Total newb, inspired but need help!

[shatteredsoul76]

Ok so its been several years since Ive attempted to assemble a model car and they never turned out good at all. For reasons Im not sure of I got an urge to go to Hobby Lobby and pick up a model and a basic kit to put it together. After a couple of hours of painting and some assembling I decided to take a break and browse the web for a bit and thats when I stumbled across this site. All I can say is WOW, I still cant wrap my head around some of you guys skills when it comes to this hobby. Theres no way I will ever be on or near the same level as a lot of you guys but I have been inspired to dive head first into this hobby, so much so that I am in the process of finally running electricity to my shop/storage building after 2 years!

My shop is the great part as its a 10'x20' blank slate that I can set-up how ever I like in order to do models, but thats what also sucks as I dont have a clue where to start and what all I need to get to outfit it. This is where I need some advice from some people that have some experience in this hobby. The only things I can think of off the top of my head are some sort of bench to work on, lighting, storage and supplies. Please keep in mind that I have to do this on a budget as I cant spend a fortune so the cheaper the better and Im all open for suggestions guys. I only need the basics for now but plan on expanding as soon as money and time allow.

Also Im wondering if one brand of model/supplies is better than the other?? In the past I have always used Testors and usually got Revell models but Im not sure how good they truly are. Can anyone recommend good websites to buy models and model related stuff?? I have stumbled across Hobbylinc and am wondering if they are a good site to buy from? Sorry to be so long winded but even at 34 I feel like a kid in a candy store over getting into this hobby and hopefully you guys can help a true model newb out. Thanks in advance for any and all help! Jake

Edited January 19, 2011 by shatteredsoul76

[Monte's Motors]

Always happy to hear an excited modeler.

I built a workbench out of 2 - 4'x8' sheets of plywood useing one for the top and one on the back that reaches 2' above the flat top. I made mine kitchen table height. A padded chair you will need. Wal-mart has see through storage bins with drawers. Buy a surge protector that has 4 plug-ins for dremels, heat guns. I like to have color choices on hand. I've probably got $2,000 in paint. 4'foot floresent over head lights.

Best thing that works for you. You'll figure out the fine details as you go.

[Corvette.Jeff]

The basics any modeler needs are a nice bench/desk, a bright light(the more the better kinda) a comfy chair, tools, a place to paint, and of course aq nice stash of models.

If i was in your spot this is what i would do, here at a local thrift/charity store they have a really nice "c" desk for around $20 granted its about 6' long, but it does have shelfing above to store either kits,paints,tools, or what have you. then i would make a paint booth near one of the windows, and get a nice big leather office chair second hand. dont forget to install a heater and a window a/c/ for those long build sessions that tend to happen

the rest of the shop i would use for either storage for alot of kits, or shelfing, you cant ever have enough shelving.

As for your questino about brands, just take to heart the old saying "you get what you pay for"

I myself dont have that many tools, i have a few files that my folks got me for christmas from harbor freight, various sanpapers, a few tubes of spot putty, a can of bondo, a small bench vise, and a set of helper hands with a magnifying glass on it.

You cant forget to pick up a exacto knife and a small supply of #11 blades. for sprue cutters i use nail clippers or wire cutters, its the exact same thing, for paint i use spray cans from walmart and the such.

It all depends of how extravagent your willing to get, or how deep into the hobby you want to go.

Jeff.

[CAL]

oh sure you can... You just got to do it. Don't try to learn it all at once or fill a work shop up tomorrow.

How do you eat an elephant. One piece at a time.

It just takes time, many years of experience and passion, and you will get there.

I started on a 2X6 mobile board but have grown to this

It only took 12 years.

Part of it will be figuring out what you want to do, how you want to do it, and deep you want to get in. The rest will come piece by piece and we are always here to help step by step.

There are all kinds of supplies and tools to aid you. Get want you need as you need and can afford it. Getting cheap stuff often means replacing down the road.

There are some very good Revell kits out there. Depends on what you are into, but Tamiya has some the very best engineered kits on the market.

There are some others that are for better or worse difficult at best and are just a challenge, which sometimes that is half the fun. AM Mclarens, Protar 250 GTO, Heller 917K, build them if you can.

I like HLJ.com, Strada Sport, Scale Motor Sport, MCG, DM, ebay and I have a pretty decent LHS.

Your best first large investment should likely be an airbrush. That will be the biggest single advancement you can make at least in my opinion. Master that it will take you further than anything else: Resin castings, BMF, small machining equipment, PE, etc.

[LDO]

I have a couple of workbenches made from wooden doors. They are 8" tall (long) and were exterior doors, so they are heavy. IIRC they were 40 bucks each off Craigslist. A glass door from an old stereo cabinet makes a great work surface for your bench. If you spill glue or paint, you can just scrape it off with a razor. Since it's flat, you can use for lining up suspension/chassis parts.

Tamiya spray can lacquer is AWESOME.

Oh yeah- like CAL says, you'll get there. It just takes time.

