly cement, but fine for small items.
Edited by dr_gn on Thursday 29th October 12:30
petemurphy said:
dr_gn said:
Actually, having had a quick look at the instructions, I can see the issue.
If you've never built a plastic kit before (and bearing in mind it's a starter kit), the instructions on glueing/not glueing are very confusing. Difficult to see how they managed that, but they did.
Basically, glue everything apart form the propeller assembly to the fuselage (if you want the propeller to spin). If you've painted anything before assembly, make sure you remove the paint from the surfaces to be glued. You can use white PVA woodwork adhesive for the canopy - it dries clear , and you can wipe excess off with a damp glasses cleaning cloth before it dries if necessary. You can also wipe PVA into any small gaps and clean off the excess in the same way - it will act as a makeshift filler. You can build it up in layers after drying, for any larger gaps. PVA doesn't dissolve plastic so its quite benign. Not as strong as poly cement, but fine for small items.
thanks yes the instructions have a symbol for gluing that is'nt used much so ive ignored them and glued everything in the house i can find! not too worried about it being perfect as its just for fun with my daughterIf you've never built a plastic kit before (and bearing in mind it's a starter kit), the instructions on glueing/not glueing are very confusing. Difficult to see how they managed that, but they did.
Basically, glue everything apart form the propeller assembly to the fuselage (if you want the propeller to spin). If you've painted anything before assembly, make sure you remove the paint from the surfaces to be glued. You can use white PVA woodwork adhesive for the canopy - it dries clear , and you can wipe excess off with a damp glasses cleaning cloth before it dries if necessary. You can also wipe PVA into any small gaps and clean off the excess in the same way - it will act as a makeshift filler. You can build it up in layers after drying, for any larger gaps. PVA doesn't dissolve plastic so its quite benign. Not as strong as poly cement, but fine for small items.
Edited by dr_gn on Thursday 29th October 12:30
Trouble is, the do-not-glue symbol is totally different, and is on the assembly arrow line.
The black circle with the canopy number doesn't actually define whether it's glued or not, just that it's transparent!
I think a GCSE CDT student could have done a better job of those instructions tbh.
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