Scale Modeling Age: GAF builds planes, tanks, cars, ships & sci-fi.
There's a Lego thread, war gaming, Gundam, and a figure collecting thread but no decent scale modeling thread for planes, tanks, cars & etc . So here's my attempt to make a good GAF thread for scale modeling.
This thread is a place to post your work, ask questions or share modeling tips, discuss tools, paints, kits and new releases. My intent for this thread is to help new people get into the hobby as well. I plan to do a series of short(?) posts discussing tools, paints and just random things I've learned along the way. Any other modelers out there have anything else to share please do so!
** This thread is only for models you have to build and paint yourself. Pre-built & painted figures belong in the figure collecting thread.
Why scale modeling?
Scale modeling is a hobby that rewards you with something to show for your work. Sure you could buy something already built, but for some there's no fun in that. The fun is in the building & painting. It's also a hobby that in my opinion goes well with gaming. In fact there are many models out there based on gaming subjects such as the ship from Ikaruga, as well as Raystorm, the Gradius Vic Vipers, Armored Core mechs, Ace Combat, Mega Man and more.
There are many subjects to choose from. There's aircraft, tanks and military vehicles, ships, cars & bikes, trains, gyoza (WTF?), castles and lot's of Sci-Fi subjects from Star Trek, Star Wars, Robotech/Macross, Gundam, and Maschinen Krieger just to name a few. Basically whatever you're into there's probably a kit of it somewhere.
*Photos are of Japanese model Azusa Takagi.
Who can do it?
Anyone! Will your first kit be a masterpiece? Probably not. But hey no one really expects to go through a game without making mistakes. It takes time to become a good modeler. I don't claim to be a master, or even good at it. I've never met a modeler who's said they have nothing left to learn. Every kit I've built there's always something I screwed up or wish I had done differently. Each model you build you learn from your mistakes and become better. Build, build then build some more.
Getting Started with modeling
Part 1: Choosing your first kit & Model Scales explained
Part 2: Quick note on Safety
Part 3: Basic tools & supplies
Modeling terms / Glossary Basics for now, more can be added if necessary.
Decals - Pre-printed details that are applied to the model after painting. Typically these are printed on a sheet of paper that has a special glue that activates when wet. You soak the decal in warm water till it gets loose then slide it onto the model and let it dry. Dry-transfer decals you just rub on. In America it's pronounced 'dee-cal' but in Britain/EU/Aus it's 'deh-cal'.
Flash - Model kits are made by injecting plastic into a metal mold. Sometimes the mold surfaces don't match up correctly. When this happens the plastic will creep into these cracks and you will end up with unneeded bits of plastic hanging off the sides of the parts.
OOB - Building a kit using only the parts contained in the box, no aftermarket.
Scratch building/built - A model that was made without a kit or instructions. Custom designed and built using plastic sheet, resin, putty or other materials.
Sprue / Parts Tree - When you open a model box you will see all the parts lined up and attached together on a 'tree'. You have to cut the parts off these sprues/trees to build the model. Leftovers can be recycled or kept for supplies.
Links:
Online Model Shops
http://www.hlj.com/ - Hobby Link Japan. Good place to go for Japanese kits/tools. Prices are often reduced and even with shipping can be cheaper then buying from a local source
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ - Hobby Search. Another source for kits from Japan.
http://www.luckymodel.com/ - Lucky Model. Based in HK they are a good source for kits and aftermarket parts. Also due to shipping laws HLJ/1999 are unable to ship paints and toxic materials but Lucky Model apparently has no problems shipping these goods. Also they offer free shipping on a number of items.
https://store.spruebrothers.com/ - Sprue Brothers. US online shop. Prices tend to be a bit high imo, but they have all the items in the US so no import worries.
http://www.hobbylinc.com/ - Hobbylinc. US Online shop. Decent prices (for US). Large selection of kits & supplies.
http://www.hannants.co.uk/ - Hannants. UK/EU online shop. Large selection. Good place to find kits from Eastern European (Czech) countries as well.
Model Companies
Japanese Manufacturers: Japanese manufacturers tend to be the best in the business. Only downside is they also tend to be expensive and the subjects they produce are largely aimed at the domestic Japanese market.
