What to do?

[69_Stingray]

Hello fellow modelers!

I'm a noob at car modeling and was wondering.

What to focus on when building a car model.

I know a couple of people have said to focus on the paint. That's important.

What else? Detail painting? Also what would be good for starting to add detail to car kits? PE, better tires, engine detail?

Any ideas would be most helpful!

Mark

[Mark]

If you are starting out, just go for a clean build.  I'd concentrate on exterior and interior finish, including applying foil to exterior trim.  Wiring, photoetch, and other things can come later.

[Tom Geiger]

As a noob focus on the basics. For your first few projects, build the kit per the instructions to get familiar with the process and common pitfalls. You will learn something with each build. 

Choose your first kits carefully. There are nightmare kits that will make a newbie run for the hills!  Ask the board here for recommendations for kits in your area of interest that aren’t over complicated and go together well.

Then concentrate on getting the basics right before going for extra details.  Clean up all the parts. Check fit of everything before gluing, paint your parts and just go for a good clean build.
 

[StevenGuthmiller]

The best advice that I can give anyone at the beginning of their first project is to concentrate on eliminating as many of the mold lines as possible, especially on the body.

The best paint job in the world will still look like a booger if there's a big mold line running all of the way across the trunk lid!

 

 

 

 

Steve

[69_Stingray]

Hi tom, yes. One nightmare kit that I made a mistake of buying. The amt yenko camaro. One look at the sprues, yuck. I have 3 revell camaroes and the detail on the plasic blowes it out of the water.

[espo]

I had an old sage tell me years ago to approach each segment, IE the engine or interior, as if that was a model within it's self. It can take several builds to find your comfort zone in each area of a build. I like to follow what other builders are doing even if the subject is not what I'm really interested in, but you still learn a lot by watching others and seeing how they over come problems or how the do different techniques.  

[69_Stingray]

6 minutes ago, espo said:

I had an old sage tell me years ago to approach each segment, IE the engine or interior, as if that was a model within it's self. It can take several builds to find your comfort zone in each area of a build. I like to follow what other builders are doing even if the subject is not what I'm really interested in, but you still learn a lot by watching others and seeing how they over come problems or how the do different techniques.  

Yes, very good advice there!

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, 69_Stingray said:

One nightmare kit that I made a mistake of buying. The amt yenko camaro. 

This was one of the kits I specifically had in minds when I was talking to you on HyperScale yesterday. Two others are their '67 GTO and their '69 Firebird. (All three of these are ex-MPC kits.) 

[ksnow]

What exactly is bad about those kits? I have all of them waiting to be built. My first build was the 69 T/A, I don't remember any issues with it, but I was new to model cars.

Is there a good 67GTO kit?

[69_Stingray]

The camaro is poorly molded clunky details. Revell is light years ahead. I have 2 69 camaro's the old skips diner and newer one with white styrene. The details is much more refined. WAY less flash. Also a guy on youtube said the the spoiler on the amt is undersized. 

Edited March 31, 2021 by 69_Stingray

[StevenGuthmiller]

48 minutes ago, espo said:

I had an old sage tell me years ago to approach each segment, IE the engine or interior, as if that was a model within it's self. It can take several builds to find your comfort zone in each area of a build. I like to follow what other builders are doing even if the subject is not what I'm really interested in, but you still learn a lot by watching others and seeing how they over come problems or how the do different techniques.  

Absolutely!

Every technique that I use has been picked up from someone else.

I very rarely come up with a completely unique technique myself that hasn't been applied by somebody before me.

Although I will often tweak those ideas a bit to suit my own purposes and style.

 

I also agree with treating each sub-assembly as a separate model.

I originally started using this idea by separating the body, chassis, interior and engine into 4 individual projects.

As time has progressed, that has broken down into many more separate "models".

Now I will often apply that thought into looking at a dashboard or intake assembly as an individual project.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by StevenGuthmiller

[69_Stingray]

4 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Absolutely!

Every technique that I use has been picked up from someone else.

I very rarely come up with a completely unique technique myself that hasn't been applied by somebody before me.

Although I will often tweak those ideas a bit to suit my own purposes and style.

 

I also agree with treating each sub-assembly as a separate model.

I originally started using this idea by separating the body, chassis, interior and engine into 4 individual projects.

As time has progressed, that has broken down into many more separate "models".

Now I will often apply that thought into looking at a dashboard or intake assembly as an individual project.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

Wow! Beautiful! That's what I can aspire to build one day!

[espo]

8 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Absolutely!

Every technique that I use has been picked up from someone else.

I very rarely come up with a completely unique technique myself that hasn't been applied by somebody before me.

Although I will often tweak those ideas a bit to suit my own purposes and style.

 

I also agree with treating each sub-assembly as a separate model.

I originally started using this idea by separating the body, chassis, interior and engine into 4 individual projects.

