Should I be afraid of starting a kit?

Huxy, I'm nowhere close to some of the guys on the forum but I try my best.  Never sell yourself short and like someone on the forum said once, 'build what you like and build for yourself'

Just do it.

It's only a box of plastic. Do your best, put it on a shelf, be proud.

Glue well!!!!

The answer to me is yes and no. I only say that because i would hate to make a complete hash of a kit that was rare and or expensive. I have several Dragon kits that I picked up cheap. I would have never attempted them before doing some cheaper Tamiya kits. (Still haven't. My first crack at one will be for the 1,000 Road Wheels GB)

As long as you get and idea in your head and make sure you have all the gluing steps taken into consideration before hand, you should be fine. It's all about baby steps, at least for me anyway. Remember, you can always sand or cut away more if you need too. Replacing that stuff takes more effort...

Also never forget that this is a forum FULL of people that are here to help. Never be afraid to post WIP photos. I was so damn nervous the first time I did and realized that I had no reason to be. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Jeff

Huxy- I completely understand your reluctance!  I have a dozen or so kits I REALLY want to build, but haven't as if something DID go wrong, either I could not or at least could not afford to replace them.  I have tried psyching myself out and just starting one, but I always buckle right before starting it.  I really wish I could JUST DO IT!

hkshooter wrote:

Just do it. It's only a box of plastic. Do your best, put it on a shelf, be proud. Glue well!!!!

hk, well put sir

Thanks everyone!

 

Firesmacker, I have wasn't afraid of posting WIPs.. nad you are right about babysteps for sure..

 

Well, there are two particular models I am afraid of.. one way more than the other..

One being a 1976 Revell Italerei 1/72 Horsa kit.. I don't really know if it is a rare or valuable one, but it's a rather big plane and I am afraid of just ruining it..

 

The other being a full resin kit of the hamilcar heavy glider at an amazing scale of 1/48 which my dad recently got..  I have yet to seen the kit (my dad lives further down south). It is handmade by a czech, and the kit may very well be the only one in the entire world..   I have no experience with Resin kits, and very little with resin itself. So I will ofcourse be getting experience with this before I start this.. but even if I had skills, I don't think I would dear to go onto such a kit..  But I think I have to see it myself.

 

While we're on it, do anyone know of a kit that is mostly or all resin that is more or less cheap that would be nice for a beginner?    And any more toughts about the general question would also be very nice..

 

Thanks,

-Huxy 

I often feel as you do, that I lack the skill or technique needed to do the kit justice and achieve the workmanship I think the kit deserves. When this happens, I grab a like kit of an older make and build that kit trying the techniques I want to hone before building the expensive/high quality/rare kit.

Sometimes this practice kit is an unbuilt one from the stash, other times it is an old build or partially build hanger queen. Once in a great while, I grab a cheapie kit from the local shop to practice on.

I got back into the hobby about a year ago, & have got 5 kits which are up to the point of exterior painting. From my last time around in the hobby, I dont have any real issues with the construction of the kits, however I have never airbrushed before & will be airbrushing these kits (help).

While none of the kits are rare, 3 of them have not been in production for some time, & one in particular I dont want to make a backside of - it's an Ertl XB-70, which I paid a fair few Quid for.

I started building on the XB-70 first & came across some serious filler work required, so I put the XB back on the shelf & switched to the Italeri B-58 & used the time away from the XB to ask some questions here & figure out how to best solve its issues.

If you are in any doubt about starting these specific kit because you dont want to hash them, go & buy an inexpensive kit with no big issues & throw it together - if you arn't happy with the quality of it when finished, do the same again. This should give you the confidence to have a bash at the kits you really want to do - & if you have problems, come back here & ask.

I had to ask how many bottles of Tamiya paint I would need for the XB-70, I didn't know if I would be looking at 1, 10 or anywhere in between, but someone answered that question for me.

starting is the easy part 

it's the middle and end that are buggers

unless it's a resin kit  then starting it is scary

Why the fear of resin kits around this place?  A model is a model is a model.  Doesn't matter if it's styrene, resin or balsa.  All the same principles apply, it's just a matter of how you apply them.  I worked with resin kits before I worked with styrene and honestly, I prefer resin.  You can get better detail from pressure casting than you can from injection casting.

With stryene, you snip the piece from the sprue and then clean it up.  With resin, you cut off the pour plug and clean it up.  If you have an air bubble, fill it with a little bondo or some CA mixed with talcum.  Then sand, prime and paint - no different than styrene.

The only difference between resin and styrene is the glue you use.  Instead of a solvent glue, you use epoxy.  You still use CA to attach PE amd crystal glue for canopies.

 

So, back the original question; if you feel the kit is too rare, expensive or complicated and beyond your current skill set, then practice on easier kits until you feel you've improved.  But don't let the fact that the kit is resin be the reason that you don't work on it.  Resin isn't some mystical material - it's just one more medium to work in.

