My First Model Kit Ever: Variable jet-black VF-1S

[shiyao]

Here are the results of my first attempt at constructing a model kit ever: a Bandai 1/72 Variable VF-1S Valkyrie. Loads of errors, and I don't just mean the paint job.

Here it is, pre-painting:

[shiyao]

and in pre-paint Battloid mode (argh! note the mistake with the left knee!):

Edited February 17, 2005 by shiyao

[shiyao]

AND THEN - I destroy everything with my evil brush -

[shiyao]

more of the carnage, this time a 3/4 view:

[shiyao]

and a side view (note Robotech DVD in background - I had to alleviate boredom when I got stuck):

[shiyao]

now in battloid mode (guess where that heatshield sticker came from!):

Edited February 17, 2005 by shiyao

[shiyao]

and from the rear:

[shiyao]

Roy is so gonna kick Blackie's ass.

[shiyao]

Well, see if you can spot all the errors I made.

I would also greatly appreciate painting feedback, positive or negative. Should I have painted the individual parts first before sticking it all together? is painting without an airbrush just stupid? will i die if i paint indoors without any windows open?

Edited February 17, 2005 by shiyao

[AlphaHX]

I'm not trying to be mean or whatever but I cant say it looks good... but you can probably do a lot better than I can so who am I to talk?

I just recently got an airbrush and was testing it out and imo the control and the smooth coats that its able to do is a billion times better than anything else I've tried. Just my 2 cents.

I like the black scheme at least.

Seriously, dont worry about it. I can probably do worse.

[AlphaHX]

Oh yeah, also take it slow. I'm trying to build up my modeling skills nice and slow. First I'm dealing with surfacing and sanding to get rid of all the seamlines. Then move onto puttying to deal with any mishaps or slight mods. Then after all that I'm going to practice my airbrushing skills.

I'm glad you posted ur model tho. Most people are afraid of posting due to critisms and such.

[Valk009]

Yep, taking it slow as AlphaHX suggests is the best route

I hardly paint my models nowadays, unless they are really special ones and if your preparation and sanding skills are good, a pre colour-molded kit can look fab without any seams or whatsoever!

The trick is to glue the parts with model cement until some glue oozes out (the cement actually works by melting the the plastic pieces). Then start with sanding from coarse to fine and finish off by using polish paste, again from coarse to fine. The end result will actually look really great!

Btw, your attempt on the transformable valk is quite good, since it is a hand job and not a blow job If I can choose, blow job is always my favourite!

Andy

[Phadeout]

Btw, your attempt on the transformable valk is quite good, since it is a hand job  and not a blow job    If I can choose, blow job is always my favourite!

Andy, that was funny.... damn...

I'd say when it comes to painting, you should do the peices individually, but first you have to have them ready for fitting... or you're gonna end up sanding and glueing over the paint. Not all peices have to be painted first, but things that you can't mask should get paint.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Phadeout

[Ido]

Handpainted with enamels or acrylics? Every model I hand painted with enamels was ruined

Airbrushing at least for the base coat is the better choice.

[Ghadrack]

First, thanks for having the heart to post your model, like the others said, lots of people are afraid to.

Hand painting isn't a complete no-no, I mean, painting by hand is what humans did for centuries before air comressors and spray guns, but it takes a steady hand and a lot of patience. It also takes a good brush (Not those course bristled, white handled Testors things they sell at most hobby stores) and a paint mixuture that is at the right viscousity. Most of those Testor enamels right out of the bottle are too thick to lay down smooth. It may seem like a waste of time, but what I suggest if you are going to work on hand painting again get some thinner for your paint, invest in a few nice brushes like sable or synthetic hair from an arts and crafts store, practice thinning your paint out enough to where you get good coverage and the paint does not want to gob up on you. Practice on the inside of a model kit, or on some sprue plastic. Just laying some paint down with different amounts of thinner will give you some practice and show you haw the thinner affects the paint.

As far as assembly goes, I am not a huge stickler for seams, but one of your legs has a little gap you can see right through the model

I like the paint scheme, black Valks are cool, I think if you take it a little slower you will be much happier with the result.

Thanks again for posting, and I hope I didn't offend you, definitely keep building, it is fun and you get better with every kit.

[Mechleader]

Not bad. Could be worse! keep it up!!!!! You'll get the hang of it!

