Hi folks - well I’m back after about a decade off from modeling and getting back up to speed on my techniques. I’m wondering what new products or other stuff has really excited people over the last decade? It looks like youtube has a huge modeling presence now which is great, but have folks changed how they model based on new products or techniques?
Thanks
I’d have to say accuracy and engineering. The last couple of decades have given us some highly accurate kits that are also well engineered. While the high parts count is often a drag, they build into very accurate prototypes.
Some companies strive for high parts counts, but still have assembly issues.
For aircraft and vehicle modeling (not so much ships and armor), my hands-down vote is for tha ability to make good-quality decals at home with a computer/printer. It’s opened the door for more ‘dream’ projects for me than I can count. Also great for custom detail like gauges, data plates and all sorts of material textures.
And it’s getting easier all the time!
Thanks - is Tamiya still at the top quality wise? I started working on a trumpeter kit of the Me-262 A-2a that I purchased 10 years ago, and the fit just isn’t that good. It’s a nice 1/32 kit but I also started working on the 1/32 Tamiya kit of the F-15E (also about 10 years old) and noticed the fit was much better. I also started building the 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G-6 (also a 10 year old kit) and the fitment and parts count seemed pretty good, probably in between Tamiya and the Trumpeter. I’m sticking at 1/32 for now as the larger scale is easier on my old eyes and coordination 
What are some of the better companies these days in terms of parts count and quality fit?
If you don’t mind me asking what is the setup you use to do this decal printing? It’s all new to me. What’s the cost? Thanks
No special setup or software for me. I manipulate images (usually from online) and do text in good old-fashioned MS Paint…then paste images into a standard document format (I use Open Office) to ‘drag’ the image to the correct size for printing. I print with an old garden-variety HP inkjet printer.
The only ‘special’ equipment is the blank decal paper itself, the variety made specifically for inkjet printers. I usually use the ‘Bare Metal Foil’ brand…which is about $6.00 for a pack of (3) 8.5x11 sheets, in white or clear. That’s a fair number of projects’ worth.
Last is the clear sealer needed to seal the inkjet inks. I use Testors’ special Decal Bonder…but others use stuff like clear Krylon or Gloss-Cote with apparent success.
Once the clear-coat is dry, you just cut and ‘water-slide’ like a regular decal. Big caution is to trim carefully, since it’s all part of one big sheet rather than individual bits of backing.
There are a number of posts that go into more detail if you’re interested. You can use the search function to find them at your leisure.
Cheers…and ‘welcome back!’ [:D]
Their quality is still top notch in terms of “buildability”. Very accurate, fairly straight forward builds that produce nice models. Problem is that they also have some old 70s era kits in their line at the same prices as some of the newer releases.
There are other more highly detailed kits that are very high end, but are much harder to build.
Put some Tamiya extra fine in a squirt gun, aim for the Tamiya box and you’ll get a good model from it.
Weathering techniques and Tamiya Extra Thin glue
yeah the tamiya extra thin glue has always been fantastic. love the smell of that stuff too… I know a bit about weathering techniques, but since I’ve really only done aircraft (versus really heavily weathered armor, for instance) I never got too, too into it. I’ll preshade panel lines, dry brush, and provide some paint chips and other simple stuff like simple washes. But I’m sure there’s a lot of other awesome techniques out there.
Thanks, good to know. I always remember people complaining about the 1/32 tomcat kit, if I recall correctly, cause the quality of that kit wasn’t as good. I wish there was an easy way to know if the kit was super old or relatively new… Just curious, what other “very high end” type kits are you talking about? I’ve stuck to 1/48 and 1/32 aircraft my entire modeling career which was brief anyway, so haven’t really dabbled in armor or other stuff much. But I’m certainly enjoying being back in the hobby.
I’ve got Trumpter’s F4F-3 and -4 Wildcats in 1/32, and Revell of Germany’s FW-190 in 1/32. The Trumpeters are nicely detailed, and fit is nice. For the price point the FW-190 is a jewel, and the engine is almost a nice kit in its self.
I hate to be so basic, but, the internet. Literally (I wish I could say literally with a British accent!), everything at your finger tips with a key stroke.
I figured somebody would beat me to it. Sticking my tongue out at you, Bruce. [:P]
Me too. Modelling as a kid, I didn’t know any other kids who built models. I had the Bob, the owner of Bob’s Hobby shop in Mishawaka to talk to, and magazines. It was quite the loner activity.
Being able to learn techniques as Bruce said, and also having folks to build with, albiet virtually, is a really big deal to me.
I probably would have moved on by now because that is my habit with hobbies if not for the great folk here.
I stopped modeling about 2008, and there were a few online resources then, but not much. I imagine today it’s just huge. There was little to nothing on youtube then as well, and I’m eager to jump there to watch videos of techniques, etc. I’ve forgotten a decent amount and so I could use some instructional videos. Thanks
There have been several high end companies that pop up and create uber kits of the Abrams, Bradley and several other WW2 German subjects and then go dormant once again. Orochi, Meng (quite prolific), Rye Field Models, have created beautiful kits with parts counts in the thousands, some with multimedia parts like metal tracks and metal barrels along with multiple frets of photoetch.
As far as internet sources, back in the early to mid 2000s, it was a race to get a review of the latest kit onto the various websites. Many of the reviews weren’t worth the time it took to post them, others were very well done. Today, the reviews come a little more slowly, but the good ones are more prevalent.
Most modeling websites have slowed greatly in the past decade. Many that still exist have only a post or two every week instead of countless per day. This site used to have so many that if you missed a day, it would take hours to catch up. Today, you can check weekly and not miss a thing.
I do remember a thriving community 10 years ago, that’s sad that it’s quieted down a bit. Any idea why? Are fewer people in the hobby these days? I hope not. The internet is such a fantastic resource (and forums are at the top of that list, IMO), at least it can be.
Too many places to post now. It’s easier to stick with one or two. Plus there’s alot of people who get offended on the internet and then take the virtual bat and ball and go home. Recently, as in the past month or so, someone on the armor forum here got upset and deleted all their posts http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/180282.aspx
And then Facebook made its appearance within the past ten years. Modelers could post on modeling Facebook groups. No need to host them at photo bucket or any other image hosting site. There are so many FB modeling pages I get added to by FB friends that I have to leave groups or unfollow.
I’m surprised 3D printing has not been listed yet.
I’ve used 3D parts on several kits in the last 4-5 years.
Shapeways and Thingverse are good places to start.
The fact that you can buy a quality printer for under $500 has helped.
Canopy masks!
what sort of parts have you printed? I know nothing about the tech, but I’m curious. when have you used 3D printing for modeling and how? thanks