Whic is easier? Armor or Aircraft?

HVH

Thks for the KH

B17Pilot

Borg R3-MC0:

As for most difficult: figures, painting them is so difficult!

 

Agree, I hate painting figures

Figure-painting isn't as tough as most folks think... The uniforms and equipment are really no different than painting any other small details that most modelers do every day in cockpits and on engines...   The faces don't have to be layed 15 times with "filters" and shaded with oils in 27 places either... And they don't need "eyes" in 90% of the cases...  Soldiers are in the sun a lot, and when you're in the sun, you squint... Black/Dark Brown slits will do... Paint the rest of the face with a good flesh-color (I like Testor's MM Radome Tan), then a dark wash, 5-o'clock shadow with charcoal, and drybrush with lightened Radome Tan... 

Wash and drybrush the uniforms, and you're done...  Keep in mind that I'm talking about 1/35th and smaller, and not photographing them so that they appear 12 inches tall... I paint them as they will be viewed, at normal distances..

If you REALLY want easy faces, do 'em wearing camo-paint on their faces (See my Avatar)...  Loam (in the shadow areas) and Light Green (in the shine areas) for woodland areas, Tan (in the shadow areas) and Loam (in the shine areas) for Deserts, burnt-cork (charcoal dust) for WW2 paratroopers... 

Actually, the Light Green is a Dark Green and the Loam is a Light Green... Don't ask me, I didn't name 'em...

So you use vinyl tracks exclusively? I've used them before but I'm not sure how to get the proper sag out of 'em, or how to ensure they sit snug against the road wheels.

Sometimes I have to adjust the idler (best for tracks with return rollers), same as on a real track-laying vehicle, other times I just glue the tracks to the roadwheels or return rollers, using dowels inserted in betweeen the them, making sure that they get glued down to the side of each wheel a little, or I use some thread to pull the center of the track down, tying it around the axle, on tracks like the M109, M113-series or T-55/T-62...  A little gunk in there, like grass or weeds hanging down, hides the thread...  Whatever the method, they're always on a diorama...  Hides a lot of "sins"...  Can't stand building Gate Guards...

Hans von Hammer

I don't do indy/link & length tracks...  Don't need 'em, don't buy kits with 'em, anymore... I paint 'em as they look in the dirt, then add the mud... It's already the right color...

Chuck the roadwheels in a Dremel for sanding and painting (Use a black Sharpie.. The Dullcoat will take care of the gloss)... 15-20 minutes...

So you use vinyl tracks exclusively? I've used them before but I'm not sure how to get the proper sag out of 'em, or how to ensure they sit snug against the road wheels.

I don't do indy/link & length tracks...  Don't need 'em, don't buy kits with 'em, anymore... I paint 'em as they look in the dirt, then add the mud... It's already the right color...

Chuck the roadwheels in a Dremel (variable-speed drills work too..) for sanding and painting (Use a black Sharpie.. The Dullcoat will take care of the gloss)... 15-20 minutes...

I think both subjects have their ups and downs, at least for me. I'm terrible at filling and sanding seams and aircraft generally have more seams than armor with the fuselage halves, wing halves, wing roots, tail section, etc. These imperfections in my work stand out more in aircraft.

Armor on the other hand gives me trouble with tracks and wheels. I hate assembling 80 gazillion little road wheels and indy track links. Then I have to decide whether or not to attach the tracks before painting them or after painting them.

In the end, I think I can produce a better piece of armor than I can an aircraft but I prefer the assembly process of aircraft over armor. So I guess as far as ease is concerned, armor has a slight edge for me.

Hans von Hammer

Straight build-time, armor is far easier... I've usually got a 1/35th tank complete and ready for paint in about 3-4 hours, with aircraft, I'm lucky if the cockpit & engine of a single-seat fighter is done in that amount of time...

Typically, I have about 12 hours into a tank, whereas an aircraft is going to be in the 20-30 hour range...

 

!!! 3-4 hours on a tank?  Man, it takes me that long to get the road wheels correct.  I dreaded doing road wheels and was a key contributor to me doing aircraft.  It has been almost two years, since doing armor, though....I can see me re-visiting my armor kits on the shelf in the not-too-distant future.

joeviz

iraqiwildman:

AFV = Armored Fighting Vehicle.

Whic???

 

Wow.. too easy!  Now I really feel embarrassed.  oh well... Learn somn' new every day.  Thank you.

Read more, Talk less kid.

Dr

Straight build-time, armor is far easier... I've usually got a 1/35th tank complete and ready for paint in about 3-4 hours, with aircraft, I'm lucky if the cockpit & engine of a single-seat fighter is done in that amount of time...

Typically, I have about 12 hours into a tank, whereas an aircraft is going to be in the 20-30 hour range...

Hercmech

How long is a piece of string? 

 

Seriously I would have to say that although I build and buy mostly A/C I find them a little more difficult than armor. Like everyone has alluded to building A/C you have to be a little more careful with all the fiddly bits. i.e canopy, gear, various antennas. Armor for me has very tedious things like painting all the wheels and doing the tracks, but they tend to be much more forgiving to a little ham fisting.

