New to model building

shamrock55

I've been meaning to get into model building and painting for a while now just as a bit of a hobby,just your typical ravell and airfix type models.are there any recommended sites for these and for paints and airbrushes and general gear needed,i all be doing something really basic to start off with obviously as I know nothing about the model building world tbh

5rtytry56

With regard to airbrushes, I think it's still a bit early for you.
In other aspects, I recommend browsing websites like

airfix.com

and

revell.com

Happy surfing.:)

coolwings

Not sure where you're located but browsing the shops is usually thought provoking, in Dublin City centre maybe Marks Models?

Looking back in this forum, posts by eg The Doktor are about scale models in plastic. But I'm sure he and the others will pop by and drop a post pretty soon.

The Doktor

coolwings wrote: »

Not sure where you're located but browsing the shops is usually thought provoking, in Dublin City centre maybe Marks Models?

Thats exactly what to do. Have a look in a shop like above and see what tickles your fancy.
Get a cheap modellers knife, a side cutters (snips), some revelle contacta glue and a couple of paints. Just get a couple of colours based on the kit you buy.

If its a hobby you enjoy you will build up equipment and knowledge as you need it.

Hocus Focus

Might I also mention the Model Shop, in Capel St. Dublin
Assuming it's actually aircraft you are interested in modelling, you might also get some info and inspiration from Scale Aircraft Modelling Magazine.
Reading the magazines and  browsing the internet will help you get some clues about construction and finishing techniques and also point you for instance in the direction of researching particular aircraft and modelling them, rather than using a paint schemr directly out of the box.

RadioRetro

Go for the Airfix starter kits, they come with glue and paints. All you need to supply are the knife and cutters as recommended by The Doktor.

Count Down

What are your interests? If you like aircraft, then 1/72 scale is a good starting point, but stick to smaller single-engine types for a start as they're easier to build and paint.
Armour kits in 1/72 are easy enough to build and are a good introduction if you want to eventually progress to the popular 1/35 scale kits.
Ship kits in 1/700 scale are popular too if you're into ships.
Revell and Airfix have a large selection of just about every type of kit and are reasonably priced, so are ideal for the beginner.
Paints are a matter of personal preference - Humbrol enamels are easy to get and are very good for brush painting. Tamiya and Revell Aquacolor are acrylic paints which are water-based and are better suited for airbrushing, which you will hopefully progress to when the modelling bug bites.
Be prepared for a few disappointments in the early stages - your first efforts won't be your best but persevere and you'll see a difference.
Starting off you'll need some essential and basic tools - a side cutters for cutting parts from the sprue, a sharp hobby knife for trimming plastic after you cut from the sprue and for general trimming, two or three paint brushes (small, medium, large-ish), white spirits, plastic cement, and some 400 & 600 grade sandpaper for smoothing down glued joints.
And above all - patience!
Have a look at YouTube which has loads of advice, but above all don't get too overawed by the amount of advice on offer.
As regards shops, Marks Models in Dublin & Cork have most of the stuff you'll need, but if you know someone who actually is into models that would be ideal. Or even join a club?

shamrock55

Cheers for all the advice guys,tbh i havent had any time to even start lately,but im hoping to get going in the nxt month or so when i get more time

shamrock55

For model cars should i use enamel or acrylic paints for use with a brush

The Doktor

Personally id prefer acrylic. I mostly use tamiya paint. Always has worked for me.
Try and do the main body parts with a spray can. Or it will look pants.

Count Down

A guy I know who's into car modelling uses spray cans he buys in Halfords for the main body colours. This has the advantage of having an authentic colour for certain makes of car, and the cans are convenient in that they don't require any mixing or stirring or thinning.
Don't use them indoors - the smell will take ages to go away. If possible use outdoors, but not if it's windy or wet. If you have a shed or garage try that.
And don't forget to spray primer on the model first, and check for dust particles before spraying. Always follow the instructions on the can.
When I first used a spray can and saw the instruction "Shake well before use" I started hopping around and shaking my arms and legs before I realised that it meant the can.....;)

shamrock55

Ive taken the plunge and ordered a golf gti 1:24 from revell,some acrylic paints ,brushes,tweezers,knife,glue,files,sanding boards and a few other bits,im gonna try painting it first and in time ill get one of those little spray guns,
Ill be on here no doubt with lots of questions as soon as i start.
Btw anyone here in the middle of a project,id love to see some pics of kits in progress

mixery

first basketball, and now modelling fwend lol.
fair enough on getting all the stuff at once. if you get into it you'll always find yourself needing more new equipment . airbrushes are a great piece of kit, and can be pretty adjustable with different needles/nozzles (and durable, i've had my current one for like 7 years now). but like the guys above said, 1:24 is a large enough scale and spray cans would do, you could have a look at the tamiya range.

shamrock55

mixery wrote: »

first basketball, and now modelling fwend lol.
fair enough on getting all the stuff at once. if you get into it you'll always find yourself needing more new equipment . airbrushes are a great piece of kit, and can be pretty adjustable with different needles/nozzles (and durable, i've had my current one for like 7 years now). but like the guys above said, 1:24 is a large enough scale and spray cans would do, you could have a look at the tamiya range.

