New to scale modeling

to the hobby and the forums!  You will learn a lot here.

As for some basic tools you will probably need some tweezers for dealing with small parts.  Get good paint brushes from an art supply store like Michaels.  A good variety of sizes and shapes.  Most people use Squadron putty for filling seams along with some gap filling super glue. 

As for paint, it is up to you.  3 basic mediums: Acrylic, Enamel and Lacquer.  Each have their pros and cons.

Don't worry about decal sets unless you really want specific markings.  They aren't necessary to begin model building. 

I am sure you will get a ton more ideas and suggestions.

Welcome to the forum Matt glad to have you with us. Got a great bunch of guys and gals with a world of knowledge to share so tag along !

 

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Matt,

Welcome!  If you can find a copy of this month's FSM (Nov 11), there is an article specifically geared to new modelers - tools, tips, techniques to get you started.

Paul

Thanks Paul, I did get that, but that is just a starting point is it not?  Also, with so many paint brush sizes, types, and brands...is there a place to start?  Like what sizes are commonly used (and what ARE the various sizes?) and which type of glues are necessary.  (there are SO many different brands of plastic cement)  Thanks!

 

Matt

Matt,

I may be getting confused.  Are you looking for a "basic intro starter kit" for making your first couple of models after a lengthy absence? Or have you already got past that stage and are looking for more advanced advice on building better?

Paul

Hmm...at this point I am still kind of collecting various things that I'll need to get started.  I haven't actually started a build yet.  I just received my airbrush and compressor, I have a model to build, but am currently acquiring the various essential tools and what not.  I guess I wasn't really clear, I built plastic models as a kid, but that was 30+ years ago and when I lived at home with my parents.  So now, today...I am starting out from scratch with nothing.  No tools, no brushes, no glue, no paint, no nothing.  And trying to piece all the different things together is, to say the least, monumental.  Back when I put models together there was the orange testors model glue, the small enamel testors paint, and the crappy white testors paint brush...and away we went.  lol.  I know I will need instant glue and acclerator, but what type of plastic cement are guys using these days and why?  Liquid?  Tube type?  And as far as paint brushes go...holy cow.  Do you get synthetic or natural?  How small do you need and what are the size types?  And up to how large do you need?  What washes to start with?  What clear/dull cotes are good?  Etc...so those are just some of my questions/dilemmas...lol.  Thanks!!!

 

Matt

Matt,

I'll take a crack at some of your questions.  Bear in mind that for your "which is best" questions, opinions can vary greatly.  And I make no attempt to claim my opinion is the one you should follow.

hckyguy1970

...I have a model to build...

What is the model?  While the basic tools are pretty much the same, different kits/subjects can make use of specialized items.  Especially if you are looking to jump right into the deep end and produce a knock-out with advanced techniques.

hckyguy1970

Back when I put models together there was the orange testors model glue, the small enamel testors paint, and the crappy white testors paint brush...and away we went.  lol. 

Actually, all of that is still around and does make up the very basics to start with.  I still keep a tube of "orange" Testors glue around, and most of my paint is the little Testors enamels.

hckyguy1970

I know I will need instant glue and acclerator, but what type of plastic cement are guys using these days and why?  Liquid?  Tube type?

Super glue is useful (absolute must for photo-etched), and some modellers use it almost exclusively. I prefer to use Testors Liquid Cement (little round bottle, purple label, brush applicator attached to the lid) for the majority of my plastic bonding.  I use a hypo-needle to apply little drops along seams.  If I have something with out a lot of mating surface and need a little time to adjust, a tiny bit of the orange tube glue is great, just don't apply directly from the tube - squeeze a drop out onto a scrap and transfer just enough with a toothpick or something (watch out for strings of glue - they can make a nasty mess of your model).

hckyguy1970

 And as far as paint brushes go...holy cow.  Do you get synthetic or natural?  How small do you need and what are the size types?  And up to how large do you need?

I honestly don't know what kind I have.  I buy a variety pack of brushes from Michaels when I need more.  Mostly the smaller sizes, I've never used anything bigger than 1/4 inch.  Flat for painting large areas (if you don't spray) and pointed for little bits.

hckyguy1970

What washes to start with?  What clear/dull cotes are good?  Etc...so those are just some of my questions/dilemmas...lol.  Thanks!!!

