My first model ever. Hobbyboss Spitfire MK Vb 1/72

Ah, the humble beginnings of the future professional. Although those days are far behind me, this takes me back.  :)

I have two questions for you: Was that fun to build and paint? Do you want to build another one?

If you can honestly say yes to both of those questions then the only thing you need to hear from any of us is, keep building!  :D

You did a great job on the build.  Your camoflauge sceme looks fantastic.

Toshi

Actually, for an early attempt, it's not that bad.  You should have seen some of my first efforts,  when plastic kits were still young.  I would suggest that next time you need to mask off the clear parts and paint the canopy frames, and use tape to mark off the areas for the yellow wing marks.

I have a british Tempest in my stash that I keep looking at.  Two things are holding me back, a decision on whether to use the P.E. set for it, or maybe part of the set, and the hard line camoflage they used.

What did you do to mask off the colors and what did you use to apply the paint?  Then again, what paint did you use?

@M. Brindos. I loved making it and a Revell Rokker E.III 1/72 is already out of the box :p 

@Toshi Thank you!

@ikar01 Yes next time i would do that. I used a mixture of Humbrol and craft acrylic paints. Right now i have a small collection of Humbrol and i make up the rest with craft acrylics. I will slowly substitube the craft acrylics with the model paints. I don't think anyone uses craft paints. If yes, then i would like to know which ones to get for my black and white colors. Because i cannot afford to use model blacks and whites as i think i would be using them too much in the future.

Every journey begins with a single step. You have taken your first steps into modeling. Welcome aboard and great work for you first kit.

BK

I use craft paints. I love them. I highly recommend Daler Rowney and you can find them at most craft stores and at Wal Mart. They blend and mix well with other acrylics such as Tamiya and Vallejo, and wash up with plain tap water. They also spray well from an air brush. Best craft acrylics I've used so far.

On the flip side of that coin however, is "Artist's Choice" acrylics. They are a bit cheaper, especially for their sets, but they are not nearly as good to work with and I've had problems with that brand. I have some from a big box set that came with pencils, oils, and water colors. The acrylics and water colors dry with a sand-like texture and look as though they have dull glitter in them. Not at all what you want on your models.

Daler Rowney is what you're looking for. Good price, good paint.

@BrandonK Thank you!

@M. Brindos Which line of Daler Rowney do you suggest? System 3? And do they dry with a matt finish? I'll get them as soon as possible then.

I use the Simply Acrylic line. I had not heard of System 3 so I did a little searching. They come in Student and Acryl forms and the reviews are so-so on the Student line.

The Cryla line seems to get the best reviews, but the Simply Acrylic line is available in more locations around my area and I've used it exclusively. I can tell you that it works because I've been using it. I have not used the other lines however and can not give you my fair opinion of them.'

If you have a Hobby Lobby anywhere near you, I'd suggest investing in Vallejo paints, even if its one bottle at a time, they are wonderful. They also thin with tap water and work very well in an Air Brush.

Until such time as you can start aquiring better model paints, I still suggest the Simply Acrylic line from Daler Rowney. They won't let you down and you can make any color you want from them. I haven't written down any formulas for mixing them because I typically go with what looks right, even if its not a true RLM match. Its all about your own artistic style when it comes to painting lol.

Some guys have to have an exact match, some of us just have to have the right tone.

So, as to your orriginal question, I'm not going to recommend the System 3, but only because I have not used them and have no idea how well they will work for modelling applications.

Armorex

I present you the ugliest model this forum has ever seen!

LOL that's good. You should have seen my fist model. It was a 1/72 Aurora Cessna Skymaster. I used so much tube glue that the wings melted LOL. I laugh now but I was very discouraged after that.
The important thing is you enjoyed yourself. The whole reason for the hobby is for enjoyment and relaxation. When you become a rivet counter, you start taking it too seriously and lose all the enjoyment, unless you’re into stressing yourself out.
You will improve if you keep going, you can't help not to. Just ask advice from the forum like you are doing and you will get better, I promise. The forum members have a wealth of info and experience.

Absolutely laughable!  No, I'm not talking about your model.  I'm talking about MY first attempt at model building!  LOL!  Yours, on the other hand, turned out looking great and it's definitely something to place on your shelf with pride which is quite the opposite of how my first model turned out.

There are LOTS of good advice going on here.  Regarding the paints, I use Model Master enamels mainly because, in my town, there's no shortage of it.  Hobby Lobby is a good source.  You're exactly right in that paints can be expensive.  I like Hobby Lobby because of their 40% off coupon.  Heck, I'll pick up one bottle of paint at a time if I can save 40% on each one.  