 

I do think that getting the weathering right is a little tricky with armor as you walk a fine line between just right and ridiculous, and most armor project just don’t look right without any wreathing whereas you can get a way with an A/C with a factory finish.

 

Just my rambling thought on a question with no clear answer like the chicken and an egg dilemma.

 

Hermech,

I relined a Bandai 1:24 King Tiger with scale thickness armour and still have to correct its glacis angle. I suppose that counts as a bit of scratch so I appreciate Fermis' point.

But then again, de-warping or repairing aircraft fuselages and wings has taken up alot of my time.

HkShooter's point about the ordeals of flawless shiney paint on cars reminds me of a guy who would strip a car of a finish if it had a pice of tiny dust showing and start all over.

So many model builders don't do stuff because it's easy, but because it's hard. I spent countless hours building aluminum spars for a set of BUFF wings.

I figure it really boils down to how much time a builder has to spend on his subject, and how far he wants to take the effects he's trying to achieve.!

By the way, I always figured critters like amphibians then Dinos came 100's of millions of years before chickens, and their eggs worked pretty good!

iraqiwildman

AFV = Armored Fighting Vehicle.

Whic???

Wow.. too easy!  Now I really feel embarrassed.  oh well... Learn somn' new every day.  Thank you.

AFV = Armored Fighting Vehicle.

Whic???

oh man I have a rather embarrassing question... What does  AFV stand for?  Armor ??? Vehicle ?   

In my opinion AFV's are easier despite the higher parts count. I have built both AFVs and aircraft, and the AFV's have always turned out better. But they are both fairly easy. depends on what you like.

Interesting responses, thanks everyone.

I had a hunch armor would be called the easier of the two but I too am biased because I build aircraft. I marvel at some of the finishes I see on armor sometimes and I think the weather is the hardest part of armor, much more so than the build. A/C, like mentioned, can be a pain to build as well as paint. Toss in weather, if you are into that, and it adds another layer to difficulty.
They each have their unique levels of difficulty.

Did the old Constitution model back in '70s.  About a month to put the model together and another 6 months to do the rigging with the help of my dad.  Nothing harder than sailing ships IMHO.

                                                                                                       Pat.

Single-wing aircraft are a walk in the park compared to armor. Add a second wing and a ton of rigging and it's a whole new ballgame though - puts 'em up there closer to sailing ships, which IMO are the toughest subjects to master.

How long is a piece of string? 

Seriously I would have to say that although I build and buy mostly A/C I find them a little more difficult than armor. Like everyone has alluded to building A/C you have to be a little more careful with all the fiddly bits. i.e canopy, gear, various antennas. Armor for me has very tedious things like painting all the wheels and doing the tracks, but they tend to be much more forgiving to a little ham fisting.

I do think that getting the weathering right is a little tricky with armor as you walk a fine line between just right and ridiculous, and most armor project just don’t look right without any wreathing whereas you can get a way with an A/C with a factory finish.

Just my rambling thought on a question with no clear answer like the chicken and an egg dilemma.

Borg R3-MC0

As for most difficult: figures, painting them is so difficult!

Agree, I hate painting figures

Manstein's revenge

...depends...

Gotta agree.  Mostly into armor because it is so forgiving.  Make a mistake and weathering will cover up most of it.  A/c might not have the parts count but seems way more dependent on a flawless paint job and attention to seams.  Unless I mistook you Manny and you were just commenting on what you were wearing?..........................................................

                                                                                                     Pat.  

I would say armor, because it can be a bit more forgiving when mistakes are made (the old cover it up with mud)

But I am biased because I am primarily an aircraft builder.

As for most difficult: figures, painting them is so difficult!

Armor is the easier of the two. A paint smudge is a horror show on aircraft, (especially the clear parts) while that same smudge can be covered with mud on a tank.

What Manny said... "depends"

Let me only comment on armor versus aircraft.  As a relativer newcomer to "serious" building, I find that the challenge in building armor is dealing with the small PE parts like the tool clasps (if one chooses to use them) and the myriad of methods that one can use to realistically paint the different camo schemes and weather the model. 

For me, aircraft are more difficult because of the seams and curved surfaces that must be dealt with; and having to replace detail that is lost to smooth seams can be difficult.   For example, re-scribing panel lines is still black magic to me.  While small PE parts can still present a challenge, they tend to be in areas that aren't immediately visible, like cockpit details.  They're easier to hide than in armor models.

I have limited experience with ships and cars, although the Revell 1/144 Fletcher class destroyer may be next in line.

Don

for me it's armor.a/c are a little less forgiving for my talents,or lack of.

Aircraft are more difficult casue of the seams!

I guess it all depends on the person....depends on one's skills, subject matter, and degrees of detail.  As I mentioned in a previous thread, I did armor for years and switched to aircraft.  Each have their own challenges.

Aircraft same to have more more inner stuff to delay the build (cockpits,engines,etc.) that need painting before main assembly), while armor tanks to hit the snags during the suspension build, especially indy track links. Each has equally difficult but different aspects of weathering and finishing if that is the preferred finish.

Cars, way down on the list

Fermis, I agree with ya for the most part but I'd have to have cars closer to the top. Those glossy, lint free, absolutely perfect finishes are way beyond accepted stess level.