Pictures or ideas for a Model/Hobby room

Well if it is a building/painting based use room your needs are simple.

Counter along one wall. 2-3 feet deep, mounted to wall with a means of support that permits no impedment to legs underneath it. 8+ feet of length is fine, more is better. Regardless of what it is made of, have it painted white, parts stand out nice this way. Get some glass at least 1/4 inch think for a work surface (I find it makes a nice perfectly flat and non stick surface that can be cleaned with a razor blade or similar sharp item.

I have an 8 foot long table like the above.

For painting, assemble a booth area with ventilation exhaust built  into one of the sides, make it big enough to work in (likely 3 feet wide is plenty).

After that, you have all you need really. Might want to get a few spot lights, or a couple of flourescent tube lights for oodles of light source.

I guess any remaining wall can be used for display/storage. Make sure there is room for the bookcase that can handle all your literature.

The easiest way to build a nice workbench is to buy those Gladiator Garageworks sets from either Lowe's or Home Depot if money isn't an issue.  I figure I will be in this hobby for a very long haul so I put a good amount of money into my man cave.

An airbrushing booth is a big plus for me so I no longer airbrush my kits in the garage where it can be too hot in the summers or too cold in the winters.

Good luck with your new hobby room!

Andy, did you clean your desk off for the photo shoot, or are you always that neat and orderly? Personally, I don't know how to find my tools if they are not lost under a pile of crap.

SteveM

Andy, did you clean your desk off for the photo shoot, or are you always that neat and orderly? Personally, I don't know how to find my tools if they are not lost under a pile of crap.

He's probably like me and have OCD. I have to have things in a certain spot or it drives me crazy.

Here's my workbench.

Here's one of it as dirty as it gets.

10 x 15 isn't much... But it's more than I got, so I'll tell what I got..

My work-bench is a drawing table I got at Hobby Lobby, size's about  42" x 30" , has six storage drawers, with room underneath for WIPs or more storage.   It's aout 80.00 bucks, but you can use their 40% off coupon to buy it.. Before that, I used a TV Tray...

I added outlets to the wall behind, have a total of 16, with two power strips.

I have storage boxs ranging from the little wall-mounted "screw bin" type to the palstic 12" x 14" x 2 1/2 " 3-drawer-sets...  I also keep my desk in there with my computer, and use the computer to pull up reference pictures while I'm working.  A simple turn of the head is all I need..

A large office-type floor mat which allows me to hear where the part I dropped went, as well as making it easy (er) to find..

A small chest of drawers to store various scratch-building material: Electronic parts, wires and rods, wood, styrene sheets, large paint cans, diorama materials, etc..

Shelving should be attached to the wall with the shelf-brackets... Avoid free-standing stuff since it has too big a "foot-print", in my humble opinion... I need that space under them for storage of kits... Put them on pallets though, to keep them off the damp floor (or open them and remove the decals and store those separately in a "baggie catalog" (a three-ring binder with zip-lock bags inserted instead of loose-leaf paper. Make sure you label the bags so you know what kit the decals came from).  You don't need large, factory-type pallets, just some plywood and old paint-cans...

BTW, you don't need high-dollar finished shelves... Cutting your own from 1/2" or 3/4"(3/8s" is too flimsy) plywood...  Also allows you to cut shelves as much as eight-feet long and a foot wide...  That's my prefered size anyway.. I use finished shelving in the living room though... Wife made me do that, since I'm perfectly happy with raw wood...

Lights: I hung two four-foot shop lights for general lighting, and have two smaller fill-lights on the desk, with a flexible magnifying lamp as well..  Use "Cool White" florescents... Others will give off a slight greenish cast that will screw up you shading figure-faces, if you do that.. Or simply shut them off..

A also have a fan that I keep on the floor behind me... It keeps the fumes outta my face (not that they bother me, but CA can get a little intense sometimes), and it speeds flash-time for clear flats, and speeds drying time for finishes... Make sure it's off when you're painting though... I stick mine in the window for exhaust, but only when spraying metallics from rattle-cans... There's not enough over-spray from an airbrush to matter to me...  If there IS a lot of overspray from your AB, then you're doing it wrong anyway...