Edited January 19, 2011 by LDO

[JPR]

Hey there welcome to the hobby and the site! I cant really help you out with your building area since I just use an empty self on a large set of shelves and a computer chair as my work space. I do believe I can help you with where to get models and there specifics. Mind If I ask what kind of cars you are into? Imports, American Muscle, trucks, lowriders, rat rods, ect? There are many places that carry a larger amount of one specific type. Some general sites that sell a good amount of various style models are modelexpress, modelroundup, and of course amazon and ebay.

As for brands, most of the ones you will run into at Chain Hobby stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels will be Revell, AMT, MPC and maybe a rare Aoshima, Fujimi, or Tamiya. Revell, AMT, and MPC mostly have domestic cars such as Ford,Dodge,Chevy ect. As for Aoshima, Fujimi, and Tamiya they mostly make cars from Japan but also a decent amount of other imports. Local hobby shops are somewhat of a gamble. You really dont know what kind of kits you will find there. There are a ton of great people on this site that Im sure can help you out a ton more than I can, but I hope I have been of some help!

Edited January 19, 2011 by JPR

[CAL]

I just have ADD and a focus problem. I am into too many different hobbies. RC planes, RC helicopters, RC cars, model kits, Car kits, airplane kits, armor kits, Rubber band stick and tissue kits, I even have some wooden ship models. I'd probably be much better off just picking one and sticking with that, but ever time I start to think about I am like, oh yeah, I want to build that. If I was forced, I would pick the car kits, and the helis, and the military kits, and I can't leave my RC cars behind... see.

I just know I will regret it.

I got a N Scale train for Christmas, some I said I would never get into, but I am about neck deep in that now too.

Edited January 19, 2011 by CAL

[highway]

Welcome to the forum, Jake. I'm 34 too and have been building since I was around 8, and have found through the years some easy and sometimes cheap solutions for workspaces, since I've had everything from working on the dining room table to the smallest space you could think of, the about 10 inch by 25 inch pull out desk in the sleeper of a big rig, and yes, I did work on little trucks in the big truck. I have a couple truck kits that have almost 25 million 1/25 scale miles on them!

Anyway, you've had some great suggestions so far for workbench ideas, and here's mine.

The main part is a student sized desk I picked up at a church rummage sale for only a couple dollars, the hutch I found at an auction for $25, and the area where the black semi and large scale Trans Am kit box is an old TV stand my better half's parents were going to throw out just around the same time I bought the hutch. I goofed with the hutch, I thought since it had a nice desk on the picture on the box, the desk came with it, OOPS!

As for paints, I prefer Testors Model Master enamels and Tamiya paints, and DupliColor automotive paints for spray painting. I keep them in a rolling toolbox that has a lift out tray where I keep the bottles and underneath keep the small Testors sized spray cans.

Storagewise, I have a few old 5 shelf bookcases that were going to get thrown out by my better half's aunt, and have bought three 3 shelf bookscase from Walmart for about $25 each. I also have the added storage space from my hutch and the old TV stand. As models start stacking up in front of the bookcases, I just go pick up another one. Of course, the comfy desk chair is a must!

EDIT:By the way, you can see I'm not short on light either! The two lights on the desk were 27 watt (I think) daylight lamps that were about 20some bucks each, and the lights under the hutch I found on clearance for just a couple bucks at Lowe's. When I'm at the desk, it lights up the whole living room!

Edited January 19, 2011 by highway

[shatteredsoul76]

Thanks for the help so far guys you have got my gears turning. I work at a pretty large auto parts warehouse so I can get ahold of wood for free from crates and some decent grade plywood used by our vendors to ship us thier parts. The only issue is the wood comes in here and there and not exactly a steady stream so it may take longer than I would like to get enough to build a bench. For free though I think it would be worth the extra time and effort.

The comments on the lighting has got me thinking that I may order one like we use at work for inspecting parts, they are magnified with built in lighting and a clamp so they can be easily moved. I already have a nice Dremel but plan on picking up some more bits and things for it, I also have some hand tools but Im still not sure what all a person needs for this hobby. I have looked through several post and pictures on here of work benches which gives me a good clue of what all tools are being used. The book shelves are a great idea as I usually see them for cheap used and will start looking around on craigslist for some in my area. I also like the clear plastic containers that way you can easily see whats in the drawer.

I dont guess I have a favorite when it comes to cars/trucks, I like everything from American muscle to imports to trucks. I dont however have an interest in tanks, airplanes , trains ,rc cars/trucks at least for now. I figure theres plenty of regular cars and trucks to keep me busy for a long time to come.

Thanks for all the websites, most of them I havent ran across but will definately be looking up everyone of them. Is there an alternative black paint that can be bought at Wal-mart instead of say the small bottle I have now from Testors? The black seems to go real fast since is used a lot on undercarriage. Also whats a good kit to start with for airbrushing, I have looked a few but dont have a clue what to get.

So thats where Im currently at but Im definately going in the right direction and plan on taking my first bite out of this elephant soon. Thanks again folks for the warm welcome. Jake

[CAL]

Badger makes a good airbrush, which one a couple of, but I really like my Iwata Eclipse.

