Kind of new to modelling.

[mbs357]

I've put together a NASCAR model (which was the works, glue, paint, and other stuff) fairly decently, and a snap together F-16 model. I've goofed with legos alot, so I guess I can get the parts to go together decently. But the painting and decal part kind of worries me. Should I start with cheaper models before getting myself into a Hasegawa 1/72 kit? I know they're not exactly pricey, but I'm sure there are cheaper models out there that I could hone my skills on. If I can get it to at least look decent with my skills I'll be more than satisfied.

Also, what would you all say would be the simplist Macross model kit made by Hasegawa? I don't want to start up suddenly doing a kit after such a long absence from the practice.

And most Macross models by Hasegawa are listed as Skill Level 3. If I'm not mistaken, doesn't this rating system go up to Level 5?

I think that's about all I wanted to put in here...I hate when I forget what I've planned on writing for the last 20 minutes when I open up the post thing...

[gnollman]

The VF-1 kits from Hasegawa are not for beginners... I would recommend you practice a bit before tackling one of these guys.

Pick up a few Revells or other 1/72 hasegawa jet kits, they don't tend to be as complex as the VF-1 kits. Basically, pick up some cheap kits to practice painting and decals on before you head into the Macross kits.

[neptunesurvey]

I would recommend something simple as well. The Hasegawa VF1 kits can be difficult. Pickup some plane models, any plane models, and practice on those. You can pick up some cheap ones at Walmart or Hobby Lobby.

[Prons]

http://www.1999.co.jp/asp/GoodsDetails_e.a...hop_right_e.asp

Does that look hard? Thats the VF-1S strike valkyrie (Which I should get in the mail today) look at the contents and the manual, if it looks hard it probaly is.

http://www.1999.co.jp/asp/GoodsDetails_e.a...hop_right_e.asp

Heres a tiny nichimo 1\200th valkyrie. Linked just for fun

[Grayson72]

The 1/200 series is actually a good idea Prons. They're cheap and readily available and the paint colors you buy for them would carry over to the more complex models when you were ready.

[Myersjessee]

The 1/200's are good....as are the 1/100 older Bandais from HLJ (if you want to do Macross) The other thing you might try is if you can get a simpler VF1 (say an A) from Ebay...while complex, a lot easier then a strike.

[Prons]

The vf-1s strike is a great kit but I did a medicore job lack of t00lz

[Pat Payne]

I would recommend something simple as well. The Hasegawa VF1 kits can be difficult. Pickup some plane models, any plane models, and practice on those. You can pick up some cheap ones at Walmart or Hobby Lobby.

A good way to start is do WW2 aircraft first. They tend to be very simple constructions (as long as you're not tackling something like a Fairey Swordfish biplane) and move up from there. As for painting, try taking a fairly well-documented (read:done to death) aircraft, like the Mustang or Zero, and track down paint schemes for them.

[tetsujin]

Meh, the parts count on the Nichimos is so low I wouldn't think they'd be very good as practice. They are reasonably nice kits to work with, but a lot of them don't look so hot out of the box.

The Hasegawa Battroid isn't too tough a kit if you know what to watch out for, and especially if you build the A or J head instead of the S. The main thing is to get the parts aligned properly - remove the snap-fit pegs if necessary, just make sure that when you glue them they're lined up right, and then you'll be able to clean up the seam without destroying the surface detail.

If you want to do a Hasegawa kit, the Battroid is probably easier than the fighters. The Battroid is a full-action kit with polycaps, so when you glue all the parts together, you can still take everything apart and paint it separately. Plus there are no fine-detail areas on the battroid like there are on the fighter (cockpit, landing gear, etc.). I think either kit would be easy to do a basic paintjob on: if you're doing a Skull Squad design or Hikaru's J-type valk, you can almost paint just one color (except for thrusters and such) and then do the rest with decals. Again, the battroid makes that easier.

As for whether to jump in or practice on other stuff first, I don't know. On the one hand, practice is always helpful - but on the other hand, building any kit properly is a lot of work. I think it's best to stick to the stuff you're most interested in doing - if you screw up on a Hasegawa, that's not so bad, you'll just have a better idea of what you're up against next time. Plus, I think even if you're relatively inexperienced, a Hasegawa is a nicer kit to work with than something like the transforming valks on HLJ. Hasegawas have nice features like wings you can install after painting. The transforming valks are a bit complicated, dealing with all their ins and outs is a pain IMO.

As for the decals... they can be tough if you're not used to doing them. I screwed up several decals on my first battroid, but the practice was enough to make using decals no longer a problem for me. Identify the decals you don't need and use them to practice - and remember to read the relevant FAQs and such on how to apply decals.

[Grayson72]

To me the part count isn't the tough part. The hard part of modelling for me is getting the paint to look right. That's the practice that the little guys would provide.

[tetsujin]

To me the part count isn't the tough part. The hard part of modelling for me is getting the paint to look right. That's the practice that the little guys would provide.

