3 things I learned about 40K by building a scale model airplane

My daughters and I went to Bong State Recreation Area, Wisconsin last summer. There are miles upon miles of hiking and biking trails. You can also camp in large areas. During my stay I was reminded that it was once an Air Force base, and that it’s named after Richard “Dick” Ira Bong, the United States’ top ace of World War II. He was active from 1941-1945 and received the Congressional Medal of Honor in recognition of his efforts over the Pacific. By the end of the war, and before his untimely death as a test pilot for one of our country’s first combat jet aircraft, he was credited with 40 air-to-air kills.

As a thank-you for the trip and the brief history lesson, my daughters got me a model of his airplane — the P-38J, perhaps the best airplane of WWII and, incidentally, one of the very latest designs by Japanese model-maker Tamiya. It was actually made together with Lockheed Martin as well as The Richard I. Bong Center.

I felt touched and overwhelmed. I haven’t built or painted a model airplane since I was 12 — although I have spent the past several years getting back into the hobby of painting Warhammer 40,000 miniatures. Once I dove in, I found that taking some time off to create something completely different was refreshing — and educational. I also found myself consuming hours of YouTube tutorials as well as fan-made guides on the journey.

So here’s what good old Dick Bong’s twin-boomed warbird taught me about Space Marines — and the people who love them.

The cost of a model plane is far higher than the 40K

It turns out, while scale modeling is a costly hobby at 40K, it can still be worth the money.

The Tamiya P-38J is available online at a cost of about $70 and less likely in a hobby shop. This board-game-sized package contains all the parts you require. Of course, it doesn’t include paint. The instructions list 28 separate colors — a far cry from the six or eight that I used on my last batch of Dark Angels. To compete at the table, most 40K tournaments require you to use three colors. Scale modeling, on the other hand, requires much more precision to make each component true to life — especially if you want to get into the competitive circuit.

Come to find that there’s a healthy ecosystem of aftermarket parts as well.

The video that I found on YouTube from last year — literally the only one I could find that showed off this kit in particular — rolled deep on these add-ons. Details Scale Models made the build video. It featured a cast resin gun bay and etched brass inner wing components. Different versionsAftermarket cockpit instrumentation. My surprise was discovering that you can print three-dimensional waterslide decals in 3D with raised features to fit all your cockpit instrumentation.

Later, I found a USAF F-4 Phantom decked out for the summer of 1967 — another plane that I have a personal attachment to — by user 11bravo on Britmodeller.com. These photos may not be clear enough, but they do show the incredible details of this aircraft. His yearlong build featured multiple aftermarket kits, including replacement “seats (AMS), instrument panels (Quinta) exhaust nozzles (GT Resin), Mk 117 bombs (VideoAviation), AIM-7 Sparrows (Brassin), AIM-9’s (Brassin), wheels (Brassin) and canopies (Airscale).” I estimate the build set him back Minimum $350 in parts — plusYou can also purchase the stock kit for $161.

It seems that your level of detail in scale modeling, like gunpla, is limited only by your budget. It’s a far cry from the $70 I spent on my Primaris Redemptor Dreadnought.

The same material, but different tools

Most scale models are made of polystyrene plastic — just like kits from Games Workshop. However, the fitting and finishing of these parts are totally different.

Space Marines look like curvy bastards. The various pieces, including shoulder pads and graves, are layering in such a manner as to cover the seams joining them. That’s not always possible in the world of scale modeling. One of the wings on my P-38J is made of roughly five components — a two-piece lift surface, a two-piece control surface, and a single wingtip that goes on the end. Or the seams could show through all these pieces. Making matters worse is the fact that some of those misalignments will only be visible once you’ve put a coat of primer on top.

What’s the solution? Lots and lots and lots… and lots of sanding, something that I’ve really never done with a 40K model before. It’s just not necessary.

Foto by Tamiya

Photo: Charlie Hall/Polygon

I started with tiny sanding sticks — flexible, emery board-like material — before moving on to automotive-grade 1,000-grit wet sandpaper for the final base coats of paint. As I finished buffing the various true metallic shades with a soft fabric, I began to swear at the gods that my hobby area was not cleaner or more dust-free. Turns out that spraying highly reflective paint onto a flat surface in a dirty basement isn’t the best way to re-create the gritty realism of a world at war.

In fact, there’s so much sanding to be done on some model airplanes that scale modelers will often just say “fuck it,” sand areas down smooth, and then sculpt details back into the polystyrene by hand. Scribing tools, as they’re called, allow you to cut fresh, deep panel lines into the soft plastic, but getting good results requires a steady hand. Negative riveting tools can be used to repair the many individual holes that hold the warbirds together. Some hobbyists will just sand all those negative rivets away, opting instead for elaborate positive rivet kits — dozens and dozens of custom-made three-dimensional waterslide transfers that go on literally every surface of the plane like tattoos.

Photo: Charlie Hall/Polygon

Photo: Charlie Hall/Polygon

Tamiya extra thin plastic cement became my favorite. It’s low odor and incredibly viscous, meaning that you can rely on capillary action to glue the inside of the model from the outside — and it’s also handy when you’re doing complicated 40K builds with paper-thin details and flourishes.

A good hobby knife can also be very useful for adjusting the finish and fit of models before they are painted. After years of using a Games Workshop Mouldline Remover instead of a blade, I’m not sure I’ll be going back anytime soon.

Keep that in mind, however: Thank you very much for your question.

Your hobby space’s best accessory

My kids loved this diversion.

After I had a great time talking about the uniqueness of the P-38J over bong Recreation Area campfire, my daughters decided to buy me the P-38J for their sister. They were touched when I visited their bedrooms late at night over the last couple of weeks to demonstrate the next steps in the painting process. They couldn’t care less about chainswords and plasma weapons, and that’s fine. This little plane was something we were able to share.

That’s how I ended up making a new addition to my hobby space: a second chair. My girls now have a place at the table. They can sit with me while I work on new, challenging aspects of craft. My youngest daughter is trying out miniature painting. Let’s start with the first. First, her special edition female wizard HeroQuest.

Scale modeling takes a lot of time, I’ve learned — just like modeling for 40K. Although I won’t be able spend winter camping out in the woods, my family can spend quality time together indoors. No screens required.