Paint-booths... Some swear by them, some at them.. I'm in the latter crowd... If you're doing it right, you don't need it...  Don't need respirators either...  No, Nada, None, Zee-ro respirators will protect you from oxygen-displacing fumes or gases, unless you have an independent air-supply... If you're not clean-shaven, they won't seal, and unless you paint to the point that the room is visibly filled with suspended paint-particles, you don't need it.. If it IS then, again, you're doing it wrong... A  "Lazy Susan"-type paint-stand is much more useful... 

All in all, I think a bench big enough for two large 1/48 scale aircraft kits or three AFV kits in 1/35th to be worked on at the same time is a good size..

Oh I am soooo guilty of needing my hobby area to be 'in order' and 'tidy'. But the thing is I need the whole house that way too. Clutter hurts my head, I can't think straight around a messy environment.

I usually will give the hobby zone a total clean up after every kit simply to do a sort of reset on the place.

But I have found that the only real physical requirement for a work space, is a proper table surface, which means a pane of glass so your work does no harm to the surface under it, and good lighting. Most of the time I am only employing a small tray worth of tools and all you really need to acknowledge is your work likely will generate a lot of plastic 'debris', and you need to keep in mind, if you drop a part, what does it drop on to.

I never work on carpet. I prefer laminate hardwood because it is downright smooth and if you drop a part, it has no way to escape. I have a small light  I use and you will find, if you shine am light on an angle on a smooth surface, even the smallest part stands out.

From a year ago, when I moved into the house:

4 minutes ago:

My current bench, prior to my last move. (haven't got the War Roomset up here yet, just the bench)

This is when it was in the living room of my one-bedroom apartment..

 The pill bottles didn't contain brush cleaner.. It was Percoset and blood-pressure meds... The cigars were for tightening stretched-sprue rigging for biplanes...

you win

Medicman71:  what name brand of airbrush compressor do you have?  It looks like one I bought awhile back at Hobby Lobby but mine doesn't have any identifying markers on it.  it's been driving me crazy trying to figure it out for awhile now. 

sorry air4mdc. . . .  not intending to hijack your thread.  just saw that and thought I would ask! 

AceHawkDriver

Medicman71:  what name brand of airbrush compressor do you have?  It looks like one I bought awhile back at Hobby Lobby but mine doesn't have any identifying markers on it.  it's been driving me crazy trying to figure it out for awhile now. 

sorry air4mdc. . . .  not intending to hijack your thread.  just saw that and thought I would ask! 

You know, i'm not sure. There's no markings on mine either. It was my wifes airbrush and compressor but I stole it since I use it more than she does. She got it and the airbrush as a gift so I don't know where it came from either.

Medicman71

 

You know, i'm not sure. There's no markings on mine either. It was my wifes airbrush and compressor but I stole it since I use it more than she does. She got it and the airbrush as a gift so I don't know where it came from either.

thanks for the info.  i guess the manufacturer will continue to elude me!

I got a knock-off of a Testor's Airbrush compressor... 16.00...

Before that, I went to plumbing-supply store and made a fitting that allowed me to use an old lawn-mower tire for an air supply...

Thanks everyone for some great suggestions. So far I have settled on base cabinets with a light colored counter, som overhead cabinets(over the counter-top work area), sometype of shelving for reference material, and airbrush station(which I will make and put on casters so I can move it around and hook to vent tubing to the outside basement window in that room and put off to the side when not in use.) I guess the biggest problem I have is open storage and display shelves. I have so much colector stuff I would like to set out where I can see it. Such as die cast and plastic kits and trinkets. I appreciate the photos very much. Any ideas on the floor? I was thinking a wood laminate. Used it in my wifes sewing room and my train room. Really looks nice. I was also think of dimmable can lights with either xenon or LEDs over the bench under the overhead cabinets. Did this in the sewing room they are nice. Any other suggestions or pic would be great to hear and see. Thanks again.

