# Very first model kit - Revell Bronco



## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

The admin suggested I start a thread about my plastic model kit journey. This is my very first stab at a plastic model kit, and I went all out, as stated in the introduction thread.

I have not made enough posts to post pictures, but I suppose I can start by discussing the materials before asking questions (and searching around). I purchased the various cements. The thin cement, tube cement, and clear parts cement. The latter has not arrived yet. I bought different kinds of paint. Enamel and acrylic. A wash basin, primer, thinner (if airbrush cleaner is considered that), acrylic thinner, and a paint kit came with enamel thinner. I am researching ratios, so I get that even coat when using brushes or the airbrush. The shaker cans gave me happy results, but that can be a newbie illusion (thinking something is good, when it really is not). And yes, I bought an airbrush kit. It came with three different types of airbrushes. So I suppose I am going to practice on some paper before trying it on the plastic.

Let's see, what else did I get? I hobby mat, a hobby kit with the snippers, files, knife, and other goodies. Dropper bottles, hobby masking tape, masking solution, decal solution, the list goes on and on and on.

Now the trick is to learn all of this. Join me as I fumble around and more than likely regret starting a level 5. It should be very entertaining. 

Have a great day.


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## aussiemuscle308 (Dec 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forums and good luck on your first build. remember to have fun.


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

aussiemuscle308 said:


> Welcome to the forums and good luck on your first build. remember to have fun.


Thank you! I have been busy cleaning, priming, and painting parts on the tree over the last week or so. I am not sure if this is a good idea, because spraying on the tree will leave holidays when I snip them off. We will see how that turns out. Brush painting parts was a bad, bad idea before research. I learned I cannot just dip the paintbrush in and start slathering it on. The brushstrokes were not fun to experience. That's why I looked into airbrushes and then learned about ratios. The hard way, of course.

Some lessons learned so far:







1. Importance of a clean, dust free environment when painting. Wet sanding embedded dust and hair will not help. At all.
1b. Patience is the name of the game. Rushing or desperation in trying to solve a problem will only result in disaster.








2. Make sure to not overspray, and place parts away from other parts. See that nub on the front? Learn to sand those off before anything else. Nubs that do not belong look terrible.








3. Make sure you have enough primer. Do not lay on the coats too thick. Try not to bend parts so the paint flakes off.








4. Make sure not to touch wet paint, or semi-dried paint, or dried paint. Clean hands is important. Looks like I touched the primer and sprayed a nice, huge coat of spray paint.

5. Not pictured: Make sure to mask areas you will paint another color. I learned the hard way painting over paint is not a good idea. The battery had the body color. Oops. Attention to detail.

I think that is enough for now. The other kit addressed some of these issues. Other than I made the huge mistake of using a near empty can of primer and got splotches. Hopefully, I can sand it out, but I learned I am not good at wet sanding. It did not smooth it out. Just left a ton of scuff marks. I might be pressing too hard on the sandpaper. Lessons learned. I am sure I will learn more.

PS: Buy a respirator. Those fumes gave me a headache, even after opening the garage door! I got really lightheaded and felt I was going to faint.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Good descriptions and warnings about techniques!

What kind of primer are you using?

Look at paint removal techniques to save you some sanding (scuff repair) time. Simple Green, Super Clean, etc. Some people even use oven cleaner. My choice is Super Clean.

Once you get your air brush going - you can even start decanting the rattle cans.


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> Good descriptions and warnings about techniques!
> 
> What kind of primer are you using?
> 
> ...


Rustolium.


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## Andy Oldenburg (Feb 16, 2021)

Wok said:


> Thank you! I have been busy cleaning, priming, and painting parts on the tree over the last week or so. I am not sure if this is a good idea, because spraying on the tree will leave holidays when I snip them off. We will see how that turns out. Brush painting parts was a bad, bad idea before research. I learned I cannot just dip the paintbrush in and start slathering it on. The brushstrokes were not fun to experience. That's why I looked into airbrushes and then learned about ratios. The hard way, of course.
> 
> Some lessons learned so far:
> View attachment 316188
> ...


