I’ve been following these boards off-and-on for a little while now, and have never ceased to be impressed by the works posted by each and every one of you here.[:)] Now the modelling bug has bitten me, and I’ve decided to try my hand at it. I’ve recently bought a 1/48 scale Pfalz D.IIIa made by Eduard. One thing that occured to me when I was looking for a model was that I didn’t really know which brands to look for and which ones to avoid. Would anyone care to provide a run-down?
Also, what modelling tools would you guys suggest for a new modeller?
I find that most standard run kits are sufficient for beginners , althought there are a few which are generally better and easier to build than others.
[Academy,tamiya,hasegawa] these are usually nicely detailed and have little fit problems plus the have excellent detail but you will have to pay extra as they are usually more expensive but definetly worth it though.
Other makers like [Airfix] are sometimes excellent but in some cases also very poor.
As a beginner you should steer clear of any limited run kits or kits contianing resin,white metal,and possibly photo-etched parts , as these require a lot of work and in some cases are very difficult to use!!
Hope this helps at all??, also welcome to the hobby, happy modelling!
In my limited experience, I’ve found that the quality varies by the kit, even within the same company. IN general, older molds have more flash than newer releases or “newly tooled” kits. Look for these.
Also, outside of the VAST wealth of experience you will find on this forum, There are several review sites on line. AIrcraft resource Center and Hyperlink come to mind. Squadron’s website has a review section, too.
But honestly, I would bet that for just about any kit you are thinking of, someone onthis forum has probably built it. You get a more interactive “review” by borrowing their experiences, plus you meet a lot of neat people from all around the world.
In my opinion, I would post a question about a specific aircraft or kit and go from there.
A bit of advice (that I need to follow more myself):
Don’t worry about producing a perfect, exact, detailed-to-the-last-rivet, model airplane. Enjoy the actual building process. Have fun with it!
You’ll find that you like somethings more than others. Some people love painting, or detailing the cockpits. Me, I’m decal guy…don’t know why, but it’s my favorite part.
Bottom line is, it’s your time, do what you want with it.
My advice would be to find some cheap kits of things you are interested in. Yuo can gain experience in correcting flaws, finishing techniques, and proceedures that work for you. And you don’t have a whole lot of money invested if you decide to bounce it off the wall as some people here say they have done with their models.
Thanks for the great advice and the warm welcome. [:)]
I’ve taken a visit to my local hobby shop and bought some of the things you all have suggested. Another thing I’m wondering about it masking tape. I’ve heard of using masking tape during painting but is there a special modelling-specific masking tape out there or is this referring to your standard run-of-the-mill masking tape? When you remove it, wouldn’t the adhesive backing leave some sort of residue?
Also, when should I paint? I know that the cockpit should be done before the two halves are joined, but what about the other stuff? Should I complete the model and then paint it, or paint the components before joining them together?
For masking tape lots of people use the blue stuff, but I personally find that the yellow tamiya masking tape is the best all rounder when it comes to masking tight curves or straight lines!
As for painting you should try both of your suggested methods and then see which one is best as every one has an individual way of painting and building models
I think tn_prvteye is dead on. Take your time and enjoy the process. We are just trying to get as close as we can within our own abilities and it may never be perfect. I look at it that since if I looked hard enough I could find a review of any kit I am building and find that there is something wrong like it measuring out a few inches off in length or span, it is already inherently imperfect. I am about 80% done with my 1st German fighter in 35 years. I am having a ball. I am making a lot of mistakes along the way I know, but I am not going back and making major fixes at this point. I am going slow and doing a decent job of it, at least I think so anyway. But I am making notes of my mistakes and this model will not be for from my line of sight as I progress form project to project so I will attempt to not make the same mistake twice. Someone in another thread mentioned a trance-like state you can get into sometimes. I forgot to open the lightening holes in the wheel wells before I glue the wings together so it was a lot more work getting it done and done so it looks good. I looked up and I had no idea that it took about an hour.
The basic tool set described above will get you going and you can add the other things as you progress. Look in beauty supply place and look in the drafting supply section of art stores. Lots of goodies there. I made a set of scribes with a wood dowel and the replacement points for a set of drafting dividers. Go to your dentist and ask if he or she has any tools that are too far gone. I use the 2 in the pic below constantly.
I appreciate that insight. I’m going to try to go into this with a proper perspective and not get discouraged if I mess up. There is a lot that I don’t know, so I know I’m bound to make mistakes, possibly serious ones. I hate to not do a model justice, but I need to bend my mind around the fact that it’s a learning process, in the end.
