# New to hobby



## jpwv (Sep 23, 2015)

Im new to the hobby and was wanting some opinions on what brand or type of paint,glue,etc. also opinions on what company to get model kits from.Thanks


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## Warspite (Aug 3, 2013)

jpwv said:


> Im new to the hobby and was wanting some opinions on what brand or type of paint,glue,etc. also opinions on what company to get model kits from.Thanks


To be honest with you a very great deal depends on which genre of modelling you want to do and on your existing skill sets. For instance if you decided on model cars, there are paints specifically made and names for certain automobile colours and are only available from a few manufacturers. 

Modern military aircraft have a wide range of colours to chose from. Another thing is you are going to exclusively use enamels or acrylic paints, maybe both. Are you familiar with using a paintbrush for detail work, Do you have experience using an airbrush.

Most modellers seem to use liquid glue which is available from a few different companies. There are a range of knives, sanding tools and other instruments you can choose from. 

To be able to point you in the direction you want to go, you need to tell us your interests and ideas for what you'd like to try. 

Don


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## spawndude (Nov 28, 2007)

To get started I would suggest Testors glues and paints. Widely available and they will get the job done.
Kit makers Revell, MPC, Mobius. My personal opinion but there isn't a brand I would tag as one to stay away from, especially someone just getting started. They all have their duds and gems.

As you get into the hobby you will develop your own preferences as you read and learn from others on forums like this one.


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## jpwv (Sep 23, 2015)

I have some experience with a paintbrush for details but not alot and as far as airbrush i have never used one,For now i am going to be doing just basic cars and trucks until i get more experience.Thanks for the replies I appreciate it.


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## mellowtiger (Jul 16, 2015)

I would be curious to hear how you progress in starting with car/truck models. I've been building plastic models from kits for a long, long time and in my opinion car models are the most difficult. I'm getting better at them, but I mostly build other models (planes, subs, and more recently spaceships). I think there's a lot more room for error on other models. I guess it's because we see cars EVERY day so if something doesn't look realistic on a model you can tell right away. Something always goes wrong when I build a car model. I always have a car model in my stash to bring out for practice. I spent weeks on it, finish it, and move on to other models, but I'm never satisfied with the end result unlike other models I work on.

The odds are stacked against me for messing up the finish, scratching a window, or something else looking really fake. I was super careful recently while working on a Ghostbusters Ecto-1A car and I still have no idea how the windshield got scratched. Someday I will get one perfect. 

Anyway, good luck!


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## aussiemuscle308 (Dec 2, 2014)

mellowtiger said:


> I was super careful recently while working on a Ghostbusters Ecto-1A car and I still have no idea how the windshield got scratched.


have you posted any pictures of it here? you can sometimes remove glue from windscreens if it's not too deep into the clear styrene. They have polishing kits for that.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Novus polish works great for removing shallow window scratches and fogging on clear styrene. I recently got some white enamel paint on the rear window of my "Christine" car (how it got thru the masking tape is a mystery) and stupidly tried removing it with paint thinner. This fogged up the plastic of course which aggravated me no end. I was ready to chuck the whole model but decided to try the Novus polish first. After rubbing with Novus 2 polish followed by Novus 1 using an old cotton T-shirt the fogging disappeared and the window looked good as new.


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## btbrush (Sep 20, 2010)

jpwv said:


> I have some experience with a paintbrush for details but not alot and as far as airbrush i have never used one,For now i am going to be doing just basic cars and trucks until i get more experience.Thanks for the replies I appreciate it.


 It's like the guy who stopped a stranger carrying a violin case and asked him how to get to Carnegie Hall. The violinist answered, "Practice, practice, practice." Sooner or later, get a cheapy airbrush and practice. You'll be worlds ahead. Till then pick up some junk cars and practice spraying with rattle bombs. Yard sales are great for scoring junk car kits. There are endless videos and youtubes on doing cars. Just Google "Car model Finishing". And remember, "The only true failure is that from which we learn nothing.". Grasshopper.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

If you have a _Michaels_ craft store in your area they sell a cheapie Testors airbrush kit which comes with a plastic airbrush, a paint bottle, hose, and a bottle of compressed air. It sells for 20 bucks but they often have coupons online or in the newspaper for 40 or 50% off. I'm sure _HobbyLobby_ also has the same kit if you have one of those around rather than a _Michaels_. That might be a nice inexpensive way to get the hang of airbrushing. Nothing beats an airbrush for a smooth, even finish with no runs, unlike rattle cans which can quickly apply too much paint if you aren't careful.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

The canned air-airbrush system is a good way to get started. I usually just keep to the rattle cans myself- been doing it for so long I don't have a problem with application. There are some things a rattle can cannot do- subtle layered effects for example, plus you are limited to the available colors.

Getting some inexpensive snap kits to practice painting on is great- I never had much luck with garage sales myself. Both Michael's and Hobby Lobby have coupons (HL has 40% and non-sale item every week).

Another good thing is that almost every build-up posted on this forum has detailed information about the project with photos. Just reading through these is a good education in techniques.


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