I'm 45 years old and I've been building models non-stop since I was 7 years old.  Even though I've been at it for 38 years, I'm STILL learning tips and tricks thanks to this forum.  Painting aircraft wheels & tires has always been a thorn in my side until I started using a trick I learned hear a month or two ago.  This works out great if the wheel hub and the tire are all one piece and not separate.  First I'll paint the hub.  After that has dried, I'll then go on to paint the tire.  I'll take my paint and thin it down so that it's about 50/50 paint and thinner.  It should be pretty watery.  I'll then take a thin pointy brush, dip it in the thinned paint, then touch the tip of the brush where the tire meets the hub.  The paint will just flow in thanks to capilary action.  Do this a few times going around the hub until the entire hub/tire joint is filled with your thinned paint.  This will give you a nice, sharp demarcation line of paint.  After that has dried, you can then go back and paint your tire without having to worry about getting too close to the hub.  I've only just started using this technique and it's made my landing gear look so much better!

Also, if you find yourself at Walmart or some home improvement store, pick up a roll of blue painter's tape.  It's pretty low-tack which means it won't strip your paint off if you're masking off areas.  I use the narrow roll (maybe 1" thick?) as opposed to the wide roll.  Once you have that, you'll be able to mask off areas like the leading edge yellow I.D. bands often found on the British planes.  By using the tape to mask of the area you're about to paint, you'll get nice sharp edges.

Congrats on your first build and I can't wait to see more of your kits in the future.  Keep 'em coming!

Eric

It does my heart good to see  a new fellow modeler in the making. 

Your first attempt was not half bad,as I can see many pluses in your construction ability. Also to be able to see where your own "mess ups" are is half the game and you're well on your way to massive improvements in this wonderful hobby...way to go Mate!

FSM is the place to be for consrutctive,helpful critizism. The people here seem only to be interested in helping modelers improve their game and i appreciate them all.

I'm not sure what you used for your clear cote, but you might (?) be able to get it clear again by going over the glass with some clear gloss. I've done it many times over Testors flat spray, but had no luck with Rustoleums clear Matte.

I hope that helps you a little.  :)

Apart from it being a Spit,  i think your being a bit hard on yourself. Pretty not bad for your first time. Its all a learning kurve and your next one will be better.

Armorex

@M. Brindos. I loved making it and a Revell Rokker E.III 1/72 is already out of the box :p 

@Toshi Thank you!

@ikar01 Yes next time i would do that. I used a mixture of Humbrol and craft acrylic paints. Right now i have a small collection of Humbrol and i make up the rest with craft acrylics. I will slowly substitube the craft acrylics with the model paints. I don't think anyone uses craft paints. If yes, then i would like to know which ones to get for my black and white colors. Because i cannot afford to use model blacks and whites as i think i would be using them too much in the future.

 

To craft acrylics, my favorite so far is Craft Smart, from Michaels. Good quality for brushing of small parts, comes in gloss or satin, works nicely and very inexpensive. I had not heard of the Dale and Rowney brand, I'll give it a go too.

Looking forward to seeing your next build, and one place where you're really wrong, IT AIN'T UGLY BY ANY MEASURE.

Patrick

M. Brindos

...

I have two questions for you: Was that fun to build and paint? Do you want to build another one?

If you can honestly say yes to both of those questions then the only thing you need to hear from any of us is, keep building!  :D

 

 

This is a great comment from @M. Brindos.  I agree whole heartedly.

Enjoy and be proud of your achievement, place on your shelf keep as a reminder of how far you have come in 3, 5, 10 years time.  I really enjoy comparing my more recent builds to ones i did 10 years ago. I just wish sometimes i hadn't thrown out a bunch during moves over the years.

Looking forward to your next build.

@M. Brindos I googled the paints and on their website they had 3 lines of acrylics so that is why i got confused. I will buy the ones you use then. Thanks

@echolemberg Haha for second i thought my model was actually laughable too :p The wheel painting technique seems to be a really nice one. I will use it in my next build. And yes there was a lot to learn while building it and i am sure there is tons more to learn in the future. Thank you!

Everyone else: Thank you for your words of encoragement! I was not expecting to receive so many replies on my first build. You all have got me all pumped up for the next build. Can't wait to share the pictures of the next one and hopefully learn as I build!

Good start,my first 20 models were never painted,of course i was only 10 yrs old and built them in the park on the way home.I could buy a model and glue for under a dollar.

seastallion53

Good start,my first 20 models were never painted,of course i was only 10 yrs old and built them in the park on the way home.I could buy a model and glue for under a dollar.

 

I actually like the camo job you did on your Spitfire, Armorex.  Major thumbs up on that one.  

PPS.  I saw you asked how we post our pictures.  I use Photobucket but I know you can use pretty much any photo hosting site of your choosing.  I've heard people have had issues with Photobucket but I've never experienced any myself.  Use whichever site you like best.