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Getting into car modelling for a beginner


MBM

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Hi all,

This is not for me but for a friend who is looking to get into the hobby. I'm an aviation model builder who knows all the techniques but have personally I have no experience with sports cars and non military vehicles.

 

Any recommendations for a really good starter car set that comes together seamlessly and without all the fuss of cleaning up poor fits, gaps etc. He'll be painting it with brushes too, post COVID he'll be able to come over for an airbrush session. Ideally something of a good size that's easy for a beginner, has enough interior and engine detail but not too much so that it's a tough build.

 

Any advice that I can pass onto him would be greatly appreciated, even though he's not taking after my aviation enthusiasm its great to get someone else into the hobby.

 

All the best and many thanks,

M

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He basically should be looking at a recent Tamiya kit - although even older kits from them are pretty good too. Athough Tamiya kits don't usually come with engine detail, the interiors are pretty good. 

 

It might also be good for him to maybe think of building a few 1/32 cars for practice first -  those by Aoshima are supposed to be pretty good, and it would be easier to get a better finish brush painting them. Airfix also do a range of 1/32 rally and race cars, but I don't know what availabity of them is like at the moment. They also did a range of mainly British classics back in the day, but they were pretty crude, and apart from any that have been re-issued go for stupid money!

 

Kent models stock Aoshima 1/32nd's like these;

 

https://www.kentmodels.co.uk/product/132-scale-initial-d-toyota-ae86-trueno-takumi-fujiwara-model-kit/

 

https://www.kentmodels.co.uk/product/132-scale-initial-d-mazda-rx7-fd3s-model-kit-428-copy/

 

(no connection with them other than being a satisfied customer of theirs in the past)

 

HTH

Keith

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4 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

He basically should be looking at a recent Tamiya kit - although even older kits from them are pretty good too. Athough Tamiya kits don't usually come with engine detail, the interiors are pretty good. 

 

It might also be good for him to maybe think of building a few 1/32 cars for practice first -  those by Aoshima are supposed to be pretty good, and it would be easier to get a better finish brush painting them. Airfix also do a range of 1/32 rally and race cars, but I don't know what availabity of them is like at the moment. They also did a range of mainly British classics back in the day, but they were pretty crude, and apart from any that have been re-issued go for stupid money!

 

Kent models stock Aoshima 1/32nd's like these;

 

https://www.kentmodels.co.uk/product/132-scale-initial-d-toyota-ae86-trueno-takumi-fujiwara-model-kit/

 

https://www.kentmodels.co.uk/product/132-scale-initial-d-mazda-rx7-fd3s-model-kit-428-copy/

 

(no connection with them other than being a satisfied customer of theirs in the past)

 

HTH

Keith

Hi Keith, 

Thanks very much I'll pass on this info to him. I had a nagging suspicion that Tamyia would typically be the way to go! 

Cheers,

M

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Unless he was born to brush paint he's not going to get a proper finish brush painting. He could grab some basic rattle cans, they're never a bad investment.

As for kits: Tamiya, Fujimi, Aoshima... They're pretty well engineered, come together beautifully with minimal cleanup and you almost never need to do any putty work.

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Please be aware those Aoshima 1/32 are just a bodyshell with blacked out windows  and a basic battery box chassis for motorising; motor to be bought separately!  good for practice for painting but not really a great intro to “proper “ car modelling.

 

Tamiya or Aoshima 1/24 generally fit together well.  probably avoid Aoshima ones with body kits to start with as the base car usually need mods, also anything with large decal areas can be challenging to lay down without bubbles, wrinkles etc


Even though I have an (okay several) airbrush I found it easier to spray can white bodies.

 

My 1/24 recommendations would be either Aoshima mk.2 or Tamiya mk1 Mazda Mx-5.  My daughter built the Tamiya very nicely - no help from me though I had to retrieve my tools afterwards!

 

Aoshima have recently become easily available locally here, otherwise I would have just advised Tamiya.  Fujimi have some nice kits but not so well distributed in my area.

