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Necessities To Start Model Kit Buidling / Painting!


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Ryan,

I am not trying to be a smart ass. Really, I'm not.

Maybe you could be more specific with this "Middle of the road" parameter you've handed us. It could mean different things to each of us. And, please expand on the "accuracy and detail" part as they are more the results of your efforts and not part of a list of prerequisites.

If you could tell us where you are in your skills and knowledge now and what you want to accomplish in say six months and 12 months, then we can give you a more definitive direction out of the gate.

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I definitely can do that. I will break it down into a list!

Skill Level: Minimal (I have done 0 models)

Accuracy and Detail: What I mean by this is replicating real life cars as closely as possible without going into modding of bodies etc. Simply paint and decals.

6 Month Goals: To be able to construct and paint/decal a life like 1:24th replica car to decent detail (decent: paint will have probable marks/scuffs, decals will not be straight, engine and accessories might not be perfect)

12 Month Goals: To be able to construct and paint/decal a life like 1:24th replica car to great detail (great: paint will be near flawless, decals will be straight, engine and accessories paints to detail)

I know this is still very bland but it is something.

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Ryan,

Mark's tutorial is a great place to start learning. After that I would look through the Tips & Techniques section for other topics by Mark as well as ScaleMaster(Mark Jones) and David Morton. There are others that escape me now but you can't go wrong with these guy's advice.

My advice is Patience. You have completed zero models by your own admission and your stated one year goal is a near perfect model (my words): "paint will be near flawless, decals will be straight, engine and accessories paints to detail" Follow Taylor's tutorial and you can get close on the paint. Unless you want to do a NASCAR or NHRA car the decals should not be too tough. The detail painting will take patience and practice.

I would stay away from the snap together kits and the kits that state they are for advanced skills(level 3). Tamiya makes great kits but their subjects exclude US iron. Revell would be a safe place to start.

Add to the tool list Q-Tips, tweezers (not your mom's but from the local hobby shop (LHS)

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Simple thought ...you will need most of the stuff the guys have mentioned. I think the most important thing for you to get is the KIT!!!

You might want to think of a snap kit if you need to build basic assembly skills or a nicer (and$$$) japanese curbside. Now think what you want to build and choose your kit.

After this its time to think of glue and color....good lucksmile.gif

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Mark, you know I picked a set, or I think you do. You helped me in my other thread about what company to go with and then I asked for opinions on the '55 Chevy Bel Air from Revell. Everyone says it is a nice clean kit and should be a good starting point. BTW, it is the new tool kit not the old one B)

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I suggest Lacquer paints and fabric paints also.

Clay, if you mean automotive lacquers, then I disagree. They will just cause problems for a novice. If you mean lacquers formulated for styrene models such as Tamiya or Testors then I can agree with you.

The fabric paints I am familiar with are more carpeting texture than woven fabric. They work well replicating carpeting.

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Clay, if you mean automotive lacquers, then I disagree. They will just cause problems for a novice. If you mean lacquers formulated for styrene models such as Tamiya or Testors then I can agree with you.

The fabric paints I am familiar with are more carpeting texture than woven fabric. They work well replicating carpeting.

I was meaning Testors lacquer and fabric paint.

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Hey Nick,

I think one thing to repeat is something that Steve said. Patience.

I don't think that a "near flawless" paint job is possible on the 2nd build, unless you are painting 4 bodies a month just to practice. I have been doing this for 35+ years and I am just getting to the point where I can teach others how to achieve good results with paint. Also, look up Lonewolf15 on here, he is the paint expert and even has a DVD on how to do it. A wealth of info.

I admire your goals.....I tend to set mine low enough that if I'm unable to achieve them, I can just step over them.

Get some spoons from McDonalds (free) and practice shooting them first. It will help with the process and getting use to how far to hold the plastic from the can, how much you can put on without it running.....basically practice. That's what makes you better. I still make mistakes and try to learn from them. Know that you will too, but it's what you do at the point of "failure" that will either make you a better modeler or make you leave the hobby. I get to the "failure" point, or let's say the "mistake" part, and try to think my way out of it. Sometimes I put a model on the shelf for over 2 or 3 years, and when I do something by accident or it "comes to me" on the current project, I can then take the one off the shelf and finish it. I have solved problems from stalled builds by doing something on a current one that I did not realize was the answer until later.

I think experience will be your best teacher. After all, it should be....it's the most expensive. Go and experiment. And I will pass the advice along that I got from Mark Jones: When someone says "You can't do that", ask, "Who says?". I have "broken" some of the hard fast rules of modeling because I dare to challenge the "rule".

I look forward to seeing some of you work.

David

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"On the spoons; the only thing I'd recommend different is I'd go out & buy a box or a bag of white plastic spoons, not just for learning how to paint properly, but as you get better & more proficient at it, you'll find they come in handy for checking how a certain color/shade is going to look, especially over different color primers or base coats."

Their about $4 per hundred at Smart n Final.

I take the time to write on the concave side with a Sharpie just how I arrived at the color on the convex side.

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Try the "EDIT" buttom next. It's one of the few "do-overs" we get.

I love the Edit button, however, on my Macbook Pro, it will not let me post my change. My home PC will let me edit, then I can click the button that says "add changes" or what ever it says, but that does not appear for me when I am done editing on my Mac. I can't figure it out, since I know Gregg is a Mac guy and I figured this site would be Mac friendly.

Thanks though. I have tried it.

David

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