Ive ordered vallejo paints,none of my stuff has arrived yet anyway, i will prob order a few humbrol spay paints too or maybe just primers for now.
Not sure what you mean about the basketball though but ill have a go at the model kits anyway see how i get on,it might just be a flash in the pan but it looks like fun so id like to think id stick at it,only time will tell i guess

shamrock55

Anyone know where i can get spray paints,i tried amazon for the humbrol ones but they dont post to ireland,also where can i get glue for the clear plastics,do i also need different glue for chrome parts?
Any other handy bits i might need before i get started?

The Doktor

Use revell contacta for all parts.
https://www.revell.de/en/products/colors-glue-co/glue/id/39604.html

Any model shop sells it. If you really want to be super careful on the clear parts, you can use pva glue... but just taks it handy and the revell stuff is grand.
For chrome parts, scrape the chrome off where it comes into contact with the other parts, glue and put together.

As for spray paint, its hard to get it shipped. See if you can get your hands on Tamiya TS stuff. It can be hard to get it shipped (hannants used to ship it), but also Marks models usually has some.
Failing that, use the halfords stuff. I prefer it as long as I can get the right colour.
Just take your time with it and practice on somthing. Dont forget to prime the parts first with grey primer of the paint rolls off. Just a mist of the primer.

Heres an old thread of a bike i done, you might pick up a few tips http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055046327&page=7

shamrock55

The Doktor wrote: »

Use revell contacta for all parts.
https://www.revell.de/en/products/colors-glue-co/glue/id/39604.html

Any model shop sells it. If you really want to be super careful on the clear parts, you can use pva glue... but just taks it handy and the revell stuff is grand.
For chrome parts, scrape the chrome off where it comes into contact with the other parts, glue and put together.

As for spray paint, its hard to get it shipped. See if you can get your hands on Tamiya TS stuff. It can be hard to get it shipped (hannants used to ship it), but also Marks models usually has some.
Failing that, use the halfords stuff. I prefer it as long as I can get the right colour.
Just take your time with it and practice on somthing. Dont forget to prime the parts first with grey primer of the paint rolls off. Just a mist of the primer.

Heres an old thread of a bike i done, you might pick up a few tips http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055046327&page=7

Yea ive realised that about the spray,ill try halfords or maybe just start with a cheap enough airbrush and see how that goes, btw if i use acrylic paints in an air brush will the fumes be bad ie can it be done indoors

The Doktor

build a model or two before buying an airbrush. If you do a couple, you will want an airbrush... but its another thing to learn, and you dont want to go over complicating things now.

You can spray small parts indoors no problem. I wouldnt recommend doing car bodies without extraction or a mask. I wear a mask and do it in the garage.
Youll get over spray everywhere and destroy the house.

halfords paint (outdoors or in shed with mask) for now if i was you.

shamrock55

The Doktor wrote: »

build a model or two before buying an airbrush. If you do a couple, you will want an airbrush... but its another thing to learn, and you dont want to go over complicating things now.

You can spray small parts indoors no problem. I wouldnt recommend doing car bodies without extraction or a mask. I wear a mask and do it in the garage.
Youll get over spray everywhere and destroy the house.

halfords paint (outdoors or in shed with mask) for now if i was you.

Yea i think your right,ill either go with the spraypaint or i might just paint by hand for now,and out of the house it is,oh btw what are those little extraction booths like are they any good?

shamrock55

Ive just looked at cork art supplies online,would their montana black sprays be ok to use on plastic model kits,it seems a handy place to order stuff from

shamrock55

https://corkartsupplies.com
Anyone ever order the montana black sprays from here,you can even get diff size spray caps for them which would be handy

The Doktor

shamrock55 wrote: »

https://corkartsupplies.com
Anyone ever order the montana black sprays from here,you can even get diff size spray caps for them which would be handy

This is designed for Street Artists. They arent looking for a shiny car like finish, nor a hard finish that will stay shiny for years. So you cant be sure what its like until you try it. It may be great.

Advice would be to try it on some plastic first. eg. primed coke bottle


or you could just use halfords paint, which we know works very well.

shamrock55

http://idmodels.ie/tools-paint.html

Just came across this site which has everything i need and free delivery,happy days,ive just ordered the exact paints i need and a few sprays

shamrock55

Should i just use acrylic paints,or when should i use enamel,whats the difference,i havent ordered any enamel paints

The Doktor

shamrock55 wrote: »

Should i just use acrylic paints,or when should i use enamel,whats the difference,i havent ordered any enamel paints

Stick to one or the other for now. Id advise acrylic... easy clean up (water), faster drying etc.
Can be hard to get acrylic to stick to enamel, so can become a pain in the bum.
Saying that enamel can be used as a wash. Though id prefer oil paint for that....
Thats all for another day though Acrylic!!

