As above, there are many avenues of approach to get to the desired result. I am usually building some thing that never existed but I think would have been cool if it did or something that existed but no one manufactures as yet. Here is hopefully a link to one of my builds to give you an idea of some working methods.
TS-13 can provide some very 'interesting' results. The most common mistake is to spray it on too soon, even over Tamiya lacquers. Even if it does not attack the base material it can crack, showing up days later. Very annoying!
I built that model when I was in my teens. Back when the instructions were in English and every part was named and you actually learned something when you built a model. I knew the name of every halyard and sheet and stay by the time I was done. A cathead got broken and I could never properly fix it so it ended up being junked. Better luck with yours.
Well, after 20 years on one of those trucks I can tell you that looks exactly like a working garbage truck, after being on the job for only about a week. Also, you missed the smell entirely! Great job!
I built this transfer caboose for a friend's railway. Scratch built to 1/48 scale out of styrene with metal grab-irons etc. and a wooden deck. It covers a heavy brass cleaning component, trucks are Atlas (I think!).
Hello. I have not done much with die-cast cars (I assume you are talking cars) lately but I seem to recall that Testors and Bhurago did some simple kits. The bodies were die-cast and the detail parts mostly plastic. You don't need anything special to assemble them. If you start to disassemble built models to modify them then I would suggest a good fine-tooth saw (Zona) and an assortment of small and not so small files, sanding supplies and fillers for metal. Checking out the various builds posted on this site (not just die-cast) will help point you in the right direction.