Advice on how to start model building.

[WillOxleyGB]

Hi,

As the title say, I'm looking for advice on where to start my induction into model building. The reason for this is that, my dad, before passing had purchased the entire series of the De Agostini McLaren MP4-23 kit (https://www.model-space.com/gb/build-the-mclaren-mp4-23.html) which has been now left to me and am wanting to build to the best standard I can. Obviously I would like to get some practice on some other models before trying/attempting to building this model. So what I'm looking for is some advice on tools and cheap models to get the ball rolling and anything else you think I should be made aware of.

Many thanks in advance,

Will

 

[photonrider]

Hi,

As the title say, I'm looking for advice on where to start my induction into model building. The reason for this is that, my dad, before passing had purchased the entire series of the De Agostini McLaren MP4-23 kit (https://www.model-space.com/gb/build-the-mclaren-mp4-23.html) which has been now left to me and am wanting to build to the best standard I can. Obviously I would like to get some practice on some other models before trying/attempting to building this model. So what I'm looking for is some advice on tools and cheap models to get the ball rolling and anything else you think I should be made aware of.

Many thanks in advance,

Will

That's going to be a heck of a build.
I've never seen a 1:8 model build discussion at GTPlanet - though there are many threads devoted to model cars from one angle or another, but you may want to check in here for any tips:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/model-car-1-24-plastic-kits.40221/

 

[WillOxleyGB]

Thanks Photonrider for the link to the other thread, I'll check it out.

 

[F1GTR]

One resource to look at would be some Warhammer 40K forums for painting/detailing tutorials since those can get pretty involved. There'll probably be a lot of YouTube tutorials as well, I remember seeing one entirely dedicated to restoring Hot Wheels models, which will likely have some crossover.

 

[DG_Silva]

The best advice I can give, especially on a 1:8th scale car (my dad made a Honda RA272 in that size), is take your time - it's very much an endurance rather than a sprint, and something that size is going to take at least 100-150 hours to do carefully and properly.

 

[Pete05]

Hi,

As the title say, I'm looking for advice on where to start my induction into model building. The reason for this is that, my dad, before passing had purchased the entire series of the De Agostini McLaren MP4-23 kit (https://www.model-space.com/gb/build-the-mclaren-mp4-23.html) which has been now left to me and am wanting to build to the best standard I can. Obviously I would like to get some practice on some other models before trying/attempting to building this model. So what I'm looking for is some advice on tools and cheap models to get the ball rolling and anything else you think I should be made aware of.

Many thanks in advance,

Will

Hi Will,

Although I haven't had any experience with DeAgostini kits before, I did build many 1:24 kits & a large Ferrari F40 LM but, I can't remember in what scale.

As @DG_Silva said above, this build will be all about endurance & taking your time to do it properly.

When it comes to painting, I found it best to paint as much of the fiddly small bits as you can while they are still attached to the frames.
For the larger pieces, rig up a string line & hang them off it using pieces of wire.
Where possible, always use a spray can for an even coating/finish.
If using brushes, you get what you pay for when it comes to quality.

I have no doubt the most difficulty you will face, will be the accurate placement of the many decals.
Always, always use clean hands when handling the decals.
Any oil, sweat or grease on your fingers will hinder their adhesion. Make sure you smooth any air bubbles out from underneath, working from the centre to the edges.

Good luck

 

[WillOxleyGB]

Thank you so much for the advice guys. I'll have to post some photos of my journey when I start .

 

[Koutch_Pro]

Real good advice allready given here. Small tip for painting. Depending the final color, choose the color of the base coat, just give it a few thin lagere. Then sand it with 2000 grit wet sanding paper. Before applying Paint, wash it down and use medicalgloves. I allways heat up the rattlecan under warm/hot water so that the paint flows better on the model. Another site for building tips etc can be slotforum.com. scratch building part. This is a very big project, its going too take a while!

 

[wfooshee]

Looking at the site for the kit, it looks like its finish and markings are already applied, and it's pretty much screw-it-together. Most of what we think about with model-building, such as painting, finishing, decals, and so on doesn't really apply. There will be a lot of work involved in this, but not what's normally involved with complex kits. This is just assembly, from what I see. If you can use a small screwdriver, you can build this.

 

[kikie]

Don't do what I did when I built my very first car model. I used tape instead of glue. In my defence though, I was around 5 y.o. .

 

[WillOxleyGB]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm still thinking of purchasing a few cheap model kits to get in the swing of things before tackling the big one. Would you guys recommend any brands like Tamiya etc to start my modelling off?

 

[Pete05]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm still thinking of purchasing a few cheap model kits to get in the swing of things before tackling the big one. Would you guys recommend any brands like Tamiya etc to start my modelling off?

Most of the models I built back in the day were Tamiya.

They also just happen to do F1 cars in a variety of scales.

Of all the brands I used, they were of the highest quality & if they're still around, they must be doing something right.

 

[kikie]

Revell is good.


I have been looking at 1:8 car models lately but these are very expensive. Going from €500 -€£600 for the cheapest (decent brand) to €10,000 - €13,000.

 

[XJ40]

Hi,

As the title say, I'm looking for advice on where to start my induction into model building. The reason for this is that, my dad, before passing had purchased the entire series of the De Agostini McLaren MP4-23 kit (https://www.model-space.com/gb/build-the-mclaren-mp4-23.html) which has been now left to me and am wanting to build to the best standard I can. Obviously I would like to get some practice on some other models before trying/attempting to building this model. So what I'm looking for is some advice on tools and cheap models to get the ball rolling and anything else you think I should be made aware of.

Many thanks in advance,

Will

I'm building the Delorean just now and I threw the supplied screwdrivers away after the first couple of issues as they were rounding the scews far too easily. Buy a good set of precision screwdrivers because the last thing you want is a screw not seated properly as it may interfere with another part further into the build. There is a thread on here called the GT planet scale model thread, loads of nice pictures but a few people who seem to do a fair bit of modelling. I'd link it if I knew how...

Enjoy your build!

 

[kikie]

I'm building the Delorean just now and I threw the supplied screwdrivers away after the first couple of issues as they were rounding the scews far too easily. Buy a good set of precision screwdrivers because the last thing you want is a screw not seated properly as it may interfere with another part further into the build. There is a thread on here called the GT planet scale model thread, loads of nice pictures but a few people who seem to do a fair bit of modelling. I'd link it if I knew how...

Enjoy your build!

This one?

Or this one?

 

[XJ40]

This one?

Or this one?

First one thanks 👍

 

[WillOxleyGB]

Thanks again guys, I'll take a look at them threads.

I'm building the Delorean just now and I threw the supplied screwdrivers away after the first couple of issues as they were rounding the scews far too easily. Buy a good set of precision screwdrivers because the last thing you want is a screw not seated properly as it may interfere with another part further into the build. There is a thread on here called the GT planet scale model thread, loads of nice pictures but a few people who seem to do a fair bit of modelling. I'd link it if I knew how...

Enjoy your build!

I've actually just been brought a precision ifixit set from my work which should do nicely.