As for the spray booths.. i dunno if they are any good. I made one, with a couple of fans and some mdf, with a wee bit of filter medium over the fans. They are usually expensive. Much cheaper to make.

shamrock55

The Doktor wrote: »

Stick to one or the other for now. Id advise acrylic... easy clean up (water), faster drying etc.
Can be hard to get acrylic to stick to enamel, so can become a pain in the bum.
Saying that enamel can be used as a wash. Though id prefer oil paint for that....
Thats all for another day though Acrylic!!

As for the spray booths.. i dunno if they are any good. I made one, with a couple of fans and some mdf, with a wee bit of filter medium over the fans. They are usually expensive. Much cheaper to make.

Yea id make my own booth but its the paint fumes im worried about,ill be doing it in the house more then likely and there is a vlux window directly above where i woul be spraying,how would i filter out the fumes?

The Doktor

I have 2 X 4inch 12v fans. They are high speed, so draw in the fumes well.
On the back of these, ive some kitchen extractor ducting going through a hole in the wall (or out the window).
I have some filter medium over the fans that catches the paint particles to protect the fans and give them a bit more of a life span.

The fumes get sucked out by the fans pretty well.

As this is your first though, just do it outside. Its not a lot of painting really.

the acrylics with a brush are not an issue for fumes.

shamrock55

So I've purchased a cheap airbrush and compressor to mess about with,only thing is the airbrush itself is a pain,im having difficulty with the paint flow,ive been thinning my vallejo paints,i don't think that's the problem but i find it gets blocked alot and I'm cleaning the bloody thing more then I'm spraying,the compressor seems OK though in fairness,any ideas??

shamrock55

Just a couple of pics of my first model,its a be golf gti,lot more work in it then i thought tbh

Hocus Focus

shamrock55 wrote: »

http://idmodels.ie/tools-paint.html

Just came across this site which has everything i need and free delivery,happy days,ive just ordered the exact paints i need and a few sprays

What a fantastic range! (no connection, just impressed)

shamrock55

Btw I notice my pics didn't appear,how do you put photos up here?

grudgebringer

I would also recommend that anyone looking for kits and paints in a bricks and mortar store check out MCL Direct in Newbridge, they stock a wide variety of paints and kits at reasonable prices, shipping is also cheap or shop collection is also available, don't go there hoping to shop from the shelves, most of their stock is held in the back, only a small portion is on display, always check their site:

https://www.mcldirect.com/en/381-model-shop

djerk

Few items I haven't seen mentioned that I couldn't live without when I got better at modelling.

Zap a Gap.. never really used contact glue again after using this.. It's basically just superglue you can buy in various strengths. Get the slow cure if you're worried about not being able to get a proper fit first time (though you should always dry fit first anyway). You can use talcum powder as an accelerant if you so please.

Tamiya masking tape.. for obvious reasons.

Future floor polish is great for glossy coats (acrylic based). It can also do wonders for canopies etc. You can get sanding sticks with 3 grades of grit for these purposes to file off any molded seam lines, start off rough and work your way to finest grit and you'll have a surface as smooth as glass, dip in future and it'll look even better. Don't use contact glue around canopies either, it can smoke the appearance through a chemical reaction that fuses the plastics together.

Learn about paints.. you can layer acrylic over oils and vice versa, this is a good way to go as they are both basically inert with each other whereas layers of different colours using the same kind of paint can eventually bleed into each other over time causing cracks and such. Use toothpicks to paint finer details like cockpits etc.

There's great stuff made by micro sol designed specifically for decals.. it softens them so that they can adhere much better to the surface and actually form with the nooks and crannies of your model.

Get piles of sand paper in various grits to sand down seam lines, glue etc. A plastic filler is also a must, especially with cheaper sets that haven't been formed that well. A scribe can be handy to mark out any lines on the model you might have over sanded (or needed to) to make corrections and such.

A tip for doing wheels.. use a black felt pen or permanent marker with a fine tip to go around the wheel hub/alloys, then use a brush to do the rest, you'll get a perfectly nice finish.

