I see some extremely good models posted on these boards. I do my best and I’m getting better at it, but I’m always looking for different things to improve my model building. One thing I greatly desire that I have yet to find is a detailed, from the box to the shelf, documented and photographed build. I’ve bought books, I’ve visited websites, and I have yet to find a “how-to” or “guide” that really gives a step-by-step, little mundane problem by little mundane problem, process of a build. I’m talking things like, how you paint all the little parts; on the sprue, on a toothpick, if it depends, why. How you schedule your paint sessions. If you decide to paint part of the body seperately before putting them together, and why or when. How you mask the cockpit, canopy and other areas. Do you paint it with the canopy on or off and why. Do you attach parts with blue tack for painting so you can take them off later. How you tackle little problems that come up… All these seperate problems have been addressed on this board, but I would love to see someone document and photograph a build from start to finish including every process. I mean, every time you sit down and start something on the model, no mater how mundane, tell us about it. As I said, I have bought many books and read websites, but it always skips many parts, usually the little problems that arise. If anyone knows of a book or a site that has a super detailed and documented build, I would love to know about it. If not, I would greatly appreciate one of you great modelers putting something like that together. I know it’s a hell of a lot to ask, but if you never ask for something, you never get it, right? I would bet that it would be about the most visited site by beginner, intermediate and even veteran modelers.
A lot of what you are asking for can be done in many different ways. Each is effective for the individual concerned and has been learned or developed over time and with practice. I am afraid that what you want is some kind of short cut to the perfect model without investing the time and effort of the experienced modelers.
I would recommend that you buy a few simple kits, build them and practice the various assembly and painting techniques that you have read about in books or on this forum. That way, you can develop a set of techniques that work for you and produce results that are satisfactory to you. If you have a specific question, I am sure one or more people will answer it for you.
Yardbird is correct…it’s the journey that is the most satisfying part. I keep a couple of my old kits on the shelf with the more recently finished models, and I smile every time I look at the slipshod paint jobs, the canopies with glue, etc…but also in remembering how much fun they were to put together, and how much I learned while doing it.
Sites like this one offer a tremendous amount of knowledge to any modeler, from beginner to master, and any question you have along the road will be answered by those who have traveled that same path, and enjoyed every minute of it.
A lot of it just comes from experience, lot’s and lot’s of practice and remember what works and what doesn’t. It’s helpful for me to keep scouring these boards for tips and tricks and to get some ideas on new techniques. Every kit you make improves your skills. Don’t be afraid to try anything new either, although I will usually try a new technique on a cheapo model before I take a chance on one of my valuable kits.
As a newbie/returning to modeling, I myself understand very much exactly where you are coming from. I am gradually picking up the things like you mentioned, but it has been trial and error sometimes (I kind of like just saying “what the heck” and giving it a shot - if I blow it all it is is my time and a plastic model down the tubes), often following what others have outlined in these forums and on other websites. Altogether they have really helped me put together my own kind of mechanism that works for making a half-way decent model. One thing that I found that may be closet to what you are asking for is the first in what I hope will be a set of DVDs, from Master Class Model Building Videos “Master Class Clinic #1: Aircraft Series: Building the Bf-109G-6”. This is a recent production and I got it about 2 months ago. I think it was about 35$ for 3 dvds, which follows construction from start to finish. Granted, it doesn’t follow every possible permutation, of course. But it did a wonderful job of putting it all together, I thought, and I would gladly buy another installment if and when they put one out. I ordered it through the mail after I saw it advertised in FSM, I think. In any case, I felt like it really put everything together, start to finish, and it gave me more than a few ideas. Just my [2c] as usual. Let me know if there is anything better out there! Thanks - Jon
Thanks Jcfay, I will try and locate that set of DvDs.
I am simply asking this to get ideas. Not necessarly for shortcuts or skipping “memorable” moments of model building. I’m sorry if I gave that impression. I’ve been building for a while and I have come up with several of what I consider “unique” ideas to try and complete my models. But I don’t consider myself in the league of many of the modelers here. I would just love to see how they handle all the detail of putting together a particular model. It would help show the mindset they used to tackle a particular model.
