Beginners Guide 1/48 spitfire

[viper3111]

As promised here is the beginners guide. I am starting it early as it is lashing down outside and there is bob all on TV so I thought I would get this started.
This is my model room (which I share with the Mrs card making gubbins behind me )

The idea of this build is not to tell people what to do, but to act as a guide on what is out there and a general guide on how to build your kits. Im sure there are many other ways of doing things but this is how I do it. I'm always open to new ideas so any new/easier ways of doing things is always appreciated.
Please feel free to ask question/comment on what I do as it's been a few years since I did a basic build as I now use resin's, brass, and after market decals to complete my kits. So if you need something explained don't hesitate to ask.



I will be starting with a description of the tools and products that I will be using in this build as well as things that are handy in general. This will include glue, paints, tools, tape and anything else that I use. There will be pictures as well as a description of each item. All things that I use are readily available from you favourite hobby store. I use http://www.relishmodels.co.uk as Graham has some great products at very reasonable prices .

Ok lets get started
Glues/cements


These are:
Revell contacta; which is a cellulose based cement that melts a small layer of styrene on the surface of the part being 'glued'. It differs from a glue as a glue is 'sticky' itself where as the cement isn't until applied to the styrene.

Ambroid Pro; Weld which is similar to the Revell contacta but it is a thin liquid that is applied to the surface with a brush. It comes with a brush attached to the lid but I find that it is to big so I cut it of and use an old small paint brush. It is used in the same way as the Revell but with this you can dry fit the parts together then run some liquid over it and it will go between them to create the weld.

Super glue (medium); This is mainly used for gluing resin and brass parts to your kit. I will not be using it in this build but it is handy to have some. I will come back to the uses of supper glue when I do a slightly more advanced build.

Canopy Glue; This is a water based 'white' glue that is as it says used for gluing canopies and clear parts together. It is slow drying so it is best left over night, but once it is dry it is not only very well 'stuck' but it dries clear.

Tools:



This is a selection of some of the 'basic' tools that you may need.
I find the most important and the most used is a decent set of sprue cutters. Mine are the Italleri set that cost about £4-5 but they will last a very long time providing that they are only used for styrene.

Craft knives; There are many different knives on the market I tend to use various sizes of scalpel and a couple of different X-acto knives. I also use a scalple fitted with a very long/fine saw attached, which is handy for getting to parts that the knives cant reach.

Files; I only use one file as it is just the right grade for all-round cleaning up. There are numerous grades and makes of files so it is purely down to personal preference as to what you choose.

Tweezers; I have many different tweezers but to start with it is best to get a standard pair of 'thin' nose and a set of 'clamping'. The clamping pair are good for holding parts whilst painting and for small parts that require clamping whilst gluing

Razor Saw; This again is mainly for resin parts but is very handy to have. I will come back to that in a later build.

In the next part I will show the other things that are used. I will still be staring the kit in 3 weekends time as this will give me chance to finish the tools/products and acquire the kit.

[BP2324]

Perfect, just at the right level. I was going to ask about glue! The stuff I used to use (standard with kit) got everywhere and killed the canopy. Usefull info on the kit as well. Think I will follow the link for relish models get tooled up, and may start on a 1/72 Spitfire in a week or two.

[viper3111]

Glad to here that
If you cant get everything from graham at relish then there is also

http://www.hannants.co.uk

http://www.emodels.co.uk

[viper3111]

Sorry, that was my mistake it is indeed zap a gap, which is a thick super glue that is good for normal gluing of resin and brass but as the name suggests will fill small gaps. But sadly it isn't thick enough to use as a filler.

[viper3111]

Paint brushes:

I have a large selection of different brushes. This is mainly because I use enamels, acrylics and cellulose based paints so I don't like to use the same brushes as it can 'mess' them up. In general you will only need about 3-4 different sizes to begin with. These are 3-0 for really small details 0 for general small areas and a couple of larger ones for general areas. I mainly spray nowadays so I only really have fine brushes for detailing.
You can see that I have put tape round the end of my brushes. This is so I can remember that these are for acrylics (water based) only. I only have one brush for cellulose as I only own two tins of this paint. (the brush I use is bright green wood so I cant get the mixed up) You would only need to do this if you decide to use different based paints. Theses are
Enamel; This was the most popular and common paint on the market. They are oil based and need to be cleaned up with either 'thinners' or white spirit.
Makes include Humbrol ,revell and xtracolor

Acrylic; This is now starting to be very popular as they are water based and all you need to clean them up with is strangely water . Makes include Vallejo, Revell aquias, Humbrol acrylic, Xtracrylic.

Cellulose; This is one of the least popular and is only found for clear paints. Makes as I know are only really Humbrol.

I find it handy to have a pen and a pencil for marking various things on your kit and in my case writing stuff down so I don't forget what I am doing.
I get all of my brushes from the local art shop as these are of a better quality but for a beginner the humrol ones are perfect.

