Model Forum / General / Models / September 2007

Hi.

Let me say Welcome.

Here you will find more people with knowledge,
and web links and resources than anywhere else.
You DO have to self filter out the BS, and crap.
Since your here already, you will get used to it.

As for building kit's ? Start with one's that have
the fewest parts. Do NOT get hung up with making it
right, just get it done ! Practice makes perfect, and
you ARE going to screw up. Something about finishing
a kit, even if it is not the greatest gives great
satisfaction. So even if they aint perfect, FINISH 'em.
A good modeler isn't one who just builds nice models.
He is one that can fix his mistakes and make them look
like they never happened. Takes practice, which =
building kit's. You will naturally learn all kinds
of stuff it would take a lifetime of people teaching you.

An old saying applies here;

"Anything Worth Doing, Is Worth Doing Badly"

Remember this, and have FUN !!

Clear Skies.

on 9/24/2007 12:22 PM Yupie said the following:

What type of models are we talking about? Planes, armor, etc.?
Start with the 1/72, especially if armor. The building time is shorter
and there are fewer parts, and with armor, most mistakes can be covered
with weathering. Besides, they are cheaper and if you mess it up,
replacing it won't hurt the wallet too much.
There are a lot of sites for modeling hints, but you have to know how to
find them. I don't know if there are sites that provide lists of links
to other sites for modeling hints, like there are for computer painting
programs (Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc.)

I do wooden boat models. Not sure about the scale.  Midwest makes a
nice line of stuff -- various skill levels. Start with something
simple. You don't want to be overwhelmed by an excessively complicated
model. It never gets finished..

I find that painting things as I go along -- like the hull, doing
water lines, etc., makes things MUCH easier. If I can pre-assemble and
paint something like a cabin, etc., before I mount it, all the better.
Recently, I've been using the tape you use for automotive pin stripes
for things like water lines. It is very difficult to paint/mask thin
lines and have them look good.

I try to do as much with spray paint (gets smoother finish) and blue
painter's tape as I can. Good paints are important. I like the
Testor's paints for little stuff, and Rustoleum makes a variety of
colored enamels in small cans. I generally stick to oil paints, though
I do break out my acrylic artist's stuff when I need some weird color.
I did a model recently of a screw pole lighthouse (St. Michael's MD),
and needed a matte finish paint to simulate corroded copper sheeting.

Good small (#0, #00, #1) artist's watercolor brushes seem ideal. A.C.
Moore, or Michael's are good places. Stay away from the cheap hobby/
water color brushes.

I find it is a good thing to have a place where you can leave stuff
set up, so you are not putting things away all the time. A good
fishing tackle box works nicely for tools, etc., or one of those big
boxes for art supplies.

Spray painting is best done out-of-doors, or in the garage with the
door open. Newspapers over a garbage can work nicely as a "spray
booth."  Testor's make small spray cans of various colors. Especially
good for stuff like plastic plane models. Somewhat expensive, though.
Hardware store stuff (Krylon, etc.) works fine, especially for things
like white, black, priming.

Tools are everything...

Visit armorama.com, track-link.net, and missing-lynx.com, and you'll
find a wealth of information on building 1/35th scale armor, figures
and military vehicles. Hyperscale.com is also a more general model
building site. All of these have forums where you can post questions,
and galleries where you can see other modelers' work. Osprey publishes
an extensive line of model building books, and so does Kalmbach.
Gerald Owens

Hi,
I've made some models some years ago, but today I'm wanting to start
again with this hobbie :)  I'm wandering if there's any place where I
can learn more about modeling.  what I recall from my ancient times, was
that I had a lot of problems with the "painting part"...  Right now I've
bough a lot of models in ebay, and I'm about start again.  By the way,
does someone have some kind of suggestion on wich model/ scale should I
try right now?   I've got some models in 1:35 and 1:72 I think 1:35 is
easier, but I'm affraid to start because I don't want to ruin some good
models :|.   I hope there isn't too many errors in the text, but my main
language isn't English.
Best regards

........

Welcome to the Madness from me as well
As it's already been said concentrate with models that have fewer parts
to start off.  That way you don't get overwhelmed in all sorts of tiny
detail parts.  Some of which can be extremely difficult for a seasoned
modeler at times.  You said you've got a few in 1/35 scale, I am
guessing they are Armor Kits.  Some Armor Kits can be a lot easier then
other Kits.  My suggestion to you would be to pick a basic Vehicle Type
first like a Truck if you've got one of those
in your pile.  If not then maybe start with the simplest Tank you have.
The one with the least amount of parts.  I am guessing
that you will be building them for your own enjoyment and if that is the
case then you must remember to have lots of FUN while building them.
That's what this hobby is
supposed to be all about, having FUN and learning a little about
History, and pick up some Great Hand and Eye Coordination Skills at the
same time. Another reason I would start with 1/35 is because it is Big
Scale and you have a pretty good size Kit with usually pretty good sized
pieces in it.

I hope some of ths might be a little help to you along the way.  But
remeber to have a Lot of FUN along the way while You Build.

,,

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of blessed temple KITS ; Keeper of Secret Temple Decoder Rings &
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