Thunderhawk Advice?

[DCompanyChris]

My kit came today. Any advice on assembly? Snags etc?

[Kable]

My kit came today. Any advice on assembly? Snags etc?

Yeah... wait for the plastic one.
No only kidding it is a great kit, though I did have a lot of problems with mine, namely the adhesion of paint. I washed it like any other resin kit I have made, and sprayed it but this flaked off, in fact this happened twice . Eventually I used a heavy duty floor cleaner and a very stiff brush. I did complain to Forgeworld and they said they had had problems with the release agent and were planning on changing it. This was some time ago so should be fine now. I guess what i'm saying is dont skimp on the cleaning, you will regret it later if you do.
My front ramp didnt fit very well, in fact it was way out and I ended up doinging a lot of cutting, so make sure you dry fit everything first. Also carefully check the alignment of the main body top and bottom. Mine was ever so slightly warped/twisted but i didnt notice until I had painted the interior and was then putting two halves together.
With the interior. obviously paint it first, but you will notice when you dry fit it that a lot of it cannot be seen, so I left some of the rear compartment out.

Very time consuming kit to build... Its a monster so good luck.

[sangrail777]

I agree, dry fitting is a must. I also had problems with the top and bottom body parts being slightly twisted and warped up a lil. Take your time filing the engine parts and the wings. I highly suggest pinning these into place. (i didn't know about pinning when i first did this model but years later its still together) when i assembled the right wing to the fusulage i ended up with a fairley large gap inbetween. I used a liquid resin compound to fill in the gap. (can find it at local hardware shops) I used a Dremel to do alot of the cutting and ruff filing, saved me some time. But I don't suggest many shortcuts with this, cuz it's too easy to do damage to the detail. Good luck! It's a great kit!

[RedScorpionsGirl]

I just got mine prob 5 months ago, and it still isn't entirely assembled. Make sure to get the directions from forgeworld's website for it, and reread them a few times.
There are a few key points that aren't directly addressed in them that you will find out when assembling it. I had problems with the top half of the 'hawk fitting together, and still do.. I can't get the top to fit over the main body for the rear section.
FW's initial suggestion was to immerse the piece in boiling water. Due to the thickness of the top piece, this did not work. The other suggestion was to heat it up in an oven at it's lowest temp and carefully handle it, and get it together. Still don't have the ability to do that one just yet.
If the top is mis moulded (or any parts for that matter especially for the cost of the model), make sure to call and talk to someone. I did, and they sent me a brand new top for mine, free express shipping, and I had it within 3 days of calling. I stress call here, as it takes awhile for them to respond to emails. It might cost you a dollar or two to call and directly discuss it, but for your sanity, it's a better bet in the long run.
The canopy is a fun piece to keep straight, and the plastic should be left until dead last, and with the mould it may very well look a bit odd with the flash/lines in it that shouldn't necessarily be there. Be careful with the trimming so you don't take too much out and the canopy then gets a bit of an odd look.
You will notice that where the halves match up, more than likely they are cast with a bit of lines and such in them, and a few of the rivets aren't there or there are some odd lines.
I suggest you get some procreate to work with when you start filling gaps. It is grey to begin with so you aren't needing to worry that the primer will cover up the green color. Also it is less likely to have bumps/lumps in it due to it being two separate bars versus the strips (also, it gives you upwards of 120 min. to work with depending on how you mix it, so if you're working on a lot of small spaces it saves you needing to stop and mix more)
The wings will be touchy as well.. If you are going to use it a lot, I suggest actually pinning the wings, and then green stuffing the gaps that they have between them and the body. This will prevent them from splitting apart from it later on. I suggest piano wire to pin it.
Also, I had the same problem Kable did with the front door. I eventually trimmed it down to fit, wedged it in, and prob a month later I noticed a small crack on the body.
If you come across any other odd problem spots, stick up a question...I will have my hands on mine in a couple days again to attempt to finish it and if I come across any other touchy areas I will stick a note up for you, so you don't have to deal with it ( I know how much of a pain it is to get these together, as the one I got actually was labeled a Non Saleable model...It's been a trip to try and get it together)

Good luck all in all, btw.. what army did you get it for? I got mine for my Grey Knights.