Well, a big part of making the paint look right is addressing seams and detail. Fewer and smaller parts means fewer and smaller seams, and less detail to potentially screw up - so it's an easier kit to do out-of-box and might be good for practicing the most basic skills - but I think practicing the surface work before the painting is just as important as practicing the painting itself - perhaps more so if you're only doing a simple paint job.

Plus, I think for practice it's good to have a kit that's easy to work with. Something like the Nichimo Regult would be OK because you can build and paint it in a modular fashion. Most any other Nichimo would be a bit tougher IMO because some parts need to be assembled around other parts. Plus the re-releases don't include decals. (Though there are people you can talk to about getting decals..)

I dunno. I do love the little buggers, so it's not as though I'd want to discourage anyone so inclined from ordering a big stack of Nichimos and using them for practice. I just think, if you already have most of the basic skills down, the Nichimos aren't going to do much to prepare you for working with a Hasegawa. I also think it's better for practice to pick kits that look good out-of-box, so you can do a reasonably quick build and just be happy with the result. Some Nichimos fit the bill, but a lot don't IMO. But a lot of the reason I say that's important is because I tend to modify the features I don't like, and that can become very time-consuming...

I guess the good thing about working with small kits for painting practice is that they'd be a lot less forgiving of mistakes: at the smaller scale, a small seam line edge or coarseness in the paint job will look huge in the context of the model. So if you get the hang of them, it seems reasonable to assume that you would then be quite good at surface finish and painting work.

[newca]

besides some "normal" military jets model, I suggest some Bandai HG(1/144) Gundam models to practise, if you don't have any experience on "Robot", they are cheap and rather easy to build. just snap on and need no paint. but if you want some decent effect, use them to practise basic assemble\cement\painting\cutting skills etc.. as tetsujin said, try to remove "snap-fit pegs", to get some custom lessons.

then you can take a Hasegawa Batriod Valk to go on, not complex too much. after that, try the Fighter mode Valk.

[mbs357]

Very sorry for my lack of replies in this thread, I had thought I posted in the other models forum and couldn't find it...silly me.

Anyway, much thanks for all the feedback. I had been wanting to stick with Hasegawa, because from all the picks I've seen of their models they look the best. Like the difference between the Bandai's VF-19 and Hasegawa's...what's up with Bandai's wings?

I had been hearing around that the VF-1 fighters were difficult to build. A previous post has made me lean towards a battroid VF-1, they sound straightfoward. I also looked at their WWII fighters, I've always been a fan of the P-51. =] Sooo...in conclusion, thanks alot for the feedback, I guess I'll think about getting a VF-1 battroid or some WWII fighter, thanks alot. =]

[VF-19]

If you're looking for a nice cheap ww2 fighter model, look at Academy's offerings. Nice selection, and their 1:72 offerings are about $8-12 Canadian. They go together nicely, and while small (the actual plane isn't very big), they look great with a simple paint job.

[mbs357]

Sweet, I'm in the US, so it'll probably be a bit less for me. I'll stop by HLJ and look around.

Edit:

Great, looks like HLJ has a couple of them in stock, looks like there's alot better selection out of stock though...I'll keep these in mind, and might end up buying one of the smaller ones, thanks for the reccomendation. =D

Edited February 6, 2004 by mbs357

[cobywan]

I would recommend the HAsegawa VF-1 fighter kit. The fit on the parts are awesome. I don't quite understand what it so hard about the kit personally. Since yo already have experience with the NASCAR models this should be a breeze for you.

[Southcross]

I would recommend something simple as well. The Hasegawa VF1 kits can be difficult. Pickup some plane models, any plane models, and practice on those. You can pick up some cheap ones at Walmart or Hobby Lobby.

I went to my local "master" model shop... hit the "clearance" bin, picked up a F14A "Bombcat" for like $6. Quite a nice model, butt loads of parts, descent detail, plenty of "unused/extra" parts for making customs. Figure I can mutilate it with "custom" stuff before I mute a Hassey.

[David Hingtgen]

Head to Wal-Mart. Not a big selection, but they've *always* got tons of Monogram $10 1/72 F-14/15/18's to work with. Cheap, decent kits, and something you'd probably want a model of anyway. No sense (IMHO) working on a Mustang when you're trying to practice on a VF-1. (Honestly, F-16's and F-18's are among the easiest to work with, as models go--F-14's are inherently not that easy, and F-15's are moderate) It's all about the intakes, and forward fuselage--neither of which most WW2 plane kits even deal with.

[The_Major]

I have to agree heavely with dave, you should definatly try your hand at a 1/72 F-14, if you can compleat it, and do well, then move up to a VF-1 kit.

ive been modeling for around 13 years (im only 19 lol i started young first kit was a revell B-17) and even after my 972 some VF kits (Yes i said 972) i still concider myself a bit of an amature, i still dunno how to correctly Oil wash and weather my kits yes i know im sad, Dont hurt me.

Anyway, if you have the patients to Build an F-14 and do it well when you really just want to build a VF-1 then youll be able to have the paitents to put together a hase VF-1 and end up with a very well done kit, and thats from personal experiance.