As time has progressed, that has broken down into many more separate "models".

Now I will often apply that thought into looking at a dashboard or intake assembly as an individual project.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

I'm glad you agree. I have followed several of your builds in the past and enjoyed everyone of them. 

[Snake45]

18 minutes ago, ksnow said:

What exactly is bad about those kits? I have all of them waiting to be built. My first build was the 69 T/A, I don't remember any issues with it, but I was new to model cars.

Is there a good 67GTO kit?

The MPC/AMT '69 Camaro body is inaccurately shaped. So is the '69 Firebird. No build issues but it just doesn't look right. The '67 GTO molds have been modified several times, and are quite worn, requiring much corrective bodywork on the reissued kits. There's no better '67 on the market now. The original 1967 issue kit, before all the mods, wasn't too bad but good luck finding one. 

[NOBLNG]

2 hours ago, 69_Stingray said:

Hello fellow modelers!

I'm a noob at car modeling and was wondering.

What to focus on when building a car model.

I know a couple of people have said to focus on the paint. That's important.

What else? Detail painting? Also what would be good for starting to add detail to car kits? PE, better tires, engine detail?

Any ideas would be most helpful!

Mark

Hello Mark. 
The most important thing to remember, is that it’s a hobby, something to pass the time and have fun with. Perfection is something to aim for...but the goal posts keep moving on that one.? The more you build, the more you will expand your endeavours. Or if putting together box stock builds satisfies you, that’s great too. Have fun with it!

Edited March 31, 2021 by NOBLNG

[Rick L]

You’re not building for us, you’re building for yourself. Consider what is important to you. There are plenty of tutorials covering whatever you decide. Work on those things and then decide if you need to expand. Have fun with it. 

[69_Stingray]

5 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Hello Mark. 
The most important thing to remember, is that it’s a hobby, something to pass the time and have fun with. Perfection is something to aim for...but the goal posts keep moving on that one.? The more you build, the more you will expand your endeavours. Or if putting together box stock builds satisfies you, that’s great too. Have fun with it!

 

38 minutes ago, Rick L said:

You’re not building for us, you’re building for yourself. Consider what is important to you. There are plenty of tutorials covering whatever you decide. Work on those things and then decide if you need to expand. Have fun with it. 

Yes. Good advice, though starting box stock is what i'm going to do 1st, to practice important items like paint ect. I want to be able to add detail to the engine and other part later on.

[1972coronet]

8 hours ago, 69_Stingray said:

Any ideas would be most helpful!

Welcome to the hobby ! The best kit which I can recommend for cutting your teeth would be the AMT 1963 Nova Wagon that's been recently restored / updated / reissued . Great decal set ; ridiculously simple construction ; lots of fantastic detail (engraving is outstanding ) ; simple to paint . The kit practically falls-together seamlessly ! There's virtually NO clean-up involved (other than washing the parts before primer / paint) -- no mould lines at all !

Soon enough , the AMT 1964 Olds F-85 / Cutlass will be released --- another restored / retooled classic which appears to be just as sweet as the aforementioned Nova Wagon .

Personal Preference : I suggest Tamiya or Gunze-Sangyo paints , and a variety of adhesives ( Tamiya 'orange cap' cement ; Tamiya 'green cap' "Super Thin" ; dollar store super glue ; Mod Podge Gloss ) .

[69_Stingray]

3 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

Welcome to the hobby ! The best kit which I can recommend for cutting your teeth would be the AMT 1963 Nova Wagon that's been recently restored / updated / reissued . Great decal set ; ridiculously simple construction ; lots of fantastic detail (engraving is outstanding ) ; simple to paint . The kit practically falls-together seamlessly ! There's virtually NO clean-up involved (other than washing the parts before primer / paint) -- no mould lines at all !

Soon enough , the AMT 1964 Olds F-85 / Cutlass will be released --- another restored / retooled classic which appears to be just as sweet as the aforementioned Nova Wagon .

Personal Preference : I suggest Tamiya or Gunze-Sangyo paints , and a variety of adhesives ( Tamiya 'orange cap' cement ; Tamiya 'green cap' "Super Thin" ; dollar store super glue ; Mod Podge Gloss ) .

Yes, but one more thing also, I do model but those the ones I do model are armor and aircraft, so I have most of the supplies.

[69_Stingray]

Also, I picked up a tamiya nissan GT-R to try for my 1st kit. Good idea? 

The kit looks amazing. The detail is awesome on the underside.

[Fat Brian]

To add to what others have said,  one thing I had to learn was the discipline to finish a build. For years I bounced from project to project never really finishing anything. Returning to those partial builds now I'm not satisfied with the quality of the work I did so now I have to redo the work or relegate that to a parts kit and start over fresh. Pushing through each phase of a build is a skill of its own.

[69_Stingray]

Looking at the news section on the nova wagon. It seems to be a really good kit.