Tips to a newbie.

[rewooh]

I really want to build this later on, but i dont' even know where to start.

i know it may be asking for much, does anyone have any tips for me on how to start building it?

i have the mospeada lancer IMAI 1/12.

[Amped]

Here's a simple but important tip: WASH all the kits' parts before you do anything!!!

Use warm water & plain ol' dish soap & clean the parts while still on the sprues. An old soft toothbrush is perfect for lightly scrubbing the parts. You want to do this in order to remove all traces of release agent (from the parts molds), dust build-up, & body oil. Let the parts air dry thoroughly. Doing so will insure that all the parts will accept paint well. Once you've cleaned all your parts, you'll need to apply primer (a base coat of paint) to the parts.

There are tons of good modeling books & websites out there... just try a Google search & absorb as much info as possible. It's best to do all your research & planning before you start assembly. Maybe practice some assembly & painting techniques on some other cheapie kits before you tackle this puppy. You don't want to be caught unaware as your paint & glue are drying...

[onezero]

I'll toot my own horn, if I may:

www.starshipmodeler.com has a number of basics articles. See also our discussion board -- you can read the "Construction" and "Finishing" sections of the "Modeling BAsics" forum without registering (actually, you can read most of the forums without registering, at that -- but if you want to post, you have to register) -- www.starshipmodeler.net

I'm not familiar with the particular kit you mention, but if it's like the rest of the mosepeda plastic kits I have, it should be a straightforward build. You'll need a hobby knife orsome sort of cutters (to free the parts from their trees), some plastic glue, fine grades of sandpaper and some putty ... and whatever paints you want to use.

Then, it's just a matter of starting at step one and putting tab A in slot B .....

Edited October 18, 2003 by onezero

[David Hingtgen]

Try a lot of paints. See what you like. Every color from every brand is different. Even similar colors from the same brand can behave differently.

PS--almost all gunmetal is evil. Inherently nasty color. Also, jet exhaust just plain sucks, do not use it under any circumstances.

[rewooh]

Should I use air brush?

If so, is it hard?

and which one should i get? is there something specific i should stay away from or is any one of them good? (ie, the 10 dolloar ones on ebay)

[Myersjessee]

air brush is the way to gol...takes some practive but worth it.

[rewooh]

air brush is the way to gol...takes some practive but worth it.

what kind of air brush kit should i get?

[VF-19]

air brush is the way to gol...takes some practive but worth it.

what kind of air brush kit should i get?

That's up for you to decide.

Some factors to consider when looking for an airbrush.

1) How expensive is it?

2) How easy is it to get spare parts?

3) What's the warranty like? (helpful, but not really needed)

4) How much is a compressor and all the parts that go with it is (ie regulator, moisture trap, adapters etc)?

5) How easy is it to clean?

Do your homework

WM Cheng here uses a Badger 200 (same as me), and he has awesome results. Others use a different brand of airbrush and get awesome results too. It all depends on your skill.

Some tips for modeling.

1) Never work when you're tired. Mistakes can happen, including mistakes that cause blood to flow.

2) Don't drink, eat, or smoke when modeling. You can ignite some of the fumes, and you may accidentaly consume something when you eat it (other than the food or drink)

3) Don't drink a caffinated beverage before you model. Shaky hands = BAD!

4) Organize, Organize, Organize!

Have fun!

[rewooh]

thanks~

So..i'm assuming to stay away frrom those $10 air brushing kits out on ebay?

What would you recommend for a beginer? or something moderately priced, with great results and easy to get a handle of?

[VF-19]

thanks~

So..i'm assuming to stay away frrom those $10 air brushing kits out on ebay?

What would you recommend for a beginer? or something moderately priced, with great results and easy to get a handle of?

I'd stay away from cheap plastic airbrushes. If you want an airbrush that will last (or outlast) you, get one that's all metal. Right now I'm using a Badger 200. Easy to use, sprays my paints well, and the results look great, considering that I have had no prior airbrushing experience.

Before you plunk down $100 Cdn or more for an airbrush, you have to really consider some critical factors.

1) Does this airbrush do what I want?

2) How easy is it to get replacement parts?

3) How expensive are the replacement parts?

4) How long will it take to get the replacement parts (really important if you're working on a deadline)?