Not only does it spray better it's a little less fiddily and fragile as the Badger, which I always had to work on before painting anything.

The Iwata is great, pretty fool proof rugged airbruch that has never let me down.

I still use my Badgers on occations but my Iwata is the first brush I typically go for, and Hobby Lobby stock Iwata and parts for them. I just used a 40% off coupon when one of my Badger brushes was down for repairs waiting parts that I couldn't find anywhere locally.

[shatteredsoul76]

I have a little update, I have ordered a magnified desk lamp, a knife set, a brush set and Ive got my eye on several ebay auctions to start on building up my stash. Im also working on getting the electrical work done on my building, my neighbor has a good friend that is going to do it cheap so we will see how that goes. Im working on building up the absolute basics for now as I dont have a ton of extra money to spend all at once.

The only thing that Im really interested in buying right now is a bigger/better selection of paints, this is where I need some guidance. I need to know if there is an alternative to the really small bottles of paint as they go way too fast. I dont mind spending a bit of money here but I would rather buy much bigger bottles that will last longer and be cheaper. Do the big home places like Lowes, Home Depot etc actually stock something thats not exactly meant for models as an alternative? I know they have enamel but is it better than acrylic for models? I also plan on buying regular rattle cans for the bodies for now until I can get to the point of buying a really nice airbrush set-up. Can anyone suggest a good type/brand of rattle can paints for the bodies? I have read on here that folks get pretty good results with Krylon brand. Thanks for all the help so far guys, please keep all the suggestions coming. Jake

Edited January 22, 2011 by shatteredsoul76

[charlie8575]

Honestly, Jake, the model paints exist for a reason. They'll last quite a while if you don't apply them too heavily and use them judiciously. Although a bit expensive to start out, the paints will last for many years provided you keep them capped tightly and stored properly. A tip to extend their life is to store the jars upside-down. That helps keep the air out.

I use Testors, Testors Model Master in all three varieties (Acryl, enamel and lacquer,) and have had good results with all of them. The little square Testors bottles are still my go-to for a lot of things. I've found Model Master Acryl covers nicely without a primer. Model Master has a nice variety of colors that can be used for a lot of things, in both the military and automotive line that are useful for car modelers. The lacquers work very nicely the small amount I've used them.

I use Humbrol paint, too, which is very heavily pigmented and covers beautifully. Due to its heavier pigmentation, it goes a long way because you don't need to use as much.

I also use Tamiya acrylics, which cover very nicely and have a pretty good variety of colors.

Periodically, I also use Polly-S and Floquil paints, which are mostly intended for model railroaders, on things besides my model railroad. A lot of their colors are great for interiors and small details.

As to other paints...

For priming, spray-can automotive primer is usually your best choice for everything. I like Plasti-Kote best, but use Dupli-Color, too. You'll want both white and gray sandable primer, and red oxide, especially if you build a lot of 1950-'60s Fords. Some people also use the primer-sealer. I haven't tried it yet, but may. Dupli-Color recently changed the color of their gray sandable primer to nearly black. To me, it's useless.

That primer, by the way, can, and should be used on all components that need to be painted. They're both good products and a can will be good for 3-4 models.

For painting the body, you can use spray touch-up paints or the touch-up bottles once you acquire an airbrush. You can, of course, use the model paints to paint the body, too. I do frequently.

Engines can be painted with Model Master paints or possibly with spray enamels from the auto-parts store, but I'd be careful, as those might be a bit heavy-bodied to work well on something as small as a 1/25 engine.

With an airbrush, your possibilities open up wide. You can custom-mix your own colors, or buy automotive lacquers and enamels from vendors like Model Car World or Scale Finishes. Not cheap, but if you want that "special color," they're the best way to go; both have excellent products and great service.

To help stretch your paint: good brushes are essential. They'll cover better, leave a nice finish, and last a long time with reasonable care.

Regarding tools: Get good ones and take care of them. Sears has a large assortment of miniature tools that are reasonably-priced and function well. I use Xuron sprue cutters, which any competent hobby shop should have, Testors sanding films, some polishing cloths for finish coats on exterior paint jobs, and Craftsman mini-clamps and mini-cutters/pliers. I also have a small pair of tweezers. Eventually, I'll be getting some small files and I'll put my hands back on my mini-screwdrivers.

I hope this gives you some help.

Charlie Larkin

[shatteredsoul76]

Thanks for the input Charlie it helps shed some light for me on paint types and brands as well as some needed tools. I have ordered some sprue cutters, a set of 5 hobby tweezers, a couple of clamps, and 9 model cars, so I have enough models for a good start on my stash. I am also going to pick up some more paints along with primer and some more small tools. I think Ill see what Lowes has to offer in the way of small tools before I drive all the way to Sears which is at least 30 miles one way. Thanks again for everyones input, you guys have been a HUGE help. I hope to start some on the bench updates really soon.

[lordairgtar]

Tamiya also has very nice model paints in spray and bottles.