New to modelling, need advice

[Guest]

Hi guys

i have been wanting to try modelling since a kid, but always thought it would be too hard. But I really want to give it a try now I have some spare time.

what sort of modelling would be easiest to start with (tanks, cars, planes etc) ? Want to get my confidence up with several easy models before moving to more detailed ones.

any advice/suggestions?

certain brands/models to start with?

Any help is appreciated

Aaron

[Guest]

Start with which ever you consider attracts you most as this will be more of an interest to you as you build your model. Also model making entails a lot of delving & getting of info, research which also hinges onto the history of what you are building. So it has to be your top interest for me. With me aircraft. Being of pre war vintage WW11 & also the Falklands conflict.

I would say scale of 1/72. A big scale is attractive 1/48 & 1/32. With a 1/72 you will meet all or most of the way to do things & to spot to late all the errors in a relativley short time. With a 1/48 which is more complicated larger & they take more time to construct & finish. The first model is to learn techniques as much as you are able & 1/72 will do that in short time. Mess it up, the first one that is, which I did but still finished it no matter nothing lost it only gets better.

Brands Revell or Airfix probably the cheapest & simplest. Main thing is do not get bogges down in your first model with complicated models. Go for simplicity get one finished & then see how you have done & progress.

Laurie

[Dave W]

The new 1/72 scale HobbyBoss aircraft kits are aimed at beginners.They have less parts and are easy to build.

[Guest]

Thanks for the quick rreplies I decided to go with Airfix Yak, got some hobby knives, cement & 1 tamiya paint , will see how this goes & if I enjoy it ill buy more paints & few more cheap Airfix models during the week.

[spanner570]

Hello Aaron, welcome to the forum.

I would go for a tank. I reckon these would be easier to paint than an aircraft, and you can add mud, dust, all sorts, to hide any mistakes.....I do!

Italeri and Armourfast do very nice 1/72 scale, two in a box for around £8. These have only around a dozen or so parts, but cram in loads of detail.

Revell, Italeri and Academy do good priced kits, which have fewer parts than Tamiya and Dragon....Leave these two alone until you get more experience.....

Also, consider going a bit bigger and take a look at 1/35 kits. Perhaps not so fiddly as 1/72, but a lot more area to paint!

Laurie makes a good point....Go for what interests you. There is nothing worse than building a kit you didn't really want to tackle in the first place.

Finally, ask as many questions as you want, we are here to help as much as we can....

Ron

[spanner570]

Oops, sorry Aaron, I didn't see your last post until I submitted mine!

[Guest]

Yes that look a good number to start with. Not got your christain name by the way.

Any help you need just make a beeline to this point & you will get it by the basket load.

Laurie

[BarryW]

What others say here makes good sense but, above all, enjoy it.

Do not allow yourself too get too frustrated at detail or making a mistake. Do the best you can and try improving incrementally with each model. Build up your skills and practise while not running before you can walk. Do cheap and simple kits before taking on more complex and more expensive subjects. Practise, practise and have fun is what is important.

You will find small scale kits cheaper as a rule and good for practise. Personally I find them too fiddly with my big fingers so I go for large 32 scale aircraft but, be warned - they have all the more detail and as a result can have parts as small and fiddly as 72 scale....

Good luck and do post pics of what you build and ask away for tips/suggestions as a build progresses. We are all happy to help.

[PaulTRose]

go with what interests you.........i started out with cars and bikes, tackle anything these days

dont get disheartened if things go wrong, practice makes perfect

i have some reservations about cheap and cheerful kits.......sure they are cheap but they are not always the best quality.....that yak kit for example dates back to 1963 so it will not be up to today standards and the moulds might be getting a little tired...........however as someone said the HobbyBoss kits are little gems...you want something that goes together with no drama than having to deal with gaps and warpage, etc

and small sizes dont always help to move on to bigger sizes.....when i first got interested in 1/35 armour i thought 1/76 would be a cheap way of practicing.....now i love braille scale but its a different ball game to 1/35

as for brands.......cant go wrong with tamiya (cept the porsche 959 :music_whistling, revell and airfix are mixed bag i find, new tool stuff is nice, older stuff can need a little patience, i really like Academy armour kits

the bottom line is accept that the first few you do are practice pieces, and above all have fun!........you are making models for your own enjoyment and not others, as long as you are having fun then all is good

[stona]

I agree with most of the above. Importantly start simple and work your way into more complicated kits as your skills develop (which they will, though it won't always feel like it ) There is no point in starting with some expensive Tamiya uber kit as it will just be frustrating and expensive!