[Grayson72]

Also remember no matter what you are using to paint with (brush or air) several thin light coats are always better than one thick on.

Your prepainted shots of that old model bring back so many memories, I'm gonna have to build one of mine now.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Grayson72

[jardann]

Thanks for posting pics of your kit! You've really done a fine job with this kit considering it's your first model and it still is able to transform! Those kits are not exactly easy to build especially as your first attempt.

I have to agree with everyone else here that the number one thing to do is slow down. When assembling the kit, try to make sure that all the sprue attachment points are cleaned up before you assemble the pieces. Use a sharp hobby knife to gently scrape or cut off the little nubs that are left after you remove a piece from the sprue. That will result in a more realistic look, help with seams and will definitely help with the transforming and articulated kits.

When you have a few pieces or a subassembly together or even two major parts glued together, look over them and check for any misaligned parts or anything you are not happy with and fix it now before you go farther. This will stop a small error from becoming a major one down the line.

Ghadrack gave some good advice on brush painting. I have painted plenty of models without an airbrush and although not as smooth as an airbrush finish they can still be respectable. Painting before or after assembly depends on the situation. I often spray some kind of a primer coat while the parts are still on the sprue, but I find that I end up scraping and sanding alot of it off during assembly. Still, it gives a nice surface for the finish coats to adhere to. Make sure you have plenty of fresh air when painting. I do a lot of painting indoors and I think I've escaped brain damage.(my wife may disagree) If you start to get dizzy or light headed get out into the fresh air right away and see what can be done to alleviate the problem. Maybe use a fan if needed to keep the fresh air flowing. Stay away from open flame while you are painting too!

One more thing I would suggest is to work on a couple of simpler models before trying another variable or expensive model. The work will be easier and you can get comfortable with the basics of assembly and painting without worrying about producing a model that does justice to the complexity and cost of some kits. I highly recommend the 1/100 valk fighter kits. They can be found pretty cheap and build up into a decent looking valk. Or you could try some 1/72 scale modern fighter jets. You can usually find some Revell or Monogram kits for low prices in your local hobby shop or at some online retailers like http://www.squadron.com/ or http://www.greatmodels.com I would stay away from the 1/144 scale airplane kits or 1/72 armor kits as they can often be hard to work with with many very tiny parts.

Good luck, and don't get discouraged! The purpose of model building is to have fun and it looks like you are doing that now. You show a great sense of humor and willingness to have fun with the hobby so go for it. We all aren't going to be model masters,(lord knows I'm not) but everyone can have fun with this hobby. I look forward to seeing future models posted here by you.

WOW! this turned into a huge post! I hope some of this helps. Just keep practicing and having fun! Thanks again for sharing!

[shiyao]

Wow - thanks for all that feedback! I am *amazed* that not a single one of you said, "Gedouddaheah, newbie. Diz place for dem Blackaces and WM Cheng only. Ain't nobuddy gonna look at yah stinkin' pile o' crap."

So, gathering up the snippets of wisdom from you guys, I have this summary:

1. Get an x-acto knife.

2. Get sandpaper.

3. Get epoxy putty or Mr Surfacer (any other more easily available alternatives?).

4. Get a priming coat spray (what's the exact name for this kind of stuff?)

5. GET A (&@#^*$# AIRBRUSH

6. Get a simpler model. I was thinking of one of them Hasegawas, since they all don't transform (but they're still pretty hard aren't they?). BUT I am SO TEMPTED to buy a 1/12 Imai Variable Cyclone from Drewsky ... any thoughts on the difficulty of that kit?

7. Get some acrylics! (I was told acrylics were bad for model kits - why though? My experiment with LACQUER paint here has obviously been a miserable one.)

8. Get outdoors (impossible in Manhattan).

9. Get a better finishing spray (I used a Windsor and Newton All-Purpose Matte Varnish - bad choice?).

10. Get some patience!

OK, 10 rules, just nice. I will be off now to continue heated negotiations with 1 VF-1 2NV over the possible splitting up of DanGAGT's Hikaru 1/48 VF-1J Super.

[Grayson72]

I use Tamiya putty and Mr. Surfacer, also a tip from WM Cheng; use the old testors glue on non-critical seems, if you use an ample amount the glue will squish out and fill in any seems so you have a minimal amount of filling and sanding afterwards.

Also, I find priming plastics more trouble than they're worth since they interfere with the glue process.

