I’ve been collecting 1/48 scale WWII US carrier plane kits for years for that someday I’m gonna have the skills to build them right. I need to build those skills. I’ve downloaded a couple build tips articles from the archives on this site and just purchased the aircraft build tips book. But I don’t just want to start hacking into my collection just yet. I’ve never used photo etched parts or filled and sanded seams. I’m a fifty year old that still has an eight year olds build skill. Does anyone have a favorite kit for a starter? Or should I pick a kit from a build article and try to follow along?
The best thing I can tell you is to jump right in and start building. There is nothing wrong with studying up on how-to books and such before you begin but at some point you have to begin applying what you have learned from the books or you will never really learn it. What I would suggest is pick a particular kit in your collection that really interests you but doesn’t look too complicated. Don’t worry about more advanced stuff like photo etched parts right now. Find one that you would be content building box stock…straight from the box, nothing added. You said you need to build those skills and the only way to build your skills is to build models. Just like as a child we have to learn to walk before we can run the same is true with model building. We have to learn and get comfortable and confident with the simple skills before we can move on to the more advanced skills. Trust your own instincts. If something seems a little too advanced and challenging for you it may very well be. Start off only with what you feel you can handle and gradually try more challenging builds. And stay in touch with all these guys in these forums. They’ve all at some point been where you are now…just getting started. Before you know it your skills will improve and you’ll be building kits that before you might have been hesitant to try. Best of luck to you!
Jim
Just grab a kit and start building. I’d throw away all the articles and photos, cause you’ll make yourself mad trying to replicate what a more experienced builder did. Its all about having fun and doing things your own way. …(well not throw them away…but you know what I mean[H])
[dto:] Just pick out one of your favorite aircraft models and sit back, build and enjoy!
Ditto what everyone has said. Pick a kit that really interests you and start building. Take your time, don’t hurry and your skills will improve. You might have to fight the urge to hurry and finish very fast. I remember wanting to finish very quickly and having to force myself to be patient before moving on to the next step of the build. Post progress pics and ask for feedback - there are some amazing builders on the forums here!
Steve
Don’ feel alone on this front at all. I am 54 and started back a little over a year ago. Here is what I have found (and this is of course just my recommendations):
- Get a good workspace where you aren’t cramped and you can organize things
- Get some GOOD lighting which is essential for painting
- If you want to get really good looking finished model, you will need an airbrush. I know this is a topic that has been well discussed, but I would recommend a double-action one and PRACTICE
- Start on a subject you really like as that makes it easier to get into it, but it also can get you more frustrated if it doesn’t go well right away.
- 1/48 scale seems really good to start with. The 1/72 is too small to me to work on things and 1/32 is going to be more expensive to do if you aren’t comfortable with your skills.
- Don’t skimp on your tools. Get good brushes and match the paints to the thinners and so forth and then practice before you start to say “mix 1 part window cleaner with 1 part cat litter with 1 part turpentine, and so forth.” You want to get comfortable with the basics first.
- Learn some ways to correct your errors. You will make painting and gluing and seam errors, so don’t get discouraged and don’t be afraid to repaint, sand it down and seam fill again and so on. My biggest frustration is mottling Luftwaffe planes, so it has been collect the kits that I can’t wait to build while I practice on the cheaper easier ones to help my technique. Each one gets better.
- Lastly, and to me the most important, practice where you are weakest. If you aren’t that good on cockpit painting, don’t get a 1/32 two-seat fighter with lots of photo etch parts and then have it go bad. Start with a simple cockpit and focus on the small items and then work your way up.
As the others have said, practice and have fun. Hope that helps and again, this is what I have experienced.
John
Sounds like you are afraid of messing up, of your results not being perfect. And perhaps you have your standards set unrealistically high. That would be me, so sounds like maybe we have something in common.
An old golfing buddy of mine (who also happened to drive TBM’s in WWII) had a favorite phrase: “Paralysis by analysis”. Direct hit on my golf game, and half the things I endeavor to accomplish in life, including my recent return to model building. [8-|]
So can only echo the above, start something. Perhaps one of the simpler-somethings in your stash.
