Getting started in the hobby

Here's another great article from Scale Auto Enthusiast, available at www.scaleautomag.com. Again, it's an acrobat file, so make sure you have the reader installed...

(edit: dead link.http://www.scaleautomag.com/sca/features/articlesamples/Janlayout.pdf]* (old reference: sorry. :()
Getting started in the hobby, from the January 2000 issue.


It's really good for beginners to read, because it lays out everything you'll need and why you'll need it. They describe three levels of involvement; I'm on level two. :D

(If you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it at [url]www.acrobat.com.)

On the same subject:Originally posted by Guiddy in this thread (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t7374.html)
You need a lot to start with, as I find if I am ever caught on holiday and want to do a kit! The outlay for tools and paints will easy be more than double the price of the kit.

You MUST have.

Scalpel
Tweezers
Scissors
Brushes (Sizes 1, 0, 000)
Plastic glue
Clear glue, such as Kristal clear (For all clear parts, and adhereing painted parts)
Various Wet & Dry papers (From car shops)

Then your paints. Get everyone mentioned in the kit if you can, and also a thinner to clean your brushes in.

Please spray the body, it is easier than brush painting it, trust me!

Tamiya do a spray for most colours, but you are best to use Automotive paints, as described in my article on the Subaru WRX.

Good luck!:)

Good link Jay!
You can zoom in on that text and read it too!:)

Id like to chirp in here too.

For anyone who is just getting started, dont worry too much if your first couple of kits dont turn out exactly like you want them too. To be a good modeller, you need plenty of practise.

Patience is the best thing that you can have. Dont get in a rush to finish a kit. Take your time and do each part well, and to the best of your ability. If you do this, you will be much happier when it comes time to sit back and admire the finished product.

I often have to stop myself, even though im having alot of fun, because the paint needs longer to dry, or the glue needs more time to sit.

One last point. Keep your work area half-ass clean, out of reach of pets, small children, and vacumes. Parts can go missing faster than you can believe. If possible, choose an area where the kit will not be disturbed, and you can work on it in peace, also somewhere where it can sit, and does not have to be moved.

Thats pretty much my .02

Let me chip in too lol....i remember my first snap together model when i was 9...i was soo young my mom hada put the decals on it...it was a B-25 Mitchell...WW2 bomber....i thought it was the greatest thing in the world....ive been workin on models for 10 yrs now..and i still cant get it down right....even tho my bodies are sprayed....the small details are still a little messy cuse i have shaky hands...no i dont have parkinsons..i guess its all that sugar..and years of inhaling that tamyias model cement....lol jk....i'm gettin there, and each car looks slightly better than the last (my first big car model DTM Benz D2..took me 6 months to build) and its still so so compared to warrens models...just wait warren ill get there lol....spray paintin is still a little new to me (i did cans a lot) so all u new guys practice a lot if u get an airbrush before u start on teh car

i went thru god knows how many cans of propellant and paint before i got it down...which i still dont lol......i asked for that nice air compressor for xmas heheheh :flash:

starting to get the hang of the spray cans. Can be a bit tricky at times esp. when the cans are cold, make sure you warm them up before spraying.

buy an airbrush!!! especially if you have a compressor. They aren't hard to paint well with. Painting perfect with them takes practice but they are pretty easy to work with.

I found that masking fluid is great for masking small ereas thats to small or too hard to use masking tape,

you can get a 75ml bottle of masking fluid from any good artest shops for around the 4pounds mark

i've been a modeller for around 5 years... and i think the best tip for PAINTING a car would DEFINATLY buy an air brush... some are real cheap and some can get expensive... but they work like a charm...

also, keep in GOOD stock of paint...every color... you dont want to be like me and my Integra and run out of a rare (which i didn't know) Orange Yellow w/ sparkles or w/e their callled... and when i ran out 1/2 way through the car... there was none left in the store.. and i had to sand it down and repaint...

its a pain in the @$$

so .. thats it

______________________________________________
kyle

i dont have any timps but how much does an air brush price range from?

USE PRIMER!!
I cant STRESS IT ENOGUH TO PPL

The link is dead and I can't find it on the site.

The link is dead and I can't find it on the site.

Considering it was posted 3 years ago I am not surprised.