Also, it helps to study the plans first and try to figure out what subassemblies can be completed before attaching to other components. The more of this you do the easier it will be for fit and finish of the parts. (example here would be the gear and weels on the model).

Also, go ahead and "collect" that Cyclone model but it's definately not for newbies, trust me on this one. Just put it away in your closet until your skills are up to par.

WARNING! this may be habit forming

Edited February 17, 2005 by Grayson72

[jardann]

All of the modelers here are very supportive. Part of what makes MW great!

I highly recommend you get the Tamiya modeling putty. It's far superior to the other brands I've tried.

I would not worry about getting the airbrush right away. Save up for it and in the meantime work on some of those simpler kits just to get the feel of the modeling process. As you progress, you'll know when to start using the airbrush. There's no way to get a great finish onto a poorly built model.

One other thing I don't think was mentioned yet. Make sure to wash the model parts in some water with just a little bit of dish detergent before you assemble and then wash and air dry the surface of the model before painting too. That will help the paint adhere to the plastic.

Keep practicing and grab those kits that you like but beware, those kits can pile up quick! "Just one more, I swear by next year I'll have all of them built!"

Grayson,

That's a great cabinet! I can relate. I've got one set of shelves, one cabinet and kits are starting to overflow! And that doesn't count built up models either!

[Grayson72]

Grayson,

That's a great cabinet! I can relate. I've got one set of shelves, one cabinet and kits are starting to overflow! And that doesn't count built up models either!

Heh, thanks, sad part is that's an old pic, about 10 models and several hundred dollars ago, the collection is even worse now.

[jardann]

Kinda sad when about ten models adds up to several hundred dollars isn't it? I remember when $10.00 was a lot for a model and that was probably a very large kit at that!

[Berttt]

Shiyao,

I love poorly built models, as an average modeller myself I find it can be very discouraging to see all these museum peices on the net, that don't look at all like what I have sitting at home. Thanks for sharing, you have done the right thing, I wish I had of known about forums such as this one a long time ago so I idn't waste as much time.

Most of the advice given so far is good, so I will only add some points of my own.

The only way to get to a point where you will be happy with the result is practice, but don't just practice with any old crappy kit.

As I once heard you can't polish a turd, and with some of those old Airfix/Heller/Monagram kits a turd is exactly what you will get, spend a little more on say a Tamiya/Hasegawa F-16 (or whatever) or late relaese Revell so that you can practice the very basic skills you will need, these kits fit better so you will only need a little filler along the seams, a quick ruub down and you are away, rather than spending hours on a kit made 30+ years ago, getting frustrated and cutting corners. With these kits you can just about follow the tips from WM Cheng to the letter and get a model that is respectable. If you don't know which kit to get search on sites such as Hyperscale or Aircraft Resource Centre and read the kit reveiws and features, or ask someone here - they may know.

Buy an airbrush and compressor, like the guys have said already save up for one, and get a good one to start with that will allow you to expand your skills range from basic covering, to pre/post shading, fading etc. In the meantime practice the basic skills of subassembling, gluing, filling and sanding, and spray with a can for a while to keep you motivated.

Don't under estimate the value of the right tool for the right job, start off with an exacto with plenty of new blades, some jeweler files, decent glue wet&dry sandpaper, a cutting mat, some good brushes of various sizes for detail parts, tamiya masking tape (the best for the job) and some Mr Surfacer or some kind of equivelent. Washes, dry brushing photo etch, weathering and shading, pastels etc can all come much later, and in some cases can be applied to an already completed model later on. Master the basics first.

I like to try and learn something new on every kit I build, I learned the art of seam filling on an old Hobbycraft 1/48 Vampire, the art of masking and applying different colours on a 1/48 Iriquios, and P-61. Pre shading on a 1/72scale Hasegawa Battroid, post shading and weathering on a 1/72 scale Vf-1A Super and VE-1.

Good luck, and never let the model kit win!

Cheers,

Berttt.

P.S. Post you kits here so we can watch as you progress with your skills.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Berttt

[shiyao]

Thanks guys again, for all these words of encouragement.

I guess I have a whole list of things to buy, if I'm going to get anywhere with this! Where do you guys normally get your stuff - online, that is? I've surfed onto a couple of art and hobby sites, but it would be great to know where most of you shop.