My 2 cents, anyway. And welcome!
Let me relate how I came back into modelling 8 years ago, after a few decades off.
I, too, had reservations of not being as good as I wanted to be right away. So much had changed. Kits so much better. Aftermarket stuff, paints, decals, etc. Almost a new hobby to me. I bought some tamiya acrylics and a badger 150, a spray booth, etc… Subscribed to FSM. Read up all I could on the various methods and tips here and on other websites. Then I felt ready.
Patience is the key. The above reference is perfect… “paralysis by analysis”. As modellers, many of us are perfectionists. I think that can take away some of the joy of what we do. Afraid to make mistakes, but we have to make mistakes to learn and be better.
To answer your questions, Just start building. Pick a kit that is your favorite and give it your best shot. Use more experienced modellers as a reference if you desire, while realizing some of them build dozens of kits a year and have been doing so for dozens of years. So, don’t get frustrated… Everyone of them, in my experience, is willing to answer questions on their work and can help you out. Enjoy.
One more piece of advice I forgot to mention which may be the most important advice I can give…HAVE FUN!! Model building is a hobby. It isn’t life or death. If you can’t have fun doing it then you’re wasting your time continuing in the hobby. Just build, do your best, learn from your mistakes, challenge yourself on occasion, and HAVE FUN!! That’s all there is to it.
I think you’re right Greg, in many ways. Seems like I always see how something I did could be done better. And believe it or not my uncle was a crew chief of a TBM on the Hornet, the first one! Needless to say the TBM and TBF are two of my favorites that I have at least two or three kits of. My uncle told me once that at the beginning of the movie Midway he is in the old war footage of Doolittle taking off the Hornet. Said he was standing in front of the island. Neat huh?
if i may, just my two cents, if you want to practice the best thing you can do is just do it. for me practice involves working on a kit that i like but one that i am not so involved with that i am afraid of messing up. you may try just picking one or two things to work on. seams, detail painting, pre or post shading, exterior painting, etc. i have worked on kits to practice painting, seam work, and scratchbuilding. how far you take it is entirely up to you. it can be a heck of a lot of fun to just put glue or paint to plastic. like has been said though, have fun. that is the most important part of this hobby. it will keep you involved.
joe
Wouldn’t it be something if your uncle was on the same carrier as my old golf buddy?
So here’s a unsolicited piece of advice, follow the suggestions of others here and don’t start with one of your treasured TBM’s or TBF’s. Maybe get a Hobby Lobby 40% coupon (If you are in US and have one handy) and go get a cheap kit that has no special meaning to you. Then I second Joe’s advice above (and others), pick a few things to work on. ie, clean glue joints, fill a seam or two, mess everything up sanding and puttying, and don’t worry about it, have fun. 
And don’t forget what Jim said above, this is supposed to be fun!
You might even want to join a group build. I did, expected to make a total fool of myself. Which I did but you won’t believe the support you will get. And what you will learn. My first GB turned out much better than I thought I was capable of. Without the support of the fellas in the GB, I don’t think that would have happened. I learned more in my first GB here earlier this year than I did in all my years of modeling as a youngster put together. And still learning as I started my third this afternoon.
Apologies for ramble…
Sounds like I need to go to Michaels art mart and shop for a kit.
Jay
I would pick a kit you want to build first from your existing kits. If the kit is no longer “in production” I would go to eBay and try to find the same kit and buy it so you have two kits. Now you don’t have to worry about screwing up and you can discover all the things to watch out for during the build.
But as to your first question, Any old 1/48 Monogram Jet would be a good way to start… Most all Monogram jets have great cockpit detail, but I like The F-101 the best in that regard. Pick one up l so you can practice your cockpit painting as well as build skills. If you just want to practice basic modeling skills , I would get a Tamiya kit as they generally have very good fit so there is not much filling in sanding.
Can’t add much more to the great advise already given, except for “Welcome” to the forum and back to the hobby. Show us you build pictures!
