New to Modeling

[Mattg]

Hey i was just wondering what are the differences between your average $20 model from a craft store or one of those expensive tamya kits?

[henk4]

Hey i was just wondering what are the differences between your average $20 model from a craft store or one of those expensive tamya kits?

Tamiya kits are much better engineered, all part will fit properly, while cheaper kits may require a lot of additional work to achieve the a similar but still not the same result.
Probably it is best to start with a few cheap ones, learn some of the techniques required, and then try a Tamiya. Then you will really appreciate the difference.

[Mattg]

I am actually in the middle of a model now its a toyota supra and i am in the middle of painting it with a metal flake blue. I use a brush to paint but i have heard of using a mini air gun. Are there any advantages/disadvantages over an airgun and a paint brush?

[henk4]

if the paint is sufficiently flowing you might be able to get a smooth surface without brushmarks. Use a broad tipped soft brush. In any case you should sand and polish the body to get a proper shine. Airguns provide you with all the flexibility in colour choice that you need, but also airbrush coats need to sanded and polished, to get rid of the so called orange-peel type of coat. If you know exactly which colour you want you may alternatively try a spray can in the colour.

[Mattg]

ok thanks for all your help :)

[henk4]

ok thanks for all your help :)

put some pics on when ready :)

[Mattg]

i dont have a digital camera sorry but i might be able to scan some regular pics to my computer :)

[fa22_raptor]

I made a model of a Testarossa a few years ago. The model was made by a small Japanese company, and surprise surprise... many of the parts didn't fit together very well at all. The result of all that was it looking like absolute rubbish and me treating it likewise :D

[Matra et Alpine]

Yeah, small volume production can suck.
I'm presuming it was a resin ?
Some of the resin models I've built over the years I think I'd have been easier starting from scratch than trying to reshape the parts to fit :(

[henk4]

I made a model of a Testarossa a few years ago. The model was made by a small Japanese company, and surprise surprise... many of the parts didn't fit together very well at all. The result of all that was it looking like absolute rubbish and me treating it likewise :D

Was it by any chance Fujimi? They made some awfully bad quality Ferrari's which you should avoid as much as possible, unless you are a masochist :)

[illusionest]

tamiya is the best out there, i have around... 6 tamiyas, including enzo+gt, also this honda civic (not tamiya) ,and im almost finished with it
i made my own body kits, now i m waiting for my spray paint :p
if u have any LED lights u can add sum neonz too, which i did to my civic, :)
its kinda kool

lets see if i can get any pics up

[Rockefella]

tamiya is the best out there, i have around... 6 tamiyas, including enzo+gt, also this honda civic (not tamiya) ,and im almost finished with it
i made my own body kits, now i m waiting for my spray paint :p
if u have any LED lights u can add sum neonz too, which i did to my civic, :)
its kinda kool

lets see if i can get any pics up
lol.. ricer. ;)

[Plutus]

Hey Matt... As Henk quite rightly states, you need to work on getting the paint finish right. Tamiya kits are the best quality 'everyday' kits as they fit together best and typically have the best instructions and most realistic decals.

For getting a good paint finish, spraying is best (ideally an airbrush with compressor) but you can get an OK finish with a brush and some elbow grease. If the kit has some detail, you may want to thin down the paint a little so that it doesn't fill the shut lines etc. Sand down between applications of paint so you get a smooth finish and, if possible, dry the freshly painted kit in a dust-free environment. Nothing worse than dust in your bodywork!

I think this is a repost but is a useful tutorial for the perfect finish:
http://italianhorses.net/Tutorials/PerfectPaint/paint.htm
Check out the high-gloss finish on that 360!!!

[Esperante]

Was it by any chance Fujimi? They made some awfully bad quality Ferrari's which you should avoid as much as possible, unless you are a masochist :)
Fujimi's suck unless you have the patience to build them. It took me 3 months to build a complete 356 Speedster by them, but it was well worth the time. Same with my 911 RS. I once found a 944 by Hasegawa, and included felt to put over the seats. Very nice, well fitting model, but it was old, hard to find and there was too much open room in the engine bay.

It will sound lazy, but you can achieve perfect polished off body paint like that in the link above by simply using Tamiya sprays! They come out perfect every time!

[henk4]

Fujimi's suck unless you have the patience to build them. It took me 3 months to build a complete 356 Speedster by them, but it was well worth the time. Same with my 911 RS. I once found a 944 by Hasegawa, and included felt to put over the seats. Very nice, well fitting model, but it was old, hard to find and there was too much open room in the engine bay.

It will sound lazy, but you can achieve perfect polished off body paint like that in the link above by simply using Tamiya sprays! They come out perfect every time!

The Fujimis you built are from the professional series, which have full engine detail and the lot. (there were Dino's, Contahcs, the BMW 6 coupe and many Porsches, and the Stratos). The engineers involved in that series left Fujimi several years ago and they are now working for other Japanese companies, (Model Factory Hiro if I am not mistaken).
Hasegawa also had a small series of fully detailed cars, not only the 944, there was also a 328GTS and the Jaguar XJS racing, which I both built a long time ago.
I also use almost always Tamiya spray cans but to remove the orange peel effect (not happening with all colours though) wet sanding and polishing is most of the time required, to get a really deep shine You don't want to spray a heavy coat, otherwise the panellines become totally filled up.

[Manik]

Yeah, small volume production can suck.
I'm presuming it was a resin ?
Some of the resin models I've built over the years I think I'd have been easier starting from scratch than trying to reshape the parts to fit :(

when you say the small volume production sucks what are the good companies for models. i am asking cuz i wanna start one :D

[henk4]

when you say the small volume production sucks what are the good companies for models. i am asking cuz i wanna start one :D

You can immediately recognise small volume production models from their price, which is mostly twice or trice as high as a decent plastic main stream model. If you really want to start buy some cheap Revell or AMT kits (depending on the subject) and start experimenting with those. Normally they are so cheap that you don't need to be too afraid to spoil them. Having done a few of those, go over to Tamiya, which are more expensive, but after having done the Revells you will appreciate how good they are.

[Matra et Alpine]

Yep, tamiya are consistenttly better.
There are occasional great ones from others but you're "safer" with tamiya.

[Esperante]

It's probably best to expirement with Tamiya until you know what you're doing, then buy other, less prolific brands. Some of my best models are by companies I'd never heard of before. :)

[henk4]

It's probably best to expirement with Tamiya until you know what you're doing, then buy other, less prolific brands. Some of my best models are by companies I'd never heard of before. :)

If money is not a problem, yes, may but Tamiya kits are about twice as expensive as the ordinary Revell or AMT kits and you may get frustrated as a beginner to have spoiled such an epxensive kit.