Who Is Into Scale Modelling?

[Dr_PepPeR]

Hi...  Great forum...

 

I'm into Scale Modelling but I'm still an amateur up to now...

I've researched a lot but I always ended up not finishing my scale models...

 

I used to buy WWII planes when I was a kid and wasnt serious enough and just ended up gluing and finishing the model...  When I was in High School I found an Italeri F-16A for about a 100pesos bec. Tamiya Models is so expensive (I think even still now!) but didnt know how to use paints...  then my sister bought me a genuine F-14 Tomcat 1:72 scale from the U.S. which has decals from the original movie - TOP GUN by Tom Cruise, but just barely started the cockpit and the front nose - (Somehow it was misplaced by my bestfriend who is now in Canada - together with the rest of my other Scale Models which were mainly Academy Kits).  I bought a SU-27 1:48 Academy Kit in Seoul when I was in Korea last 1998 but also didnt finish bec. my painting was soooooo bad (I used spray paint cans) - this one I left behind from my workplace somewhere in the pacific but I bought it for a cheap price bec. I saw it from an old store in Seoul (like a typical sari-sari store) which doesnt really sell models but just happens to be there - and so I ended up bringing the big box in the Airport as additions to my luggage.

 

Scale Modelling however, brought me to love everything about every aircraft esp. US aircraft (F-14,F-15,F-16,A-10,F-22,F-117,Apache,Cobra,etc.) and Russian Aircraft(Su-27,Su-22,Mig-29,Antonov,Hind,etc).

For now I am here in Kuala Lumpur and hoping to start again and continue and happen to see Trumpeter Model Kits which has China Airforce Aircrafts and they are on sale for 50% discount last month.

 

Glad to hear from fellow amateur modellers.  I hope you can provide Paint Techniques esp. for us amateurs who were having problems with paints and gluing parts. 

 

1. Are Spray Paint Cans that good? or should we invest in expensive Air Brush Machines? 

2. Are there cheap Air Brush Machines (locally made or Purchase Abroad)? Price Range?

3. How can we know when to use Spray paints or Brush?

4. how about using Putty?  even now I still have problems with parts that have gaps when they are fitted?

5. Any Particular techniques in painting camouflage like mixing Green/Black/White/Brown?

6. Any tips about doing Weathering?

I read about using a clear top coat paint after finishing the paints and the decals to preserve the look. I also read that the 'mint' condition of the scale model also depends on the genuine Decals which are based on hard-to-find real insignias from the military. 

 

Keep us updated and good to hear from this forum.

 

P.S.  Any info on where I can buy the original TOP GUN movie F-14?  as I've said it was already lost, and I wanted to buy again, but I can't search anything from the internet.  Any info would be very well appreciated. I think my previous model kit was made by Revell.  Thanks

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Hey tobats glad to see you drop by. You have a lot of good questions and I have some material for that, but most of it is in my laptop at home. I'll try to post some articles (or at least the URLs) from time to time for most of your questions. Its just a matter of time, I hope to complete posting that nice article I started within the week. Keep on building!

[tobats04]

P.S.  Any info on where I can buy the original TOP GUN movie F-14?  as I've said it was already lost, and I wanted to buy again, but I can't search anything from the internet.  Any info would be very well appreciated. I think my previous model kit was made by Revell.  Thanks

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Correction: the model kit was made by Testors.

[Experiment 626]

You add Tamiya Base Paint to Future to make it semi-gloss or flat. I'm currently experimenting with the Johnsons Wipe and Shine because my English friend, who is also an avid modeler and chemistry professor, says it is similar to future, although the local product is milky, while Future is clear. I've used it to dip canopies in, and it does give that gloss shine that Future does, even if it is milky, the stuff still dries clear. I will find out if I can use it to gloss coat a model to prepare it for oil washes.

 

BTW, I prefer jets to props too, but I will build a prop every now and then.

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Thanks Dr. P! Naalala ko lang is Tamiya item. It's in FSM Dec 05 or Jan - Feb 06. I also like props now & then, huwag lang sunod sunod kasi boring yung 'plan form' nila. The last one I built 1.5 years ago was an Academy 1/72 Mustang (forgot the varianty, non Malcolm hood siya). Nadala ata ako kasi aside from being small, I have to use 3 shades of metallizers & ANG HIRAP mag metallizer - Clear Coat -Metallizer - etc . . . . :grr:

[Experiment 626]

Let's see . . .