Here's my buy list then:

1. Sandpaper

2. Tamiya putty

3. Tamiya paints - acrylics, right? Which type goes best with airbrushes?

4. X-acto knife

5. Priming spray

6. Finishing spray

7. Markers for fine detail/panel lining

Recommendations as to where to find these online (cheap + good + reliable), anyone?

[David Hingtgen]

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com THE site for modelling planes. Their forum is gigantic and you'll find literally thousands of knowledgable people, dedicated "Tools and Techniques" sub-forum. http://s102164210.onlinehome.us/forums/ind...hp?showforum=12

Anyways, for brush-painting I've gotta say I get a lot better results with acrylics. And the "multiple thin coats" thing works even better with them than with enamels. My best advice for brush-painting: get the longest, softest bristles you can. And use the right size brush. Big part? Don't use 76 strokes of a tiny brush. Conversely, don't use a 1/2 inch brush on a wheel...

Shopping? Mainly www.greatmodels.com (though they do have a rather "unique" ordering system, somewhat akin to HLJ), and www.squadron.com. Also try www.scalehobby.com

[Zentrandude]

im surprised nobody said part of the leg is backwards

[shiyao]

Well, maybe that's because I've already pointed it out myself.

[Zentrandude]

Well, maybe that's because I've already pointed it out myself.

funny didnt see it till you edited that post.

[Mechwarrior]

I applaud you! At least you take the time to put it together and not horde it away. I wish I had kept my first model, that would have been a big laugh to look at, if I am not mistaken it was a Monogram Cykill, man did I ever screw that thing up. It is possible to use light coats of can spray paint also, I still do that Method from time on diffrent models, I am talking about the cheapy ones u find at Walmart and such in the paint department, nothing special. Good job and thanx for sharing, i had to put in my two cents, i visit model section daily, but I never post much, but thanx for putting it together and sharing.

[Less than Super Ostrich]

run the other direction. Buy wisely... don't need to have six of every model.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Less than Super Ostrich

[Dangard Ace]

Well, maybe that's because I've already pointed it out myself. 

funny didnt see it till you edited that post.

You might want to get your eyes checked. He's had that edited tag in that post 6mins after he posted his pic....two days ago.

....or stop smoking bong.

[Zentrandude]

Well, maybe that's because I've already pointed it out myself. 

funny didnt see it till you edited that post.

You might want to get your eyes checked. He's had that edited tag in that post 6mins after he posted his pic....two days ago.

....or stop smoking bong.

nah its my web brower. for some reason firefox will sometimes show old things along with newer content. some of the other message boards it won't show any post till days later.

[Dangard Ace]

Then you might need to update FF. I've been running FF all the time for the last 4 months and I've had no trouble with it. Win2000, XP, and Mac OS X.3.

[Robert S]

I would say great job for a first attempt (especially on THAT kit). I agree with what was said. My big thing would be the seams. Your kits will look better (even hand painted) if the major seams are cleared (or at lease shrunk down a bit).

In addition to your list of items to buy I would add:

- a set of sprue clippers. A bunch of companies make them (Tamiya for one). Basicly they are a set of diaginal cutters with a flat side to them and a spring loaded handle. You can use them cut flush the attachment points to minimize cleanup of those areas.

- some masking tape. If you place this on each side of the seam that you are working it can help reduce the damage to the surounding detail.

-Keep your sandpaper in the 320+ grit range. I find anything lower and you are just fixing your sanding. Sometimes you will need something courser but as you learning this may help save your sanity a bit . You may also want to look at some sanding sticks (made by Squadron and Flex-i-File). I love them and don't build without them. I think they are a little easier to control that just sandpaper (but they can't do everyting).

Definatle do some more forum searcing. One poster mentioned ARC and that is a great site with a great bunch. You can allso check out Starship Modeler (http://www.starshipmodeler.com/) they have some great how to articals and a fourm of another great bunch)

A comment on your painting - Again good job for a first attempt. Hand painting is an art. I have seen buildups that I swear were airbrush painted only to find out that it wasn't. It just take a lot of skill (which I don't have) and a lot of practice! Also on all black paint jobs I find that one black overall kinda turns the model into a black hole you may want to try to varie it up a bit by putting some diffiernt shades of black or dark greay in. For example have the leading edge of the wing Flat black, the center the glossy color that you have the the alerons flat again or your missle seaker heads flat, the bodys gloss, and the rocket moter a gunship grey.

Just my thought. Good work, keep at it and welcome to the nut house!