Varnishes/top coats


There are numerous different varnishes on the market, they can be broken down into three finishes Matt, Gloss and Semi Gloss. I use the following

Johnsons Klear; This has various uses in the model world (I also here it is a floor polish, cant think who would waist in on the floor ) But for this build I will be using to 'clarify' the canopy and as a varnish to make the decals stick better. I will explain more as I use it but the only main thing to remember is that although it is water based it does contain ammonia.

Xtracryilc Gloss coat; This is what I used before I found Johnsons Klear. It is a water based varnish that is sprayed onto the model for the desired affect. It is none the less an excellent varnish and I would definitely recommend it. It is available form hannants.

Xrtacolor Semi Gloss; This is an enamel based coat that is great for anything that requires a semi gloss finish. It again is for spraying.

Vallejo Matt coat; This is for going over the finished model once the decals are on as decals like gloss, so I spray matt over the finished aircraft to give the desired affect. This again is mainly for spraying but can be brused. It is water based so easy you clean up after.

Humbrol do do some jars of these different varnishes that are for brushing on and as far as I know they are readily available from you local hobby shop.

Filler



These are for 'tidying' up any large gaps in the model. They do have other uses but as this is a basic build I will describe them at a later build.
There are quite a few on the market but I tend to use just these two

Humbrol; This is a grey filler that is a little thick but is good for larger gaps and work

Squadron; This is a green filler that is a lot smoother and easier to work with. It does 'cure' quite quickly but it is fairly easy to use.

Masking tape


There are many different tapes on the market but I find it best to stick to the 'low impact tapes' These are not as sticky as normal tapes and are less likely to pull your paint of. I use mainly Tamiya tapes, these come in different widths wich are 6mm, 10mm, 18mm and 30mm I also have a roll of general purpose 'low impact' tape.

[benyboy]

Please keep this going I am finding it very interesting and usefull.
What kit are you building so we can work on it too. we could all compare results at the end of the thread.

Ben

[viper3111]

I will be building the Hasegawa 1/48 scale spitfire Mk IXc. I am away next week so I will finish the tools section hopefully this week or this weekend at the latest, then I will start the actual build on saturday 12th of December.

Thanks for your interest, I would like to see peoples finished builds on here, especialy those who have been following my guide

[viper3111]

Masking solutions

These are mainly used when spraying your kit. They are brushed on to the surface eg canopy then once dry it creates a 'rubbery' surface that the paint will not go through. Up sides are that its easy to use an convenient, down side is that it will pull the paint away from the edge so it takes longer to go round the edges with a sharp knife. I have three different kinds:

Humbrol maskol; This is a purple liquid that is similar to PVA glue but it is not sticky. It is a good all rounder and a nice one for the beginner.

Mr sol neo; This is one from our hobby loving friends in Japan. It is a green liquid that has the same properties as Maskol but comes with its own brush in the lid. I like it because it can also be used to hold parts together without gluing. I will explain how in the build. It is available on the web.

Micro mask; This is made by microscale and is water based. It is very nice to use but unfortunately it dries almost clear and I tend to forget which parts I have done (hence my pen). This one does come of a lot more cleanly so is the best on for canopies.

Decal solutions


These are used to give your decals a painted on effect, and are brushed on to the decal once you remove any excess water from the decal. What it does is it softens the decal so that it takes on the shape of the surface that it is applied to. It costs around £2-4 pounds dependant on which one you choose but I have had my micro sol since I was 15 (im now 32). I have two different types which are:

Mircoscale micro-sol; This is a nice alround decal solution that I have been using for years. It is easy to use and works a treat.

Daco products Medium; I must admit I haven't tried this yet as I only found it at Telford but I will try it on this build. It is fairly expensive, but if what the gentleman on the stand showed me is true then it is well worth the money. So I will find out how good it is at the same time as everyone who reads this build.

Thinners/airbrush cleaners


No matter what paint you decide to use you will need a thinner/cleaner for your brushes and especially airbrushes. I have various different types as I use many types of paint. These are:

Vallejo airbrush cleaner; As it says it is an airbrush cleaner, it is water based for acrylic paint/varnishes and is a god send for brushes as well.

Enamel thinners; This is the same as above but is used only for enamel paints. It is used in the same way as the acrylic but it must be disposed of in the correct manner.

Cellulose Thinners; As above but for cellulose paints only.

Aclad Thinners; This is for the alclad lacquers which are an excellent metal finish, they are good but I won't be using them on this build as they can be a bit advanced for some beginners as they require a really good face mask to spray them.

[viper3111]

Still following, its excellent and should be somehow put into a website for use newbies.

FYI I went into local Wilkos at weekend for a bottle of KLEAR...........non on shelves................they have changed its name !!

Whats more its in the garage right now and I cant remember the new name !!

If you cant get any Klear from you local retailer then this is where I get mine from

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JOHNSONS-WAX-KLEA ... 4a9b2cc9e7

There is a new name for it but the verdict is still out as to whether it is the same stuff. So I would get the original whilst you can until some one does a report to say it is still the same.

[Ben Montgomery]

I can vouch for the new stuff being just as good as the old Klear. I got some from Wilko, called "Pledge Multi Surface Wax", which worked fine on my clear parts.

