WelshZeCorgi

Do you guys have a consistent and reliable workflow when building models? I'm getting back into building models after a few years off and wanted to know if anyone can give time saving tips to finish models faster?

I have a bunch of old Tamiya paint, most of which is 5 years old by now. I'm not sure how long these lasts, so I was thinking about tossing all of them and switching to a new paint. I also happened to hear about Ammo paint sets, where they give you preshade and postshade colors and stuff so you don't do your own mixing. There are also weather and uniform sets as well. I wanted to ask if anyone has brought them and if they're worth the money, or if it's better artistically to mix your own shades.

So water got onto my models and they left behind some nasty water marks. They're acrylic paint sealed with pledge floor cleaner with pigments fixed with spirits on top of that. I got one of them ultrasonic cleaners, wondering if filling it with alcohol and then dunking the model in it and leaving it on for a few minutes will do the trick without dissolving the paint. The pigments can go if there's no way to keep them intact.

Has anyone ever encased an entire model in resin? If so, how do you do it? I'm asking because I was thinking of casting an aircraft (F-14) in resin to give the illusion of flying through the air. I imagine this also protects the model from handsy people and makes cleaning dust off the model much easier, with no risk of accidentally breaking off a fragile part.

I have a few models I have on display at work, since I don't really have a place at home to display. My co-workers keep touching them and moving them around. (I don't know who, if it's just one person or several) Putting the figures in lewd positions and such. And this itself isn't a problem, I just move them back to their original positions and no harm done. What really pisses me off though is when I come back to work and find bits and pieces of the models broken off. Antennas, width indicators, rear view mirrors or machine guns and headlights. They are by no means masterpieces, but they did take a lot of work and practice to get made and it would be ideal if people didn't touch them. Having a little knowledge in human psychology, (and having attended junior-high, high-school and college) I think anything I do would make it worse. If I tell people to stop, they'll probably do it more. If I complain to anyone, no one would help and people would just tell me I'm over-reacting. I'm considering taking it all down and just storing it at home, but I wanted to ask the community if there was anything they did that actually prevented co-workers from screwing around with their belongings.

@Ted Thanks for your reply! I would be glad if you had a picture or two you could sheare!

I've started picking up a few model kits with full interiors and clear skin, like the ryefield panther g and the AFV club t-34/85. But I always like to add figures to the models I make, and with a clear view of the interior, I see the opportunity to add figures in their fighting positions, with gunners gunlaying, loaders ready with the next shell, the commander looking through the cupola ports. But other than the "Stalingrad" panther/tiger/king tiger crew in action resin kits, I can't find other crews like for the t-34/85. Is there one out there I'm not seeing with my googlefu or do I basically have to learn how to make my own figures?

I've noticed dust buildup on my models and how difficult and time-consuming it can be to clean them without accidently knocking off fragile parts of the model. I can only imagine that doing that plus dusting/cleaning a sizable diorama would be a nightmare. So do you build a cover/case for your dioramas, sealing them off so dust does not get on the model themselves? Or do you clean them?

Which book do you think actually improved the quality of your builds after reading? I've started picking up a few books about models but have been a little disappointed. I want to buy more reading material but can't spend hundreds of dollars and hours reading every one of them. So I wanted to ask you, the Britmodeller community, what books would you swear made you a better builder after reading? This question was posted to the aircraft book discussion forums but I currently build tanks more. Thought I would try to get as much foot traffic to build a comprehensive list of books to look for.

Which book do you think actually improved the quality of your builds after reading? I've started picking up a few books about models but have been a little disappointed. I want to buy more reading material but can't spend hundreds of dollars and hours reading every one of them. So I wanted to ask you, the Britmodeller community, what books would you swear made you a better builder after reading?

I got dust on my models and I'm unsure how you would properly clean them without knocking off fragile parts or bending PE. Also, I got rain on one of mine and it left nasty white spots where the water landed. Not sure how to clean that up.. Do you guys normally put finished models in a cabinet or other clear container to protect them from dust? I've been thinking of mounting models (the ones that came out good, at least) in small display cases to prevent them from getting dirty.

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts. I will try to keep all your advice in mind. In fact, I will probably read through all your responses every time I sit down to build.

I think I have some sort of weird "stage fright" with model building. Not sure how else to describe it. Like when I want to build a model, I think about the amount of work that takes, then the times I screwed up and had to redo or scrap the project, the precious money and time that's potentially wasted, if I'm ever going to get any better at this, it just sort of spirals out of control from there. And in the end I don't get any work done and it's frustrating. I want to start cranking these models out. Has anyone ever experienced this? Did you get over it? How? Thanks

Drybrushed, pinwashed, dot oil streaking on the front, engine deck, sides and rear, dusted a bit heavily and lastly chipped a little bit with sponge and brush. Also, used a quad 20mm for the ht to pull as this kit didn't come with any crew, as the pak 36 did come with crew that I now want to paint and make to man the gun. I think a few oil stains before a last protective spray of dullcote will finish up the infantry and ht itself. And protect the models from any greasy fingerprints from appearing due to the dust on the model. I also have some storage and equipment that I want to put on and in the halftrack. Also thinking of making a milliput copy of a halftrack driver and radio op from the dragon 6193 halftrack crewmen. Just so the front seats are not so oddly empty, making it look like a self-driving ht.