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Eldest Skipperlet has expressed an interest in having a crack at building an Airfix model.
I’m no modelling expert and I always remember my own attempts never fitted together properly and always looked like utter garbage. My older and wiser head says that the end result would be a whole lot better if some tools were used to assist. A sharp knife to make a neat job of removing the pieces from the plastic frame for example. Set of decent brushes maybe.
Can anyone recommend a good basic toolkit in a set that I can buy to get us going, if there is such a thing? Something half decent rather than cheap for the sake of it.
Also any recommendations for a good, not too difficult, rewarding, starter set would also be gratefully received. Appropriate for age 11.
Thank you.
My 2p worth:
A cutting mat to save your kitchen table.
Some clippers for cutting the parts from the frames.
Some sanding sticks to neaten things up.
A craft knife or scalpel.
Some reasonable quality paint - I like Tamiya acrylic. Get the basic colours first and build up your set. £2.50 a pot at my L.M.S.
Some "Tamiya Tape" for masking.
Some cocktail sticks or kebab skewers for general scraping and poking duties.
Some filler if you have any gaps to hide. Used with the tape, sanding sticks and cocktail sticks.
Blu Tac and clothes pegs to hold small fiddly pieces when painting them.
A few paint brushes of different sizes.
A small tool box to keep it all in.
£5 kits from Aldi to practice on. They have all of the crowd pleasers : Spitfires, Hurricanes, ME109s etc.
My son, Thud - age 13, returned home last week with a Warhammer kit from the local Warhammer shop.
(I intend to use the water-soluble paints on my Airfix Mk1 tank.)
They sold him clippers, brushes, water-soluble paints and a kit to get going - and he was completely enthused by the experience.
Might be worth a vist to your local shop to achieve the same effect.
Thanks - helpful info there. Any particular brand of brushes?
Biggest magnifying glass on a stand you can find would be my recommendation. Flexible arm=better
I dont do airfix, but i keep a big magnifier(out an old overhead projector) pretty much beside me all the time and it gets used a lot.
@oceanskipper DON'T get the Revell ones they aren't great. I got a set from Scale Model shop which are OK. The Humbrol ones aren't too bad either.
While you're at it come and join us on the Xmas Airfix thread https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/christmas-airfix/ 🙂
Forgot to add..
Glue in a bottle with a brush or needle applicator rather than the stuff out of a tube. Much easier to control.
PVA type glue for canopies. It dries clear, doesn't fog up and doesn't frost the clear parts. Also, if you make a total arse of it, you can wash it off and start again.
Paint overspill on the canopy can be scratched off with a cocktail stick.
@oceanskipper you’re from Durham? There’s a model shop at Chester Moor that used to be decent. I’d pop in there & get some advice.
Cocktail sticks also really useful for applying glue. See also cotton buds, and a selection of nail file/ polishing sticks ideally the spongy ones. Really good for cleaning up join lines.
StirlingCrispin
Full MemberMy son, Thud – age 13, returned home last week with a Warhammer kit from the local Warhammer shop.
(I intend to use the water-soluble paints on my Airfix Mk1 tank.)They sold him clippers, brushes, water-soluble paints and a kit to get going – and he was completely enthused by the experience.
Might be worth a vist to your local shop to achieve the same effect.
GW stuff is mostly decent, but very expensive
Unless you & junior have amazing eyesight I’d avoid anything smaller than 1/48 scale.
1/48 is IMO a good compromise between being not too fiddly and small enough for storage; some kits can be surprisingly affordable too. You can get both armour and aircraft in 1/48, whereas at other scales there’s a slight difference - e.g aircraft in 1/72 or 1/32, armour in 1/76 or 1/35
I’d avoid enamel paints unless you like the smell (and the 8 hour wait in between coats) whereas acrylics are usually odourless and clean up / dilute with water. Tamiya are great , Revell Aquacolor are great, Humbrol less so; all available at your LMS and also at Hobbycraft
Thanks for all the tips.
Anyone got a link to some glues in appropriate containers? PVA for canopy/windscreens etc and cement type ones for parts?
Revell Contacta with needle applicator like this:
There's a bit of a knack in my experience. Don't hold the blue bit whilst applying you will inadvertently squeeze it and send more glue out, hold the yellow bit like a pen!
Any PVA glue will do - I got mine from WHSmith IIRC. Usually I use a cocktail stick to apply...