Late Beginner

Glad to have you on board Don. Don't worry about all those advanced techniques. My advice would be to start simple and get the basics sorted. I have been building models for over 25 years but its only ben the last 5 that i have started to practice more advanced stuff, and like all of us i am still learning.

And plenty of guys build kits without advanced weathering or other stuff. The important thing is to have fun.

Second that. Welcome. The important thins is to simply have fun, build what you like, and every so often step out a bit and try some new stuff. I am an "old time" Monogram junkie, too.

You have come to the right place,lots of knowledge here to be had

Start building and skills will develop. Enjoy the forum!!

Hey There Don, Welcome to the forums! You have definitely come to the right place to start developing your skills and most of all just enjoying modeling overall. Bish is right. Just start building with some basics to build your comfort level. And don't hesitate to share some pics of your efforts that's an excellent way to get some sound advice from the minions on here. I share some of your history there. I built prolificly when I was younger then quit building when I left for college. Over the years though I subscribed to FSM and generally kept up on the hobby. It was 5 yrs ago that I began building again and joined the forum. My skills have improved 10 fold simply from participating and asking plenty of questions here. Relax and have fun.

Welcome to the group and don't hesitate to jump in and join the fun.

Mike

Welcome to the Forum, Don! Good to have you here. You won't find a better group of modelers out there, and the Forum has years of advice already archived away.

Enjoy!

Don, welcome aboard!

As it has been stated before and elsewhere, there is no one correct way of finishing a model.  With all the techniques out there, I still think there are two schools of thought when it comes to realism.  People tend to gravitate towards one end of the spectrum or the other, but there is also a bunch strung out in between.

regards,

Jack

Hi Don, welcome to the Forums. I'm a long time builder too. Started when I was 6 and I'm still building at 72. Just started practicing some of the new techniques a few years ago. Got my first airbrush 2 years ago and am learning how to use it. It doesn't matter whether you build "out of the box" with no extras or go whole hog with all the aftermarket products and techniques as long as you enjoy what you're doing. Glad to have you aboard. Don't forget the pics.

Jim

 Welcome to the paradise of plastic models, Don.

Hi and welcome. :)

Welcome aboard! I have found that when "advanced techniques"  dont work a hammer works best :)

Welcome aboard Don ! Bish and some of the others have it nailed right on the head. Start out easy and brush up on the very basics. Don't worry about photo etch or resin stuff or any of that other crap yet. All of that stuff will come as you get better. Work with the base kit and work on your flash clean up and clean assy of the kit. Paint is the same way. Focus your attention on technique rather than "perfect" results. You came to the right place to work on your skills so if you have a question just ask. We are all here to help and to interact. That and fun are what the forum is all about buddy. Take care and looking forward to seeing you around, Joe

Welcome aboard and it sounds like you have a great approach. Most of all enjoy as you go! As a side note I have had the good fortune to be mentored by some very talented builders in my local area when I returned to the hobby after 30 or so years away. The one thing that they all keep stating firmly is that excellent excecution of the basic skills is far more important than feeling pressured to learn all the more advanced techniques right away.

Welcome aboard and you're timing is great lots of P-47 builds going on right now,even have a Group build you can get in on with it!cheers Trey