 

1. Are Spray Paint Cans that good? or should we invest in expensive Air Brush Machines? - Definitely get an Airbrush Machine. I use a Tamiya Spray Works (Air Gun + Compressor Set, siguro PHP8000+ na ngayon). Di nespose ko yung Badger ko after using it. Ang laki ng range ng fine point niya, as long as you take care of the needle. The problem is pag luma na siay eh yung parts ng compressor dries up so you have to get a new one. I was able to jerry rig my Spray Works gun sa old compressor ko (bought it near UST). It works ! ! !

 

2. Are there cheap Air Brush Machines (locally made or Purchase Abroad)? Price Range? - Average price na ata for air brush only is PHP 3000+ up. But lifetinme monggagamitin yun & you'll never want to hand pain a model again if you use one.

 

3. How can we know when to use Spray paints or Brush? You use a can if you're sure you'll use up the paint within 3 months or else sayang lang.

 

4. how about using Putty? even now I still have problems with parts that have gaps when they are fitted? Actually I use Tamiya (Grey, for malalalim), The Mr. Putty by Ginze Sangyo (the white one) for shallow (they shrink very terribly) & for evrything else cyanoacrylate 'super glue'.

 

 

5. Any Particular techniques in painting camouflage like mixing Green/Black/White/Brown? - free hand ako mag airbrush, just be careful of the spattyer.

 

6. Any tips about doing Weathering? For aircraft, after decalling & 'sealing' the model for 1 -3 days, run a very dilute mixture (1:10) of black grey paint: thinner sa panel lines. After mga 30 min - 1 hr., wipe with a clean cloth yung excess. The panel lines will stay black. for armor, dunno yet thats why mga 15 pa lang armor ko.

 

IP.S. Any info on where I can buy the original TOP GUN movie F-14? - it's by testors. Used to have one. Since they are all overall ghost grey, try to look for their squadrons (VF - #) & you can maybe order the decals from the US/UK. I'm assuming you have a Top Gun DVD so you can look at their tails & do your homework. They used planes of actual squadrons (hence actual insignias).

 

Hop I was of help.

[Experiment 626]

Let's see . . .

 

1. Are Spray Paint Cans that good? or should we invest in expensive Air Brush Machines? - Definitely get an Airbrush Machine. I use a Tamiya Spray Works (Air Gun + Compressor Set, siguro PHP8000+ na ngayon). Di nespose ko yung Badger ko after using it. Ang laki ng range ng fine point niya, as long as you take care of the needle. The problem is pag luma na siay eh yung parts ng compressor dries up so you have to get a new one. I was able to jerry rig my Spray Works gun sa old compressor ko (bought it near UST). It works ! ! !

 

2. Are there cheap Air Brush Machines (locally made or Purchase Abroad)? Price Range? - Average price na ata for air brush only is PHP 3000+ up. But lifetinme monggagamitin yun & you'll never want to hand pain a model again if you use one.

 

3. How can we know when to use Spray paints or Brush? You use a can if you're sure you'll use up the paint within 3 months or else sayang lang.

 

4. how about using Putty? even now I still have problems with parts that have gaps when they are fitted? Actually I use Tamiya (Grey, for malalalim), The Mr. Putty by Ginze Sangyo (the white one) for shallow (they shrink very terribly) & for evrything else cyanoacrylate 'super glue'.

 

 

5. Any Particular techniques in painting camouflage like mixing Green/Black/White/Brown? - free hand ako mag airbrush, just be careful of the spattyer.

 

6. Any tips about doing Weathering? For aircraft, after decalling & 'sealing' the model for 1 -3 days, run a very dilute mixture (1:10) of black grey paint: thinner sa panel lines. After mga 30 min - 1 hr., wipe with a clean cloth yung excess. The panel lines will stay black. for armor, dunno yet thats why mga 15 pa lang armor ko.

 

IP.S. Any info on where I can buy the original TOP GUN movie F-14? - it's by testors. Used to have one. Since they are all overall ghost grey, try to look for their squadrons (VF - #) & you can maybe order the decals from the US/UK. I'm assuming you have Top Gun DVD so you can look at their tails & do your homework. They used planes of actual squadrons (hence actual insignias).

 

Hop I was of help.

[Dr_PepPeR]

Thanks Dr. P! Naalala ko lang is Tamiya item. It's in FSM Dec 05 or Jan - Feb 06. I also like props now & then, huwag lang sunod sunod kasi boring yung 'plan form' nila. The last one I built 1.5 years ago  was an Academy 1/72 Mustang (forgot the varianty, non Malcolm hood siya). Nadala ata ako kasi aside from being small, I have to use 3 shades of metallizers & ANG HIRAP mag metallizer - Clear Coat -Metallizer - etc . . . .  :grr:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Bro might as well go upscale, get the 1/48 Mustang from Tamiya, I think the one with the decal sheet for the Mustang Aces has the new canopy sprue with the better canopy attachment. I hate bare metal finishes too, since I can't find Alclad II or SNJ here. Plus your surface finish has to be PERFECT, otherwise every little bump or hole shows up with the bare metal finish. I''m planning to try the Tamiya Silver Leaf spraycan and Painter's Touch Silver as an alternative when I get the balls to do a P-47 BMF.