Well it turns out those kit stashed away are all really old Revell/Monogram kits from the early '60’s. Folding wings and all. Some have even been started. I’ll shop for a Tamiya kit on ebay and see if I can find a deal. I spent last night looking at page after page of 1/48 kits on ebay. Great entertainment!
My best advice to you, is whenever possible, buy your kits off ebay. I’ve been doing so for a couple months and I’ve been able to get my hands on pretty much everything I could want, including out of production kits, for far less than even the discount online places are selling them for.
For supplies, don’t limit yourself to what your local hobby shop has to offer, many online sellers like squadron and sprue brothers carry paints and tools. Modelling is one of those undertakings where there isn’t necessarily a right tool, there’s a right tool for you. There are however, tons of wrong tools!
Look online for tips and tricks others use. I’ve found a ton of things here, in FSM, and on other websites that have really made a difference in my building. Start small and cheap, and then work your way up!
Groot
There are also plenty of modelers who have older kits and have replaced them with more up-to-date versions of the same kit. They then sell, or sometimes give the older kit away for the price of postage.
**Beeryboats:**I’m going to try to show you the difference that this forum has made in my modeling skills and builds. First off I’ll show you a picture of a Hasegawa 1/48 Bf109 G-10 that I built about 8 years ago. I did in fact saw the nose off and install an engine and open some panels out but looking back I didn’t do that good of a job at those. What I want to hone in on is how much better the airbrushing, weathering and model building skill have gotten since I started here.
Here’s the first pic long before the forum, and I’ll point out the mistakes and stuff that aint there:
Ok I don’t know exactly where you are with modeling and it doesn’t matter. Obviously I didnt start building models the day before when I built this plane. I will elaborate on what I was missing back then before I ever thought about forums and relied on books.
1.) Lets start with the incorrect mounting of the machine guns. Before I used to just “make it work” if it didn’t fit right. I had a few reference books and referred to them but my scratchbuilding wasn’t there back then. I used plastic streyne sheets to build up the area under the guns. You see here. What looks like a good model from a distance doesn’t look so good when I point this out.
2.) There’s a huge gap between the canopy pieces that careful planning and assy would have prevented or I could have displayed the canopy open. Stay tuned I’m going somewhere with all of this.
3.) This was a BIG one for me. My airbrush skills were just beginning here. The paint looks ok however there are no panel lines that stand out. A big no no for me now in model building. This is accomplished with a wash. The paint borders are hard edged and not soft or blending. This just gets better with practice and a better airbrush.
4.)This was a 'finished" model but I didn’t complete it by installing the flaps. Nuff said there.
5.) The landing gear on almost any plane is going to have staining and shadows around the contours of the metal landings of the strut. The tires look brand new also. The staining is again accomplished now with a wash dry brushings of black/ brown pastels.
When I said I was going somewhere with this I mean this : It doesn’t matter whether you build a model all buttoned up with the panels all closed or opened up like I did. We all start somewhere. Here in the forums you are going to learn amazing things that you never thought of and after you learn those things youre going to be able to share those skills and experiences with someone less experienced than you. No matter how good you get you will always learn something that just blows your mind.
Here’s where I’m headed now. This is after less than one year on this forum leaning from all the good folks here… This aint perfect but its hell and gone from where I was with the model posted above. This aint for pats on the back so don’t get the wrong message here. This is merely to show you the contrast in building ability and style before and after experiencing the forum;
Here I had the additional knowledge of how to tweak things to get them to fit right, opened up a canopy that may have had gaps, applied a wash for panel lines and landing gear accenting(you’ll come to learn this), this was a biggie for me–FINISHING the model to its full completion, and getting ALOT better with my airbrush. I attibute ALL of these things to this forum.
So you see. It doesn’t matter where you are. Pick up a kit and start building and post pics, ask for help, give help where you can and enjoy yourself. Get in with a group build if you can so you can build the same subject as other folks and believe me pal…you can’t help but get better!!
Take care and enjoy yourself some model building now. See you around, Joe
I wished I had a model from when I FIRST started building but the 109 above was the only “starter” example I had. I think you’ll get the message though.