I am getting into this hobby again after being involved when I was twelve and not too wise about following directions or having any patience..blah blah blah...Since most of u guys are at least intermediate to professional modelers please give me advice on the following:

Assembling
Gluing
Painting

1) should u ever paint certain parts before gluing (like a gun to a soldier's hand etc...)
2) how small of a brush can u use for 1/35 military figures?
3) Did the Allies ever engage German armor that were just painted GERMAN GREY?.

,,,any other advice would be fine!

Hi HellaYella, the best thing to do when assembling any parts is to test the fit before applying glue. From this you may see that a slight sanding of the surfaces to be joined may give a better fit. Also try to clean any mould seams from parts before glueing as it is easier.
As for glueing it is generally felt that liqiud glue is better than cement as when the parts are joined there is less chance of a lareg blob of excess glue squeezing out. As for when to paint parts before or after assembling I think it is down to personal choice. I've seen figures built and painted using both methods and both have produced excellent results. One idea is to buy some cheap figures, the quality is not important, and try to see which suits you. Like all hobbies practice is the key.
You have come to the best site on the net for advice. I've picked up an immense amount of help by simply reading the posts here.
Martin

Hi. Modeling is one of those hobbies that you basically learn as you go. And what works well for one person may or may not work so well for the next. That's why there are so many ways out there to do things.

As far as instructions go, it's basically best to follow them, unless you see that there is a better way to assemble or paint something that would work better for your particular application. Again, this basically goes along with experience gained as you get into the building of more and more kits. Experience is a great teacher that just keeps on teaching as we all go along.

I agree with the other poster that liquid glue is one of the better ways to glue things together as this cuts down on the possibility of getting those unsightly lumps around joints that the tube glue will give you if you happen to get too much of it on when gluing two pieces together.

Don't forget the super glue as well, along with its fixing agent to be used to fill in gaps and such. Great stuff. Plus also a must have for glueing resin and PE.

And most importantly don't be afraid to ask question, esp. on this paticular site, about most anything dealing with modeling. There are all kinds of real nice people out there world wide who frequent this site that will more than gladly help you with what they know about your particular question. And by choosing this site you have gone a long way in that department.

Research on your particular subject matter is also pretty much a must, esp. if you go into doing any modifying of your kit(s) as you go along. Luckily there seems to be no end to the amount of things out there on the Net to help you with, not mentioning the folks here as well.

Patience is the key to modeling. if you become frustrated or stuck on something just put it back for a while and think on things. Some of this stuff is definitely not to be rushed, as that's the time we tend to make mistakes.

German armor was basically painted panzer grey till early '43. except in N. Africa, where a mustard type of color came into use earlier. But until that time the Allies faced German tanks in this basic color.

Take care, good luck, and welcome back, sgirty

Welcomer here and welcome back to the hobby.


Test fit and see what clean up may be needed. I do a lot of figures in metal and resin. I need to know if I'm going to need to rework an attachment point and if I'm going to have to paint areas before assembling.



As has been mentioned, avoid the old tubes. Testors bottle, Tenax 7R and Plastruct are all good choices. Do not use the brush in the bottle. Try to find a drafting pen (check flea markets) and use that to apply. You'll have a lot more control that way. White glue is good for canopies and windows.



Depends. Couple factors to consider. Will you have to paint behind the object? If attached, is it likely to get broken in handling? You can always touch up a glue mark after attaching. Generally, however, I paint stuff figures are holding before assembling.



I've used ten 0 for details #1 or 2 for large areas and the airbrush for priming or even for shadows on 150 mm figures.



As Red Green says, "Now it's time for those three little words every man fears, 'I don't know.'"



Cruise through here and you'll find plenty of advice. One point, consider joining a club if you have one in your area. Go to http://www.ipmsusa.org " TARGET="_blank"> http://www.ipmsusa.org and go to the tab for local chapters or AMPS (Armor Modeling and Preservation Society) http://www.amps-armor.org " TARGET="_blank"> http://www.amps-armor.org or go to your local hobby shop and ask if there's a club in your area. THat's actually the best way to learn and grow, since you'll get to hang with people of all skill, nost of whom can't wait to talk about how they created their latest work.

Welcome back to the hobby. Great information above.
My two cents is this
I use All kinds of glue and even within one build. I will use the glue that bests suits the need. If its a 'show' part - I'll use CA (liquid) so as not to have a 'blob', if it needs long lasting strength I'll go tube glue. If I need a quick tack I'll use super glue. Long story short on glue is - there is no One Way.
I Always test fit! I always clean up as much of the part as possible before fitting. Get rid of the flash, sprue stump, and I'll even fill ejector pin marks before assembly (sometimes you just cant reach them after the fact).
I build in subassemblies that do not necessarily follow the step by step instructions (you get a feel for what you will want as a 'subassembly' as you get kits under your belt).
Painting - hmmmmm painting. Basics - I paint at the 'completed' subassembly step about 1/2 the time. I airbrush about 80% of my stuff. I build just about everything so I have a wide array of 'styles' and techniques I have tried. I use Tamiya paints almost exclusivly in my AB. I mix in very small batches. I thin with water (sometimes windex, sometimes denatured alcohol). I usually will paint add on tools etc after putting them on the AFV. If they are totally different in color I'll do it before.

Ill let you digest this and ask more later......

bump for more replies

welcome back i just got back in to it after 2 years off and i still ask.
and i still read about planes.
all ways ask u will learn new stuff every day