Now to save some money, wait for a sale at your local hardware store for compressor/airtanks. I got mine for $75 (with a price error to boot! Lucky me!), and the moisture trap ran me another $25. Not bad for $100 CDN. It's a tad bit noisy, but quieter than I expected. It's a 100 PSI 5 gallon tank. Perfect for what I need. Also doubles as an airgun for when I'm cleaning my computer (the tank, not the airbrush! ).

Another thing to consider is a respiratior. You DO NOT want to inhale lots of paint. It's bad for your health. Again, I got lucky and got a disposible respirator from my workplace as it was undergoing rennovations when I bougth the airbrush. Respirators will run you about $20-50 CDN, depending on which one you get.

Do your homework, and get the airbrush you want. Take good care of it, and it will take good care of you.

[Grayson72]

One other comment before you buy all that air brush stuff.

Are you gonna use it more than once? It may seem like a silly question but seriously how much of a model junky are you? You're gonna have buyers remorse after buying all that stuff and build like two models with it. I bought all that stuff but I knew I was in it for the long haul.

[Commander McBride]

PS--almost all gunmetal is evil. Inherently nasty color. Also, jet exhaust just plain sucks, do not use it under any circumstances.

Really? I've used Testors Metallizer jet exhaust (airbrushed) several times on kits, and it came out really nice. I've also used the spray version of their gunmetal (I think) and it came out looking pretty good, with some polishing.

[rewooh]

i wanna get into modeling. I think it'll be neat to do.

I really wanna model my Lancer and a future rook, since there was no release of their cyclones. i have a transformable lancer and from what i hear, there is no transformable rook...so i'm gonna try to atleast look for the 1/12 scale to match my lancer.

i also wanna model the minmay guard and stuff and possibly gundam stuff as well. and since i can't find that many enemy pods and such out there, that wouldn't be bad either.

in terms of the air brush kit.

I looked for the badger 200 on ebay and some came up for 50 dollars..but each one looked differnt. there were 200-3 , 200-2, 200-L and so forth. If i wanted to get one, which one should i get?

and also..

What kind of things should i get as a adhesive to my models? i hear glue? Modeling putty? what the heck is modeling putty?

i tried to put a model together once....negetive. super glue made it worse..

So far i have a list of:

Primer

Paint

Exacto Knife

Sandpaper

and glue/putty?

anything else?

Edited October 21, 2003 by rewooh

[Grayson72]

some tiny paint brushes for the details, some tweezers, jewelers files, some springy clips for holding parts together or for holding when painting, if you're gonna do the airbrush thing then you'll want some empty paint bottles and some pippets for mixing the paints. Don't forget the right primer for whatever paint you're gonna use. Do a search on how to do oil washes too to really bring out the details in your model.

Grayson72

[David Hingtgen]

Toothpicks! Far more useful than most people realize. I mainly use them for gluing, and stirring paint. But have hundreds of other uses (stick them in small holes to hold parts, great for holding wheels, sticking in gaps to open stuff up, gently prodding things into place, small shims, and even more uses if you carve/sand them) Oh yeah---STIR paint. Shaking is bad (air bubbles) and not even 10% as effective as stirring. I like flat toothpicks, BTW.

Sand paper: 280, 320, something in between, and 600 grit are the basics. Anything rougher is too rough for most models, anything finer is only for final polishing usually for clear parts. Though 1000/1500 can be quite useful if you need a really fine finish for painting. 2000+ is "polishing clear parts till they gleam". Good cheap source for sandpaper: auto parts stores. Though I love the Testors stuff, since it's on plastic sheets, not paper sheets. Flexes easier.

Emory boards. Yes, the things for nails. See if you can get a girl to buy them for you, if not just suck it up and buy a half-dozen bright pink nail files. VERY useful. Cusioned, large flat sanding surface. Buy "fine"---usually 280/320 grit. Gives nice even sanding without gouging.

Airbrush: I've had great success with the Testors $18.44 set at WalMart. Certainly a good buy to "try out" before you spend $100+ on a airbrush you won't use. $18 won't be able to do 4-color German splatter camo freehand, but it'll lay down paint nice and smoothly if you just want to spray something overall Ghost Grey or something.

[Myersjessee]

I use the badger 200 with the feed bottle in the bottom (as opposed to the resevoir in the top) It works great...I used it with canned air for a while...then saved up and bought a compressor...you can do without one for a while...but youll want to get one or youll spend as much as a compressor on those damned expensive canneed air cans.