Building airplane model kits: plastic modeling for beginners

Side cutters, a few sprues full of gray parts, instructions with lots of small drawings – and in the end there is an aircraft on your shelf that you built yourself. For many plane spotters, plastic airplane model kits are the entry to a second hobby: instead of just photographing your favorite aircraft, you assemble it part by part, paint it and apply the registrations. This guide explains which kit suits a first build, which tools you really need and how the typical build steps run, from removing parts to sealing.

What is a plastic model kit?

A plastic model kit is an aircraft in individual parts. The parts are almost always made by injection molding from polystyrene and hang on so-called sprues (also called “runners”). There are usually also clear parts for the cockpit and windows, a sheet of waterslide transfers – the decals – for registrations, logos and markings, and instructions with paint callouts.

The difference from a finished display model is fundamental: a display model, for example from the world of Herpa Wings, comes out of the box painted and printed. With a kit, everything is up to you – fit, paint application, clean edges. That is exactly the appeal: you get to know the aircraft while building it like hardly any photographer at the fence. If you are thinking more about collecting than crafting, you will find the right entry in the guide Collecting aircraft models.

Plastic modeling has a long tradition. As early as the late 1930s, aircraft kits in 1:72 scale came onto the market in Great Britain, and in the 1950s and 1960s companies like Airfix and Revell became well known. Revell’s German branch was founded in 1956 in Bünde, Westphalia, and has been based there ever since. From the 1970s at the latest, Japanese manufacturers such as Tamiya and Hasegawa have also shaped the market.

Choosing the right kit

With your first kit, three things decide between success and frustration: difficulty level, scale and subject.

Difficulty level: better one level too easy

Many manufacturers state on the box how demanding a kit is. Revell uses five levels for this: level 1 covers kits for kids with a few easy-to-join parts, level 2 snap-together systems with colored parts that are assembled without glue. Level 3 is where classic plastic modeling begins: unpainted plastic kits that you glue and paint and that the manufacturer rates as easy to build. Level 4 is aimed at advanced modelers with experience in gluing and painting, level 5 at experienced modelers who dare to tackle complex kits.

For your first glued kit, a middle level is ideal. It challenges you without overwhelming you. If you first just want to test whether modeling suits you, you can begin with a snap-together system – Revell offers kits, for example, whose parts are simply pushed together without any glue.

Scale: size, detail and selection

The scale indicates how much smaller the model is than the original. For aircraft kits, certain scales have become established depending on the kind of aircraft. They are explained in detail in the article Aircraft model scales; for getting started with kits, this overview is enough:

Scale	Typical subjects	Character	For beginners …
1:144	Airliners, large transports	handy airliners, largest airliner selection	good if airliners appeal to you – window decals require some care
1:72	Propeller aircraft, jets, helicopters	very large selection, compact models	good, but small parts can be fiddly
1:48	Fighters, classics, light aircraft	larger parts, more detail	very good for small aircraft, needs more space
1:32 and larger	individual jets and warbirds	very detailed, large kits	more for later

For plane spotters, 1:144 is usually the scale of choice because the selection of airliners is concentrated there. An Airbus A320 is around 26 centimeters long in it, a Boeing 747-400 just under 50 centimeters. You can work out how big your target model will be yourself here:

Subject: the aircraft that excites you

Depending on its scope, a kit takes several evenings to weeks. What carries you through the filling and sanding work is the subject. Build the aircraft you like most to photograph at your home airport, a classic like the Junkers Ju 52 or a type you have admired in a museum. Before buying, check whether the airline livery you want is included as a decal – kits often supply only one or two livery options. For other airlines, there are separate decal sheets from specialist providers.

Tools and materials to start

The basic equipment is manageable. Some manufacturers offer complete sets that already include basic paints, brushes and glue alongside the kit – handy for your very first attempt.

• Side cutters: For removing the parts from the sprue. A special modeling side cutter with a flat side cuts closer to the part.
• Hobby knife: For sprue remnants and flash. Always cut away from your body and use a cutting mat.
• Sandpaper and sanding files: Fine grits for cleaning up glue seams and sprue attachment points.
• Plastic cement: Solvent-based cement welds polystyrene. Thin varieties applied with a brush are especially precise.
• Clear-part cement: For canopies and windows, so nothing turns cloudy.
• Tweezers: For small parts and for positioning decals.
• Brushes and paints: A flat brush for surfaces, a fine one for details. The required colors are listed in the instructions.
• Putty: For gaps between fuselage halves or at the wing roots.
• Masking tape: For masking off areas when painting, such as for stripes or engine cowlings.