I'm not experienced with washes.  However, when it comes to washes and clear coats, I think it is best to alternate medium.  Acrylic versus enamel.  If you paint with enamel, use an acrylic based wash. Or vice versa.  Or if you want to paint and wash with the same medium, use the other for a clear coat in between.  An enamel based wash over enamel based paint job will most likely result in something that looks like it was painted by a pre-schooler.


My opinion/suggestion is to just start building and accept the fact that you won't know how to do everything and you won't have the right tool/supplies to make it perfect.  If the kit you have is an expensive/rare subject, near and dear to your heart, that you don't want to mess up, put it aside.  Buy an inexpensive kit (Michaels and HobbyLobby have decent kits for under $20, and regularly have 40% off coupons), and start building.  Post in progress pictures here on the forum.  If you come to a spot where you aren't sure what to do, post it as a question.

And have fun.

Paul

First of all, thanks so much for all the advice...I do appreciate it.  

The model I chose to start with is a 1/48 scale P-51D (my all time fav aircraft) from Hasegawa.  I think I'm going to follow your advice and temporarily set it aside and go start out with something a bit more inexpensive.  I went to Squadron.com last night and was absolutely floored at all the decals, photo etched stuff, and after market "toys" that are available...lol.

So you think a good starting place for glue is the a bottle of the liquid plastic cement, a tube of "classic orange" testors, and super glue/accelerant?  

My questions regarding paint brushes were more-so about size.  What is 1-0?  (I'm assuming its some sort of size classification)  See, the problem for me is that I have to purchase the majority (98%) of my supplies from the internet, so I can't just wander into a store and physically look at what I would be buying.  Hence, why I was wondering about sizes and brush types.

You've already helped me tremendously tho...and thanks again for all of that.  I think I'm going to start with a basic supply of testors enamels and tamiya acrylics.  Any suggestions for gloss/flat cotes that you've had good luck with?   I did manage to find a bottle of Pledge Future floor polish tho...so I have that.

Take care,

Matt

My questions regarding paint brushes were more-so about size.  What is 1-0?

A round, fine-pointed brush with a single "0" on the handle.. A 2-0 is coded "00", 3-0, "000", so on and so forth...  As the number of zeros increase, the size of the brush diameter and it's point decrease...

Here's my take on this..

Good, 0, 1-0 and a 2-0  red sable brushes are all you need to start with as far as detail-painting brushes go... The "00000"-types hold so little paint they're about useless outside anything but painting eyebrows on 1/48th scale figures.. they're expensive, but what you're paying for is the point, so take care of it.. Lick the brush back to a point after cleaning it, and put the tube back on it when not in use.. 

 I prefer Grumbacher red-sable round brushes, m'self... Master's Touch makes really good flats.. (A flat is just what it sounds like.. It's a flat brush with bristles that are about a 1/4 inch long and vary in width.. I use 1/8th, 1/4th mostly.. But a good 3/4 inch is neded sometimes too, especially for weathering..

 But don't get tied into on-line HOBBY shops for brushes.. Hobby Lobby sells an extensive line of brushes, and you can use the discounts on their web-site, not just "in-store"... They generally run about 30-50% the price of a "Hobby Shop" brush... Same with oils and pastels.. Look for art-supplies, not modeling supplies when it comes to brushes and certain paints like oil starter sets and pastels starter sets..

For cements, All you really need to get started is a bottle of Testor's pink-label and a bottle of Testor's ModelMaster Black Label (the one with the needle-tube applicator.. )  You don't need the Tube cement, unless you really need a lot of time to adjust parts-fit.. It's better to dry-fit repeatedly before cementing once...  The Black-label will allow you all the time you need, really.. Apply the pink label with a 1-0 brush... The cap-brush is useless.. 

You apply it by holding the parts together, then dipping the brush into the cement bottle, then touching it to the joint.. Capillary-action will carry the cement a couple inches in either direction to form the bond.. 

Frankly, the current issue of FSM does contain more than enough for you to get started back into the hobby... It's not a list for kids to get started, it's a fairly comprehensive list of stuff that you need, and a "part II" of stuff it'll be nice to have later...

Also, make use of this place in it's entirety, not just the forum for a specific model genre...  Check the articles, the videos, glossary, tips database, etc...

90% of what you want to know has been written down already in here, so play around with the search function, get to "know your way around".. It's a tool ( the website), same as your X-Acto Knife or Sprue-cutter...

