instructions

[keith]

Do you follow them to the letter or use them as a guide line ??

[Bagpiper]

I follow them to the letter. They are confusing enough at times so I have to follow them then try and understand what they are telling me. Maybe when I get a few more models under my belt this might change but I like to keep things simple and reading instructions helps my moddeling not become a nightmare.

Cheers
Jim

[Paul]

Yeah I follow them to the letter too

[HamilkarBarkas]

I just consider them as a guideline, i need to know which parts are needed, where they are and what number they have, everything else is done without the instruction. I don´t like to stick very close to them, sometimes there are some mistakes in them (especially the Dragon kits!) and following the plan exactly can cause troubles. Instead i study the instructions closely, build the model a couple of times in my head and then i build the model in (at least for me) logic steps.
Especially when it comes to painting i have to decide which parts should be already attached to the model and which should kept separately to make the paintwork easier to apply.

[Lee]

I build all my models in sections. I find most instruction sheets from most manufacturers to be counter intuitive (except Eduard)!

Basic things like wheels go on last and snappy things like aerials etc = last. I look at the plans, work out what order I'm going to do things then have at it, usually changing everything as I go.....lol

[Paul]

Ah right I may have read the question wrong.

Same as lee I build sections, looking for what goes together and what can be airbrushed together. I too also leave off as many small things till the last part of the build.

[Johni044]

Follow them closely but normally leave things like U/C & doors, stores and arials off until after painting.

[gosselin2112]

It depends on the manufacturer. Dragon and AFV Club are notorious for very confusing instructions. Nowadays, I go through the instructions before building and edit the. Looks rather colorful when I add highlighters, arrows, and X marks. I must admit that Tamiya writes some of the best instructions.

[Johni044]

BTW the New Airfix Gladiator's instructions include a rigging diagram, first time I've known it and pilot holes marked in the correct place.

[SuperDryBeef]

It depend on the model, but I usually do the smaller parts first, for example on a tank I start with the turret .

[PhildaFish]

They are a guide to be read at the beginning of the build then I tend to dry fit and paint a bit and dry fit and paint a bit and then, when I'm really sure, I'll glue a few pieces together. When I get to a 'no turning back stage' like two halves of a WWII bomber with lots of guns and crew all over the place then I return to instructions and do a mental check list to make sure I've done everything that I need to, if that makes sense?

BTW the New Airfix Gladiator's instructions include a rigging diagram, first time I've known it and pilot holes marked in the correct place.

Cool! Bravo Airfix!

[Telegraphist]

It says on so many instructions to read them first and have a dummy run before starting out. I have found that has saved me from a few issues with parts that need to go in another order, like decals that need to go a certain way but not the way the instructions say, like on the Airfix Japanese dive bomber kit.
The Airfix new spitfire tooling is another kit that I find needs built using common sense to get the wings fitting better than following the instruction.

Just my 2p.
Dave.

[PhildaFish]

That reminds me of the Airfix Helldiver: finished the build and then realised I couldn't get the underwing US star decal to fit because of the rocket rack...