1:125 A 320 AF

The Airbus A320 in Air France colors, 1:125 scale, a Heller kit

A plastic kit of the Airbus A320 airliner from the French brand Heller. The abbreviation AF in the name refers to the carrier Air France, whose colors the model is to carry. The scale of 1:125 is typical of this brand's airliners, so reckon with accessories and decals made for the more widespread 1:144 scale not fitting dimensionally. It is a conventional injection-molded kit for gluing and painting; a finished model is not supplied.

The real subject

The Airbus A320 is a twin-engine narrow-body airliner for short and medium routes. It entered service at the end of the 1980s and became the first series-built airliner with a fully digital fly-by-wire control system and with side sticks instead of a conventional control wheel. A fuselage wider than was usual on narrow-body airplanes allowed a more comfortable cabin and the carriage of standard containers in the baggage hold. The type became the basis of a whole family of derived versions and is among the most numerously built airliners in history.

Building and painting tips

Models of airliners stand or fall by a smooth surface. Fill the fuselage seams carefully, therefore, and sand them back with gradually finer paper, as every imperfection stands out under white paint. Lay down a quality primer, ideally a light one, and only onto that the white, which on its own covers poorly. Cabin windows on airliners are usually dealt with by a decal, so it is advisable to sand the frame smooth. Apply the decals onto gloss varnish and let the film dry thoroughly between the individual large elements. On civil airplanes the surface is evened out with a satin rather than a deeply matte varnish.

Who the model is for

• collectors of airliner models
• anyone interested in European civil air transport
• modelers who prefer a larger model than the usual 1:144 scale gives
• intermediate builders willing to devote time to sanding and to white paint

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.