Here is the new guy; not an original story: used to make kits as a kid (quite badly since I barely had some glue, a few paints, and no help), and recently re-discovered my old hobby. I have also been doing war-gaming for a few years, then my gaming buddies dispersed and so I am back to the original love: airplanes, in particular WWII. Painting figures for war-gaming thought me a few tricks, but, out of necessity, I learned to compromise quality for quantity, the invariant being time available. I would now like to take my models to the next level.
I have been painting with brushes up to now and decided to take the plunge and bought an Aztek airbrush (the final push was the 50% discount at our local hobby store, with a portable Testor compressor). It seems to work fine; I know it is not the best, and I hear it is not the worst, probably OK for an airbrush newbie? I would value some comments from other folks.
My current project is a 1:48 P-51, Revell-Monogram Kit. I thought to re-start with an inexpensive kit, since I am bound to do a few mistakes. I am seeking some advice on this kit: I would like to learn new techniques, like using resin cockpits, hetched metal parts, etc., but I would not want to bite more than I can chew at this stage. Any suggestion on how to improve the kit bare design without going overboard?
Thanks to all for the lots of good material that you make available for people like me!
Welcome tot he forums! And welcome back to the hobby! Lots of stories like yours here. I had a hiatus of 20 years before I jumped back in. As for your Aztex AB. Good choice! I have also, and it is a great AB to get your feet wet with. I really like mine and get better with it each time I use it.
Nice kit to start back in with. I personally love Monogram/Revell kits! It was all I could afford as a kid and still buy them! Be sure to post pics of your builds!
Welcome aboard, be sure to post some pics of your build. I can’t help you with the airbrush, I am a Badger m,an myself, but if you have any specific questions, be sure to visit the painting and airbrushing section.
Welcome to the Forums! Glad to have you aboard! Welcome back to the hobby.
I’ve been building for 67 of my 73 years and I just got an Aztek last year and am still very much into the learning curve. I have found it easy to use and am getting there slowly but surely.
I started scratchbuilding extra cockpit and other parts before going to PE parts. It’s not as hard as it looks. Just takes a little time and patience. That’s what the whole hobby is after all. Relax and enjoy.
I will post some pics once I get my model in a state that it is even worth going through the trouble of taking a picture. I am amazed at the things I see posted on this site! I hope to become half as good.
I’d love to scratch-build some cockpit details (e.g. a reflector sight?), but really don’t know where to start. I know how to do the research, that is not the biggest problem. Cutting and assembling those tiny detail is however beyond me at the moment.