Just few things off the top of my head, hope they help! happy modelling

ps i bought a lot of my stuff from wonderlandmodels.co.uk

shamrock55

Could anyone recommend an airbrush nothing too expensive,i got one with a compressor from China and it's rubbish,keeps getting blocked and paint flow is very inconsistent when it does work,the compressor is fine for now though,cheers

The Doktor

Whats "not too expensive"?
less than 100, less than 150?

shamrock55

The Doktor wrote: »

Whats "not too expensive"?
less than 100, less than 150?

less then 100 for now anyway, is there really much of a difference between an airbrush that costs 50 and one that costs 250 and if so what is it? TBH I just want the damn thing to spray and stop clogging up every 2 mins,with the one i have i can honestly say I've spent more time taking it apart and cleaning the damn thing then actually spraying with it

The Doktor

shamrock55 wrote: »

less then 100 for now anyway, is there really much of a difference between an airbrush that costs 50 and one that costs 250 and if so what is it?

Yes!!!

If its clogging, you need to thin your paint more.
If using acrylics go about 70:30 Thinner:Paint
Also keep cotton buds near by to wipe the tip from time to time.

try these
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?products_id=21056
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_403_1_146&products_id=22182

But if you really want a decent brush that will last you and works every time get this
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_403_1_9_46&products_id=3

Ive had a bunch of air brushes over the years. Started with an Aztek, then got a few different metal body brushes.
My favourite was a Tamiya one for a long time, until i tried a Iwata brush. Was hard to get bits for the tamiya one which is why I changed.
Ive 4 Iwata ones now including some custom micron ones, and I can tell you theres a difference.
The revolution one above is great for models, including cars etc.

shamrock55

The Doktor wrote: »

Yes!!!

If its clogging, you need to thin your paint more.
If using acrylics go about 70:30 Thinner:Paint
Also keep cotton buds near by to wipe the tip from time to time.

try these
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?products_id=21056
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_403_1_146&products_id=22182

But if you really want a decent brush that will last you and works every time get this
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_403_1_9_46&products_id=3

Ive had a bunch of air brushes over the years. Started with an Aztek, then got a few different metal body brushes.
My favourite was a Tamiya one for a long time, until i tried a Iwata brush. Was hard to get bits for the tamiya one which is why I changed.
Ive 4 Iwata ones now including some custom micron ones, and I can tell you theres a difference.
The revolution one above is great for models, including cars etc.

Those brushes look good I'll check them out cheers, the thickness Of The paint wasn't the problem because i thinned them down well but the 70:30 is a good tip

shamrock55

Quick question,im using acrylic paint for spraying and all other parts of a model but would enamel give a better finish for smaller parts like internal parts,wheels and engine parts and just use acrylic for main body parts?

The Doktor

shamrock55 wrote: »

Quick question,im using acrylic paint for spraying and all other parts of a model but would enamel give a better finish for smaller parts like internal parts,wheels and engine parts and just use acrylic for main body parts?

Short answer.... no

Just use acrylic everywhere, and use enamels for washes etc.

djerk

shamrock55 wrote: »

Quick question,im using acrylic paint for spraying and all other parts of a model but would enamel give a better finish for smaller parts like internal parts,wheels and engine parts and just use acrylic for main body parts?

There isn't one better than the other, they all have their benefits and pitfalls that you can only learn through experience by using them. Enamels take much longer to cure/dry between coats (some people won't paint onto enamels until they've cured for at least a week) and it's harder to clean out your equipment between uses because you need spirits to thin and wash them out. Acrylics dry fast but require a different technique and approach, a huge boon is that you can thin the paint and easily wash them off with water if you make a mistake (also non toxic). You really just have to experiment. There are lacquers as well that add another dimension, they dry much faster than oils but have their own reactions to consider when mixing with other paints.

shamrock55

The Doktor wrote: »

Short answer.... no

Just use acrylic everywhere, and use enamels for washes etc.

Fair enough, Btw what do you mean by washes?

The Doktor

shamrock55 wrote: »

Fair enough, Btw what do you mean by washes?

Washes are where you thin the paint right out. You allow it to wash into all the nooks and crannies, and it makes thing look more real, and brings out details.

Great in things like engines.

Though id prefer artist oils for it, but enamels can be used.

So say a piece thats painted silver in an engine. Using white spirit and a tiny dab of oil paint, (i mean say 5 ml of spirit and the tip of a brush of oil, until you get used to it). Just dab the wash loaded brush around the part and youll see the colour flow into corners and around bolts etc.

You can see its been done on this engine, so gives you an idea.

shamrock55

Ah Yea ive seen videos on that alright,did you do that engine it's fantastic

The Doktor

shamrock55 wrote: »

Ah Yea ive seen videos on that alright,did you do that engine it's fantastic

yeah, thats one o mine. Its a Honda RC166 (12th scale)

shamrock55

Quick question,when painting, on the instructions it has a letter for each colour to be used, but there is one letter(h) that has 3 colours on the model I'm doing now it has Aluminium, orange and clear,does that mean the Base coat is aluminium the main coat is orange then clear on top of that? It's an orange lambourgini btw