Hello Wok,

happy to see you´re making progress, even if it´s the hard way. Airbrushing isn´t that popular anymore, like as it was in the ´90s, so it may be difficult to get a good book. But there are some good tutorials on You Tube. You´ve made the first and most important lesson already: Airbrush is a slow artists technique. Compare it with oil painting. If you rush it, you will mess. Brushing on paper is always a bit easier, because the paper soaks up the water or solvents. Plastics do not. So you get even slooooowwwer.

Get used to applying thin coats, meaning up to 4-5 layers of acrylic, before you have a neat and even surface. I know, cleaning the brush every time is a bummer. But cleaning the brush is paramount too. Once paint starts layering on that tiny nozzle and the needle, your messed. 

I don´t know what brush your using. If it´s a double-action (Iwata, Badger etc.), your nozzle will be 0.2 to 0.3 mm. When using acrylic (I prefer Schmincke Aero Color, super fine artists color) you can use the paint without thining. Putting water into acrylic will reduce the opacity and made it more runny. So instead of thinning too much, it´s better to use a brush with a bigger nozzle, say 0.3 to 0.5 mm, in case you can´t get any artists acrylic paint. Don´t forget that clear coat asap! these paints are very sensitive while handling. Check your fingernails, rings or rough skin, or else you will bite your hand in despair.

Seems you have been painting with a solvent based paint. High opacity and usually a high gloss. In this case the nozzle should be at least 0.3, maybe 0.5 mm. Thinning is a must, but you´ll have to check what ratio to which brand and often even the colors need different thinning. You know the solvents are a killer.... Please take care. They don´t put those hazard signs on the cans for jokes.

Sanding: Wet sanding has its benefits. First you don´t eat that dust (also very dangerous), your workspace stays clean. Maybe your grain isn´t fine enough? I start with 240 for the rough job and move on to 400. This is fine enough, if your painting details with a hair brush. For spray- or airbrushing move on to 600, 800 or even 1200 in steps. Super smooth and no tiny scratches. Make it a habit to clean every surface with a tissue and air blow before you spray. I know that pain, when you discover a hair or dust-flock on the roof. It´s always on the roof or hood, never on the bottom. 

Stick to it! Airbrushing is really fun. Maybe soon you will try your first brushed flames on a hot rod.

Best wishes,
Andy from Oldenburg


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

Andy Oldenburg said:


> Hello Wok,
> 
> happy to see you´re making progress, even if it´s the hard way. Airbrushing isn´t that popular anymore, like as it was in the ´90s, so it may be difficult to get a good book. But there are some good tutorials on You Tube. You´ve made the first and most important lesson already: Airbrush is a slow artists technique. Compare it with oil painting. If you rush it, you will mess. Brushing on paper is always a bit easier, because the paper soaks up the water or solvents. Plastics do not. So you get even slooooowwwer.
> 
> ...


I am curious. What is being used now, if not airbrushes?

Thank you for the warm welcome.

Another lesson learned: Primer will crack if you have an unclean surface, or lay it on too thick. A part was ruined.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Wok said:


> Rustolium.



Which one of the Rustolium primers are you using?


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> Which one of the Rustolium primers are you using?


Krylon Rust protector. The huge can.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

I see. A bit much for a plastic model kit, I would say.

If you want to stay with Krylon try their Ultra Flat white primer.

If you want to go with Rust Oleum use one of their automotive primers.

There are also a variety of primers made to use with model kit paints if you want to try one of those. What brands of enamel and acrylic paints did your purchase?


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## Andy Oldenburg (Feb 16, 2021)

Wok said:


> I am curious. What is being used now, if not airbrushes?
> 
> Thank you for the warm welcome.
> 
> Another lesson learned: Primer will crack if you have an unclean surface, or lay it on too thick. A part was ruined.