[Dr_PepPeR]

Let's see . . .

 

1. Are Spray Paint Cans that good? or should we invest in expensive Air Brush Machines?  - Definitely get an Airbrush Machine. I use a Tamiya Spray Works (Air Gun + Compressor Set, siguro PHP8000+ na ngayon). Di nespose ko yung Badger ko after using it. Ang laki ng range ng fine point niya, as long as you take care of the needle. The problem is pag luma na siay eh yung parts ng compressor dries up so you have to get a new one. I was able to jerry rig my Spray Works gun sa old compressor ko (bought it near UST). It works ! ! !

 

I use the Tamiya Sprayworks too, its great for simple airbrush jobs. I also have a Badger 150 with a half HP compressor that I got in True Value during a sale. I don't use this too often kasi tamad ako to clean the Badger. When I do a mono color paint job, I simply use spray cans either Tamiya Lacquers or Painter's Touch. You have to invert the cans for a while (like a day or so), then dip it in warm water and shake for at least 10 minutes before spraying. When spraying, keep the can moving, start from before the area to be painted and make lampas before you stop. Do not attempt to cover everything in one coat. Start with several mist coats from at least 6 inches away and then make several passes until you get good coverage. A gloss coat will require at least one wet coat.

 

 

2. Are there cheap Air Brush Machines (locally made or Purchase Abroad)? Price Range? - Average price na ata for air brush only is PHP 3000+ up. But lifetinme monggagamitin yun & you'll never want to hand pain a model again if you use one.

 

Yes, an airbrush is expensive. Better get a quality one like a Badger or an Iwata rather than a cheap one made in China because you expect a lifetime use from a quality aribrush.

 

3. How can we know when to use Spray paints or Brush? You use a can if you're sure you'll use up the paint within 3 months or else sayang lang.

 

I still do a lot of brushpainting. I usually use a spraycan for basecoating. I do a lot of washes and drybrushing, and then detail painting so I'm still basically a brush person.

 

4. how about using Putty?  even now I still have problems with parts that have gaps when they are fitted? Actually I use Tamiya (Grey, for malalalim), The Mr. Putty by Ginze Sangyo (the white one) for shallow (they shrink very terribly) & for evrything else cyanoacrylate 'super glue'.

 

For me, Tamiya Putty is still the best for small gap filling, you can thin it with Tamiya cement, acetone or lacquer thinner. For large gaps, I either cement a piece of styrene and sand it down or I mix styrene shavings with plastic cement or lacquer thinner to make a gooey paste and then use putty over it.

 

5. Any Particular techniques in painting camouflage like mixing Green/Black/White/Brown? - free hand ako mag airbrush, just be careful of the spattyer.

 

I also brushpaint camo, tamad talaga ako maglinis ng airbrush eh. I also use spraycans pero kakatamad din ang masking. Just remember to paint the lightest colors first then work toward the darkest. Ang tamad ko talaga!

 

6. Any tips about doing Weathering?  For aircraft, after decalling & 'sealing' the model for 1 -3 days, run a very dilute mixture (1:10) of black grey paint: thinner sa panel lines. After mga 30 min - 1 hr., wipe with a clean cloth yung excess. The panel lines will stay black. for armor, dunno yet thats why mga 15 pa lang armor ko.

 

For armor I do a lot of washes, mostly raw umber oils, brown and black washes, and chalk pastel powders. I really love weathering, especially for armor models.

 

IP.S.  Any info on where I can buy the original TOP GUN movie F-14? - it's by testors. Used to have one. Since they are all overall ghost grey, try to look for their squadrons (VF - #) & you can maybe order the decals from the US/UK. I'm assuming you have Top Gun DVD so you can look at their tails & do your homework. They used planes of actual squadrons (hence actual insignias).

