first airfix model

[petemurphy]

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

[petemurphy]

Awesome thanks all will go through the comments later

[petemurphy]

Ayahuasca said:

It surely has to be a Mark 1 Spitfire.

The Airfix starter kit has everything you need.

thats the one i looked at on amazon - will that scale be too fiddly or ok? thanks

[petemurphy]

r159 said:

This is a link to the instructions, in the starter set you usually only get one set of decals. Out of interest where about s in the country are you?
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/americanscalemodel...

oxfordshire

[petemurphy]

ah thanks! that for all the info everyone

[petemurphy]

thanks will have a look

[petemurphy]

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 progress

[petemurphy]

Wahoo!

[petemurphy]

paint first or after?

[petemurphy]

Dr Jekyll said:

Small parts first, main painting after, it helps disguise the joins.

ta

[petemurphy]

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 idea

[petemurphy]

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!

[petemurphy]

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.

Edited by dr_gn on Thursday 29th October 12:30

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 daughter