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If it wasn't so rare and relatively expensive I'd suggest the Tamiya Fiat 500F.  The fit of the parts is superb, it's got an engine that is pretty simple and an interior that doesn't have much going on, but does have enough detail to pick out that you can really bring it to life.  There are also lots of photos online that you can use for research.  But if that's the standard of current Tamiya kits, then I would definitely recommend any other Tamiya 1:24 car.

 

I would suggest not being tempted by an AIrfix starter car set.  I've just completed an Aston Martin DBR9, which was an ordeal, the fit isn't great, the instructions aren't always as clear as they could be and there are some really tricky decals.  Some other Airfix 1:32 car kits come from ancient tooling and need a lot of work to deal with mould lines and sink marks.  On the other hand,, if you can persevere with an AIrfix kit, then you can probably tackle anything; but it might just make you give up and look for a less frustrating hobby!

 

I would definitely say that spray cans from Halfords will be better than brush painting bodywork and can give a good result, as can Tamiya's range of spray paints.

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31 minutes ago, malpaso said:

Please be aware those Aoshima 1/32 are just a bodyshell with blacked out windows

 Ah, wasn't aware of that, for some reason I had it in my mind they were a continuation of the old Aari owners club series - I've got the 911S from that series and it's a nicely detailed little kit.

 

Keith

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The only thing I can add is don't just choose a kit because its cheap or you think it will be an easy build, choose  kit you have some interest in or a connection to that way you'll have far more enthusiasm to overcome issues if they occur.  I would stay away from anything with lots of exterior decals (race cars etc.) because it can be soul destroying to get a great paint finish on the body and then ruin it with badly applied decals (trust me I know 😠).  Engines are always good places to try out new techniques etc, because if you screw it up you can, just display with the bonnet closed.   Finally get your friend to join the forum as its probably the best place I've come across for encouragement, advice and inspiration. 

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What @Toftdale said. Get a car he has some interest in, whether it’s classic British, modern supercars, JDM or something else entirely. For the former, the Aoshima MGB is vice-free and looks good built up, and the recently re-released Tamiya Lotus 7 is another good starter. Revell’s Ferrari 458 is a nice kit as is their Golf GTI. The Revell 1/25 snap kits of the second and seventh gen Corvettes both produce excellent replicas relatively painlessly. The Tamiya RX-7 and 300SX are very good value for money... if you can narrow down the genre a bit, or tell us a car he’d like to build, we can make some more suggestions.

 

The only thing I would say is that car modelling really stands or falls by the paint finish. While I wouldn’t say he has to go the whole hog, a spray can of Tamiya Semi Gloss black and one of British Racing Green or Italian Red will go a long way...

best,

M.

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Strictly from personal experience I would stay away from Hasegawa for a first time kit. While they are gorgeously moulded and have very sharp details they can be a bit fragile in non-initiated hands (don't ask how I know).

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1 hour ago, Toftdale said:

 I would stay away from anything with lots of exterior decals (race cars etc.) because it can be soul destroying to get a great paint finish on the body and then ruin it with badly applied decals (trust me I know 😠). 

 

That's an interesting thought. I look at it from the other perspective - I like a kit with lots of decals as they distract from my appalling paint finishes!

 

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4 minutes ago, bmwh548 said:

Strictly from personal experience I would stay away from Hasegawa for a first time kit.

 

I agree, just finished their Ferrari 348 and it was the worst car kit I've ever finished (the worst ever was an Academy AC Cobra that went in the bin unfinished!) The Ferrari had awful fit issues, very fragile suspension parts and separate clear parts for the windows that didn't even want to fit where they touched! And I still don't know how the rear wheel arch liners were supposed to fit!

 

And regarding brush painting while agree that spray cans will undoubtebly give a better finish, not everyone has somewhere they can use them - they make more mess than airbrushing (well in my clumsy mitts they do!), and I hope he won't mind me linking his build but Nick's Mustang here shows that a brush finish can look pretty good!

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235080248-ford-mustang-65-by-fnick-revell-124/&tab=comments#comment-3825450

 

I started building car models using brushes and admittedly while they were nowhere as good as Nick's build above, I did use to enjoy painting them that way (and I also once brush painted a full size Vauxhall Viva from white to red with brushes - after all it was the way old coachbuilders used to do it....!! 🤣) Think I might have another go just for fun (on a model, not the wife's white Focus...!)

