Test Fitting
To kick things off I decided to remove the larger main assembly pieces from the sprues, clean them up, and see how well they would mock up with nothing but tape. Everything fits together well. The wings snap into a recess in the sides of the fuselage. They are so secure you could easily finish them separately and attach at the end of the build. Tail surfaces also click firmly into place with ease. I also wanted to get a sense of how well the clear pieces would fit, so I tacked on the nose and windscreen; no issues. With this in mind, I really look forward to a painless build.
Preliminary Steps
The first thing I decided to do was to go through the instructions and gather up everything I could that needed to be shot with interior green. Doing so – assembling as many sub-assemblies as possible – left me with a couple of empty sprues, and a few with not much left on them. This won’t be a complicated build at all.
The other preliminary step I took was to deal with the clear parts. I removed each part from the sprue (excluding the smaller ones which were left with one attachment point) and cleaned them up. I also used some Novus polish and buffed out the larger pieces with a soft cotton cloth.
After this was done I soaked the clear pieces overnight in Windex. The next day these were rinsed well and each piece was dipped in a bath of Future. Dipping the pieces in Future really goes a long way to making your clear parts look more like glass.
Process:
- Grip the piece with tweezers and dip into a cup of Future.
- It helps to gently agitate the piece while submerged. This will help reduce bubbles forming on the part.
- Slowly remove the piece taking care to ensure the Future coats the entire part.
- Allow excess to drip then gently touch a leading edge of the piece to a paper towel. This will wick off excess.
- Place the part on a paper towel lined box or plastic container and cover with a lid (Obviously situate the part in a manner that it doesn’t rest on a part that will be clear).
- Set the parts aside and allow them to dry. Future is self-leveling so don’t worry about pooling…though you don’t want large buildups. I would recommend at least two days drying time; however, I do this early in the build and allow at least a week.
- After a few hours check the pieces. Sometimes the Future won’t level out just right, or there may be a part that was missed. You can clean the part off with Windex and give it another go.
You can see the difference Future makes in the clarity below:
Shark Tank Plastic Works 