Newest plastic model kit newbie needs help!

[Pixels]

Hi guys,

I want to try and start getting into model building, my sister has suggested it might be a therapeutic hobby for me, and an extension of my love for collecting figures and prop replicas. I have never built, or even attempted to build anything that wasn't made of Lego bricks. I know literally nothing. I don't even know what type of glue you need, and looking at all the different kinds of paint is making me dizzy. But, I figure that everyone starts somewhere...right?

I found a couple of plastic model kits I'm interested in that, I hope, are suitable for beginners, but I don't know where to start with paint and glue.

The kits I'm interested in are:

• Battlestar Galactica 1:32 Scale Revell Colonial Viper MK. II
• Dragon 1/9 Iron Man 3 - Mk.42 Iron Man
• Moebius - Iron Man MKVI
• Moebius 1:6 Cylon Centurion Battlestar Galactica

Is anyone with experience able to give me an idea of which of these is the easiest, and what kind of glue and paints I will need? Any tutorial resources on paint types, or techniques, or suggested easy models in Marvel/BSG franchise would also be really appreciated. I've tried googling, but I don't even understand the terminology being used.
I live in the UK, and will be doing most of my shopping online, as there are sadly no model shops nearby.

Thank you so much for any help you can give.

 

[robn1]

Of those kits I'd say the Viper is the best starter kit, it's the most straight forward. For glue you want "plastic model cement", Revell and Humbrol will be the easiest to find in the UK. For paint your best bet is Tamiya acrylics if available. But Humbrol or Revell will do also, I've read good reviews on the Revell acrylics.

 

[Pixels]

All right, great! Thank you! I've seen both Tamiya acyrlic paint and Revell on the site I was looking at.
Do you know what kind of primer I need? Are they different or all mostly the same? I gather from the stuff I've read that you have to use primer.

Also er, can someone tell me what "flash" means in this context? I've seen reviews saying a kit has little "flash".

Thank you again ^^;

 

[Rats]

A lot of people in the UK have great success with Halfords car primers. Likely to be much cheaper than hobby primers for the same quantity. I'd stick with white or light grey, unless you are going to paint shiny metallic, then go with gloss black as a primer. The primer "bites" into the plastic, resin, wood, etc. a bit to give the topcoat paints a better sub-surface to stick to.

Flash refers to the very thin bits of excess plastic around the edges of the kit parts. It results from a two part mould not being completely flat at the joining surface, resulting in a feather of plastic being squeezed into the gap. It's easy to remove with sandpaper or a sharp hobby knife. Don't worry about it.

Cheers and good luck,
JT

 

[leviathanworksh]

Halfords is great for primer and very affordable. In terms of techniques I would check out the videos on YouTube for advice. I would also suggest getting a cheap airfix planr befoee you make somthing you like. It will just gibe you a better idea of the process. You can get starter ones for under a tenner and are worth playing around with.


Welcome to a great hobby. Its time consuming. But really rewarding

 

[NormanF]

Halfords is great for primer and very affordable. In terms of techniques I would check out the videos on YouTube for advice. I would also suggest getting a cheap airfix planr befoee you make somthing you like. It will just gibe you a better idea of the process. You can get starter ones for under a tenner and are worth playing around with.


Welcome to a great hobby. Its time consuming. But really rewarding

And if you use cement that comes in a tube do not apply the cement directly from the tube. Squeeze a few drops on a piece of paper or cardboard and then use a toothpick to put it on the plastic.

Sent from my Etch A Sketch.

 

[Pixels]

Thank you all guys! ^_^ I'm feeling excited.

I have now bought a bunch of acrylic paints (mix of tamiya and revell), some brushes, a cutting mat, craft knife, the poly glue cement stuff (it has a nozzle), and the viper kit to try. The kit is only £13.99, so I figure it's not too bad if I mess it up.

I think I might also need tweezers for decals. I'll grab some toothpicks and a can of Halfords primer, too.

I've read about washing and drybrushing. Do you guys recommend anything specific for cleaning acrylic paint off brushes, or will water do?

Oh, I also have a question about finishing/sealing a model. Er, what do you use? Does clear acrylic work or is there something special?

