Somewhat new to doing this. Any tips?

[NateC]

My name is Nate so far I have only built 2 kits one '68 charger by revell and, the fast and furious charger by revell. The fast and furious one came out okay but the other one didn't really come out that good so just looking for any tips or anything that can help my kits not look like a kid did them.

Edited September 2, 2018 by NateC

[MrObsessive]

Hello Nate and welcome!

First and foremost, you want to work as patiently as you can. All of us here have will have different ways of doing things, but you'll need to be patient with yourself in not wanting to rush things. You'll want to work solely on the basics first.

Getting rid of 'parting' or mold lines on the body is important. Start with 400 grit sandpaper and then work up to 600 grit. You don't want the surface to be too smooth as you want the surface to have 'teeth' to hold the paint with.

I'd be stocking up on some easy and manageable tools to work with. Toothpicks for your glues, files, exacto blades, among some tools. There are various types of glues for different things. NEVER use solvent glue to put in your glass. You'll want to use either 5 min epoxy, or white Elmers type glue for that. Solvent glues if you're not careful will permanently ruin the glass and could also damage your surrounding paint.

Which brings me to painting. I'm a VERY BIG believer in building up all of your other assemblies and then see how they'll fit into the body before paint. Way too many times I've read complaints about X kit not fitting right, and this was AFTER the body was all painted and polished up.

A very bad idea as you'll never know what kind of assembly problems you'll run into, and meanwhile you're scratching up the paint and making smudges where they shouldn't be.

You'll want to wash the body (after you've did the bodywork) in some type of oil removing detergent (Dawn for instance), as the body will have its share of mold release agent which can wreak havoc on your paint job. When it comes to painting the body, the only advice I can give you is practice, practice, practice. You'll get a thousand and one opinions on how to paint a car, but until you practice (preferably on junk bodies), you'll not know what works best for you.

Each of us here have our building styles, but with time comes experience and don't get too down if the model is not to what might be too high expectations in the beginning. I've been building for 40 years, and trust me that even after all that time building models, I run into gaffes at times!

This is just some things in a nutshell. Your question is pretty wide open and some others I'm sure will add to what I mentioned. Don't be coy about asking questions if you run into issues, and if possible, you may want to post pics of what you're building so we can see what's up.

OK, that's my 2¢ worth for what it's worth...........hope this helps and once again, welcome aboard!

Edited September 2, 2018 by MrObsessive

[NateC]

16 minutes ago, MrObsessive said:

Hello Nate and welcome!

First and foremost, you want to work as patiently as you can. All of us here have will have different ways of doing things, but you'll need to be patient with yourself in not wanting to rush things. You'll want to work solely on the basics first.

Getting rid of 'parting' or mold lines on the body is important. Start with 400 grit sandpaper and then work up to 600 grit. You don't want the surface to be too smooth as you want the surface to have 'teeth' to hold the paint with.

I'd be stocking up on some easy and manageable tools to work with. Toothpicks for your glues, files, exacto blades, among some tools. There are various types of glues for different things. NEVER use solvent glue to put in your glass. You'll want to use either 5 min epoxy, or white Elmers type glue for that. Solvent glues if you're not careful will permanently ruin the glass and could also damage your surrounding paint.

Which brings me to painting. I'm a VERY BIG believer in building up all of your other assemblies and then see how they'll fit into the body before paint. Way too many times I've see complaints about X kit not fitting right, and this was AFTER the body was all painted and polished up.

A very bad idea as you'll never know what kind of assembly problems you'll run into, and meanwhile you're scratching up the paint and making smudges where they shouldn't be.

You'll want to wash the body (after you've did the bodywork) in some type of oil removing detergent (Dawn for instance), as the body will have its share of mold release agent which can wreak havoc on your paint job. When it comes to painting the body, the only advice I can give you is practice, practice, practice. You'll get a thousand and one opinions on how to paint a car, but until you practice (preferably on junk bodies), you'll not know what works best for you.

Each of us here have our building styles, but with time comes experience and don't get too down if the model is not to what might be too high expectations in the beginning. I've been building for 40 years, and trust me that even after all that time building models, I run into gaffes at times!

This is just some things in a nutshell. Your question is pretty wide open and some others I'm sure will add to what I mentioned. Don't be coy about asking questions if you run into issues, and if possible, you may want to post pics of what you're building so we can see what's up.

OK, that's my 2¢ worth for what it's worth...........hope this helps and once again, welcome aboard!

Thanks for the feedback and the tips greatly appreciated

[disabled modeler]

Welcome Nate..!    Never be afraid to ask a question...there is a great bunch here with many years of experience that are willing to help out.    The best advise anyone ever gave me on building is to treat every part as if it were a model itself...and it will show.     Time and experience is the best teacher...we all learn something new every day...me included and I have been building all my life.

[NateC]

13 minutes ago, disabled modeler said:

Welcome Nate..!    Never be afraid to ask a question...there is a great bunch here with many years of experience that are willing to help out.    The best advise anyone ever gave me on building is to treat every part as if it were a model itself...and it will show.     Time and experience is the best teacher...we all learn something new every day...me included and I have been building all my life.

Thanks for the advice

[disabled modeler]

2 hours ago, NateC said:

Thanks for the advice

Your most welcome.

[Rider]

Welcome to the hobby Nate. You have joined at an increadable time. The hobby is in an era of after market parts options and quality like never before. Take your time, watch you tube vids and don't be afraid to make mistakes and ask questions, after all it's only a hobby and bunch of plastic bits. 

[MrObsessive]

To echo what Lloyd said, it would have been nice if there was an internet back in '78 when I started building models. In fact, I didn't get a computer and internet service until sometime in 2001-02. I used to build models with stacks of books and articles.

Now if I need to see a certain detail-----for instance the way a particular car's door might open for instance, the info is just a keyboard away. I can then save that pic and put it right on my phone for me to use as reference......no more stacks of papers and books!

Some don't care for that, but my work table is cluttered enough as it is! The less stuff I have in my way of building the better.

Speaking of YouTube, I have for example the 1/8 scale DeAgostini 1967 Shelby. There's a channel on YT where they have a whole ton of videos where they show step by step how they built it from beginning to end. I downloaded each one and saved them in a folder, and then when the time comes for me to build it, I can put those vids on my phone and not have my laptop sucking up yet more space if I need to go to the vid for reference!

Ain't today's technology grand?.............(well almost!)

[D. Battista]

Welcome to the forum Nate..!!   A great bunch bunch of guys here, all willing to help..!

As Bill said above "patients"  is the greatest advice.  Good luck with your builds..!