AlexBB Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Hiya to everyone on the Forum, Well I am going to dip my toe in the water (or should I say Brush!!) and say hello to everyone here or should I say Ow Do and ow's ya doin! I am just getting back into models after some years. I Built quite a lot (badly!!) when I was much much younger (10 to 15'ish, before I got into 1:1 motorbikes lol..) these were mainly American I think, like the Polar Lights ones, I do remember Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy etc which sat butchered on my bedroom shelf splattered in a selection of Humbrol enamels, glue runs, finger prints, hairs and the odd bit of skin!!!! in pride of place!! My best remembered favorite model I built at the time was the Jaws in a Bottle, so I guess that may have been around about 1977. I took a break for a few years until my first son was born (OMG..He's now 32!!), I then had an excuse to check out the toy shops and build models for his nursery!! ;-) ;-) and then I built a few not so bad (as I thought at the time!!! ) Motorcycle builds during the winters of the late 1980's when my eldest son was very young and going out in the cold winter months was a little restricted; If I remember my best ones were an HD Electraglide, a Manx Norton, and the Easyrider Chopper etc... All were brush painted except for the Manx which I tried using car paints for the yellow petrol tank which sort of worked but nothing like the quality of finish I have seen on models these days... I spent some time doing Warhammer stuff with my youngest son about 8 years back, mainly LoTR stuff which he was into at the time, he is 18 now and doing A levels so doesn't have much time for them anymore, though he has started some WH Space Wolves after a trip to the model shop the other Saturday, so I know he still has the bug!! lol...... Anyhow, I dug the modelling stuff out late last year and thought I would give it a go again, following a few conversations with a mate in the pub who is really into his tanks and AFV's. This time though I have decided to get a better Airbrush (Much Better!!!) and get into it a bit more if my skills will allow... I live in Walsall in the West Midlands and it seems a lot of the old model shops have all now closed as it used to be a favourite pass time of mine to visit a couple on a Saturday afternoon and drool at the cool new items, tools & kits... I guess the internet and changes in peoples hobbies have killed them off... When I built models in the past what always frustrated me was the poor quality of paint finish I could achieve with the old enamel paints. I had a short period with an airbrush and tried the Humbrol Acrylics which was a bit of a failure & I gave up with the Clark Tools (Machine Mart) airbrush some years ago as I found it almost impossible to work, however this time after spending many hours watching YT videos and reviews etc.. I have realised that a lot of the errors of my ways I can quite easily put right... So I am going to try again... I am Looking to use Vallejo Model Air mainly though once I can get my head round these new Alclad paint I may try those as well.... I am however quite a bit confused as to all the matt & gloss coats / varnishes now available though as only ever used Klear (Future Floor polish) in the past and that was limited to sealing before adding decals.... Now I see that some gloss coat before adding decals using Microset & Microsol then add matt coat before weathering.... so not really sure about this as had some issues in the past with Klear screwing up the paint!! I then tried the Tamiya one and that was worse!! Though it may be not suited for brushing I now realise! I found this forum after having decided to join IPMS yesterday and I noticed a link when I was searching for any local shows to attend and came across some videos on YT which mentioned Britmodeller in the comments..... Anyhow I have started back with a couple of small Tamiya builds in 1/35....Willy's Jeep 35219 & WLA45 35084, Though I am finding that I really need the glasses and magnifier for the smaller parts I guess the eyes aren't what they used to be!!.... Due to the old eyes I also have an Eduard Spitfire #8281 on the way 1:48..... and the Airfix Specialist Spitfires is likely my next little purchase..... Anyway, I will keep reading through the posts and trying to pick up a few hints & tips from all you guys.... Just love the quality of the work on here... I am humbled!! Cheers Alex 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Aboard Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Hello Alex ... to Britmodeller from Chicago USA ... Back to Model building and I agree most of my local hobbyshops disappeared during my Hiatus. It was very sad to see shops that had been around for 60+ years gone. Very good choices you have with the jeep and eduard spitfire. If i may give a simple piece of advice though. Just build for the enjoyment, and try only one technique with each new build. The skills will come back quicker and you will learn new ones fast. I use vallejo and vallejo air i find with standard vallejo water and the use of lower pressures they airbrush fine. Trick with all Vallejo’s is to let them cure before attempting masking. I usually give them 16-24 hrs. And a clearcoat before i mask for the next color. I learned that trick the hard way 🤬. Looking forward to seeing your work soon. