Without a doubt, an airbrush with a compressor w/regulator. Huge difference in my finished builds. Strong second has to be weathering with oils and pigments.

What got me back into modeling again ( 2 months ago after a hiatius of many many years ) was 1/ 35 scale leaf punches.

And sea foam...can't forget sea foam.

Nothing destroyed the illusion faster on a diorama then using moss/ foam/ herbs/dried leaves for foilage. Bush, ground clutter ? Sure. Trees ?....I guess if you like Dr Suess trees.

I did get decent pine trees using static grass. But still.

Now I punch leaves by the hundreds from real leaves. It's a pain to apply...but man they look good. Hit them a few times here and there with an ultra pen ( brown and black ) for viens. Yeah buddy.

No more just doing winter or city scenes...

Doing a hedge row scene now and have used almost 500 leaves and not even close to done...looks awesome.

Also can't forget the ultra realism they bring to German armor.

Cdn Colin

Second would be my optivisor.

Yes. It is nice to see what I'm doing, and where.

The biggest game changer for me was a good airbrush.

Second would be my optivisor.

Murphy's Law

 

 

Gamera

Well, I think everyone already hit on my biggest game changers. One I didn't see though is paint shades pre-mixed for whatever you're using it for. I remember back in the '80s as a teen mixing those little square bottles of Testors paint for everything I painted till I found the Tamiya line. You mean I can just buy a bottle of German mustard yellow instead of trying to mix yellow and tan together!?!?! You could have knocked me over with a feather... 

And it being acrylic paint too. You mean it cleans up with soap and water!?!?! 

 

 

 

 

I know what you mean.. there is a specialty paint for everything now.. just look at what AK and Ammo offer as far as weathering paints, oils and pigments. I mean now they have sets for certain models.

 

 

Lol, it's all pre-packaged and ready to use and I still can't seem to get anything built!

Gamera

Well, I think everyone already hit on my biggest game changers. One I didn't see though is paint shades pre-mixed for whatever you're using it for. I remember back in the '80s as a teen mixing those little square bottles of Testors paint for everything I painted till I found the Tamiya line. You mean I can just buy a bottle of German mustard yellow instead of trying to mix yellow and tan together!?!?! You could have knocked me over with a feather... 

And it being acrylic paint too. You mean it cleans up with soap and water!?!?! 

 

Well, I think everyone already hit on my biggest game changers. One I didn't see though is paint shades pre-mixed for whatever you're using it for. I remember back in the '80s as a teen mixing those little square bottles of Testors paint for everything I painted till I found the Tamiya line. You mean I can just buy a bottle of German mustard yellow instead of trying to mix yellow and tan together!?!?! You could have knocked me over with a feather... 

And it being acrylic paint too. You mean it cleans up with soap and water!?!?! 

For me, it would be the overall quality of model kits. Back in the day, a tank or plane would be released and just offer different paint schemes and maybe an optional part or two to replicate different versions.

Today, companies relelase different boxings of minor variations of kits that are higher in quality with huge parts counts. The pricing has also killed the casual modeler population.

Probably nothing that hasn't already been mentioned, in no particular order...

1. The internet. So many reference pictures and information!

2. Forums such as FineScale. The inspriation and help is incredible.

3. Amazon. I look forward to the Amazon Points every month - "Free" models!!!!

4. Patience. As a kid,  I remember just slapping the kit together to get it done. Today, I'll spend more time and effort on one cockpit than I used to spend on four kits back then!

I came back to the hobby after a 40 year hiatus myself.  As an adult model builder I felt like a pork chop at a Jewish pic-nic, all alone hiding in my little corner of the table.  I assumed no one else over 20 was doing this and I hesitated to even tell anyone i was "playing with kids toys "  Until of course i discoverd Fine Scale Modeler on the internet.  Hey there's other people like me...LOTS OF THEM!  and boy are they good at this.

So like others, my game changer is

                      #1 Fine Scale Modeler

                      #2  The Internet

I am still amazed that building static (non RC models ) is such a wide spread,world wide hobby and the skills involved are just incredible. I'm so thankful for the willingness of these expert modelers to share their techniques to make us all better modelers as well ,which further enhances the joy of model building.

Thank you FSM for hanging in there all these years.

As someone who took a 25 year break from the hobby, I’d say the internet is the single biggest game changer for me. All of the other improvements I can cite, from techniques to better products, stem from easier access to information.

The ability to have instantaneous access to almost any product, or to have an answer to almost any question or to watch videos demonstrating techniques is invaluable.

As to more specific items which were gamechangers for me:

Tamiya Extra Thin:

The improvement over the old tube glue is like night and day.

Airbrush:

Bought my first airbrush at age forty, and immediately thought “Why didn’t I do this years ago?”