Hey Wok,
Maybe I was bit ambiguous about my remarks about the "yesteryears" of airbrush. In the ´80and ´90s airbrushing was a big hype in the USA, Japan and Europe. Conventions, fotorealistic artists selling artwork for big money (meaning 4-5 digits per canvas!), new suppliers for paints, pistols and equipment; you name it. Everything you could imagine (cars, trucks, bikes, fridges) would be airbrushed with wondeful or questionable "artwork". I was a (tiny) part of the scene.

After the goldrush airbrushing imploded. Some stuff was just embarrassing anyway (like bodypainting, lol!). Many manufacturers went broke and now it´s hard to get spare parts for your favorite pistol. But the airbrush as a tool for fine small paintjobs and wonderful artwork is unmatched. The model scene though was a mostly unaffected by all this. So "newcomers" might not know about the "airbrush legacy", but there´s no better way of getting a super paint job on your model. That´s all that counts.

Happy to help out if you have a problem.
Best wishes,
Andy


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> I see. A bit much for a plastic model kit, I would say.
> 
> If you want to stay with Krylon try their Ultra Flat white primer.
> 
> ...


Testors. The little bottles. They are very difficult to measure, so I am going to buy paints in dropper bottles. What brands do you suggest for airbrush? I would like premixed.

Hair brush painting is very difficult. Enamel or Acrylic. The brush marks are a huge issue. Also, it is very easy to lay it on way too thick. Larger areas are extremely difficult. Any tips for the brands listed above? What am I missing?

Very tiny detail: How to get tiny detail such as batteries without paint dripping down? What do you use?

Edit: Apparently, the acrylics do not need thinning for the airbrush. Is this true in your experience? https://www.testors.com/pages/help-and-support/faqs/general-questions/ is airbrush thinner safe for thinning for painting, or is it used only for cleaning?

Wish me luck on the masking. This should be interesting.


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

OK. Airbrush and shaker cans were a success. I am very happy with the results so far. The very small parts have enamel, and the flat black looks fantastic. No brush marks, flat, even, and detail stands out. I will let those dry 24 hrs then will glue them. So far, so good! We shall see. I will post pics once it is dried. Made a quick video: 




Edit: Another lesson learned - airbrush cleaner is a thinner, but with other cleaning agents. The result left a tacky surface even after a couple days of drying. So make sure to use the thinner designed for paint you will use. Thank goodness it was only two small parts.

The masking fluid does not work well when sprayed over. Another helpful lesson.

Test fit twice. Some parts are difficult to fit after paint. Glue works fine with painted surfaces, but thins paint. So make sure to be very careful. Tube cement is a mess, and has limited use.


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

Engine progress









I am very, very happy with the results so far. A decal is forthcoming, so let's see how that comes. This engine was a bit of a challenge, because the red is tacky from the wrong kind of thinner from the airbrush. Shaker cans are leaving a bit of thickness, as a result, fit became an issue on some places. So paint control is going to be needed next time around.

Edit: Some updates. Placed the engine on the undercarriage. Placed some more parts, and am really thrilled with the results. Some holidays and thick paint in some areas. So I am going to have to work on consistency. That is only accomplished with experience. Had issues with my first decal. It ripped - so I am going to need to be very careful with application. The body work has started. That is looking very good so far, and again, could be a noob illusion. I might go back five models later and laugh at how good I thought it looked. Every artist experiences that.









As you can see, the thicker areas and the thin paint in others. I dismissed it as character.  All in all, I am very happy.









This is looking pretty nice. First coat, and a bit thicker than I wanted. I hope the masking job will turn out OK. We will see once it is done. The hood (no pic) got a run. I will have to buff that out. A run in the valleys, and almost no paint on the hills. Which tells me thinner coats next time. Lessons learned.









The paint is thin on some parts, thicker on others. You can see the paint strokes. You can see the huge holiday on the left hand side silver part. I have no idea what it is called, but you can see the raw plastic. The white thing on top is thin but paint pooled in the tiny crevasses. So again - thinner coats next time.


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## Wok (Mar 15, 2021)

Update:





Update 2:


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