Mike

SteveM- LOL!  Yes, Medicman71 got that right!  Unfortunately I have mild case of OCD so it is my habit to clean my workbench every time I am done modeling.  I can't stand the look of tools and paints laying around...

Once a while it can be little disorganized like right now while I am working on two kits at the same time...

deafpanzer

SteveM- LOL!  Yes, Medicman71 got that right!  Unfortunately I have mild case of OCD so it is my habit to clean my workbench every time I am done modeling.  I can't stand the look of tools and paints laying around...

Once a while it can be little disorganized like right now while I am working on two kits at the same time...

I'm doing the same. Still gotta have it somewhat orginized.

My current bench is in the garage (10x20 space they bill as a "third car" but is actually a two-car, one's just double-deep). When I was setting it up, I was just getting back into the hobby and wasn't sure it would stick, so I got two 2'x4' folding tables from Costco, a little roller-drawer-cart thing from Target, and have been cobbling since. 

Since we're moving later this year, I haven't really invested too much in the bench aside from what I can scrabble together. My one concession has been purchasing a microwave cart from Target to replace a folding TV tray I've been using to hold boxes for kits-in-progress, maybe a beverage or two, etc, within easy reach. 

When I build the new bench, I'd love to go the Gladiator Garageworks route if I can swing it. I'd also love, instead of under-bench cabinets, to have some rolling mecahnic's toolchests. The kind with the ball-bearing drawers. Figure they'd be excellent for paints, pigments, knives, rod and styrene, and all that junk, and they could be brought out and rolled back as needed.

HisNHer Tanks

Oh I am soooo guilty of needing my hobby area to be 'in order' and 'tidy'. But the thing is I need the whole house that way too. Clutter hurts my head, I can't think straight around a messy environment.

I usually will give the hobby zone a total clean up after every kit simply to do a sort of reset on the place.

My setup is fairly simple. All build in desk with little shelves, cubbies and paint rack. I do highly, HIGHLY recommend using a sheet of 1/4" glass as a main work surface, a simple swipe of a razor blade and it's clean as new.

I also built in a display area/stash cabinet.

Thank you all for some nice ideas. I really like Fermis's set-up. You shelving and cabinets makes for a great functional display and storage. I like the wood look too. One thing I need to keep in mind is resale of my home. I need to not only bulid this room for me, but the new owner if and when that takes place. Thanks again. If anyone has pictures of wall shelving and storage I would appreciate some pictures. Thanks again for posting.

Mike

I got a pretty god wife (After 4 tries) concerning shelving, and it's all in the living room, over the TV...  I'm adding another 6 shelves today... I covered up one living room window with plywood to give me a 4 foot run of shelving on that wall..

 I just used brackets and lumber, mostly 1x8s and 1x12s, but I also have one about to be mounted, that measures 40 x 30... That one gets the Monogram B-29 diorama I'm working on...

The Good:

The Bad:

and the Ugly:

It gets down right awful!

No bench at all, my best tools for modeling are now in a tool box that is stored under the bed. Baby due in two weeks so i'm afraid completed model output will reach a 5 year low.

Here's some shots of my build room. I'm still tweaking some things but for the most part it's ready to go.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10816461@N06/sets/72157626559306037/

My original thought was to paint at the desk and build at the bench, but I ended up building and brush painting on the bench and using the desk top as a storage area. Speaking of storage, there is never enough. Keep this in mind. Lot's of drawers and small parts organizers. Also the paint bottle rack has been a huge help. I plan to add some doors to the booth so i can leave painted parts to dry over night and not worry about the cats. I also am planning on adding some type of shadow box's along the ceiling for display purposes, still thinking that one through. I have a seperate office for displaying my toys. Lots of book shelf space in there. Maybe you could incorprate some planes into the train layout. Anyways, just some thoughts.

Oh yeah, one more thing to think about. Do you prefer to sit in a desk type chair to build or on a stool that is higher. I love the stool i have plus the bench is so much more comfortable for me to work at then the desk. I'm always leaning forward to build and this way my elbows are resting on the bench top in a comfortable way. Hope this makes sense..

