Am I on the right track?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Techniques
1

Hello everyone!
First off, I’d like to say thank goodness for FSM and this site! Had I not found this place, I might have been overwhelmed and ran screaming for the hills!

Well, I’ve been looking to get seriously into models, after a looong time away from them. I used to build, but nowhere in the detail that I’d like to venture into.

What I’d like to know from the group is: Am I on the right track?

Since I’ve become serious about this, I keep telling myself over and over again “It will NOT look like what you want it to the first few times!!!” But I do want to be prepared for whatever avenue I decide to take on a paticular piece.

My goal is to build primarily WWII themed Armor and support vehicles, along with the planes that have always interested me.

I’m a novice with an airbrush and model techniques, so I was planning on picking up the following books: “Modeling tanks & Military Vehicles”, and “How to Build Dioramas” by Sheperd Paine, and “How to use an Airbrush” by Downie.

Will these books cover such techniques as dry-brushing and the like? Is there a good book out there on the basics of puttying/painting kits? My background is in graphic design, but I don’t want to assume anything in regards to this at all…

Now, I live in a smaller town with one Hobby Lobby, so getting supplies might have to be an online affair. I was thinking of picking up a Badger 200-20 airbrush, and a compressor. Is this a decent choice? I see them mentioned all over the place.

As for paints, is there a general consensus on the best line of paints in terms of quality and avalable colors? I’d hate to waste money on paints that will do me no good.

I plan to build a plane first to learn on, as it seems to be the easier in terms of less outside details compared to a tank or artillery piece.

Mainly, I just want to be sure I have a good technique foundation, so I don’t have to go around the world to get to my elbow! [xx(]

Thanks for ANY advice you may have! it’s MUCh appreciated, and will save my sanity.

B

2

Booyotch,

Welcome to FSM. Glad you could join us “Plastic Addicts.”

In answer to your questions, the books that you’ve mentioned are actually quite good. As for individual techniques, believe it or not, the best place I’ve found for information is right here in this very forum. I’ve personally learned alot of things that you’d never find in any book on the market.

As far as airbrushes go, the Badger line is among the very best. Most here will back me up on this point. As for paint, well, that’s entirely different. Everybody has their own “favorites” that they will attest to being the best. I. for one, use Citadel paints, which are acrylic. Since you said you wanted to do military subjects, I believe acrylics would be the way to go, as they don’t leave a sheen when dried.

The best advice I could give you, though, would be to experiment a little. Try picking up a cheap kit at your local store, and just try different techniques. It could be a tank, car, plane, or whatever strikes you as interesting. It’s always better to try out a new technique that you aren’t accostomed to on a $5 model than on your $100 masterpiece.

Hope I haven’t bored you too much. Good luck in your endeavors. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask of any of us here, and I’m looking forward to seeing your work in the future!

Scott

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Booyotch,

Scott has given you some good advice, and I will offer some as well (although I can’t guarantee the same level of quality…):

  • I haven’t read the books you note, but have definitely heard them mentioned many times before. I’d say you’re on the right track.
  • Online shops are good for getting supplies, but I highly recommend you to support your local hobby shop too. Sometimes they don’t carry the things you want, but it’s nice to know you’re doing your part to support local businesses. My local shop doesn’t have everything that interests me, but it’s nice to know they’re there when I need some basic supplies and a window-shopping ‘fix’.
  • Badger has a great line of airbrushes and I don’t think you could go wrong with them. I have a Badger 100 and a Paasche VL. I like both of them. You might think about looking at double-action brush for armour camo jobs, etc.
  • paints are pretty good all-around these days. Tamiya acrylics are nice and I personally prefer the Humbrol enamel line. Most lines now have a pretty extensive color selection and that’s pretty important when it comes to armour.
  • you’re planning on doing the same thing I am in the middle of: buy a few ‘starter’ kits and build the skills as you go. I’ve built several small planes and armour items to just build my skills. They’re not show-stoppers, but each one is a progression from the prior and an opportunity to try out some of the techniques I learn about here on the FSM forum.

Good luck! Welcome to the forum! Enjoy your stay and be sure to keep us posted with your questions and comments. I continually learn new things here and it’s usually from the ‘new’ guys…

Have fun!!

Murray

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Hi Booyotch
demono69 is absolutely correct. You won’t find any better source of info than where you are right now.
However, might I also suggest going to www.testors.com and clicking on to “hobbyist guides”. You can read their Model Master Technical Guide [which sells for $20.00 in hardcopy form] absolutely free.[which translates into more money to spend on plastic and paint and tools and all that good stuff]
I have found it to contain a lot of useful info.
HAVE FUN !!!

Merlin

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Thanks for the great advice fellas!

I have heard the Humbrol line mentioned more than others, and it seems to be a winner.
I’m not sure if my new town even has a dedicated hobbyshop, but I’ll definately visit there often if we have one. It’s much easier to get a handle on something when it’s in your hands. We moved here about 6 months ago, and it’s a town of 38,000 whereas I was from Huntsville at a population of 260,000. I have a feeling I’ll have to drive to a bigger city to find the small things I need, but that makes for fun Saturdays :wink:
My other hobbies include Home theater and collecting toys, and the move has stifled them with a lack of retail locations here, but modeling will hopefully give me something that will be a long time in the making.

I’ll be sure to check out that Testor’s book, and I’ve already started archiving all the relevant articles avalable here on the site, along with the FAQ and booklets. Next is a subscription to FSM :smiley: mainly because the Books-A-Million here is about 2 months behind on the shelves, so when i picked up the “newest” copy, it was the May issue :frowning:

I’ve heard of the double action airbrushes, but I don’t know what they are.

/me looks it up

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The best paints and adhesives and putties, by far, come from Testors. Those guys, wether under their name or the “Model Master” name pump out the best paints,adhesives, and putties the world has ever seen!
As for tools, the most expensive are usually the best(unfortuneatly), and when it comes to quality, it pays to be frivolous!

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Welcome, Booyotch:
This is THE place to be to learn more about modeling. In the six months I’ve been on this site, I’ve learned more in the past five years at my workbench![:I]
Check the forum often, but make sure you tear yourself away from time to time so you can get in some “quality time” with the plastic. There’s no substitute for experience! [:D]

And in here, you can learn from all OUR mistakes![;)]