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Hello, a returnee modeller


KaityUK

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Hi, I'm Kait, I live in Stoke-on-Trent but I'm not a native.

 

I got into plastic models as a young'un, due to an ex making lots of Tamiya kits and I was attracted to the creative and historical elements.

 

Then I got married, had kids, started two careers, etc etc. During this time I always managed to find time for computer gaming and playing the guitar, which are my other two interests.

 

Recently, I stumbled across a Tamiya Horch 1a kit on e-bay and it took me straight back to when I was younger. I got that familiar funny feeling you get when you walk into a model shop and see all the kits lined up, so bought myself another Tamiya Horch 1a, a Citreon11CV Staff Car, and a Panzer 2 Aus F/G.

 

The thing is that I have no glue or paints anymore, and its been a long time since I last bought any, so I'm looking for recommendations, please.

 

 

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Hi 

Welcome back to the dark side 😀

 

For glue I would recommend Tamiya extra thin or Revell contacta 

 

For paint when I came back to modelling I switched from my old enamels to acrylic and my paint of choice is now Vallejo  

 

But I am sure you will get many opinions on paint as it seems some get on with one manufacturer but not another 

 

Hope that makes sense lol 

 

B

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Hello Kait, and welcome aboard. The old tube glue doesn't get used much anymore and it's things such as Tamiya Extrathin. A non modelling alternative is MEK. You can get it from plumbing suppliers and apply it with a paintbrush, but don't sniff it too much.

As for paints. If you are painting by brush then Valejo are very good, and if you are airbrushing, then Tamiya acrylics work well.

HTH's

 

John.

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Hello Kaity...:post1: from Chicago. Welcome back to the Hobby as well. It seems others have answered your questions about supplies. Its mostly Acrylics now. However there are still some enamels out there, if you are set on them. I will keep an lookout for your work to appear in the armour/vehicle areas. 

 

Dennis 

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3 hours ago, KaityUK said:

The thing is that I have no glue or paints anymore, and its been a long time since I last bought any, so I'm looking for recommendations, please.

 

 

Perhaps saying what you used to use would get some more ideas or pointers.

 

Personally I'd go to the local pound shop and get a multipack of cheap superglue.   This is the most useful thing I have found since my youth dabbling 35 years ago... it  was blinkin' expensive then!

It is is possible to use it mainly , but it's brittle   

 

Very handy for tacking parts as well, and then you can also wick some liquid glue on the joint, for example Tamiya extra thin. 

For tacking put a drop on a surface, and use a toothpick or similar to apply to tiny drops. 

If you do like for assembly its speed city, like being a child again with tube glue and slapping together a kit in an hour... you can glue and work on parts in minutes. 

Also can be used as filler, and this can be enhanced by mixing with talc,  or if you want to get flash, acrylic nail powder,  this usually has a 'kicker' in it. If you do use it as a filler, work it before it gets really hard,  as then it's harder than the plastic.  Superglue does give of fumes which IIRC are sulphuric acid,  but if used in small amounts I don't notice.

 

Revell Contacta with the metal tube is decent, and smells of pear drops.   Humbrol liquid poly is good.  

 

Paint,  again, what did you use, and what are your techniques?    

 

For enamels I have heard nothing but good things about the Colourcoats range except perhaps postage cost!  Plus the boss , @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies is a member here.   Maybe of less use for armour, but they do the a range of German colours https://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk/collections/wehrmacht-german-army

 

Acrylics seem a bit marmitey, plenty of members can't get on with them,  I like them, as they don't stink.... though in my youth I used Airfix and Humbrol a never noticed... but then I'd never done any big decorating jobs....  for which I now use acrylic for.

There are different types of acrylic, the  more water type, Humbrol (not great) Vallejo, Revell Aqua, and the laquer types, like Tamiya,  which don't mix.

 

Also, depends on what is available to you if you are lucky enough to have a local shop..... are Brat and Dykes still in Hanley?  (was a big department store in Hanley... my folks come from Stoke) 

 

for examples of some of the above in action

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235052380-hurricane-airfix-72nd-fabric-wing-mki-oob/&

 

Lots of helpful folk here,  a good thing to do is a Work In Progress thread,  plenty of support, encouragement and tips,   and returnees are very interesting,   seeing how they find new materials, tools and techniques.   

 

Welcome to the forum,

 

One final point,  the site search tends not to be very good,  but adding britmodeller into a google search term can be very effective

 

HTH (hope this helps, note if you hover the cursor over these abbreviations they should say what they are) 

cheers 

T

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Hi Kaity and another saying :post1: so. if your not native, where from? Barlaston, Tunstal, Newcastle under Lyme, Uttoxeter......!

Right, model shops around and about Stoke-on-Trent:-

 

eModels Limited, 4 Mossfield Rd, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 5BW. Tel. 01782 409310 opens six days a week 10:00 - 5:00 closed Sunday.

 

Affinity Models, 38-50 Trentham Rd, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 4DL Tel. 01782 320990 opens five days a week 9:00 - 5:00 closed Thursday and Sunday.

 

All Electric RC, The Model Centre, 12 Heathcote St, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 4AA, Tel. 01782 788778, opens five days a week 9:30 - 5:30, 5:00 on Saturday, closed Wednesday and Sunday. Mainly Radio Control but some Tamiya, Revell and Airfix.

 

If you get as far East as Burton upon Trent there's a newish shop opened: - The Model Shop, Unit 7a, The Octagon Shopping Centre, New St, Burton upon Trent.

