PAINTING & DECALING AN AIRCRAFT-CARRIER

• This is what you get when you open your blister. Since Ark Royal has a closed bow, hull and flight deck are a single part. The island comes in two parts, and you also have two cranes to place on both sides of the hull. And a great total of 14 Swordfishes, if you fancy going after the Bismarck !

• The hull is fairly clean, you will need to do but minimal filing in order to remove small mold-lines. Now, here it is with both cranes glued on. The hardest part of the assembly, they are fiddle at that scale.

• Time to glue on the island. Notice, this comes after the cranes, Unlike with bigger scales, 1/2400 models are easier to assemble if you deal with the smaller parts first most of the times. There are indeed exceptions, but common sense is your friend.

• Assembly was not that hard... time to paint your model. First, in order to handle it easily, I glue it on a good support (in this case, the stopper of a barbecue lighter bottle readily available in my neck of the woods). I primed the ship grey – a good option for warships – but I primed the planes white, in the - perhaps vain- hope of getting better details,

• Paint the flight deck ! I used dark grey. I know, it will be hidden under the decal, but that helps when painting the remainder of the ship.

• The hull and island have been painted a light grey. This is a straightforward job, but the part you need to devote most attention to at this stage : it is important, in my opinion, to avoid trespassing as much as possible.

• Add details : I paint the lifeboats a creamy white, and the funnel exhaust and anchors black.

• The model is ready to be applied a black wash. Citadel Nurn Oil may well have a silly name, but it does the job perfectly. When the wash is dry, it is time to do some dry-brushing with your light grey to enhance details.

• Paint the planes grey, then wash them in black. Paint the camouflage (in 1/2400 scale, well, it means adding 2 stripes on the upper wing, and a stripe on the fuselage. It is important, too, not to forget to paint (black, dark grey, green, dark blue etc... depending on the model and its livery) the nose of the model once it comes off the sprue.

I use the excellent products from Flight Deck Decals

• Before applying decals, there is a very important step : spray a gloss seal on your model, This will provide a smooth surface on the flight deck to apply your decal. Let it dry for 24 hours.

• It's time now to cut your decal out of the sheet : this is how it looks before the operation, A good exacto knife with a sharp blade is mandatory, otherwise, you may damage the decal when cutting it out,

• Next step, before applying it to the model, test fit the decal. You may have some minor corrections to do...

• Dip the decal in lukewarm water, apply it, and let it dry for a few minutes

• Then use a setting solution, this will improve the final result.

All that's left to do is to spray matte seal on your model, and base it - or not - in your usual fashion.