Gerard

IMO one buys things as you go and not in anticipation of future use cause many times things will just sit there specially  paints that will eventually go bad.

Hey Greg, my state of the art pe  bending tool comprises of two single edge blades and a small white ceramic bathroom tile. This setup works every time.  

Gamera

Personally instead of going out and buying a bunch of tools I'd buy them as I need them. I've bought stuff that seemed like it would be useful and it's hardly ever been used. Looks like you've got the basics pretty much covered.

 

I too agree with Cliff. Getting back into the hobby back in '13, I did as you are planning. Read stuff on internet and ordered everything I saw. I spent 3 days on a quest for a stupid bottle of "Future" floor polish.

And like Gamera, I bought some stuff I seldom use. Classic example is my PE bending jig.

Plus, it's more fun to buy stuff as needed.

But it's your deal, just have fun and don't stress over it.

Gerard C.

Hello everybody,

I presented myself to the forum more or less a month ago, and I received very good advice on what to take a look on when acquiring paints and the most usefull things.
Well, the thing is, I haven't bought anything yet. The share amount of things to think about are so immense that even listing them just helps a little.

What I'm trying to say is, I need to know if I'm getting all that I will need at once (avoiding unnecessary postage fees). For now, so you have an idea, I already checked (in order to buy) the following products (and I already own an Iwata Eclypse airbrush):

- Tamiya acrylic paints (both flat and glossy for details)

    - Tamiya acrylic thinner X-20 --> this is more of a question, really. Plus, should I add any other product to airbrushing, like Tamiya retarder? and after airbrushing, with which product do I clean the Iwata? with the same acrylic thinner?

Tamiya are good paint but limited in color selection. Why not get Mission Model or Testors Model Master paints. 

- Perfect plastic putty - Deluxe materials (for seams)

- Badger's Stynylrez primers ----> I pretend to airbrush it; do I need a special thinner/special product to apply them?

Stick with manufacturer brand thinner until you gain more experience on what works what doesn’t.

- Testors Glosscote and Dullcote (I believe these are the ones I've been told; on a bottle, ready for airbrushing lacquer. Here a doubt comes into mind: I believe I need a lacquer thinner to clean the airbrush; which one do you recommend for testors/is there a testors dedicated thinner?)

Stick with brand thinner to your brand paints. You don’t need lacquer thinner to clean airbrush. I use regular Testors thinner when using enamel paints. 

 

***noob question: is a coat the same as a varnish?º1

Yes

- Then I would like a satin varnish, but I'm not sure if testors also has one

Satin varnish for??? Unless you’re thinking semi-gloss varnish.

- Raw umber from Model Master, and Burnt sienna from Vallejo for washing and finishing (If you think there are better options, feel free to tell me. These are just the main ones my provider has)

---> Considering all this, what do you think I need? My main concerns are the questions I already ask, the things that I need to mix with the products, and the things I need to clean everything after painting (for brushes and airbrush, considering the brands I wrote)

Thanks a lot for the answers beforehand, I feel so bad for having spend a whole month just looking for products and info. I just want to start modelling.

As a couple mentioned, don’t go crazy all at once, buy what you need at the moment when it comes to paint. Do you have Sprue nippers? Tweezers? There are plenty of tools you can get really cheap such as sanding sticks. Don’t waste spending on hobby brand sanding sticks when cheap nail sanding sticks will do. Over time you’ll find cheaper alternative for your hobby needs without breaking the bank.

Gerard, I appreciate your effort to be thorough. I think you'll do well to get all these items as you get started. I'm assuming you already have things like a sprue cutter, various types of glue, various sandpaper grits and sticks, files, tweezers, etc. If not, you must get those. However, it's not likely that you'll get everything you need before you select the model you want to build. So, get these supplies, then decide on the model you want to build and figure out what else you'll need as you go along. It's like the average DIY project. You go to the hardware store and buy your supplies, get started, and then go back for what you really need. Same thing applies here. And, for your question, every paint covering is a coat. A varnish is a coat of a particular transparent/opaque finishing product. It's a term for a final coat that protects the underlying item. There are many different coatings that could be called a varnish. I typically associate the term "varnish" with a thick transparent coating from my house painting days. In my house painting days, varnish was a tough final, protectant coat you could put on something. I stopped using the old style varnish a long time ago because it tends to yellow with age. For your models, stick to clear solvent or water-based finish coats. I really like Mr. Super Clear. There is even a non-yellowing version. It dries really smooth. But the Testors and Tamiya clear coatings are great, too. The acrylic coatings are getting better, as well, like the coatings from Vallejo. Probably, start with Testors. It's the easiest to find, and see whether or not you like it. You're just getting started, so expect a learning curve and enjoy. It's supposed to be fun! Barrett

Phil_H

Some paint colours, for example, the basics like white and black, you can never have too much of, but some may sit in your paintbox for years without being needed

So true...I been going through my stockpile of Model Master paints and throwing a lot of them out since it's been a couple years since I last used them and they're now a rock solid lump of pigments.

As already said, it's better to buy things as you need them.

Some paint colours, for example, the basics like white and black, you can never have too much of, but some may sit in your paintbox for years without being needed.

Gerard C.

- Tamiya acrylic paints (both flat and glossy for details) - Tamiya acrylic thinner X-20 --> this is more of a question, really. Plus, should I add any other product to airbrushing, like Tamiya retarder? and after airbrushing, with which product do I clean the Iwata? with the same acrylic thinner?

If you buy X-20A thinner, buy it in the bulk 250ml jugs rather than the little paint jar size, it will be much cheaper. 

When cleaning Tamiya acrylics, flush with water first to get rid of excess paint, then clean with Windex, denatured alcohol or Ispropyl alcohol. All of these are relatively inexpensive and easily obtainable. 

Save the thinner for thinning your paint, it's expensive.. 

Gamera

Personally instead of going out and buying a bunch of tools I'd buy them as I need them. I've bought stuff that seemed like it would be useful and it's hardly ever been used. Looks like you've got the basics pretty much covered.

 

I have to agree with Cliff on this. Build up the supplies as you go and as you find what you prefer using instead of what seems like you would use. It took me several years to build up to what I have now, but, everything I have I will use.

Personally instead of going out and buying a bunch of tools I'd buy them as I need them. I've bought stuff that seemed like it would be useful and it's hardly ever been used. Looks like you've got the basics pretty much covered.

kensar

Buy a model kit.

 

Of course, I'm not buying certain paints just because. I already own a Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu and a SdKfz 251/1 which I'd like to paint as Afrika Korps.

Buy a model kit.