Tamiya. The Apple of the modeling world. The kits they make, especially their latest releases tend to be the best in scale. Also carry a price to match. Their paint line is popular world wide. Subjects: Bikes, Cars, Tanks/Military, Aircraft, Ships & paints/tools.
Bandai. The makers of Gundam. They also have some kits of the ships from the One Piece manga/anime series, Macross, Space Battleship Yamato & other anime related kits.
Hasegawa. Hasegawa is mainly famous as an aircraft kit maker. Their kits are some of the best around. Can also be a bit expensive. Subjects: Aircraft, Ships, Armor (1:72), Cars/F1 (not many), Sci-fi: Virtual On & Maschinen Krieger, tools.
Fujimi. Fujimi makes a wide variety of kits. They tend to be good. Subjects: Cars/F1, Ships (their latest 1/700 ships are best in scale), Aircraft & Armor.
Aoshima. Aoshima mainly specializes in car kits. Subjects: Cars, Space, Aircraft, Ships.
Kotobukiya. Kotobukiya makes most of the video game related kits. Subjects: Sci-fi/Anime (Virtual On, Armored Core, Mega Man (Rockman), Ikaruga, Raystorm and soon Metal Gear).
FineMolds. Fine Molds is a smaller Japanese kit maker. But their kits tend to be of great quality. Their Star Wars kits are much better (IMO) than the old AMT stuff. Subjects: Aircraft, Armor, Star Wars, Ghibli.
Chinese Manufacturers: Chinese manufactured kits have exploded onto the scene in the last 10 years. Their subjects vary as does the quality and price.
Dragon & Cyber-Hobby. Dragon & Cyber-Hobby have some pretty decent kits. Their armor kits are popular. Quality varies but their latest seems to be decent. Subjects: Armor/Military, aircraft, Ships.
Trumpeter. Similar to Dragon. Subjects: Armor/Military, Aircraft, Ships.
Hobby Boss. Good variety of kits. Decent quality, similar to Trumpeter. Subjects: Armor/Military, Aircraft, Ships.
Korean Manufacturers: There's only one of note.
Academy. Academy got it's start buy copying Hasegawa kits. They would change some parts of the kit though and pass it off as their own. Sometimes the changes actually made their version of the kit better than the Hasegawa version! Now they produce their own designs. Some of their kits are the best that you can get of that particular subject. Prices are cheaper than Japanese makers. Subjects: Aircraft, Armor.
American Manufacturers: Old companies who don't do much anymore.
AMT / ERTL (?). Most of what you will find from AMT are kits that were made 30+ years ago. Not the greatest IMO. They also have a line of Star Trek and Star Wars kits. They only make a few new kits now and they tend to all be American cars/Nascar. Subjects: Cars, Sci-Fi (Star Wars, Star Trek).
Revell USA/Monogram. Revell USA / Monogram are mostly old kits like AMT. Revell's saving grace comes from it's Euro counterpart Revell Germany who still produces great kits (see Euro section). Subjects: Cars, Aircraft, Ships.
Lindberg. Old, old kits & odd scales. Some people are fans and love these old kits but not me. These are the kits your dad made when he was a kid. Subjects: Cars, Aircraft, Ships.
European Manufacturers: Still making decent stuff! Too many countries so I'm going to lump them all together under the Euro label. Too many small Czech/Eastern European manufacturers so I won't list them all.
Airfix. Only a few years ago Airfix was just about dead (like US manufacturers). Then they were purchased by another British hobby company called Hornby who put some money into the company. They still sell a lot of their old tool kits but they've been making some decent new offerings recently as well. Their recent kits are all made in China I believe. Accuracy and quality isn't up to Tamiya levels but they are more than decent for the price you pay. Subjects: Aircraft, Armour.
Revell Germany. While Revell USA has faded away, Revell Germany keeps making some great kits. Subjects: Aircraft, Armor, Cars, Ships.
Italeri. Italy's only kit maker. Their kits are decent but they tend to have some fit issues. Their kits of Italian subjects are their best. Subjects: Aircraft. Armor, Ships.