Cessna 310 Painted

3/8" = 1' Cessna 310. Panel lines engraved with wood burner before painting. Painted with Testors enamels. Wing number masked using frisket film (number printed on film using ink jet printer, cut out and applied to model, then final color painted). Smaller markings are homemade water slide decals using Micro-Mark decal paper. Landing Gear struts from brazing rod with styrene detail added. Wheels from laminated styrene disks: cut out and laminate plastic disks to desired thickness, drill hole in center to insert wooden peg, chuck peg in rotary tool and shape using sanding sticks, files. Gear doors from styrene sheet. Propellers from styrene. Label on stand made in MS Word: cover print with clear packing tape and back with double sided tape, trim with scissors and apply sticker to base.
Panel lines were made using this procedure: after the model was sealed using varnish and primed using rattle can primer I added panel lines using a wood burner with a knife blade attachment; a popsickle stick and piece of leather from an old belt were used as straight edges. This process leaves a raised furrow which can be eliminated using a Scotch Brite pad followed by rubbing down with extra fine steel wool (use the finest grade obtainable; the coarser stuff leaves scratches). Next, whisk off the model using a house painting brush to clean the sanding debris out of the panel lines. The result is a finely engraved panel line on the model surface.

After the model was painted, I highlighted the panel lines by applying Kiwi liquid shoe polish (the stuff that comes in the plastic bottles with the foam pad dispenser on top). The polish comes in several colors which can be mixed to produce suitable grungy color- dispense some of the polish into a container and apply to the model using a fine paint brush or mapping pen nib. The excess polish was wiped off the model using a rag dampened with water.

I've had good luck using Micro-Mark decal paper to make water slide decals. First create the marking using MS Word's Word Art feature then print on standard paper. Cut a rectangle shape around the marking using a hobby knife and straight edge. Use the cutout as a template to cut out a piece of decal paper the same size as the hole. Place the cut out piece of decal paper face down in the hole made earlier and secure with cellophane tape. The decal paper will be flush with the paper surface (this will minimize ink smuding). Next run the paper through the printer again; the marking will now be printed on the decal paper piece. If using an inkjet printer, allow plenty of time for the ink to dry then seal using a clear overspray (I prefer Deft spray varnish). The number decal still on the paper made using this method appears on the parts photo.

The wheels were made by laminating thick plastic sheet-- use a circle template to draw the wheels on the sheet then cut out using straight cuts, clean up with a file; make enough disks to create the thickness of one wheel. Apply glue and clamp. Next drill a hole to accomodate a peg made from a bamboo skewer. The hole should fit the peg snugly; do not glue. Chuck the peg in a rotary tool and shape using files and sanding sticks; hub detail was gouged in using a knife blade as the wheel was turning. When one side is complete, pull the wheel off the peg and flip over to shape the opposite side. When done fill the hole with plastic scrap and drill a new smaller hole to accomodate the brazing rod axle. Wood can be used instead of plastic; plastic tends to melt if the RPM is too high.

The landing gear doors were cut from plastic sheet (from old For Sale signs). I sprayed oven cleaner on the printed side of the sign, then scrubbed off the unwanted lettering. Pegs (flattened where they attach to the door) made from Evergreen plastic rod fit in holes drilled in the model underside. On the model, "wheel wells" are indicated by black painted rectangles.

The propellers are carved from thick plastic sheet; shaped using files, sanding sticks and scraping with a single edged razor blade then smoothened using fine steel wool. The cuffs are sliced sections of Evergreen plastic tubing. The propellers were then painted gloss white and polished using SNJ aluminum powder for a metallic look. The blades were then sealed using future floor polish. Pins from brass rod secure the blades to the spinners.

The large registration numbers on the wings were masked using frisket film from an art supply store. The numbers were created in MS Word (using the Word Art feature) and first printed on standard paper then cutout as described above for making decals. I lightly sanded the frisket film before running it through the inkjet printer since the ink tends to bead up on the film surface. When dry, the masks were cutout and attached to the model. To line up the numbers on the model, I first applied a masking tape strip which had tick marks for each numeral. The frisket film numbers were then lined up on the tape strip in their respective locations. After the frisket masks were applied, I went over them with the dark blue (color being masked) to diminish bleed through.

The windows were masked and painted last using Testors steel enamel. When the steel paint dried I stippled (using an old brush) the windows around the outer edges using black enamel and white mixed with blue in the center. This is supposed to suggest reflected light. I'm still experimenting with methods to make solid wood look like clear plexiglas.

The display stand is from scrap. The label was made using MS Word (again), with the logo created using InkScape (an easy to use shareware vector graphics program). I converted the printed out image into a sticker by covering the top of the image with clear packaging tape and the back with double sided tape (multiple pieces were needed there since the double sided tape wasn't wide enough). The image was then cut from the paper and applied to the varnished base then sealed with Future floor polish.