[viper3111]

Thanks for that Ben, you heard it first here folks

I addmit that when I heard it was being replaced and in a national model building mag said it to be different I bought 3 bottles, so I should be good for the next couple of weeks

[viper3111]

Airbrushes


This will be one of the most expensive things that you buy so it is best that you choose the one that suits what you want it to do. My first one was the badger single action airbrush. It is an excellent all rounder and great for beginners and is around £20-50.
These are my collection of brushes, you won't need all of these as I am a bit greedy . All of mine are double action which means when you press the lever down you just get air, when you pull the lever back you get a measured amount of paint. My badger was a single action until I killed it . All this does is when you press the button down you get both air and paint, there is no in detween.
My air brushes vary in price from £20 from ebay for the airbrush on the top right all the way up to £200 for the one on the bottom left. They all have different needle sizes that will determine the 'spray width' I will explain this in the build. Mine vary from 0.02mm up to 0.05 for general use.

You won't need all of these I just like different brushes for different painting styles.

[viper3111]

I forgot to mention that there are different types of feed on the air brushes. The most common are;

Gravity feed: This is the one with the paint cup on top of the brush. I find that these are best as it uses all of the paint and is a lot easier to clean.

Side feed: This is similar to the gravity feed but the paint cup is attached to either the left or right side of the brush. Again they use all the paint and are easy to clean.

Syphon feed: This one has the paint cup that is pushed into the bottom of the brush, they usually come with different sizes of jar and a small paint cup. They are good for large jobs as the jars can contain a lot of paint. They don't always suck up all the paint and are a bit tricky to clean but they are still good none the less. One of my Iwata's is a syphon feed and is an excellent brush. it has a 0.03mm needle and is good for all round work as well as detailing and panel lines.

[viper3111]

That is about it for now on the tool/products front. The only thing left now is for me to get the kit. I have included a small list of the things that will be required for this build for those out there who will be following me.
As I haven't got the kit yet I'm not sure on the paint colours I will be using so I will post these when I get the kit and decide on the scheme (which will be one from the box as there are two).

Kit; 1/48 Scale Hasegawa spitfire MkIXc, there are other 48th spitfires on the market eg Tamiya, airfix, revell and academy. They are pretty much the same with some detailing differences but the principle and build will be ruffly the same.

For this build I will be using:

Glue/cement; revell contacta, possibly some super glue but it is not essential

Paint; Scheme to be decided but others are -humbrol 78 interior green, Humbrol 33 matt black, humbrol 69 yellow Others to follow. I will also be using a selection of vallejo acrylics as well as humbrol but for simplicity I will show mainly humbrol. If you would like others to be used/explained don't hesitate to ask.

Filler; Humbrol, squadron green.

Tools; Scalpel, craft knife, tweezers-clamping and normal, File, sprue cutters, airbrush (you can of coarse brush yours if you would prefer)

Paint brushes; mine are alot finer than these but if you cant get any art ones then humbrol 3-0, 2-0, and 1 are excellent and any others you fancy using as I find brushes along with airbrushes are down to personal preference.

Masking tape; Tamiya 6mm, normal low impact masking tape.

Masking solution; Mr sol neo, Microscale.

Decal solution; Micro sol, Daco productions (medium).

That is it for now. I will be starting the kit, all things being ok on Saturday 12 December at 1900ish

I will now leave this open for anyone who has any questions about the build. I am away from monday and back on the following friday. so please feel free to ask questions/coments before/after then.

[viper3111]

Hi all,

Due to the fact that I didn't realise how difficult the kit that I have chosen to build would be to buy I have decided to go for the Tamiya spitfire Vb. I hope this isn't a problem for anybody but I thought it would be better to do a kit that is readily available and is cheaper.

You can buy this kit here

http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=TA61033

Sorry for any inconvenience but if I can't buy it I cant build it The build will carry on as normal

My apologies once again

[HighlandSniper]

No worries Shaun - I'm looking forward to following the build and the anticipation of learning loads.

[viper3111]

Just out of interest as I know this is a beginners guide, would people like me to include some basic weathering products/techniques?
The product that I usually use are easy to get hold of and worth every penny as well as being easy to use. These are only the pro modelers weathering washes.

I will leave it down to the my fellow beginners, as I can do the simple build and just add the weathering after I have shown the basics. Nothing I do or use will be complicated but I think it is handy to know.

If no one asks me to do it I will of coarse stick to the basics and I will do a slightly more advanced build next time.

I'm open to your comments/suggestions.

[HighlandSniper]

I'd welcome any tips on weathering.

[viper3111]

No problem, before I start to paint the outside of the aircraft I will try and do a 'spraying how to' . As you say the spray width is mainly down to the needle size but it also comes down to how far away you hold the brush. I will explain more with some sort of illustrations and photos. I won't be pre shading on this kit as it is a beginners build but I shall do the panel lines with the pro modeler wash (as long as this is what people want me to do )

[HighlandSniper]

I won't be pre shading on this kit as it is a beginners build but I shall do the panel lines with the pro modeler wash (as long as this is what people want me to do )