Airfix 1:72 B-25 New tool
Discussion
Here. Have a few finished pictures.... well not quite. I need to straighten the wonky nose wheel.
A few niggles, but overall a really nice kit. If Airfix could just do something about the soft, yet somehow brittle plastic they really would be great.
Next project may just be another plane....
A few niggles, but overall a really nice kit. If Airfix could just do something about the soft, yet somehow brittle plastic they really would be great.
Next project may just be another plane....
It never ceases to amaze me how different the results of scale model kit building seem to be these days compared to when I was building them as a teenager.
Back then I didn't know what photo-etched alternatives were, I didn't own an airbrush, and my kit basically consisted of an X-acto knife, some paint brushes in various sizes, a growing collection of Humbrol and old Airfix paint in pots, a tube of polystyrene cement and an emery board nicked from my mum.
Now, there are masking kits (we just painted canopy frames with a brush) and masking up paint for spraying. Multi layers of pre shading, and various varnishes to make a better job of attaching decals. The results are pretty damned impressive, really. Night and day better than the results I was achieving at the time, and yet my results were pretty good compared with the standards of the day.
I have a bunch of kits stashed away in boxes, some made (or part built) only a few years ago alongside my boys making their first few kits. Neither of my sons really took to scale modelling, so I stopped building my kits when they lost interest. Now, having seen what some of you chaps are turning out, I'm afraid to say that I'm too embarrassed to dig mine out to continue with them. After all, I only know the "traditional" method of building and painting the models, and have no idea about masking kits, spray painting, pre-shading, and multi-stage gloss/matt varnishes around the fixing of decals.
Can anyone recommend a decent book on modern scale modelling techniques and products for one who's last committed foray into the hobby ended in about 1986..?
Sorry if this is the wrong thread on which to ask, but I was prompted into asking by the excellent results achieved on several model builds I've seen on here recently, this B-25 only the latest of them. But still I rarely go into the 'scale models' sub-forum, usually getting my (occasional) fix from the 'What's New' tab instead, as I no longer feel like a "scale modeller", but an interested outsider...
Back then I didn't know what photo-etched alternatives were, I didn't own an airbrush, and my kit basically consisted of an X-acto knife, some paint brushes in various sizes, a growing collection of Humbrol and old Airfix paint in pots, a tube of polystyrene cement and an emery board nicked from my mum.
Now, there are masking kits (we just painted canopy frames with a brush) and masking up paint for spraying. Multi layers of pre shading, and various varnishes to make a better job of attaching decals. The results are pretty damned impressive, really. Night and day better than the results I was achieving at the time, and yet my results were pretty good compared with the standards of the day.
I have a bunch of kits stashed away in boxes, some made (or part built) only a few years ago alongside my boys making their first few kits. Neither of my sons really took to scale modelling, so I stopped building my kits when they lost interest. Now, having seen what some of you chaps are turning out, I'm afraid to say that I'm too embarrassed to dig mine out to continue with them. After all, I only know the "traditional" method of building and painting the models, and have no idea about masking kits, spray painting, pre-shading, and multi-stage gloss/matt varnishes around the fixing of decals.
Can anyone recommend a decent book on modern scale modelling techniques and products for one who's last committed foray into the hobby ended in about 1986..?
Sorry if this is the wrong thread on which to ask, but I was prompted into asking by the excellent results achieved on several model builds I've seen on here recently, this B-25 only the latest of them. But still I rarely go into the 'scale models' sub-forum, usually getting my (occasional) fix from the 'What's New' tab instead, as I no longer feel like a "scale modeller", but an interested outsider...
yellowjack said:
It never ceases to amaze me how different the results of scale model kit building seem to be these days compared to when I was building them as a teenager.
Back then I didn't know what photo-etched alternatives were, I didn't own an airbrush, and my kit basically consisted of an X-acto knife, some paint brushes in various sizes, a growing collection of Humbrol and old Airfix paint in pots, a tube of polystyrene cement and an emery board nicked from my mum.
Now, there are masking kits (we just painted canopy frames with a brush) and masking up paint for spraying. Multi layers of pre shading, and various varnishes to make a better job of attaching decals. The results are pretty damned impressive, really. Night and day better than the results I was achieving at the time, and yet my results were pretty good compared with the standards of the day.
I have a bunch of kits stashed away in boxes, some made (or part built) only a few years ago alongside my boys making their first few kits. Neither of my sons really took to scale modelling, so I stopped building my kits when they lost interest. Now, having seen what some of you chaps are turning out, I'm afraid to say that I'm too embarrassed to dig mine out to continue with them. After all, I only know the "traditional" method of building and painting the models, and have no idea about masking kits, spray painting, pre-shading, and multi-stage gloss/matt varnishes around the fixing of decals.
Can anyone recommend a decent book on modern scale modelling techniques and products for one who's last committed foray into the hobby ended in about 1986..?
Sorry if this is the wrong thread on which to ask, but I was prompted into asking by the excellent results achieved on several model builds I've seen on here recently, this B-25 only the latest of them. But still I rarely go into the 'scale models' sub-forum, usually getting my (occasional) fix from the 'What's New' tab instead, as I no longer feel like a "scale modeller", but an interested outsider...
I’ve posted these a few times recently, but they are really very good books for beginner modellers. Every technique you'll need is in there:Back then I didn't know what photo-etched alternatives were, I didn't own an airbrush, and my kit basically consisted of an X-acto knife, some paint brushes in various sizes, a growing collection of Humbrol and old Airfix paint in pots, a tube of polystyrene cement and an emery board nicked from my mum.
Now, there are masking kits (we just painted canopy frames with a brush) and masking up paint for spraying. Multi layers of pre shading, and various varnishes to make a better job of attaching decals. The results are pretty damned impressive, really. Night and day better than the results I was achieving at the time, and yet my results were pretty good compared with the standards of the day.