DE14 3TN Tel. 07939 544527 opens six days a week 9:00 - 4:00 closed Sunday. On your way back call in at Tutbury Models, 5, Tutbury Mill Mews, Lower High St, Tutbury, Burton-on-Trent DE13 9LU Tel.01283 814777 open seven days a week 10:00 - 5:00 except Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 and Sunday 11:00 - 2:30 it's a hop, skip and a jump off the A50.

 

Recommend you visit, if that's possible, then you can ask questions, as well as seeing what they have to offer.

 

Many are suggesting Tamiya extra thin adhesive, I'll go against the grain and suggest Tamiya cement (white lid) as it's not as vicious as the extra thin...

ask how I know! Paints.....how long you got?! If you have Children / Grandchildren around you may find either Tamiya (a hybrid - use their own thinners)

or any number of the acyrilic paint, preferable to enamels, purely from the niff point of view!

You can PM anyone on the site, most are approaching human :zombie: ! so you can be assured of an answer. Above all, have fun.

 

Paul

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Thank you all for the warm welcome and information, it's very appreciated.

 

@Troy Smith found eModels website, not impressed with their customer service. I sent them a message on Facebook about which glue and they replied to send an e-mail. I did, no reply.

 

@PhoenixII Birmingham, but moved away 'down south' when I was very young, came to Stoke in 2016 with my job.

Edited by KaityUK
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Welcome aboard. You will find this hobby has changed a lot since you last did it. Acrylic paints are used more than enamel. For glue I mainly use Tamiya extra thin and for small parts a gap filling CA is good used with a tooth pick or a needle so you don't get to much glue on the parts. I suggest you have a look at the group builds or work in progress section. You will get some good ideas there about what is happening. 

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  • 4 months later...

Hi & welcome Kaity!

 

I'd definitely recommend a visit to Affinity Models. Chock full of kits, paints, tools etc and I found the owner friendly, knowledgeable and best of all helpful. I only managed to call in a few times when I used to visit Stoke on business but I was so impressed that I planned meetings to avoid Thursdays!

 

My son is getting into building models and I've started him on Revell Contacta glue (gives more wriggle time than he hotter types) and Tamiya acrylic paints. Tamiya Extra Thin  glue (TET) is great too - just hold the parts you want glued together, touch them with a spot of the glue, using the small brush in the cap & watch capillary action flow the glue along the seam.

 

Happy modelling!

Edge

 

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1 hour ago, Edge said:

Hi & welcome Kaity!

 

I'd definitely recommend a visit to Affinity Models. Chock full of kits, paints, tools etc and I found the owner friendly, knowledgeable and best of all helpful. I only managed to call in a few times when I used to visit Stoke on business but I was so impressed that I planned meetings to avoid Thursdays!

 

My son is getting into building models and I've started him on Revell Contacta glue (gives more wriggle time than he hotter types) and Tamiya acrylic paints. Tamiya Extra Thin  glue (TET) is great too - just hold the parts you want glued together, touch them with a spot of the glue, using the small brush in the cap & watch capillary action flow the glue along the seam.

 

Happy modelling!

Edge

 

I had to look Affinity up, as I've only been in Hanley for 3 years and I wasnt familair with the name. Their Facebook page reports that they were planning to close their shop on 1st June, and were going to focus on Shows instead. However, their last Facebook post dates from May. eModels are based in Stoke too, but because I dont have a car anymore, I've not been across to check them out, although I do keep tabs on their Facebook page and website; sadly searching through their website is a real pain in the backside sometimes, so I prefer to use others.

 

I am using TET, it's taking a bit of getting used to, however using the new spray painter I picked up is proving to be more of a challenge :)

 

Edited by KaityUK
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Hi Kaity, welcome to the club. Love the stash! 

I too recently returned to plastic-mangling as a hobby and found so many things had changed since I was a lad. Probably best to try new products on a small scale initially to get a feel for things. I use superglue applied with a cocktail stick or Tamiya extra thin. For paint I've found Humbrol enamels or Vallejo acrylics work best for me when brushing, and Xtracrylix good for spraying. I mainly buy online from Hannants or Wonderland Models, or in person at shows.

This is a great place to see masters at work and pick up tips, and nobody's afraid to show their work. Plenty experts around happy to answer the most obscure of questions....no such thing as a silly question.

 

Enthusiastic Quack.

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Tamiya extra thin is a must and if you are airbrushing I use mig-ammo, water based and makes things so simple plus you can brush with them no thinning needed but you can if you want. Welcome back and like all of us enjoy and there are plenty of people here as I've found that will give you encouragement and advice when needed 

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On 11 August 2019 at 12:57 AM, KaityUK said:

I had to look Affinity up, as I've only been in Hanley for 3 years and I wasnt familair with the name. Their Facebook page reports that they were planning to close their shop on 1st June, and were going to focus on Shows instead. However, their last Facebook post dates from May. eModels are based in Stoke too, but because I dont have a car anymore, I've not been across to check them out, although I do keep tabs on their Facebook page and website; sadly searching through their website is a real pain in the backside sometimes, so I prefer to use others.

 

I am using TET, it's taking a bit of getting used to, however using the new spray painter I picked up is proving to be more of a challenge :)

 

Apologies for the duff info regarding Infinity, and such a shame another shop has gone. I checked online for their website which also looks to have gone - he used to do quite a bit of mail order.

I know what you mean about TET - it's quite a change from tube glue! Good luck with the paint spraying!

 

Edge

 

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