Ives ( MowerMech )   

Very nice room MowerMech! Well thought out and very functional. I really like the warm relaxing color. I will definitely keep in mind all that you have passed along. Great ideas and great pics.

My layout room for my HO dream layout is 15X30 with a a couple of staging tracks that will pass through my Model bulid room and transgress into another room that is 15X40. This may be Phase 2 of the layout. Not sure yet, but the design is there if I decide too take it on and expand. And being an aircraft technician and a huge aviation buff I already have planned on incorporating A/C in the layout.

I will have many drawers in the base cabinets and I plan on some shelving for display on one wall. I perfer a a seat back on my chair. Back is getting sore these days.

Thansk for everything and I may get back to you for some questions on your room at a later date. Thank

Mike

air4mdc

Thank you all for some nice ideas. I really like Fermis's set-up. You shelving and cabinets makes for a great functional display and storage. I like the wood look too. One thing I need to keep in mind is resale of my home. I need to not only bulid this room for me, but the new owner if and when that takes place. Thanks again. If anyone has pictures of wall shelving and storage I would appreciate some pictures. Thanks again for posting.

Mike

I have never owned, but rather I rent, so as a result, I have tried to keep the impact on the structure to a minimum. One thing I learned was the value of good solid bookcases that were free standing and not fixed to the structure. Build it solid and build it heavy and build it at least 12 inches deep and it will be very stable. My bookcases are all 4 foot wide creations of my own. Lower unit is 12 inches deep and features 3 shelves (4 if you consider the top) with a hutch like top section that is as long but 6 inches deep and has 3 shelves (including the top). I normally have at least the two bottom shelves covered in reference hardcovers so these things are simply not going to move without a serious earth quake (not a problem in Central Ontario).

I also like shelf units that sit on desks etc as well. Means I can re arrange freely (like I just finished doing this month ooohh my aching back too I might add).

I have built all of my furnishings though so it all has a hand made look. And out of reclaimed wood (so it also looks fugly). But all 100% solid and service friendly.

I recently modified some of my shelves to have removable secondary shelves (doubled the top Hutch units). All I did was add a board and placed supports at the ends which were attached with some serious sticky doubled sided tape. Presto 6 shelves where I had 3 previously. Not a problem as I was converting space needs meant for 35th into the space needs of 48th scale as well.

But in a hobby area, nothing is more important than the chair you sit in and the specific spot you sit at. Get a great chair and make sure you have proper foot room, and like as was mentioned, I also work on a piece of glass (I have the underside covered with white paper), as it is impervious to blemish and easy to clean off. Gives a reliable flat surface although it is a bit hard on sharp points of Xacto blades.

Gooseneck lamps are great, as well as a lot of window in the room for natural colour light (because light bulbs often have too much yellow).

Here's a shot of my modelling area. Computer is off screen to the left. 2 Parts bins sit on top of a file cabinet, along with tackle boxes holding supplies (sandpaper, styrene). Desk drawers hold cans of paint, old instructions, old bodys, art supplies, etc. Paint & tool racks on work table. The paint booth on the right has clear doors that I drop down to enclose the area. 8 gallon compressor is below.

Ah, the basement... I prefer to call it "The Bunker".

Been here for 22 years now...

My other room is in the finished attic and this is where I keep all the built and most of the unbuilt kits...

And this is my third room where I built all of the display cases, book cases, tables etc...

I like the set-up and I hope that it will give you as well as others something to go by.

Dang minimortar, now you just need some camo netting for that build room. Very nice.

Kevin,You have one very nice set-up here. It really inspires me to see such an interest you have in what you do and believe. My rooms will surround me in my hobby. Thanks for posting your pics and thanks to everyone. When I complete my rooms I will gladly post some pics.

Mike

Minimortar - very nice set up!   One question.....what is your trick for keeping the sawdust from your wood shop out of your modeling area of the basement ??

Yukontookon