 

Hop I was of help.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Experiment 626]

Bro might as well go upscale, get the 1/48 Mustang from Tamiya, I think the one with the decal sheet for the Mustang Aces has the new canopy sprue with the better canopy attachment. I hate bare metal finishes too, since I can't find Alclad II or SNJ here. Plus your surface finish has to be PERFECT, otherwise every little bump or hole shows up with the bare metal finish. I''m planning to try the Tamiya Silver Leaf spraycan and Painter's Touch Silver as an alternative when I get the balls to do a P-47 BMF.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Actually I'm only sticking to 1/72 for aircraft kasi vast majority ng aircraft ko kasi is in that scale. I do have a few 1/48s - F14, MiG 15, F86 & OH 6 Cayuse to be exact. Ang hirap nga mag perfect ng metallic finishes, up to now hindi ko pa mastered. Wala ako kasing mahanap na adheisve aluminum tape locally. I'll take a look at the 1/48 P51 :thumbsupsmiley:

[Dr_PepPeR]

Actually I'm only sticking to 1/72 for aircraft kasi vast majority ng aircraft ko kasi is in that scale. I do have a few 1/48s - F14, MiG 15, F86 & OH 6 Cayuse to be exact. Ang hirap nga mag perfect ng metallic finishes, up to now hindi ko pa mastered. Wala ako kasing mahanap na adheisve aluminum tape locally. I'll take a look at the 1/48 P51  :thumbsupsmiley:

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Naisip ko na din yan, to panel a model with cheap aluminum foil or yung foil galing sa mga candy wrappers kasi maninipis. But I have no idea what glue to use it with. I thought of using Elmers but that would take too long to set. I'm thinking contact cement, if only I could figure out how to thin it. its too thick straight from the bottle.

 

As to aluminum tape all I've seen are duct tapes, medyo makapal.

[Yu-gi-oh]

Haven't seen a Batman kit lately.  The closest was a die cast Johnny Lightning Batmobile that you needed to assemble.

 

Regarding Jedi or StarWars, ERTL has a StarWars line, but they are not to scale. 

 

Fine Molds has accurate models of the X-Wing (Red Squadron - Red 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Tie Fighter, Tie Interceptor, Jedi Starfighter with Lightspeed booster ring (Episode 2 starfighter), and the all time Japanese favorite StarWars craft - Slave 1.  All in 1:72 scale.

 

Most of the StarWars models are available at Specialty Toys.  Price range - P800 to P4500, depending on the size of the model.

 

If the kit is not available locally, you can go to www.hlj.com and order it from them.  They can ship it to the Philippines, but you'll have to work with the customs at the post office regarding taxes and import duties.

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A few months ago I saw the Bandai 1/35 scale Batmobile kit in Roel's shop in Makati Cinema Square. Although I really wanted to buy it, it was too steep for me (I think it was more than P2K). Anyway, here is what it looks like:

 

http://www.chickslovethecar.com/images/uploaded/62120052402246266-1.jpg

 

http://www.chickslovethecar.com/images/uploaded/632005204151ban934048.jpg

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Cool...........

[jamboree168]

Correction: the model kit was made by Testors.

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thats correct: TESTORS.

Well if you are a traveller or have many friends in this countries you cn still find one.

1. Singapore-----flee market mostly on specialty toy shop

2. Hongkong

3. Bangkok

4. Taipei Taiwan

 

Japan you can find also but it is very expensive to import it here in Philippines espscially the cpostal customs but if you can befriend them.

 

US and UK also very expensive compare to Japan. Asian countries are more cheaper. All products are from the same supplier.

Lately I juts contact with Hasegawa and Bandai if they are willing to make a model of Camp Big Falcon, and they reply with their offer price.

Actually madami tayong dito di lang na expose with other countries.

[Dr_PepPeR]

Watch out - if you should get glue on a part, which is not to be glued, the glue will melt the plastic and destroy the surface of the part. If you see a small amount of glue being forced out in the join between the glued parts, resist the urge to wipe it off, or you will just smear it all over the surface and render the parts useless. Instead, wait until the glue has dried completely (it takes a day or two) and then just sand it off. It may even help to disguise the join.

 

While the glue cures, you should press the parts together to form a strong bond. This is most easily done by using rubber bands, clothespins, or even self-adhesive tape (masking, scotch or magic tape). Be sure to let the parts dry at least one day before doing anything more with it at this point.

 

By the way, the only way to make a good and pretty model is by having patience - tons of it! Often there is a lot of waiting time between two modeling steps. If you think it's boring having to wait two days after a major glue-job, why don't you work on more than one model at a time? Then you can always have something to do if you feel like it, even if one model is in "the drying phase". Lack of patience will only result in a sloppy job and an ugly model.

 

Advanced modelers often use superglue or cyanoacrylic glue. This is more useful when you want to glue together painted parts, need extremely strong glue joins, or when you want to fill a small gap between the mating surfaces. Superglue is also your only choice if the model you're building feature metal parts (quite common for more advanced models).

 

But don't use superglue on clear parts, because the fumes released as the glue cures will fog up and ruin the clear plastic parts before you know what's happening.