To add to what jcfay and the others said; it’ll be very difficult to find and/or produce the kind of instructional resource you’re looking for. All modellers have their favorite techniques and methods and these can change greatly from one modeller to the next. So the guys that produce instructional materials tend to stick with the techniques and methods that work best for them. A good example is the type of washes that are used, there’re are at least 3-4 different methods but can be more if using variations of each method together.
Like jcfay, I also bought the “Master Class Clinic #1: Aircraft Series: Building the Bf-109G-6” instructional DVD set. Made by a modeller named Floyd Werner, it goes from start to finish, OOB, for a Hasegawa 1/32 Bf 109G-6. It’s a pretty good 5 hour long video that covers every aspect of the build but only with the techniques and methods that Floyd Werner uses. Though in a couple areas he does mention other techniques or methods, he doesn’t show or demonstrate them.
I paid $39.99 for the DVD set from Meteor Productions because they announced before the New Year that the price would go up to something in the order of $50 or more. So if you decide to purchase this video, it might cost you a little more.
Bottom line is that modelling is an art form and artists all use the techniques, methods and mediums that work best for them to create their own style.
Go to swannysmodels.com and look around. That should give you all you need.
And poke around on the net. I’ve come accross so many eye popping builds that give you every detail that I cannot absorb it all. Just look around. What you ask is out there. I know because I’ve read it already.
Swanny has a great website & I’ve been learning alot from his “tutorials” on masking, seam filling. Not to mention the use of Future Floor Wax.[:D] Each of us modelers have a different method of doing things. One method might work for some people but then there might be others who find it a bit difficult or, improve upon it. To each their own[:)] At the moment I have a 1/72 Fujimi A-6A in progress (actually 2 of them) I just closed the fuselage up on the 2nd one & have used less filler on it. The 1st one, I tried to follow the instructions & it wasn’t working for me so, I “improvised” here & there on the 2nd one from lesons learned from the first.
Suggest you take a look at some of the Osprey Modelling books. They are excellent guides for all levels of Modellers. I’d highly recomend the “Modelling the F4U Corsair” & the “Modelling the P-40” books by Brett Green. They provide great photography of builds in progress & point out some of the pit falls of the various kits covered. Really excellent references & good value.
Can’t add too much more than what others have said. Building and technique can be a very personal thing. You can look at the 's, videos and magazines for the basics but then you will need to take that info and fit it into your style. Look at the way Brett Green hold an airbrush (see the link below). Even he admits it’s unconventional but that’s that way he does it. Much will depend on the kit you are working on as it can dictate what has to be done when and then the step by step of the videos are out the window. A lot is personal preference. The link below has a bunch of videos about a bunch of different stuff that may help.
One site I’ve found extremely helpful is the “In Progress” forum over at the Aircraft Resource Center forums. There, you’ll sometimes see threads that are four and five hundred posts long, and very frequently builds from start to finish. For example, I’ve been watching some guy build an OV-10 from scratch for months now. Truly amazing!
Aside from Finescale , that’s one of the most helpful I’ve come across.
Cool, these are the many little gems that I was hoping to find! Some things people just take for granted that others would know, or would logically think of. I’m a little more thick headed than that. I would have never thought of painting the wings seperately before attaching them to the fuselage like this. http://www.accurate-miniatures.com/builds/sbd/sbdbuild06.shtml I would have tried to mask the wings, and I’m sure that it would have been much harder and woudn’t have turn out as good.
I wasn’t assuming that a detailed build would give me all the answers. For instance, I never thought of putting wing tops and bottoms together like that guy did, and I wouldn’t want to because my method works for me. But it’s interesting to see how he did it. Most people would not include how they glued their wings together. I couldn’t possibly think of all the things I would like to see done, because I don’t know exactly what I’m after. But the best example is of the way he painted the wings before putting them on the fuselage. I probably would have never thought of doing that.
BTW, thanks for all the input guys. I haven’t seen these sites before, very cool.
Also, FSM puts out a few how to books plus, I’ve got one done by Mike Ashey that will blow your mind. It’s called Model Aircraft Tips and Techniques. That’s the book that got me scratchbuilding.