Important: glue, thinner and some paints contain solvents. Work in a well-ventilated room, read the safety instructions on the packaging and keep the materials away from children.

Paints: acrylic or enamel?

There are two common paint systems for plastic models. Water-based acrylic paints hardly smell, dry quickly and can be washed out of the brush with water – usually the more pleasant choice for beginners. Solvent-based enamel paints often level especially smoothly when brushed and cover well, but take longer to dry and need special thinner for cleaning.

A few basic rules apply to both systems:

• Stir well: Pigments settle at the bottom. Unstirred paint covers poorly and dries blotchy.
• Thin, in several coats: Two or three thin coats look better than one thick one that fills the engraved details.
• Primer helps: A primer makes irregularities visible and makes the paint adhere better – especially for light colors on gray plastic.
• White is demanding: Many airliners have white fuselages. White covers poorly and usually needs several coats. It is easier over a light gray primer.

Larger surfaces such as the fuselage and wings come out more evenly with spray cans or later an airbrush than with a brush. The airbrush is, however, an investment of its own and not a must for starting out. How real aircraft are painted – including masking, primer and clear coat – is shown, by the way, in the article How an aircraft is painted. You will find many of the work steps again in miniature on the model.

The build, step by step

Every kit is different, but the process almost always follows the same pattern.

Decals: the finishing touch on an airliner

On airliners, the decals make up a large part of the effect. Airline titles, cheatline, registration, window rows and door outlines – all of it comes as waterslide transfers. Here is how to go about it:

• Glossy surface: On matte paint, tiny air pockets form under the decal and become visible as a silvery shimmer. A glossy clear coat beforehand prevents that.
• Soak briefly: Cut out the decal, put it in lukewarm water for a few seconds, then let it rest on a cloth briefly until it comes loose from the paper.
• Slide, do not pull: Hold the backing paper at the target spot and slide the decal off with a damp brush. That way it can still be positioned.
• Use softener: Special decal fluids make the transfer softer so that it conforms to panel lines and around curves.
• Long stripes in stages: Long stripes across the fuselage break easily. It is better to work with plenty of water and position them piece by piece.

For window rows, it is worth comparing against photos of the real aircraft. This is exactly where spotter knowledge pays off: you know what the livery looks like on the real aircraft, where the emergency exits are and how the registration is placed on the fuselage. For historic liveries, the overviews of legendary airline liveries and retro liveries are a good source of inspiration.

Typical beginner mistakes – and how to avoid them

The most common mistake is impatience. If you stress fuselage halves too early or put decals on paint that is still soft, you ruin hours of work. Get into the habit of working on several subassemblies in parallel – while the fuselage dries, you can keep building the landing gear.

Combining kits and spotting

Plane spotters have a real advantage in modeling: they know their subjects from firsthand observation. A few ideas for combining both hobbies:

• Build your own favorite aircraft: Recreate a specific registration you photographed at your home airport with a matching decal sheet.
• Photos as reference: Your own shots show you details such as antennas, landing gear doors and dirt that are missing from the instructions. How to label your photos cleanly is covered in the guide Labeling photos properly.
• Use museum visits: At the Deutsches Museum Munich or the Flugwerft Schleißheim you get close to historic aircraft and see details up close that are out of reach at the airport fence.
• Build a type series: For example, the different generations of one type side by side – that trains your eye, as described in the guide Telling the Boeing 737 Original, Classic, NG and MAX apart.

At some point you will need a good place for the finished models. You will find tips on display cases, dust protection and presentation under Storing and displaying aircraft models. And if you want to give an aviation fan a kit as a gift, the overview Gifts for plane spotters helps – for younger crafters also Airplane gifts for kids.

Conclusion

Plastic modeling is a calm counterpart to spotting at the fence – and at the same time closely tied to it. With a kit of middle difficulty, a scale that suits your subject and a small basic set of tools, you get into the hobby well. The rest is practice: test-fit dry, glue sparingly, paint thin, apply decals with patience. Your first model shows you what already works well – and the second will guaranteed be better.