BE JEALOUS, VERY JEALOUS, AIRBRUSH FANS! HERE'S HOW THEY PAINT THE REAL THING

MOST OF US APPRECIATE THE EXCELLENT finish that an airbrush can give a model aircraft. But when it comes to painting the real thing, the technical requirements are in a totally different league.


SMN report: This time-lapse video shows the double-deck Airbus A380 being given a gleaming paint job. Emirates International has some 90 of these big birds in service or on order, and they certainly are popular with passengers.

As flyer Patrick Smith says: "...it’s hard to complain. As you’re sitting there, all that gold trim and gleaming faux-wood only enhances one’s guilty pleasure. As my old friend James Kaplan once put it, it’s Vegas, but Vegas in a good way."

That paint finish weighs a fair amount, though perhaps not as much as you might think. According to rival airline British Airways, the five hair-thin coats on an A380 weigh some 650 kg (1433 lb), about the same as eight adult male passengers. Despite the extra weight, the smooth finish of a good paint job can actually improve fuel economy.

And here's a YouTube video (below) by 'Torondor207' that shows a decent build of the 1:144 scale Revell A380 kit. We're not too sure about the music, but the jetliner looks fine!