Thank you all so much for your input, I feel a lot less intimidated than I did a few hours ago.

 

[Philly]

The Galactica and MarkII are great kits to start with and pretty cheap at the moment. I prefer Tamiya paints because they smell nicer and brush on really well.

I don't bother sealing models but if I want a different finish I will use laquer or flat laquer. Water works well for cleaning brushes for Tamiya paints.

 

[Teddz]

where to start... hahahahaha... I'm going on the assumption you have nothing to work with... starting from 0.

so....
besides the kit, glue and paints, you'll need some basic tools.
various small brushes (I constantly use brush sizes 18/0, 10/0, 000, 0 for the detailing and touch-up)
If you get the humbrol glue that's in a bottle, you'll want a 0 size brush to use as an applicator.... helps keep things neat.
scissors, wire cutters, ruler, tweezers, needle nose pliers
x-acto knives several sizes (try and get yourself a box set and a couple of packs of extra blades..they go like water)
sandpaper (wet/dry) 220 grit, 400 grit, 600 grit, 800 grit, 1000 - 1500 grit if you're also going to polish.
Various sanding sticks
Milliput - this will help you close up any gaps - the yellow/grey is the thick one while the white one is finer in it's finish.
Mr. Surfacer 500 and Mr. Base 1000 - these are a Japanese brand that are great for small gaps and used as primers.
Airbrush & compressor - this may be jumping into the deep end, but the results are magnificent once you get the hang of things. I find using a brush to paint large sections of a model you just spent a lot of time on just wrong. The airbrush rules all... the brush is reserved for detailing (at least for me)
Various rolls of low-tack masking tape
Someplace to keep it all... it's going to accumulate pretty quick.

A couple of books on modeling wouldn't hurt either.

Best of luck!
If you need any other help, just ask...

 

[Kubla Kraus]

there are lots of modeleing magazines out there... Modeler's Resource is no longer being produced, but there are lots of back issues around... and Amazing Figure Modeler

modeler's resource | eBay
amazing figure modeler | eBay

lots more on Amazon

 

[Teddz]

If you haven't checked out this thread on workspace setups, you should... It'll give you an idea of what you're getting yourself into. Fun times ahead...

 

[dkaniel]

Remember to take your time and ENJOY what you are doing! I also found that when I stopped worrying about building the perfect model, model-building became a lot more fun!

 

[Pixels]

If you haven't checked out this thread on workspace setups, you should... It'll give you an idea of what you're getting yourself into. Fun times ahead...

Omg. I don't even have a surface for this stuff let, let alone a workspace x.x; I have a spare room but it's still full of boxes for moving. I think I'll just try to clear space on my vanity desk and use that until I can set something up.

Thanks so much for the exhaustive list. I hadn't thought about sanding paper/sticks, epoxy, masking tape etc. An airbrush will be reserved for a while down the road if I don't destroy every model I touch e.e

I want to thank everyone for all their help and input. My sister suggested this hobby to me as something therapeutic, because a good friend of mine died very recently. I'm looking forward to having something to occupy my mind and keep me busy, and hopefully will get some skills and (eventually) a nice looking model out of it at the end.
Thanks so much for answering my questions and helping me get started.

 

[Wes R]

You can actually get away with a lot of stuff in a small space, it's all about the storage you have. Even if you just have a small table that has a part that can fold down when not in use. i'm a master at fitting a lot of crap into a small room lol. my work space for models and custom figures is a 4' long table i found in the attic that's about 2' wide and i have plastic trays for carrying food on them for shelves and just a work top. it was nice and clean until lately so i'll see about photos once i get it clean again. Action figures are the killer of space, especially if you keep them in package. It's why i sold off my transformers.

 

[Albertese]

You don't need a ton of space to build models. Most all of my building takes place on a card table I set up in my living room. I have a couple tool boxes full of my gear and a pile of plastic stashed in a couple of pizza boxes. Having a whole workshop would be awesome, but it's by no means a requirement.

--Alex

 

[Wes R]

i agree with practicing on a cheap airfix kit, not only are they cheap but they aren't half bad kits for what they are. I know amazon in the US has them for 9.99 at the cheapest for the tanks at least.