I have a bunch of kits stashed away in boxes, some made (or part built) only a few years ago alongside my boys making their first few kits. Neither of my sons really took to scale modelling, so I stopped building my kits when they lost interest. Now, having seen what some of you chaps are turning out, I'm afraid to say that I'm too embarrassed to dig mine out to continue with them. After all, I only know the "traditional" method of building and painting the models, and have no idea about masking kits, spray painting, pre-shading, and multi-stage gloss/matt varnishes around the fixing of decals.
Can anyone recommend a decent book on modern scale modelling techniques and products for one who's last committed foray into the hobby ended in about 1986..?
Sorry if this is the wrong thread on which to ask, but I was prompted into asking by the excellent results achieved on several model builds I've seen on here recently, this B-25 only the latest of them. But still I rarely go into the 'scale models' sub-forum, usually getting my (occasional) fix from the 'What's New' tab instead, as I no longer feel like a "scale modeller", but an interested outsider...
If you've got old kits, sell them and buy some newer ones; the best way to end up with a great looking model is to buy a decent kit to start with. I'd recommend Tamiya 1:72 or 1:48 for ease of assembly.
There are quite a few books out there for people looking to get into the hobby - or perhaps getting BACK into the hobby. The Aussie model writer Brett Green has put together a number of books over the past few years which I found very helpful -
I also found this book very good when getting back into model building about ten years ago -
I also found this book very good when getting back into model building about ten years ago -
yellowjack said:
It never ceases to amaze me how different the results of scale model kit building seem to be these days compared to when I was building them as a teenager.
Back then I didn't know what photo-etched alternatives were, I didn't own an airbrush, and my kit basically consisted of an X-acto knife, some paint brushes in various sizes, a growing collection of Humbrol and old Airfix paint in pots, a tube of polystyrene cement and an emery board nicked from my mum.
Now, there are masking kits (we just painted canopy frames with a brush) and masking up paint for spraying. Multi layers of pre shading, and various varnishes to make a better job of attaching decals. The results are pretty damned impressive, really. Night and day better than the results I was achieving at the time, and yet my results were pretty good compared with the standards of the day.
I have a bunch of kits stashed away in boxes, some made (or part built) only a few years ago alongside my boys making their first few kits. Neither of my sons really took to scale modelling, so I stopped building my kits when they lost interest. Now, having seen what some of you chaps are turning out, I'm afraid to say that I'm too embarrassed to dig mine out to continue with them. After all, I only know the "traditional" method of building and painting the models, and have no idea about masking kits, spray painting, pre-shading, and multi-stage gloss/matt varnishes around the fixing of decals.
Can anyone recommend a decent book on modern scale modelling techniques and products for one who's last committed foray into the hobby ended in about 1986..?
Sorry if this is the wrong thread on which to ask, but I was prompted into asking by the excellent results achieved on several model builds I've seen on here recently, this B-25 only the latest of them. But still I rarely go into the 'scale models' sub-forum, usually getting my (occasional) fix from the 'What's New' tab instead, as I no longer feel like a "scale modeller", but an interested outsider...
You are actually in the same position as I was at the beginning of last year. I knew I wanted to get back into modelling, so I got an airbrush and compressor for Xmas in 2016. The rest is documented on this forum with the many builds I have completed since. Back then I didn't know what photo-etched alternatives were, I didn't own an airbrush, and my kit basically consisted of an X-acto knife, some paint brushes in various sizes, a growing collection of Humbrol and old Airfix paint in pots, a tube of polystyrene cement and an emery board nicked from my mum.
Now, there are masking kits (we just painted canopy frames with a brush) and masking up paint for spraying. Multi layers of pre shading, and various varnishes to make a better job of attaching decals. The results are pretty damned impressive, really. Night and day better than the results I was achieving at the time, and yet my results were pretty good compared with the standards of the day.
I have a bunch of kits stashed away in boxes, some made (or part built) only a few years ago alongside my boys making their first few kits. Neither of my sons really took to scale modelling, so I stopped building my kits when they lost interest. Now, having seen what some of you chaps are turning out, I'm afraid to say that I'm too embarrassed to dig mine out to continue with them. After all, I only know the "traditional" method of building and painting the models, and have no idea about masking kits, spray painting, pre-shading, and multi-stage gloss/matt varnishes around the fixing of decals.
Can anyone recommend a decent book on modern scale modelling techniques and products for one who's last committed foray into the hobby ended in about 1986..?
Sorry if this is the wrong thread on which to ask, but I was prompted into asking by the excellent results achieved on several model builds I've seen on here recently, this B-25 only the latest of them. But still I rarely go into the 'scale models' sub-forum, usually getting my (occasional) fix from the 'What's New' tab instead, as I no longer feel like a "scale modeller", but an interested outsider...
There are lots of videos on YouTube going through most techniques and the guys on this forum offer a lot of very helpful advice.
When I started my favourite YouTube channel was Andys hobby headquarters. What I found inspiring about his videos is that it all seemed within grasp. He uses simple readily available products to get nice results. The downside is he does mostly armour, but that how I got back into things. If you have a bit of free time take a look at his build videos.
robemcdonald said:
I bought this from WH Smith’s last week.
It goes from basic stuff up to what I would say is a level similar too or slightly more advanced than mine.
Best of all it costs £5.99
I think it’s a great way to see some of the techniques involved without too much commitment.
That Seafire on the cover is beautifully done.....except that the panel lines disappear under the roundels!It goes from basic stuff up to what I would say is a level similar too or slightly more advanced than mine.
Best of all it costs £5.99
I think it’s a great way to see some of the techniques involved without too much commitment.
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