Plastic model kit building tips and ideas

Some tips and techniques you may find useful especially if you are a beginner

Building static display models from plastic kits can be a rewarding, educational and theraputic hobby. There is now a huge range of great plastic model kits which cover most aviation subjects, as well as military vehicles of all kinds, ships, subs, space vehicles and sci-fi subjects (plus a load more besides).
My own experience has been with model aircraft for the most part with the occasional diversion into military vehicle territory.

First tip for any newcomer to the kit building hobby is to try to choose a simple build for your first two or three models. Avoid the strong temptation to buy the 20 quid plus Lancaster and go for the 4 quid Spitfire instead. This will give you valuable experience and a finished model in fairly short order and if you make pigs ear of it you can buy another kit and try again.

Second tip for the budding modeller is to not give up on a project if things go wrong as you build it. Get it finished as best you are able and learn from the entire build. If the wings go on upside down still finish the model and get experience painting it which will help next time around. When I was younger I used to scrap models part way into a build if I lost a piece or something went a bit pear-shaped thus losing valuable experience which would help avoid problems with further models. Now I just keep at it till it's finished, even if it turns out like Mr Picasso had been let loose on it.

Tip number three is find somewhere out of the way and quiet to build your model kits. A garden shed is great, the kitchen table less good. Doing this saves many a project from an early high G test flight into the wall.

Next up is get prepared with some good tools for the job. You don't need that much for static model building in plastic, but the more of these goodies you can get the easier your modelling hobby will become.

Liquid poly for the major glueing work.
Tube type polystyrene cement for some jobs and thinning the filler.
Pipettes for controlled movement of liquids such as enamel thinner into paint.
Tube of plastic filler, and also some two part epoxy filler if possible.
Super glue for the odd job.
PVA glue, (I personally use this for canopy attachment, though I'm probably in the minority on this one).
Maskol or similar latex based masking liquid.
Decal set is good to avoid silvering the models decals.
The required paints and matching thinner (be careful with the thinner brand and some of this stuff eats through plastic)
Work board or better yet a tray, better even than that a tray with a lid to keep the dust off.
Paint brushes of various sizes and all the paint for the model to be built before you start it.
Scapel knife or maybe just the blade.
Tweezers (almost essential)
Side cutters and small radio type needle nose pliers.
Wet and dry paper, fine grade. use this a bit and you will have many grades of abrasive from ultra ultra flour fine (worn out) to fine brand new.
Small clamps and clothes pegs.
Masking tape. Use this for taping things together temporarily as well as paint masking.
An airbrush if you can possibly run to it is a great help to a smart model.
Some kind of compressed air supply be it tyre, cannister or compressor if you go with the airbrush.
Last but not least plenty of cotton cloth which doesn't create a cloud of fluff when you use it.

Tip number four is plan out the model build from start to finish. Think about each stage of the build and what needs to be painted. Kit instruction steps are a great help but sometimes there is a better way.

Next trick I have learned is a simple but useful one. Plastic filler rapidly dries out when squeezed from it's tube, it can also be too stiff for the job anyhow. Try mixing some polystyrene cement with it to give it a runnier consistency and longer wet time. You have to be careful not to melt a hole through the model however.

When it comes to the clear parts try these methods.
Avoid using solvent based glue on clear parts as it's far to easy to muck these up this way. I use water based PVA glue which sticks it down well enough for a display model. Never use super glue unless you want a smoked glass effect canopy.
If painting the canopy frame by hand, which is a fiddly and 'orrable' job, you can scrape away the excess paint from the parts of the canopy you over painted. To do this use something as soft or preferably softer then the plastic canopy itself, never use a blade for the job as you will virtually certainly scratch it, use a piece of plastic sprue instead and run it along the raised canopy frame lines.

If at all possible leave the small fiddly detail parts off the model until the last possible moment. These parts are way to easy to knock off, they then travel into the twilight zone alongside your pencils, keys and other small items, never to be seen from again.

Don't be put off by the ultra realistic models some highly experienced and gifted modelers make. They are a site to behold to be sure but you can still make a fine model to be proud of without going to the extreme detail and effort level. Then again if you are up for it, go for it.

The end of part one. Have fun with your model building.