New guy

[nismo]

So as the description says, I recently purchased a tamiya Nissan Skyline R34 Z-tune kit. And after putting it together I must say I am now addicted to building these models, and have a few questions I was hoping you guys could answer?

First off, I have left the first kit I did (nissan) unpainted, its the basic silver right now, and I want to go back and paint the calipers/steering/seats etc. But not the body (baby steps lol), I was wondering what tools/preparation I need for this, and I am currently looking for new kits to build and this time fully paint as well! Any suggestions? Also, an airbrush kit is a bit too expensive for me, and I was wondering if the spray paint stuff you get at hobby shops will suffice? My interest lies in kits around the difficulty level of the skyline from Tamiya, and only sports cars haha, I just like those better for some reason.

Thank you very much for your time, I hope I didn't bog down or annoy anyone with redundant questions.

Attached is my first model so far! Any input is appreciated.

[Naydrus]

Great choice in a kit.. I built this one years ago.. sadly it was destroyed along with 98% of my collection by my now X wife. In terms of your choice over airbrush/spray can.... there is nothin wrong with startin off with a can... it can teach you the fundamentals of how to apply paint evenly across a broad surface. I own a airbrush, but have never used it, and Ive always sprayed my kits. Tools. There is no such thing as the RIGHT tool... well... there is in certain applications... but all you really need is a good brush, paint, cleaner for your brush, lighting, and a nice surface to work on. As you progress, you will find your own tips and tricks to build your knowledge on.. IE, using something to create something or do something that the origional tool idea was not used for. (IE, Ive used toothpicks to paint raised white lettering on tires) And lastly, in your question about going back to paint parts.... if you think you can pop the parts apart without destroying them, then do so, paint, allow to throughly dry, then re assemble. (Ive done this numerous times in the past). Thats why this forum was created, to get inspiration, ideas, share your dreams, and your kits.

[Gregg]

e komo mai, John.

The Tamiya paints are great, and a lot of guys here use nothing but them.

Airbrushes are great tools, but preparation is the key.

Sanding the seam lines, make sure the body is clean, and start with a light coat of Tamiya primer.

Sand the primer, then one last coat

Then, lay down the color, in even, light coats.

I sure the guys here can point you to a few threads that have some great how-to's, and our own Alex Kustov has done quite a few online how-to's on painting that you will find most useful.

Enjoy your new friends here, and welcome to the ohana.

[Foxer]

Welcome to the forum AND model car building. Detail painting you next masterpiece should be your next task along with spray painting the body. Practice spray painting another object ... some use plastic spoons, some a spare body, but anything will do.

There are many tips here for starting out .., look through the Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials section for tons of info.

[SuperStockAndy]

Welcome!

[nismo]

Thanks so much everyone! Gonna go pick up a revell kit today and try to spray it, and thanks for the heads up about the tutorials! Those helped a lot as well. Looking forward to all the future builds I get to see on this site! Thanks again

[Jamez]

I've own an air brush since I started building, personally, at this point I prefer cans. As far as brush paints for detail, Acrylics are easier to pick up and paint as well as clean up than enamels and lacquers, but you must be careful what you apply over them (Ie, put acrylic over acrylic, not enamel over acrylic.....)

As far as tools, just like paint, start with the basics, hit up Princess Auto or Harbor Freight and grab an assortment of tweezers and hobby knives, wall mart sells good quality brushes for cheap, while there, go to the cosmetics section and grab a package of emery boards - the type for doing finger nails, a couple of packages of automotive finishing sand paper from your auto parts store, and you have the basics. Build up your tools and paints as you go.

Have fun and try not too fall into the same fate myself and many others have.... Once you've built a few you start scratch building and from there you stuck.......

Maybe not a bad thing?

[Jon Cole]

You have the right idea. You don't need an airbrush this early on. Spray cans work fine. Shake 'em up good. Each pass should overlap the previous pass about 50%. If you mess up the paint, no problem. Just place it in a small plastic "shoe box" sized tub filled with "Super Clean" or "Westley's Tire White". Use an old tooth brush to scrub it, then wash with unscented dish washing liquid.

There are many different tuitorials here on this board. The search feature can find them. Welcome to the board, and good luck.

[Jim Gibbons]

Welcome to the forum and the hobby! As mentioned above, I'm one of those who use Tamiya sprays. I don't have an airbrush, so use the cans. I build a number of Tamiya kits, mostly for friends. They're well engineered. Tamiya's line of acrylic brush paints are very good, too. When you first open the kit, wash the parts. I use Dawn dishwashing detergent. This removes any mold release compounds, and allows the paint to adhere.

Invest in decent tools, and good sandpaper in various grits. My suggestion is to also invest in a polishing kit which has 1800 through 12000 grits. You can polish your paint job with it, but I also use it in body prep work. I sand down all the mold parting line seams, then follow the sandings with polishing. There's a little method to my madness; Tamiya often molds their car bodies in color. If I'm painting it in the same color as the plastic, I skip the primer step. (I know, there are some folks thinking, "The horror! lol!) After I get all the parting seams smooth as a baby's bottom after using the polishing kit, I wash it, let it dry, then paint. I'm working on a Renault Alpine rallye car from Tamiya that is molded in metallic blue. I used Tamiya's paint, and it looks great. As you said, baby steps. Look at the forums On the Workbench projects, and see what other folks do. You'll learn as you go. It's a hobby; enjoy it, but always try to improve a little each build you do. You'll see the difference over time, and you have an online classroom to help you learn right here!