Newbie modeler Shoping list

[Zombolt]

I will admit my inexperience in making models as good as most of you. And one of the things I do not know is where to buy things that you rely on often. Things like the Puddy in PSR or tools to cut up the models and other things that little beginner me dose not know how to get.

I do have some things close by like some spray enamel, would that work well on models or is that a bad idea?

Thank you for your time and experience.

[Hobbes]

Do you have a scale modeling shop nearby? That's a good place to start. What they have is most likely to be well-suited for modeling. You can get by using supplies from DIY stores, but their putty and paint is more geared for DIY jobs so it's more difficult to choose the correct supplies there. E.g. a DIY store will stock a dozen types of putty, only one of which is remotely suitable for modeling.

[Martin H]

might be helpfull if we knew what part of the planet your from

that way the locals can pitch in.

[Mossie]

Online stores are good sources.  A good old Google search should reveal one in your part of the world.  The cost of postage tends to limit how often you buy, but they tend to have most of what you need.  Even if you live were there aren't any, most will ship internationally, although the postage will be more & there might be restrictions on what you can buy.  Squadron, Hannants, Hobby Link Japan are a few but there are many more.

Do you have a scale modeling shop nearby? That's a good place to start. What they have is most likely to be well-suited for modeling. You can get by using supplies from DIY stores, but their putty and paint is more geared for DIY jobs so it's more difficult to choose the correct supplies there. E.g. a DIY store will stock a dozen types of putty, only one of which is remotely suitable for modeling.

Good advice, start with what you can get, buy more if you get a taste for it.  That's pretty much how I started when I was younger as I lived in a rural area I couldn't get to a model shop easily.  The local shops would have cheap models on the shelves (not any more unfortunately) & I'd pick up paints from the DIY shop.  They only had the gloss Humbrol tinlets & awful paint brushes that shed bristles, but I was happy enough at the time.  I still pick up things from there such as paint thinners, wet & dry sandpaper, Milliput.

[Ed S]

You might try to fine a modeling club near you.  You can search for "IPMS" and whatever country you're in, and they should provide a list of clubs. Most club members would be glad to spend some time helping you.

Ed

[Zombolt]

I'm from Nowhere, New York j/k(Near Kingston actually) but there is one hobby shop that is a bus ride away, though I have not pinned down there hours yet.

[Mossie]

Online Squadron is probably your one-stop-shop.  Plenty others in the US, just have a browse on Google.
http://www.squadron.com/

[Weaver]

In terms of what to buy, obviously whiffing needs rather more tools than straight model building, though the essentials are the same. Bear in mind that there's a lot of personal preference in all this, so this is just my take on it.

Craft knife/knives: The standard is the Exacto-style with interchangeable blades, which can normally be bought in a set. Avoid dirt cheap ones with plastic jaws which break in no time and go for all-metal ones. Another option, (one I personally favour) is a Swann-Morton "scalpel". These also have interchangeable blades though the system is rather less convenient but there is a nice retractable option. Personally, I tend to find little use for most of the different blades to be honest: I habitually use a No.11 in the Swann-Morton and keep the Exacto for small saw blades and chisel blades. The latter are very useful indeed, but don't last five minutes....

Saws: If you want to start hacking models about in a big way, you'll need a bigger saw than the knife-blade types. There are some that fit into Exacto-type handles, but they can come loose, so I tend to favour separate ones with their own, fixed handle. Bear in mind that what distinguishes modelling saws from DIY saws is thinness and fineness: a junior hacksaw is useful sometimes, but it leaves an awfully rough and wide cut.

Files: You can buy cheap and nasty Chinese rat-tail files in packs for next to no money at any cheapo shop. In metalworking terms they're rubbish, but they're just fine for plastic, and sometimes the rather random collection of shapes actually works to your advantage. Get a decent handle to put them in to protect your hands (and yes, do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do by the way - ouch... )

Wet'n'dry paper: selection packs from automotive/DIY stores are a handy starting point, but they never have enough of the finest grades, so if you can, buy an extra pack of 1200-2000 grit. Higher the number, finer the paper: 1200 is the largest grit you want to finish with before painting.

Glue:   Standard modelling polystyrene cement comes in tubes full of gloopy stuff and jars full of watery stuff with a brush in the lid. Get the latter, usually called "liquid poly" or some such: it's FAR better for small parts anf generally more versatile. The gloop in tubes is only really useful for very big parts like fuselage halves where the liquid Poly can evaporate at one end before you've got to the other.

Polystyrene cement only works on modelling plastic because it "melts" the two pieces together (like welding metal), so it won't work on many other substances, including other plastics. The other main option for sticking things together is Cyanoacrylate aka "Super Glue" or CYA for short. As a starting point, the tubes you get from a DIY store are fine: try to get one with a decent dispenser, a good cap and contents that are slightly thicker than water (easier to handle). The modelling world's main refinements to CYA are to make it in a variety of viscosities from "water" to "gloop" and a variety of drying times from seconds to minutes, along with various concoctions to change these factors.

Canopies and clear parts need their own glue, because CYA and poly cement will fog them with their fumes. Most of the model suppliers make a special canopy glue (Humbrol's is called Clearfix) and you can also use various "white glues" or "craft glues". Some of our US contributors can advise you better than I (the ranges and brands are different over there), but "Elmers" and "Gator glue" are two brands that spring to mind.

Filler: This is a real minefield of personal preference/predjudice, for instance some people love Milliput and some loathe it.... Personally, I find the tube-putty filler which most of the manufacturers sell (I use Revell) perfectly adequate for filling cracks and small blemishes, and I tend to deal with larger gaps/shapes by filling/building them up with scrap styrene and then using the putty just to finish off. However I'm not much of a sculptor, and others swear by the ability of Milliput and it's ilk to make large shapes that can then be sanded just-so. There are various other things too: car body fillers and even home-made ones like talcum-powder in CYA. Really a case of buy it and try it, I'm afraid....

Enough for now - more later....

[Hobbes]

Glue:   Standard modelling polystyrene cement comes in tubes full of gloopy stuff and jars full of watery stuff with a brush in the lid. Get the latter, usually called "liquid poly" or some such: it's FAR better for small parts anf generally more versatile.

There's another variant: a plastic container with a needle applicator. Revell has it as 'Contacta Professional':

Other brands are available as well, I'm using UHU Plast Spezial.

The advantage of the needle is that it allows very precise application. The disadvantage is that the needle tends to clog; I keep a thin strand of metal wire handy to unclog it.