good scratchbuild starter model

oldthudman

If you have access to past FSM issues, then I suggest the "July/August 1985" FSM.....In there is an article by Ron Lowry about Scratchbuilding the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter in 1/25 scale......Has scale plans, excellent text, and progression pictures............The Porter has a square(ish) body and straight Hershey Bar wings and tail.........

PS.....I have seen this issue for sale on ebay.  Also check your local libarary, many had FSM in their reading rooms.....

Hope this helps...... 

 

I'd second that.  A Turbo Porter would be a good model as a starter.  Simple lines, few compound curves, not a lot of very fine detail showing.

 Hi figure freak: I don,t quite know how to advise you because my first scratchbuilt aircraft was a PIPER TRI-PACER.The aircraft has simple and by that ,elegant lines. I also have on my table a DORNIER flying boat.Yeah, I,m a glutton for punishment.The reason for the DORNIER is when I was a young tad in 7 th grade our shop teacher had each of us build something from a set of five pictures.The subjects were varied and I got a look of pure scepticism when I picked that plane.I finished it too!! Needless to say I have all the plastic ones I could find but I wanted it larger! Hence the pile of 1/48 scale wood parts in the cubbies all over the bench.It gets finished this summer.Basswood is my wood and baby blue with a touch of silver is how I paint the windows and cockpit glass! I hope this helps you ,I know this post is older, but hopefully you haven,t given up !!       tankerbuilder

In the old days the canopy was carved from the wood, and painted.  Most of those "collector" models are still done that way.  Everyone had their own idea of the color to represent sky reflection.  Some used blue, some light blue, some used black, some white.

A plane without a canopy, a windshield instead, may be a bit easier.  So a light plane might be a possibility.  Actually, I have a specific suggestion if you like old civil aircraft.  A Curtiss Robin is a very simple plane, very few compound curves.  Landing gear is a bit complicated, but that is the only hard part.  You can do it with either one of several radials or the OX5.  You don't need to do engine from scratch.  Use a resin aftermarket engine.

1) Pick a subject you are passionate about and have good reference drawings/pictures.

2)Break it down into simple geometric shapes.

3)Pick a material that you are comfortable working with and have access to.

4)Don't look at it as a single finished model but a collection of sub-assemblies.

5)Enjoy the proccess and don't be discourage. There is always a way to solve any problem.

6)Remember your old friends at FSM and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Hey 427 Cobra:  I like your two cents.  Researching does help in making the most accurate and planning to see if you have the right equipment or supplies and then of course the curse, "The Budget".  I always start a scratchbuild project just to learn that I need either a lathe or a milling machine to make a part that is definately needed.  It is the lathe thing that gets me.  I have tried chucking things in a drill press and sanding them down to make saucers but so far it has not worked for me. 

The best advise I can give is do not be afraid to attempt the imposssible and when out shopping always look at things as if they are a piece of a puzzle, it may work and it make not but the shape has possibilities.

-Scott

  I know that this thread is a month old,but I could help wanting to put my two cents worth in. Is there a subject that you want to build? If you haven't started already - here are a few suggestions that might help you find your direction.

 First,find out where you are modeling-wise by asking yourself a few questions.

 What tools do you have?

 Does this project require any specials tools to complete it?

 How well do you know your subject?

 Do you have reference photos of the subject?

 What details does the subject you're studying have?

 Is it complicated,with all kinds of surfaces that require a lot of detail and attention?

 Are there any books on this subject?

 Do you have a budget that will allow you to build in a certain scale of the subject that you might be interested in?

 Are there any special skills you have that might be useful to help make this project easier?

 Does this project require,or have a complicated paint scheme?

 Asking questions is the first step in finding out more about what result you desire in your finished project. I know that there are a lot of people out there who are willing to help,but they can't always answer all your questions as effectively as you can.

  When I started my project (four foot X-wing),there was almost nothing known about it,and there still is very little known about it now.  I searched the internet for reference photos,and information on the history of my subject. I used various websites,and forums to learn all I could about it. I knew what my skills were,and what tools I have to build it with. 

 The modelers who originally built it(Mike Fulmar & Ira Keeler)made no known documentation of it,so I had to go about this like an archaeologist.  I poured over photos of this for hours each week for the last year and I'm still finding out more information each day,but only a little at a time. This is a highly involved and difficult project,but it's not impossible. If there are models that were kitbashed for the model,or subject you want to build - you can identify and build this around them. This will help in extrapolating the size of the rest of the model from those kit parts. This is what I did to arrive at the scale of the model I'm building. This will be almost 100% scratch built,as most of the parts on the model I'm building are no longer made,or available to the public.

 The more you know about your subject,the easier it will be to get the information you need to make it as accurate as possible. If you want to just start out making lenticular shapes to make proportioning easier - try the pepakura method first. This involves very little work,and it will also help you develop your skills at joining seams,and following unorthodox construction methods. This is a paper model with numbers on it to join surfaces together(with the same number on joining parts). As you progress,you'll see how this works and you'll have more confidence in making more complicated designs.

  Then,you can try kitbashing other models of your own design. This will help you understand all that is involved in scratch building. This is taking a plan of the original model,or subject and making it in a certain scale from raw parts. Learning how to use simple tools to make this is an art that only you can teach yourself. I use Xacto knives,razor blades,rulers,yardsticks,a Moto-tool,and its' assorted accessories as well as,sandpaper of assorted grit to make what I've made in the past.

If there is a model of the subject that you want to build - by all means,buy it! Copy all the parts in a slightly bigger scale with polystyrene(styrene for short)sheet and shapes. This will help you a long way from simple model building. This helps to build your skill level and it will help you understand model construction a lot better than building an out of the box(OOB)kit can. After you're done,you'll have something to be proud of and you can say you made it from raw materials - something that's not possible with manufactured model kits.

If you have access to past FSM issues, then I suggest the "July/August 1985" FSM.....In there is an article by Ron Lowry about Scratchbuilding the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter in 1/25 scale......Has scale plans, excellent text, and progression pictures............The Porter has a square(ish) body and straight Hershey Bar wings and tail.........

PS.....I have seen this issue for sale on ebay.  Also check your local libarary, many had FSM in their reading rooms.....

Hope this helps...... 

First off there's no such thing as a 'good scratchbuild starter model'. Because the choice is entirely up to you. Thus their isn't any real consensus on a good scratchbuild starter model, since it's up to you, not this person or that person to tell you what to build. To do a scratch-build you have to feel inspired to build it, if someone else tells you to do it then it will make you lose interest since it may be something you never really wanted to build in the first place.

Look through books, web photos, magazines, and find something that seems to grab your attention(almost like if it's a dog that grabs your leg and won't let go.) If you really feel interested in the subject, then their's one thing to do first.......make sure it doesn't exist in kit form already.(I'd personally would hate to start a scratch-build only to learn an accurate mold already exists.) Once you check that, and you feel really inspired to build that vehicle, the only thing left to do is start looking into schematics/pics and start scratching.