 

Superglue cures very quickly and can be sanded smooth when dry. But it's just all too easy to glue together your fingers by accident. It may sound hilarious, but is quite a frightening experience. And painful too, because superglue is very, very strong. Should you accidentally glue together your fingers, don't try to separate them, or you will lose the skin on them. Instead put your fingers under the running tap, as hot as you can stand and carefully and slowly pull your fingers apart. Using disposable gloves is not such a bad idea and never ever touch your face and eyelashes while using superglue.

 

Other types of glue that can be used in modeling is white glue, which dries clear and is easier to work with. Most often white glue is useful for cementing clear parts, such as canopies and windscreens, but they will not form a strong bond and cannot be used to glue together large parts or parts that need strength.

 

If you can, always assemble and paint the whole cockpit section before inserting it into the fuselage, as it will be nearly impossible to do later. Leave the ejection seat to be the last item you glue in place, because you really should make this piece as pretty as you can and it's a lot easier to work with if it's not glued in place.

 

If there is a pilot figure provided, try to do something with it to make it look more like a human than a showroom dummy. Try sawing off the arms and the head and reposition them to make the figure look like saluting, working the radar panel or making notes on the kneeboard.

 

You can also add custom made seat belts made of strips of masking tape. An ugly molded on oxygen hose can be replaced by a bit of thin electric wire (with the isolation part still in place). All these are very simple conversions and will make the model more impressing. Nearly all kits from the same model company contains the same pilot figure, so if you don't want the crew of your model fleet look like an army of clones you will have to do something with them anyway.

[Yu-gi-oh]

Mga Bossing If I try selling Scale model D2 may bibili kaya, I often go abroad andd= I think I can Get 1 or 2 on my way back.....

[Dr_PepPeR]

Mga Bossing If I try selling Scale model D2 may bibili kaya, I often go abroad andd= I think I can Get 1 or 2 on my way back.....

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Yes you could but I suggest you get an order list. For kits, you can get Hasegawa, Finemolds from Japan and if you go elsewhere, maybe the Eastern European kitmakers like Eduard, Roden and other hard to find kits. You might also want to consider buying aftermarket sets like paint, resin, photoetch, decals or even tools. Just be sure you have your buyers waiting for you here since the market for the hobby is not that big here.

[floppydrive]

Me262 Komet - Pre sorry for nitpicking but Me 262 is a Stormbird / Stromvogel. Me163 is the Komet 

 

Revell's Apollo 11 moon landing diorama was a nice build for an 11 year old kid - Can't find a model of that anymore. I haven't even remember if there is one in any store I visited.

What I didn't like about prop planes is that they only look good with the landing gears down, and it would have to be on the shelf. - exactly, & their silhouettes are the same. Jets have more 'exotic' shapes (e.g. delta wing, double delta, swept wwing, swing wing, etc)

My last build was a Bandai Enterprise NCC-1701, but it's not really a plastic model kit - it was a prepainted snapfit.  But it looks great, though! -  The Kirk or Picard Enterprise? To think of it, the only science / sci fi kits I built are Gundams. Medyo relaxin gkasi no research neccesary.

What I don't like with some decals is they turn yellow after some time.  So if it's on a white plastic kit, it looks out of place - Pre overcoat your model with Future Floor Polish. You can airbrush it since it's dilute. it acts as a protective cover yun nga lang medyo glossy dating kits mo. I read in a recent FSM back issue that you add something to Futur to make their sheen semi gloss.

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Thanks for the correction. Now I remember vividly - the Me262 has 2 jet engines under the wings, while the Komet has just one inside the fuselage.

 

I think I saw an Apollo 11 moonlanding kit at Specialty Toys, but not sure. It might be some other Apollo mission model.

 

The NCC-1701 is Kirk's, as well as NCC-1701a. The NCC-1701d and NCC-1701e are Picard's. NX-01 is Scott Bakula's (don't

 

Yes, I remember seeing some of the AMT/ERTL Starwars kits at Winston's shops. I haven't seen the Finemolds 1/72 Millenium Falcon although basing on Finemold's prices, I'm sure that would cost a lot!

 

That is what I hate with Mail Order. Most of the time post office customs will rip you off for tariffs and taxes. I did a trade once with an Aussie and I asked him to dirty and soil the box so it would look used. I think there is a Pinoy mail order company that delivers door to door, they take care of ordering it for you in the US then ship it here. I just forgot their name.

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Wow! I didn't know Finemolds released the Millennium Falcon! Thanks for the heads up!

Just looked it up in HLJ - it's Y19,000, so landed cost would be around P12,000! Mukhang hangang website na lang ang maaabot.