When you ask questions, ask good, to the point ones, like you did earlier here.. "My questions regarding paint brushes were more-so about size.  What is 1-0? " is exactly the type of question that'll get you timely answers, and ones that you can use.. Questions like "What's a the best P-51 Kit?" is a lousy question... Asking "What is the most accurate 1/48th scale P-51D for under 30.00 Dollars?" is FAR better...

When you're starting a question in a forum, the title requires a little thought too.. I love to help a guy out, but I tend to gloss over htreads titled, "Question?" or "Quick Question"... Titled "Question About Monogram P-51D Cockpit Colors" is a great title, and you'll get answers far quicker....

Anyway, that's just my two centavos...  Welcome to party!

 

 

First of all, welcome (back) to the hobby!

I'm not going to open the "what you need to get started" can of worms, because there are a million different answers. But a few thoughts...

1 - Don't worry about brush sizes. Pick ones that look like they'll do what you need. Hans is correct about the tiny ones not holding any paint. The have their uses, but mostly for picking out that tiny control switch on the instrument panel you want to be red, etc.

2 - Glues. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Testors liquid cement because it doesn't "go off" fast enough. At least for me, the longer I have to sit there and hold two parts together, the greater the chance I'll slip, or get fingerprints melted into the plastic or something. For joining plastic to plastic, especially fuselages, wings, etc, I use Tenax 7R. It's the same idea as the Testors liquid, but far more potent. It'll melt the plastic so it welds together, but it does it in about 10-15 seconds. I'd also highly recommend picking up a "touch-n-flow" applicator. Use an infant snot sucker, put it over the back end, dip the needle into the Tenax, and suck the solvent into the tube. Then apply in roughly 1-2" sections. It takes some practice, but once you get it down there's just no going back.

Superglues (or as you'll see them referred to a lot on here - CA for cyanoacrylate). To me, they're a necessary evil. They go off too fast. They're exceptionally brittle. They make a mess. They're very good, however, for "pin and socket" type joins. So landing gear legs. Tank barrels. If you're rigging a biplane, they're a must for attaching the eyebolts into the wings. And unlike Testors liquid or Tenax, they'll glue mixed media together.

When I'm not using Tenax, my glue of choice is Gator's Grip acrylic glue. The best way I can describe it is white glue on steroids. It gives you some decent working time, but will hold small parts pretty fast. It also has ridiculous shear strength. So let's say you're dealing with a small bit like those down-hanging pitot tubes on the P-51, or the counterweights on the Bf 109 or P-38. With super glue, you touch those the wrong way, the bond snaps, and they usually manage to vanish on you. With Gator's Grip, they bend flat, and then you just bend them back. Also useful for cockpit bits, photo-etch and so on. The only places I don't use Gator's Grip are areas that will be under tension. Learned this lesson the hard way doing some cockpit rigging on a biplane, when the flexibility of the Gator's Grip meant that the eyebolts pulled out.

As for kits to start with, I'm going to buck the common wisdom here just a bit. Everyone always says go with an inexpensive kit. And yeah, don't go out and buy some $100 epic kit like Tamiya's 1/32 Spitfires. But I don't think you should necessarily go for the cheapest you can find, either. I'd suggest looking for something that's both inexpensive and fits together well. I'm not too familiar with the Hasegawa P-51, but the Revell/Monogram P-51s are pretty solid. My personal favorite is the Tamiya P-51 (either the -B or -D). It fits together amazingly well, and you can pick them up for around $20-$25. Several of Tamiya's 1/48 singe-engine props are actually really solid choices - the Bf-109E, Spitfire Vb, F4F-4 Wildcat and so on. Their P-47 is probably my favorite 1/48 kit of all time, but it's a bit more involved and I'd recommend getting a few builds under your belt before tackling it. 

But most importantly - start with a kit YOU WANT TO BUILD. When I came back a little over a year ago, I tried to start with the Revellogram Dauntless. Cheap. Simple. But it's missing things like...a cockpit...the pilot's seat...the instrument panel. The dive flaps are very sad. It would have taken a lot of scratchbuilding to bring it up to the level where I'd be happy with it...so it's now a paint mule, and instead I gave Tamiya's P-51B a whirl. Been hooked ever since.

Good luck with it!

Thanks again for all your explanations.  They have been a huge help...Being that I have no local clubs or hobby shops to go to, its so nice to have a place like this.  Take care all!

 

Matt