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I havent built any models since I was a kid. I have been lurking on this site for some time now and back in October I decided to give it a shot. I am a total rookie and it shows in the pics below. I am posting not because I think my stuff is nearly as good as what I see on this site but because i would like to improve and am looking for tips/comments/criticisms... First model I did was the Revell P-38 1/48th straight from the box and it took me about three months of evenings to complete the Bomba Dear. Second up is a Tamiya Mitsubishi Zero. I attempted some weathering effects on this one and it only took me a couple of weeks as it seemed to go together fairly easy. I want to thank everyone who posts here as you are all a wealth of knowledge to us new guys. So let me have it...
First of all let me say you are very brave to do natural metal as one of your first builds. Overall the P-38 is great especially for the revell one. The only things I see are a seam on the left tail boom and some smears on the windows. I would rate that as pretty good for a first. Now the Zero looks great the weathering is done just fine.
Great builds JOHN
Is that Zeke the old Tamiya one?
Hans von Hammer Is that Zeke the old Tamiya one?
Yeah, he said it was a Tamiya kit.
Just a few things I noticed
P-38...Other than what was already pointed out, the anti-glare panels look a little light. Maybe just washed out from the flash. I think you did a fine job for your first. A tip on the P-38. Some stratigically placed putty in the nose will keep the nose on the ground, and you won't have to use a prop for the back.
The Zero...Great job on the weathering. You can really see the seam running the length of the fuselage. You may want to get some putty and try filling and sanding the seams . Get some cheap kits to practice on. Once you get the hang of it, you'll love the end result. Auto body glazing putty works well for this and is availible at most auto parts stores.
Again, great job. Looking forward to your next build
Yeah, but Tamiya has a newer Zeke kit out there too... Wondering if it's the 16-dollar or 30-dollar kit..
Having recently built that old Tamiya Zero, I'd say that is the older one. Good job on both builds. You will occasionally encounter builds like the P-38 where you can load the forward sections with some kind of weight (buck shot, lead, small washers, etc) to keep them from being tail draggers or to enable you to remove that stick Monogram (Revell now) molded onto that P-38 tail.
First, Welcome to the Forums . The builds are pretty good for your first attempts. The Zero is the better done of the two. You did a very good job of masking the canopy, which is not easy on a Zero. One thing I noticed is what appears to be incomplete paint coverage on the fuselage. Maybe it's just a shadow, but it's very noticeable in the pics. Overall, give yourself a B- & use what you've learned to get even better on the next Build.
Regards, Rick
I remember the courage it took me to post my first pictures here on the forum, and I have to say you are a gutsy one not only choosing to build a P-38 ( one of the worst kits I have built) but doing a natural metal finish too boot. My hat is off to you. But now the fun part starts, make friends post pictures of your work in progress and have a blast learning and improving your skills so quickly it will be almost scary.
Both of your builds are better than my first one after coming back to the hobby. I think you are well on your way back to building. The seams on the P-38 are the worst out there I think in a kit, you pulled if off quite well for your first one. Like was said above you need to work on hiding your seems and you do have the right idea going there, just need to perfect it. Your weathering looks really good on the Zeke, and your canopy masking is really good on both builds. If you are using putty for a filler like testers or squadron I would also suggest trying something like Bondo Glazing Putty from the autoparts store, for larger areas and heavier fills you will find it much easier to work with than the model puttys, it doesnt flake off like model puttys either when filling seams and such. In closing thank you for sharing your builds, I hope to see you around the forums and see more from you.
Randy So many to build.......So little time
Ok first off those look great secondly your models could shoot most of my first models out of the sky great job oh and welcome back to the hobby
NYFAIM
It's touch to comment on the P-38 because of the photo angles. Overall it's a great first build and I'll not add anything to the previous comments. Your photos of the Zero have a couple of show stoppers from a judging perspective should you get that far in your efforts that if you start to focus on early will prevent you from being disappointed. IPMS judging focuses on craftmanship first and then does the final pick of the winners using finish WHEN NECESSARY. A lot of beginner modelers focus on the finish and not enough effort is placed in the craftsmanship. Someone has already mentioned the seams which are your first big challenge. However right on the heels of seams is alignment. In your photos of the Zero you can see that the drop tank is not aligned with the long axis of the fuselage and the prop circle is not perpendicular to the long axis of the fuselage. These would get you pushed to the back of the table every time. The other thing to note is that the part landing gear is not aligned with the starboard. They should cant the same and be both pointing in the same direction. I suggest you get a cutting board with 1" squares printed on in and use them to constantly check alignment as you build. In one of the photos it looks like the stab might not be square but it could just be the photo.
I hope these comments prove helpful.
One quick note on weathering a NMF P-38... Since you "rusted" the turbos (indicating a high-time bird), there should be at least some exhaust staining along the top of the booms... I'd use black & dark brown/burnt umber pastels, because they're both easy and cheap to use, and you'll have far more control over them than dry-brushing the stains. Also, they're much more forgiving since you can wipe the pastels off if you make a mistake.. You can pick up a starter-set at any art supply or craft store for about 4-6 bucks and make them into powder by rubbing them on a piece of sandpaper... Be sure to get the chalk-type though and NOT the oil pastels.. They're like crayons and are next to impossible to remove because of a mistake...
Don't let the fit those "Monogram seams" get ya down, either... I've been dealing with them since the 60s... In fact, I never cared about them until the 80s, lol...
Hans von Hammer Yeah, he said it was a Tamiya kit. Yeah, but Tamiya has a newer Zeke kit out there too... Wondering if it's the 16-dollar or 30-dollar kit..
Oops! my bad. I forgot about the newer one. I had the old one...was what I was thinking.
It is the cheaper Zero. Got it for like ten bucks at HL. I agree with the comments on the Zero especialy as I made a critical error and primed it prior to filling in the seams. I applied filler and tried to use nail polish remover and yikes! It started to make a huge mess so I decided to leave it alone. I am sticking with the cheaper kits for now and have alot to learn LOL. I am currently working on the Revell 1/48th P-61 Black Widow. I have been working on the cockpit for a couple weeks and have decided to really take my time on this one. Thanks for all of the feedback!
Jacknewblll oh yeah that P-61 will teach you a lot and its one of my favoriates to build too. Have you checked out the P-61 group build ? I think Gigatron has decided to leave that group open ended so you can post there too if you like. Lots of good builds and you will have an idea of what you are getting into. I hope to see pictures of your 61 soon.
on the p-61 make sure you add weights to the nose because when i built it i didnt add enough and it was a tail sitter
Oh yeah..
Keep Acetone (the main ingredient in nail polish remover) away from styrene, lol... Other than removing CA from your fingers, it has no real use on the bench, lol... Depending on the type of putty you use, it can be thinned with alcohol, paint thinner, or liquid cement.. I use Bondo Red Glazing Putty and Testor's white.. The Testor's can be thinned with alcohol..
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