-Fred

 

Gigatron wrote:

With stryene, you snip the piece from the sprue and then clean it up.  With resin, you cut off the pour plug and clean it up.  If you have an air bubble, fill it with a little bondo or some CA mixed with talcum.  Then sand, prime and paint - no different than styrene. -Fred

Fred, could you tell me more about the CA mixed with talcum when filling resin?

Sure thing, Roy.

Get yourself some slow-cure CA and some talcum powder (just look for baby powder with talcum).  Mix them together until you have a pasty concoction and fill in the holes.  Let it dry and then sand as normal.

The talcum does two things, 1) keeps the CA from getting diamond-hard when drying and 2) gives the CA a consistency closer to the resin so that when you paint it, it patch isn't as obvious (should be near indistinguishable).

-Fred

 

Thanks Fred  I've used resin, only cockpits and so forth.  It will come in handy. 

I have felt this way in the past, with car models. For years, I just lacked the skill, insight, and patience to get a decent finish with gloss paints. I sat on a small stash of muscle cars for at least a decade before giving them a go recently. And I built a prize winner. Go figure.

 I say that if you're nervous about ruining an expensive kit, then just putit aside for now. No harm done. Work on some less intimidating models until the urge and confidence hits you.

One thing I can say from experience; once you conquer a model that you were "afraid" to start, it is a great boost to your confidence. My "SPOOKED" exploded-PzIV was that model for me. Proving I could convincingly model a burnt-out, exploded tank with an interior really gave me some wings.

Don't be afraid to start a kit if you have what I'll call the 3 P's. If you have the passion for the subject, the patience to take your time thinking any problems through and doing whatever corrections are needed, and the perserverance to see the project to completion. I give you as an example that when I built my U.S.S. Enterprise CV6 using the Tamiya kit it was 1: the first ship model in 10 years; 2: the first time I ever used photoetch; 3: the first time I ever did any kind of scratchbuilt modification to a kit; and finally the first time I did an at sea display base. It took me 13 months to do it but it was good enough that it was on display at my LHS for two years and received many favorable comments. So don't underestimate yourself. I'm sure that with your own skill and the advice of the forum members that any specific problem you may have on any build can be solved. Like another forum member has said "Take this plastic {or resin} and model it!       Regards, Bill

Heres my thought on the matter friend.  I have a few kits like that, one thats really expensive, upwards of 200$ per depending on where you get it, and some that are rare.  If you really want to try the kit take my advice.  Before even opening the bags, make sure you have all the supplies you would need, absolutley everything.  Then take the instructions, for about a week, and study them, study them good.  After that go on some scrap and practice if there is anything you think will give you issue so you dont mess up on the final kit.

If it's about 150 and above, wait till you feel that you can handle it. Try building a cheaper and/or smaller version of the kit if available to practice skills. Once you think you are ready, dive in! Right now, I got the Moeibus Lost in Space Chariot and am waiting for my skills to mature before I start up.

Rob Gronovius wrote:

I often feel as you do, that I lack the skill or technique needed to do the kit justice and achieve the workmanship I think the kit deserves. When this happens, I grab a like kit of an older make and build that kit trying the techniques I want to hone before building the expensive/high quality/rare kit. Sometimes this practice kit is an unbuilt one from the stash, other times it is an old build or partially build hanger queen. Once in a great while, I grab a cheapie kit from the local shop to practice on.

I know exactly what you are saying! I have a 1/32 Storch (Hasegawa) that I've drug out at least a half dozen times, but only to put it back. What intimidates be is the upper wing attachments and the paint job. May take your approach one of these days and build a smaller one.

gary

Its wierd, I feel more comfortable doing older kits.  I just dig into them and start them like bat outa hell, the new kits I like pussyfoot around them and im really carefull, and they never get finished or dont turn out, most of my builds I complete are either older or cheaper (Academy or trumpeter) kits

smeagol the vile wrote:

Its wierd, I feel more comfortable doing older kits.  I just dig into them and start them like bat outa hell, the new kits I like pussyfoot around them and im really carefull, and they never get finished or dont turn out, most of my builds I complete are either older or cheaper (Academy or trumpeter) kits

I couldn't agree more.

I say just dive in... give it your best shot!!

That sounds like me to the max Daywalker.

 

Cheers Leo

Ok, a bit since I posted here.. But thanks to Everyone!   Now I'm fearless!

Atleast untill I start a full resin kit...

warhorse3 wrote:

Don't be afraid to start a kit if you have what I'll call the 3 P's. If you have the passion for the subject, the patience to take your time thinking any problems through and doing whatever corrections are needed, and the perserverance to see the project to completion.

Bill hit the nail on the head with this one -PASSION goes a long, long way toward a quality build...  And makes the process super fun!