Every now and then I found a new hobby for myself. This time its modelling. My previous experiences with modelling date over 15 years ago, I made some sort of tank back then. Few years ago I bought Shelby Cobra 427 (my dreamcar by the way) model, made by Revell. But then I forgot that box in my closet and found it few days ago. And today I found 1:570 model of german battleship Tirpitz, made by Revell. And because it was so cheap, I decided to buy it. Now, I have read some threads in this section and rule of thumb seems to be not to start modelling with ships. Well, thats ok because that Cobra seems to be much easier anyway, skill-level 2. 30 or so parts, no need for glue (it will look better than that tank, it's filled with glue) etc. Looks really easy. That Tirpitz, on the other hand, is skill-level 4. Hopefully I find time to do both of them and hopefully I wont ruin them. :-? Now, some question: What should beginner remember when doing his/her first kit? How much money should beginner use for paints and glues? How pricey they are and what kind of shops usually have best collections of paints and glues? How costly are kits usually? I mean, what price is bargain for somekind of kit, what price is rip-of etc? (sorry for bad engrish). What kind of other tools beginner need? How much time does it take to build decent kit? Where I could find some rare kits? Is there any webpage containing some kind of list about manufacturers and their current & past kits? I was hoping to find cheap kit of armoured cruiser Blücher. (I know some of these questions would have been better to ask in tips-thread but I wanted to make one single post).
Not to open bottles of glue with your teeth ( seriously! ). Plan how to assemble your kit in sections, keeping in mind how they should be painted and assembled. A beginner need quality paints and tools just as much as the experienced modeller. On the internet, try : http://www.hannants.co.uk/ or http://www.hlj.com/ Not an easy question to answer in a few lines, but Academy has some good quality kits for a decent price. Do you have any specific kits in mind ? Try these sites : http://www.modelsforsale.com/ and http://www.kingkit.co.uk/
Thank you Skua for that info and those links. Checking those prices, I have to say that 7.45€ for that Tirpitz was bargain. Should I go back and buy Bismarck, and S&G for same price? Paints arent apparently too expensive, considering that you can paint quite a lot of models with 50 ml bottle.
for glue, i recommend the liquid type, i prefer modelmaster brand, also the extra thin by tamiya. you will need sandpaper, files and x acto knifes or other brands now about rare kits, this is very tricky, i managed to get cheap rare kits in ebay, but is just luck, my latest was the special hobby B&V 215, in ebay , for less that 20 bucks, this is rare cus normaly people push the price so much , in one ocasion above 45 dlls.to try to get it,in other case for a BMW w/sidecar by esci 1/9 scale 2 guys keep bidding for it untill the price was over 120 dlls , but i managed to get the same for 30 :grin: but remember that you need check your pocket first,
One of my favorite parts of model building is the collecting of reference materials. The Cobrw will be quite easy in this regard. The German ships will be little trickier as far as quality color photographs. As for tools and supplies, I like to keep a stock of the following: clear (Scotch) tape tiny drill bits -for cleaning and making holes super glue and accelerator (makes super glue bond in seconds) tweezers sprue snips (for cutting parts from sprues) putty for filling gaps small files and sandpaper rubber bands of various sizes
Clear matt spray varnish. Once any decals are on and dried give a quick coat of spray varnish, this will seal the decals and paint (With the bonus that the edges become invisible) and makes dusting infinitely easier as models can just be rinsed under a cold tap rather than broken with an actual duster, ask Ricky what happens if you rinse a none-varnished model under a tap! :lol: Aside from that, make sure all tins of paint are really tightly closed before shaking, I've covered a brand new T-shirt in Revell black enamel before having made that mistake. Always cut away from yourself (Sounds basic, but most modellers have scars on their hands and fingers from ignoring this simple safety tip!). A sense of patience is a must, many a model gets ruined because a modeller has got impatient and rushed something before the paint/glue was dry on the previous stage.
I learned that in the hard way :roll: , that si why it takes me time, to finish my models, for example my elephan it was finished in a couple of years ( due some events that ocurred and derail me and my family life)
Yeah, and quite a few paint schemes incorporate a suspicious swirly pattern (No it's not a thumb print honestly, the paint was dry when I picked it up) :lol:
For sure. Otherwise you start ruining your own work. And believe it, I know from experience... And I think more of us will know about it too.
at the first sign of trouble, STOP, and walk away, you need to concentrate adn clear your mind, take saveral days away from modeling and when you feel better go back to your project, is better this way than try to fix the mistake :smok: that is what i do !!!!!
Good advice - if you start getting frustrated because a bit won't fit, or whatever, stop, walk away, come back later. It is meant to be fun. :wink:
