Regult resin 1/72 kit

[mriboy]

Just baught 2 and new to painting models by airbrushing do I need a primer, and whats the best kind of paint to use? I baught a paasche airbrush and compresser with Model master enamel paint is that ok? Also whats a good ratio to mix the thinner in to thin down the paint.

Thanks for you help in advance.

Mike

Edited December 30, 2007 by mriboy

[jardann]

Not sure about a ratio, but the general advice is to thin the paint until it is the consistency of milk. You should definitely practice with the airbrush on some unimportant (old or cheap) kits before you try it on an expensive model.

Make sure you have plenty of thinner on hand and clean the airbrush thoroughly after each use.

I would recommend you give the resin kit a good wash with a detergent and use a primer before painting.

I'd also suggest you check out some other sites for airbrushing advice and some resin kit building advice before you proceed.

A lot of people on this site will give you some good advice, but there are sites with entire sections of instruction on just what you are asking about. The starshipmodeler sitehas a good airbrushing section on it's discussion boards for a start.

I'm sure some other members here can direct you to some even better resaources.

If I can ask, what models are these? Are they the fantastic Moscato versions, or are they the old Imai version that someone copied in resin?

Good luck with the models, and be sure to show us some pics of your progress!

[mriboy]

Ordered off ebay from lokhobbies, I did buy some cheap snap togather aircraft models to practice on.

[big F]

IIRC I was once told to never paint enamels straight onto resin as it doesnt always stay stuck. I always use a neutral color primer first JIC.

Keep us updated on this kit.

[mriboy]

What glue should I use with resin? I have Kwik bond 30 min epoxy right now, will that work? Also where are you guys buying your paint supplies from?

[jardann]

The epoxy should work, especially for the larger heavier pieces where you need a lot of strength. You may want to try a 5 minute epoxy for a quiker set time.

Any CA (cyanoacrylate) glue will work for a resin kit. Super Glue, Krazy Glue etc.

Regular plastic model cement will not work.

[winterdyne]

If you're asking these sorts of questions the following tricks should help you with resin kit assembly:

1 - Clean and sand, clean and sand. Then clean again.

Before painting you need to clean off all mould-release agent. It's also a good idea to rough up the surface a bit with say 600 grit sandpaper. Clean away dust with water, and clean parts with very weakly soapy water - ie not foamy.

2 - Dry fit.

Ensure you know how everything is put together before you so much as think about gluing. Doing this also helps you figure out which joints will need pinning. You can if you wish start to prime at this stage, but you'll want to remove paint from mating surfaces for gluing. I tend to prime only once major subassemblies are complete (legs, body sections etc).

3 - Pinning:

On heavy load-bearing joins pinning will help the durability of your finish model no end. Get yourself a pin vice and a selection of bits for it 1mm is a good general size. You'll also need a corresponding guage wire (copper wire from electrical cable is great!) and some clippers to trim it with. Have a pot of inky, oily paint handy, and a small brush. Drill a hole into one part (generally the lighter, more easily handled one, and CA a short length of the wire to it, leaving a good inch or so over. You can use this on subassemblies as a painting 'handle'. In any case, once you're ready to attach the part, trim the pin to an appropriate exposed length (usually around 5 mm (1/8") is ok). Long enough so it'll go into the other part without sticking through or anything. Now put a drop of your oily paint on the end of the pin and line up the parts, and bring the pin into contact. If all goes well, your pin should mark with paint where you need to drill to get the parts aligned properly. Drill there, clean off the end of the pin, apply CA and insert.

Hope this helps!

[Ghadrack]

Very nice post Winterdyne, I agree with every point. I wish I had advice like that ten years ago before I started my first resin kit and slopped glue all over the thing before seeing how I really wanted it positioned.

[mriboy]

Thank you Winterdyne that was alot of info I needed, this is my first resin model project. Heck my first model project in 15 years lol.

[Less than Super Ostrich]

Thank you Winterdyne that was alot of info I needed, this is my first resin model project. Heck my first model project in 15 years lol.

Welcome back to the hobby! First off, that is great news because toys stink and models are very cool. So build more models.

Now to answer your question. Sounds like you need to ease into the hobby before you tackle an expensive resin kit. That Moscato kit is a great kit, but it is still expensive. You'll be upset if you mess it up... and if you haven't modeled in 15 years you WILL mess it up. Buy some other cheap kits and practice on those.

I'd recommend reading some of the articles on Starshipmodeler.com and look around the forums. Aircraft Resource Center and Armorama are also good websites for building articles. I recommend SSM since it is where I hang out most and the community is really great. Ask any stupid question and you'll get a lot of well thought out responses.

A little glue lesson. Epoxy is usually stronger, but generally tougher to work with (since you got mix the two types together. CA (or superglue) is easier to use and comes in a variety of different viscosities (thickness). A trip to your local hobby store is in order for you!

Resin is tricky. First, it is hazardous to breathe so use water and wet/dry sandpaper to sand.

Normal enamel and acrylic paints to adhere well to resin, so you need to use a primer. You can use some automotive primer, but I'd recommend using Tamiya spray primer. It goes on smoother and less goopy.

For some heavier models, you may have "pin", which is a way of reinforcing the resin with metal rods (paper clips to metal hangers work well). But I don't think you have to worry on this kit.

There are a myriad of tools that will be helpful in your process. My top 10 are:

Hobby knife... with variety of razerblad attachments

Emory boards (or other sandpaper)

Hobby scissors/clippers

Airbrush (dual action) and compressor

Glue... thin CA glue and thick CA glue. CA Accelerator makes things set quicker

Putty... bondo red automotive filler is cheap and great!

Tamiya tape for masking

Tweezers and/or hemostat

Dental picks and/or toothpicks

FUTURE!

Painting can be very tricky with an airbrush. You'll need lots of practice to get the hang of it. Might I recommed Tamiya tape to mask when painting. You don't know the frustration of using regular painters tape and seeing it ruin a great paint job.

If you are really serious about model building, there is a wealth of resources to start you on your journey. If you have unrealistic expectations about throwing this great kit together and making it look like John's stuff, then you are in for a rude awakening. Regardless, welcome back to the hobby! And once again... toys stink and models rule. Suck on that toy boys!

Edited January 2, 2008 by Less than Super Ostrich

[big F]

Welcome back to the hobby! First off, that is great news because toys stink and models are very cool. So build more models.

Let the Toy Wars begin LOL

[mriboy]

I don't have local store need to order most of those things. Whats a good online store to buy from? Tried Walmart didnt have anything I realy needed besides glue and of course tweezers and toothpicks.

Edited January 2, 2008 by mriboy

[jardann]

If you have a craft store (Michaels, Hobby Lobby) nearby they should have most of the items you need. Or check out an artist supply store.

Otherwise, a hardware store or an auto parts store may have most of the stuff on that list as well. You can use Krylon brand primer paint in the spray can, its actuallly pretty decent and reasonably priced. Just spray it in thin coats. You can use Bondo brand auto body putty for gap filling it works well and is cheaper even than most model putties.

You can check out starshipmodeler.com for some supplies. Also try hobbylinkjapan and squadron.com

[EXO]

buncha glue sniffers...

haha.

[Less than Super Ostrich]

I don't have local store need to order most of those things. Whats a good online store to buy from? Tried Walmart didnt have anything I realy needed besides glue and of course tweezers and toothpicks.

My two favorites for everything are Micromark and Squadron. Hobbylinc has some nice prices sometimes. And finally, Hobby Link Japan has some great Japanese products that can make life easier. I'll make things easy for ya...

http://www.micromark.com/

http://www.squadron.com/

http://www.hobbylinc.com/

http://www.hlj.com/

and for airbrushes, you won't find much cheaper and better service than Dixieart...

http://www.dixieart.com/

And while you're at it, you might want to pick up the Dremel Stylus. It has been a real time saver lately. I'm not sure where exactly to get the "I'm a model geek who is obsessed with a cartoon created 25 years ago" T-shirt. I think that came with my airbrush, but I'm not sure.

[mriboy]

Hey thanks for the links, just made life of model building a little easier by having proper tools.

[Less than Super Ostrich]

Hey thanks for the links, just made life of model building a little easier by having proper tools.

Dude... I feel like I'm giving you crack cocaine. It's a really fun hobby, but this stuff is addicting. I have a couple grand worth of tools and paint. And you don't want to know how much I spend on obscure resin kits. Remember I warned you!

[mriboy]

This site has become my dealer, between toys and models spent about 1,600.00 in 3 weeks.

Edited January 3, 2008 by mriboy

[big F]

Yeah we are like dealers who give you your first couple of hits for free knowing you'll be hooked by the weekend

[cowie165]

Speaking of Future, you guys in the States could do well to sell some on eBay Aust. I've seen listings down here selling the stuff for $29 a bottle. Some hobby stores import it then decant it into 1oz tubs and ransom those at crazy prices. No matter what Swanny says, local stuff just aint the same!

[mriboy]

Is Future a clear coat?

[EXO]

Is Future a clear coat?

it's floor wax... haha.

[big F]

Cowie is it not available in Oz at all in any form or name. At $29AU a bottle I'd send my cousin in Sydney a crate to sell she loves eBay.

Edited January 4, 2008 by big F

[cowie165]

Cowie is it not available in Oz at all in any form or name. At $29AU a bottle I'd send my cousin in Sydney a crate to sell she loves eBay.

Apparently the substitutes are SuperShine, SuperStride, Reckitts Longlife Floor Polish - I thought those products were nice until I actually used Future. I remember someone saying it was due to Australian legislation requiring the products to be modified to taste foul or smell awful or something like that - but I don't know why you'd be drinking floor polish. I think the Oz products have ammonia in them. Don't quote me on any of this, I just know that real Future is much much better for dipping cockpits than the "equivalents". I was fortunate and found a mate at work who went to the US on exercise and brought back a crate.

Hey if your cousin is keen, I highly recommend decanting it into 3oz/100ml bottles or something like that. Divide and conquer for increased profit If I could buy a crate I'd be doing it myself!

[mriboy]

So you dip the model in Future after you paint it or what?

[cowie165]

So you dip the model in Future after you paint it or what?

I've only ever done closed canopies, so I dip first, the glue it on, mask and paint. You can airbrush Future on as an acrylic sealant to produce a high gloss finish that helps you decals settle easier and look more like they are painted markings and less like stickers.

There's more info here:

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....showtopic=63929

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/TnT_...ives/Future.htm

and I'm sorry about going OT

[big F]

Thanks for the heads up Cowie I will see if shes interested.

Once you try future you'll never go back.

First time you airbrush it on you'll think that you did it far to thick leave it to dry for 24 hours at least and you notice it sort of magically dries and leaves a shine but you cant see it. The thing still panel lines and you can put decals on with ease.

Even works on protection for toys when you custom them.

Also it works well on UPVC windows makes the dullish white plastic all sparkling like it was when you had the windows fitted. Paint it on outside as well and they clean up really easy when dusty and dirty.

Oh and did you know you can put in the tiled floor as a floor polish