Good general guide for building cars?

[bsmooth]

I'm new, I'm coming from building WW2 aircraft and that was shall we say quite a few years ago. Plus a lot has changed in all those years that went by, especailly with paints and different effects one can achieve.

 The models I've seen here to me at least are museum quality. I know I can't do that at least for now, but the little tricks like applying decals without the background showing would be very welcome, or knowing when to change or exchange a part to make the model better looking without breaking the bank.

 I know everyone here probably knows all of these and more, but could someone point me to a good online guide they may know of ?

The one I would really like to learn is putting together two pieces and not getting a visible seam!

[jchrisf]

Being a newb myself I have found great value in these video series below. The first is from David Thibedeau. Look him up, he makes some of the best models I've ever seen and does articles for magazines. The first he did for Gravity Colors. The second is his own channel which he just started 6 months ago

Gravity Colors.. go to the playlist and you can follow along on his builds. This is mostly focused on his painting procedures (Gravity Paints had him do it) but he shows other cool stuff like decals and carbon fiber install as well as assembly and other tricks
www.youtube.com/channel/UCGBCxpXXBUfPIxcVMiDiyAg/playlists

His channel DT Model Art doesn't really have a playlist but just start at the beginning of his videos and he walks through some complete builds. He is currently doing the McLaren M23 1976
www.youtube.com/channel/UCRW99A-RrxlyQDLnlz-hRTQ/videos

I have also found Paul at International Scale Modeller very valuable and have used his walkthrough of the Subaru Rally car to help me with my current one. He has many other step by step builds in his Playlist
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd2ksqn_Fpg&list=PLGjywlyvGil_6luKVRL4EzhV9tplYiXjU&index=14

For the visible seam.. Paul likes to use Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and after a minute he'll squeeze it together which pushes the melted plastic out. Then he sands it smooth... he shows it in his videos

David Thibedeau likes to use a bottle of Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer and paints it on the seam with a paint brush real thick and then sands it.  he shows this in his videos too.

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

My starting advise, and this applies to any type of model, is prep work is more important than what you think. Do not go to the next step until the current step is as good as it can get and the next step is almost not needed.
Do not prime until bodywork is perfect. When you say "it is so good it may not need primer" then you are ready for primer.
Do not paint until the primer is perfect. "Hmm this primer looks so good I'm tempted to leave it in primer" then you are ready for paint.
Do not clear coat until your paint is perfectly even. Etc. etc.
Contrary to popular belief, each subsequent step will NOT hide flaws. It only augment problems and make them more visible.

But most importantly, HAVE FUN!
I wrote an article about this a long time ago (~12 years!) for Model Cars Magazine. I'll see if I can find it.

Thanks,
Ismael

[4wheels]

The "liquid cement and squeeze" method saves so much time and filler! I've used it for 40 years! Just be sure and massage the fit so the seam is as small as possible before gluing. Ismael's tips on body work are spot-on as well. Like anything else, practice, practice, practice! Never be afraid to try your own ideas, either.

Brian

[bsmooth]

Prep is the key for sure, especially for the paintwork. I'm sure what was important 10 or 20 years ago is still just as important or more considering what kits cost now compared to back then. I'm hoping the decals and small details have probably gotten even better over the years. But again a lot of companies may still be using older molds as well.

 The biggest advances I'm hoping is materials for the finishwork. Plus for really small detail work you can use the superglues which are a great help.

I'll check out those videos as well on the builds, that way you can check out one step at a time, Appreciate the help very much.

[bsmooth]

I know I'm really new here, but maybe it would be good to put together a quick guide for general model building. Then again maybe I can put one together after I finish with all my mistakes and otherwise. Nothing fancy just a quick guide.

[Ben_B]

I've found this guy's tutorials to be pretty good: LINK    Most are way more advanced than what I want to put into my models (I'm more of a "just add aftermarket decals & seat belts" person), but I found some of his basic tutorials to be very helpful when I started building cars a couple of years ago. Check out the ones about prepping the body for paint, masking windows, and making seat belts.  