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexBB Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 12 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: And a clearcoat before i mask for the next color Hi Dennis, Thanks for the Welcome :-) What clear coat do you use? and is it Matt or Gloss? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 (edited) Hello @AlexBB ... I use future/klear to clearcoat im to old to change and it works well. That being said Vallejo have there own house brand as well. I use the future because i brush It on, it helps that it has self leveling properties. My technique is slow but it works for me. I do need to try and find a new matte coat though my old stuff is from a rattlecan and doesnt always react well with my weathering. You could try brush painting a scrap piece of plastic and test different clearcoats to see how each react to the Vallejo ? You might find something that works better for you. I hope this helps you if i can answer more questions feel free to ask by doing this @Corsairfoxfouruncle with your question its a way to get my attention. You may also try the “Tools and Tips area of the Forum. Other members may have answers about paint and clearcoats there. Questions concerning different subjects are best posted in there respective areas of course. Have a great modeling day. Dennis Edited January 22, 2018 by Corsairfoxfouruncle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark4700 Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Welcome Alex. I’m sure you’ll get loads of tips from this site. I got back into the hobby about four years ago after a 20 year break and couldn’t believe how much it’s moved on. Thanks to this site I’ve learned lots of new techniques, particularly in weathering, something which I had never tried before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathasatail Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) Ha! I'm only just down the road- i'm from Aldridge! Welcome aboard Best wishes, Sam Edited January 28, 2018 by cathasatail 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexBB Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 On 1/28/2018 at 11:15, cathasatail said: Ha! I'm only just down the road- i'm from Aldridge! Welcome aboard Best wishes, Sam Hiya Sam, Someone local :-) Are you in IPMS ? Do you go to any local Model Clubs? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathasatail Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 1 hour ago, AlexBB said: Hiya Sam, Someone local :-) Are you in IPMS ? Do you go to any local Model Clubs? Hi again I'm afraid not, I was very tempted to sign up to my local IPMS one but I became disillusioned with it (I won't go into the details). Added to that is the constraint of having started uni (Uni of Birmingham) this year- I barely get any time to rest/model, let alone participate in club meetings which are in the evening! I have been toying with the idea of creating a scale modelling society at Uni next year as I already know a handful of people there who have scale modelling as a hobby. As far as I can see it, apart from any associated literature, the only tangible benefit for me when it comes to joining IPMS would be once a year at Telford (beating the crowd and getting in for free). Best wishes, Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexBB Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 3 minutes ago, cathasatail said: I have been toying with the idea of creating a scale modelling society at Uni next year as I already know a handful of people there who have scale modelling as a hobby. My wife's son is at Nottingham Uni and I understand there is a Model Club there as I saw that mentioned in the paperwork when he went. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathasatail Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 15 minutes ago, AlexBB said: My wife's son is at Nottingham Uni and I understand there is a Model Club there as I saw that mentioned in the paperwork when he went. That's nice to hear! I'll make a few inquiries over the next few weeks and see whether it could be possible (I think it'd probably have to be IPMS-affiliated; it would be quite nice to have a table at Telford Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Hi Alex, welcome aboard I can't tell if your trouble was with the Bham IPMS or not, but there are a few of us from Brum branch round here and we are always happy to help if you have any problems I expect you know that you do not HAVE to go to a branch, but can use the entrance to Telford in November as a good reason to join anyway I'm just down the road from Sam in Streetly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathasatail Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 19 hours ago, perdu said: Hi Alex, welcome aboard I can't tell if your trouble was with the Bham IPMS or not, but there are a few of us from Brum branch round here and we are always happy to help if you have any problems I expect you know that you do not HAVE to go to a branch, but can use the entrance to Telford in November as a good reason to join anyway I'm just down the road from Sam in Streetly I just wanted to assure you that it wasn't the Bham branch Best wishes, Sam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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