I just thought that I’m asking about your modeling habits, I’m interested to see how other modelers do it. I’m interested what you start first, and what is the last thing you do when you build something. I could ask what you like and what you hate to do, and what do you think is practical. I myself do like painting and wathering, but I don’t really like dealing with undercarriage, painting the landing gears, and weapons. Ususally I leave it for the last times, and because of it several of my models are standing unfinished as It’s simly really hard to decide to work with those parts
Let me see how yo uare doing it, what are your advices, your habits!
Decide on a subject and search/ collect all available reference information
Buy your selected subject complete with every AM part available
Stock up on paints, glue and specialist tools for PE etc
Carry out an “in depth” study of the kit regarding instructions, mould ines, flash,attachment points, build sequence and painting details.
Have a look on “Google” for anything you may have missed.
Start the build in the secure knowledge that it will become a prize winning model.
My real-life building process
If I am working in a town with a model shop, shoot out at lunch time and pick a kit that looks OK
When you get home, search “Google” to find out that you have bought a bear of a kit.
Start building as soon as you get home from work, forgetting that you should be cooking dinner as your wife is working late.
Realise that there is more plastic on the sprue than the parts and you are working with an old Exacto blade and no spare.
Glue as many parts as possible together in the secure knowledge that you will be able to paint the details later.
Realise that you can`t paint some areas after the glue has set.
Go through your paint stock, only to find that you have every colour except the ones for the kit you have.
Start painting with “near-to” colours then stop as your airbrush is clogged as you didn`t clean it out last time.
Put the new kit to one side until you can get to your regular model shop for another kit, unless they have a special offer on another attractive purchase and then the whole process starts again.
I dont think that I am alone in this process, lets here some more experiences.
I build for fun, so for me it’s usually an OOTB build. I could usually care less with the accuracy. Rivet counting I never understood.
Hehe, as for building, I usually just follow the instructions [:p]
Seriously, I will assemble the hull and turret, leave the roadwheels orr and paint them off vehicle. Painting the rubber portions of said roadwheels is usually the most annoying. Having to weather the vehicle is my favourite part. Taking those several layers and getting a dirty, grimy vehicle at the end is always fun.
My process:
Go to longs.They only have abou 15 kits so I get one
Buy it
Looks for some references
Change exacto blades(I dont know why I do that)
Build the kit
It usually brakes
I try to fix it
Then it brakes more : (
I pick a kit out of the stash, search for references, read the references and the kit instructions, compare the plastic with the refences, make notes in the instructions of areas of attention, start glueing and painting (cockpit first then assemble the whole, leaving the tiny bits off), paint, mask, paint, mask, paint (depending on how many diffenrt colors the camo scheme has), gloss coat (Future), decal, gloss coat again, wash, attach tiny pieces, flat coat…et voilá a finished model.
This proces takes me anything between a month and two years (and counting), it depends on the model and the availibility of time.
As I’m working on some other project, I spend a few weeks looking over the sprues and just get to know the kit and the instructions. I decide what version/paint job I’m going to do, collect the necessary paints, wash the palstic with warm soapy water, paint details, build it for a while then put it away never to be finished. But that’s just me.
find some pics of the interior engine, exterior. not overly concerned with details beyond that.
decide if I want to/able to replicate the actual look. I ussually vary on the interior colors to my preference. or if the actual interior calls for mixed paint; I hate mixing paint.
I seperate the parts and mark them as to which color they get. mask off those that need it; then I go at the sprues with the lightest colors first; remove them after they are painted. and do the next color. and so on. I like to paint all at once, then assemble all at once. lets me focus on each process more I think.
then I repaint half of it causeIm not satisfied.
Im not overly detailed or anal, I want to finish it, not prolong the model so long that it becomes a chore and I just move onto another model without finishing.
LOL!!! this is cracking me up. I’m stumped on the “finish kit” step too [(-D]
Special process for Tamiya kits only: (1) buy kit, paint, pe, glue (2) throw all stuff into box (3) shake vigorously (4) open box and viola, perfect kit falls together
In my whole collection i only have one tamiya kit [:(]
While some of these replies are funny, I was kind of hopeing for some serious input here. I was considering posting a very similar thread. I’m getting back into the hobby after being out of it for several years(last build was when I was a teen, now I’m mid '30s). I would like to be able to produce some show stoppers.
I decide what I exactly want to build, including decoration.
I research for a good kit for that thing, usually in med or big scales.
I buy the kit.
I compare kit details and books / photographs to decide if I’m going to buy aftermarkets.
98% of the times, I buy PE’s or resin kits [:D]
I spend hours studying all pieces and instructions, writing down anything that I should take care with.
I start building, thinking that sooner or later, I’ll break something [:D]
Sorry TJ I wasn’t trying to make fun of your post.
Your goal is commendable but you should start with fundamentals first. Here are some of my fundamentals for building. PE is another set and painting is yet another set of fundamentals. A show stopper always starts with good fundamentals.
(1) good parts cleanup - file and sanding those mold seams
(2) good dry fitting and alignment before glue
(3) good sanding and seam filling
(4) filling in plastic deformities (little depressions that aren’t supposed to be there)
(5) filling in mold pin marks if showing
(3,4 &5 all are basically stating to get used to using putty and getting good at it)
That’s OK I-beam, It’s not my post. But you did answer some of my own questions. Most instructions seem to be written in a way to finish the model in an OOB sort of way that doesn’t lend itself to some of the more detail finishing that a lot of these guys do. Do you paint assemblies or sub-assemblies? What, when, and in what order do you do a lot of things. (i.e. Landing gear, flight controls, so on and so forth)
Seriously then…
The real problem is that there are ten thousand little questions and about seventy thousand answers for them and you pretty much have to ask them one at a time. There is no magic ten step list that will produce great models. But if you ask a question here, you will probably get some good answers.