Ben

[bsmooth]

Great info so far, now about equipment. I've used badger airbrushes for a long time. I'm sure there not the best or the worst. i think I have the Model 200. I'm sure you've heard this before, but maybe not. I used to have a tire on a rim in the cellar. I used to pump it up with a bicycle pump and then use that for my airbrush. that was a long time ago. i finally bought one of those single cylinder Hausfeld compressors with a tank. That however was one of the reasons I finally stopped building as it was about 5 feet away and after it ran it was so loud I couldn't hear a fire alarm if it went off. I still have that compressor, but its huge and takes up quite a bit of my cellar space. That and it weighs a country ton.

 I would like to still have a tank, but I was hoping to find another compressor that will last a longtime and be slightly quieter, and provide enough pressure to run one airbrush.

Maybe what I should ask is what you use and would it fit my needs. Price range hopefully less than $200.00, and not a tire ! I also will probably have to build a stand for it as I do get water in my cellar occasionally.

[4wheels]

Not very helpful to most, but about 30 years ago I lucked into an estate sale at a deceased dentist's home. Picked up a ton of neat old tools and misc. stuff, but the gem was a McKesson dental office compressor from the early 1960's! Almost silent, changed the oil, cleaned it up and only recently replaced the start capacitor. Total investment to date, including original purchase, new capacitor and a gallon of compressor oil (lifetime supply!) is less than $100 (altho I see they now sell for many hundreds of $$ on e-Bay). As far as your noisy one goes, could you place it in another room and run a line to your paint area? A decent alternative would be a small pancake compressor, like contractors use for nail guns, like this one:
www.ebay.com/itm/Porter-Cable-0-8-HP-6-Gallon-Oil-Free-Pancake-Air-Compressor-C2002-New/391550963079?epid=19031090177&hash=item5b2a418d87:g:EVwAAOSw0NZd9GA4:sc:ShippingMethodExpress

[tatocorvette]

Back in the early 90's I did use a spare tire as air source! That's when I got creative and discovered that a truck tire tube will not hold pressure in the open by itself  

Since I work on models after hours when everybody goes to sleep, I have learned to work in silence. I don't even like to listen to music when working. I have a slightly modified portable 5 GAL air tank I fill to about 80 psi from the noisy compressor during the day. The regulator for the airbrush is set at about 20-25 psi. Lasts the night depending on how much I paint. I've been thinking about getting a bigger one (7 GAL).  I can take pics of it if interested.

Thanks,
Ismael

[jchrisf]

I have a 26 gallon vertical Craftsman compressor that I fill in the garage and when needed, wheel it into my office to paint. Because it is vertical it is easy to maneuver an doesn't take up much space. I might have to get a portable air tank like Ismael one of these days but right now I am fine with what I am doing.

[Joel_W]

My compressor is sold by Iwata as practically silent, which it is, but it wasn't cheap. I paid $450 plus shipping. Of course after I bought it, I found out that Sparmax makes most of the hobby compressors including mine, and sells for $100 less. The big advantage is that it has two regulators, not that I've ever painted with two AB's at the same time.

As far as your questions on basics go, that's where you start, what you concentrate on, and accept nothing but your best effort. Nothing is perfect, but each build with the focus on basics will be better and better. Nothing looks worse then a model with all sorts of basic errors but plenty of added details. You can't go wrong following Paul's (International Scale Modeler work flow). He's models are technically almost perfect. I changed my entire painting procedures to copy him, and my painting improved 10 fold. For decaling, I don't even use a gloss coat for a base. All decaling needs is a smooth surface to apply your decals to. Follow Paul's methods and you're halfway home.

As far as Air Brushes go, I was in the other camp and used a Paasche H for 10 years. You're Badger 200 was and still is a way better AB as far as control and paint pattern goes. Again, watch as many of Paul's build videos as you can. You can also ask Paul anything in his comment section, and he always replies. Try not to follow to many guys as all you will do is confuse yourself. Pick one system that you like and understand, and stick with it. As an example, ask anyone here what flow rate they air brush with, and you'll quickly see that everyone paints differently. All work, it just depends on paint, thinning, etc. Again, don't jump all over the place looking for a magic formula, because there just isn't one.

Joel