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Cleaning aircraft windows after painting


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Hi all.

 

I'm kind of re-taking an old hobby of building model aircraft. I finished my 787 Dreamliner (Zvezda) and found out that it was a painstaking job to remove the paint from the transparent windows after painting all the aircraft with enamel. I used an exacto knife to scratch all the windows and it took a lot of time. Now I'm building a 747-8 and, as you can imagine, that's double the work with the amount of windows that it has (I have an A380 queuing after it, too). So here's the question: is there a more efficient/easier way of removing the paint from the windows?

 

Thanks a lot in advance!

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Well, you could avoid painting the cabin windows in the first place.

 

I assume you are using the kit decals? Do you want to have clear cabin windows on your model?

 

To avoid removing paint I prefer using decal windows, so I fill the windows openings, paint and then decal. There are aftermarket companies that supply detail sheets with windows, doors and data for specific types. Draw Decal has a good range in various scales.

 

If this is not an option one course of attack is to paint the fuselage area around the windows in your desired colour before putting the halves together, then add the window clear parts, assemble the fuselage, mask the window strip and then do any other painting of the rest of the fuselage as required.

 

You could also leave the clear strip out, paint the model and then fill the window openings with clear cement like Testors Clear cement.

 

Hope this gives you an idea

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No problems,

 

The A380 does not come with any clear window strips, depending on which boxing of the A380 you have you should have window decals (solid windows and silver surrounds). The later 2 boxings (current Airbus colours and Lufthansa) have them for sure, not sure about the first one (original Airbus house colours)

 

This is the Current House colours sheet

 

04218_14.jpg

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