New to modelling

[Alces]

Hi!

My name is Håkan, I am 37years and live in Sweden.

I am curious about modelling but have no idea where to start, so some googling led me to your site and hopefully you can get me on the right track for modelling tanks.

My previous experience is doing some model railraoads when i were younger and I also do some warhammer modeling, which use more and more techniques from you guys, the "real" modelers =)

I play world of tanks alot and I would love to do a diorama with maybe an SU-85 sneaking in some cover, ready to take a shot on a small german tank, like a Pz III/IV. With some rough terrain, mud, bushes etc.

So some questions:

1. Where do you get your models and peripherals like paint, barbed wire etc? (i live in a small town so internet will be the way forward)

2. Is any brand better then others, or something you should beware of? I've been looking some at eBay and you can get kits for like £7, but my guess is you get what you pay for.

3. Where can i get started for what i need to know about painting and wheatering, a guide of some sort would be lovely.

4. What about scales? I'm thinking like 1/35

Edited February 6, 2015 by Alces

[Andy Moore]

Hi Håkan

Great to meet a new modeller. Your diorama idea sounds like a great place to start.

As to your questions, there are plenty of good online retailers in the UK who will ship to Sweden, check the shops section on here. I'm sure there are good online retailers in Sweden too.

There are many good brands out there; Tamiya, Trumpeter, Hobby Boss, Dragon and MiniArt all produce good quality models. Some of the cheaper brands can lack detail and may have poor fit but can often make good models with a little work.

For painting and weathering check out the work in progress posts on here. Youtube also has plenty of tutorials.

1/35 is the standard military modelling scale and has the largest choice of kits but 1/48 is also a good scale especially for dioramas. There's not as much choice in that scale but most of the main subjects are covered.

Hope this helps

All the best

Andy

(PS, I do some Warhammer modelling too, I'd love to see some of your work)

[Alces]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your elaborate answer!

Do you have the name of a online shop or two that you like?

Another thought, if you choose 1/48, i believe that is the same as the railway modelings O-scale, which would make it easier to get models etc for dioramas, or is there plenty of that anyways for 1/35?

I just started warhammer again after about 15 years of absensce, so they are not very spectacular, but I'll add a couple of images for you.
Do you have anything to show ? =)

heres a link to a few pics:
http://imgbox.com/g/1T5y2hkpEd

Cheers
/Håkan

[Mike]

aboard Håkan - normally I'd move this to New Members, but as you've launched straight into discussing things armour based, we'll leave it here

The three main scales in armour are 1:72, 1:35 and 1:48, as I'm sure you're aware, but of the three, 1:48 is perhaps the poor relation when it comes to choice of kits and aftermarket. I thought about it when I came back to AFV modelling, and plumped for 1:35 due to the range and size for detailing opportunities. Since then 1:48 has come on a lot, although it still lags behind by comparison from what I understand.

1:72 would be great for keeping your dioramas compact, but I'm old, so can't see those teeny-tiny things

There are lots of great places to buy online both in the UK, and probably in Sweden or your nearby neighbour countries. We love Creative Models (in the UK) here at Britmodeller, and we have a bunch of other traders with sub-forums in the Vendors section that you could try, all of which will be good to do business with

[Andy Moore]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your elaborate answer!

Do you have the name of a online shop or two that you like?

Another thought, if you choose 1/48, i believe that is the same as the railway modelings O-scale, which would make it easier to get models etc for dioramas, or is there plenty of that anyways for 1/35?

I just started warhammer again after about 15 years of absensce, so they are not very spectacular, but I'll add a couple of images for you.

Do you have anything to show ? =)

heres a link to a few pics:

http://imgbox.com/g/1T5y2hkpEd

Cheers

/Håkan

As Mike said above, Creative Models is a great shop. Personally, I get a lot of stuff from Model Hobbies and emodels. Both will ship to Sweden if you can't find somewhere local. There's lots of diorama accessories available in 1/35 so you should be able to find something suitable. I'll try and post some of my Warhammer builds on Britmodeller when I get a chance.

All the best

Andy

[thepureness]

Hannants.co.uk can provide nearly everything you need from kits, tools, paints and glue.

Dioramas can be a trickly area, although mine tend to be aircraft I do sometimes include AFV in ones I've tried.

all I can say, is go small first, and get plenty of practice in. I've always had a plan to do a Tank diarama of one going down a muddy embankment into a muddle stream.

Use an airbrush for painting, hairy sticks are great for warhammer figures, but the large areas of kits I feel require airbrushing, others will maybe disagree though