Better Quality Kits:

When I returned to the hobby I started with the kits I remembered from my childhood. These were mostly ol Revell and Lindberg kits. I honestly had no idea that there were differences between manufacturers. I was running into the same issues of fit and finish that I remembered from years ago, and asked for advice from a guy at my LHS. He said “Why don’t you try one of these instead?”, and handed me a Tamiya Mustang. 

The rest is history . . .

I'd say one thing that was a game changer was the widespread mainstreaming of Japanese kits into the US in the 70s. While Tamiya, Hasegawa, Fujimi, etc. were around already, they became much more widely distributed in the 1970s onward. Subjects and scales ignored by the Western manufacturers became available. 

Just as an example, I'll cite 1/35 armor. Revell/Monogram produced a few halfhearted armor kits and gave up on the genre more or less. Tamiya stepped in with an ongoing, and steadily quality improved range of WW2 and modern armor. There was a good stretch of time that people forget these days, that pretty much every 1/35 armor kit of any note was either Tamiya or Italeri. 

Great topic-and all great answers.

For me it's been FSM & these forums, followed by the internet.

I've learned a lot, participated in many GB's with great and helpful people and advanced my skill set-still many miles to go but it's a fun journey.

For me is the Touch N Flow Applicator and either Tenax or Plast I Weld. This stuff has reduced the use of fillers big time For me. 

I love how the applicator can deliver pin point accuracy with water thin glue application.

A close second is Tamiya extra thin followed by the internet. There is so much information by just clicking a few keys making research a breeze.

Have to say that all of the above helped. Joining a club and going to contests with all the meet and greet and hands on really got the juices flowing.

Jim  

Joining the local model club.  This forum is a very close second.  At the club you get personal interaction, but only once a month.  Here it can be every day, but it's second hand, by way of the computer.

Game changer is definitely joining a model club. Another big plus is becoming a judge at shows and this forum!

Joining a modeling club.  I now belong to three local clubs.  I gather inspiration from looking at the work of others. It is a great source of help when problems arise.  And, the mutual support.

I also find entering contests sharpens my skills.

Tanker - Builder

Murph ! 

 Haven't you heard ? In modeling , there is no such thing as a dumb question ?

 

Murph ! 

 Haven't you heard ? In modeling , there is no such thing as a dumb question ?

In chronological order:

1) The internet;

2)  The World Wide Web.

There were a few game changers for me.

1) photoetch parts - enabled detail that wasn't possible before

2) lathe and mill - enabled precision parts to be made for subjects like these:

Of course there are many other small things like the internet (if you can call that small) and an airbrush.

That moment when you hook your airbrush up to a compressor after using multitudes of propellant cans. You switch it on, dial the pressure down and think "Yeah, that's what it's all about."

Also, as already mentioned, switching from tube cement to liquid cement. The first few attempts, when you apply to one surface, press the parts togethe and watch them promptly fall apart. And then you learn to hold the parts together and allow the cement to wick into the joint.

Wow, you all have said it very well. If I had to choose just one thing, I believe I would fail. Here are my top three... the purchase and use of an air brush, The introduction of CA glues, and the internet. 

- the air brush introduced me to various options not previously available with the old rattle cans or brushes. It also challenged me to improve my modeling skills.

- What can you say about the CA glues when comparing them to the old tube cements? The accuracy and speed of building increased for everyone.

- The internet provided a new research tool not previously available. It also introduced all of us to modeling forums like this so we could enjoy our hobby and meet new friends on a whole new level. And it gave us access to hobby kits, supplies, and techniques not previously available to many of us.  

Oh!, lets not forget that the quality and selection of paints and decals which have greatly increased. We could also add somewhere in this thread the introduction of photo etch and resin detail materials, they have also been a game changer.... 

P.S.   This is a good thread... please continue somebody...

v/r,

Ben

Ditto to all above!  Since I primarily model Luftwaffe subjects, I’d say learning how to apply mottling was a game changing technique for me.

Learning to use weld-on liquid cement and the capillary action.  Revolutionized seems for me.  I thank Mark Knowlton at a san diego ipms meeting for the demo years ago...so clubs as well. 

Tamiya Extra Thin for sure. That is #1 in my book. It's a game changer from the old days of testers gloppy gloopy slow drying glue. With Tamiya you can even run the glue on the exterior of the pieces and not mar them. Wow. Try that with Testers tube glue of old. Game changer.  A close second is the internet. It allows access to information and resources undreamed of when I was growing up. While I am yammering here. I really enjoy sanding sticks, air brushes, improved paints/thinners, and in some cases, improved kits. Just my opinion, of course.

What a great subject and I have to agree with GM, this forum has been the single biggest game changer in my modeling experience. As far as techniques, I would say oils. I use them for washes, stains, rust and anything else I can think of. I can't build a nice kit without them anymore.