The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy yourself.

Cheers

Steve

[mossiepilot]

Hi and welcome to the forum Aaron, great to have you on board.

Nothing more to add to what the other guys have said,just have fun with your builds.

Tony.

[eddiesolo]

If you are wanting to start on something then may I suggest a 1/35 Academy tank. Large enough to get to grips with but cheap enough so that you're not spending loads of money. I would forget research into a subject and just try assembly and painting using basic techniques. Concentrate on assembly, using little glue and rubber bands to hold pieces together, one of the best is the Revell Skipjack submarine, 15 parts to assemble and cheap can be had from Ebay for around £7ish new. Painting could be achieved by using spray cans or brush so as a cheap practise piece it would suit. Don't be afraid to have a go, I am still learning as are many of the guys on here, ask questions and just try on scrap old model kits from flea-markets etc. Good luck and enjoy your hobby, it can be frustrating at times but very rewarding.

Si

[Gern]

Can't argue with what the guys have said so far. Just a couple of thoughts though. Buying cheaper kits is great from the point of view that you're not wasting money if everything goes pear-shaped. Unfortunately, cheaper kits sometimes need more skills to assemble so it's more likely you'll get something wrong - although it's useful practise to develop your skills. More expensive kits are usually much easier to build but obviously there's the extra cost and the disappointment if you get an easy kit wrong.

I'd suggest it's worth looking on ebay for a good brand kit that's within your price range. Look at this Spitfire as an example:

Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Supermarine Mk.1 model No.32 61032 | eBay

A really good quality kit for less than a tenner. Here's a review:

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I by Brett Green (Tamiya 1/48)

If you're not sure the kit is good, it's always worth looking for reviews on the 'net, and I can't think of a better forum in terms of getting advice and help if you need it than this one.

Gern

PS Just checked my arithmetic! It's just over a tenner - not under!

[flyjoe180]

Hi Aaron from Brisbane. Lots of good advice here already for you. Regarding 'cheaper' kits like the old Airfix moulds, they provide a great way to learn the basics of building as they generally need a lot of cleaning up and extra detailing or attention. Your Yak is most probably from the older kit range even though it is in a red modernised box. They will stand you in good stead for the more expensive or detailed kits later on. If you want to just assemble something super quick and learn to detail and experiment with paint, then Dave's suggestion for the quick-build Hobby Boss kits are a great 'slap together and get on with it' alternative.

Look forward to seeing progress on the Yak, lots of people with good advice here if you need it along the way.

Cheers.

[Guest]

thanks for all the replies guys

the airfix yak was a good starter kit, and i noticed 3 things which ill need to improve on

first- the smaller pieces i really struggled with.. my hands/fingers are pretty big (im 6ft 3 110 kgs). it was tough to glue/paint/attach. but ill get used to it

also, my "glueing" technique obviously needs to improve. ill watch some videos on youtube today on it. i added too much generally ( it was Revell Contacta)

especially noticeable on the cockpit, very ugly.

lastly my painting needs LOADS of work lol i wasnt expecting to be a master at this right away, but was still fairly unhappy with how it looked.

though, after reading some dos/donts afterwards, i should of washed the plastic first, also ill look into some primer.

i used Tamiya paint, just one colour (xf81 raf dark green). actually after a few coats, i wasnt too unhappy with it, it was just very childish looking.

i know it was my first ever build, so ill use it all as a learning experience.

im off this morning to the hobby store to get another cheap model and maybe a few more paints. will stick with Tamiya as thats all they stock, but will investigate different brands down the track