 

Keith

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45 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

Ferrari 348 and it was the worst car kit I've ever finished

Have you ever build Heller Peugeot 905? :D That is definitely worst car kit I have built. And I needed to try three times before I managed get it together in sensible way.

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As many others have said, the kit will stand or fall on its paintwork - probably more than any other type of model this can make or break a car kit. I appreciate that not everyone will be in a position to use them, but if it is possible to use a spray can where he lives he could do a lot worse than using Halfords paint for solid colours - just primer and colour coats could be enough.

 

I'd also second getting hold of a cheap Tamiya kit such as the Mazda MX5, or if he likes details and wants to put an engine in their Porsche 959 could be a good one to try.

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Or there is a whole collection of classic American muscle cars by AMT etc.

Yes, they are dated and maybe a bit crude, but can be very simple builds and may come with optional parts for a custom build.

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Can’t advise on brush painting a car shell as I tend to use rattle can or occasionally the airbrush.  
 

I can recommend the Tamiya R34 Skyline GTR as a build friendly car kit. 
Ok, it has no engine but you can add the bumpers and spoiler before painting the whole shell which avoids dodgy gaps. 
The chrome parts aren’t overly shiny, really simple to build and has window masks which is an excellent bonus. 
This is my first Tamiya car kit but probably not my last

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I have no kit to recommend for getting into building cars but if you find yourself hooked and want out I can recommend Monogram's Lotus Esprit. It kept me away from building for a long time and had I not kept my stash I doubt I would have come back.

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23 hours ago, bmwh548 said:

Unless he was born to brush paint he's not going to get a proper finish brush painting. He could grab some basic rattle cans, they're never a bad investment.

As for kits: Tamiya, Fujimi, Aoshima... They're pretty well engineered, come together beautifully with minimal cleanup and you almost never need to do any putty work.

Amazing, thanks very much for your advice, I will pass it on. Yes I agree 100% rattle cans seem like the best bet, I realised they were an option to suggest to him a few moments after posting the thread starter.

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On 08/03/2021 at 20:44, Spiny said:

As many others have said, the kit will stand or fall on its paintwork - probably more than any other type of model this can make or break a car kit. I appreciate that not everyone will be in a position to use them, but if it is possible to use a spray can where he lives he could do a lot worse than using Halfords paint for solid colours - just primer and colour coats could be enough.

 

I'd also second getting hold of a cheap Tamiya kit such as the Mazda MX5, or if he likes details and wants to put an engine in their Porsche 959 could be a good one to try.

Thanks for your advice, yes I realised spray cans were the best option shrotly after posting this and yes I agree brush painting a car wouldn't look good! I sent him a link to a Mazda Mx5 after reading some reviews but he seems more interested in Revell's Jaguar E Type (Might be something to do with the fact that he wrote off his own Mazda MX5 into a tree a few months back....!)

Again many thanks for your help it's much appreciated.

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On 09/03/2021 at 08:41, chrisrope said:

Can’t advise on brush painting a car shell as I tend to use rattle can or occasionally the airbrush.  
 

I can recommend the Tamiya R34 Skyline GTR as a build friendly car kit. 
Ok, it has no engine but you can add the bumpers and spoiler before painting the whole shell which avoids dodgy gaps. 
The chrome parts aren’t overly shiny, really simple to build and has window masks which is an excellent bonus. 
This is my first Tamiya car kit but probably not my last

Thanks very much, I'll pass on the suggestion to him. 

In hindsight I'm going to try and find him kits with the most basic details, e.g. no engine and minimal interior. Yes I can see that a window mask would be very useful otherwise I have a feeling I'll be cutting masks for him manually! I assume those chrome parts could be touched up by me with Alclad II's Chrome?

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On 08/03/2021 at 21:17, Pete in Lincs said:

Or there is a whole collection of classic American muscle cars by AMT etc.

Yes, they are dated and maybe a bit crude, but can be very simple builds and may come with optional parts for a custom build.

Thanks, I think he's most interested in  Jag E Type, the Revell kit seems to be a relatively new mould. Do you know if it's any good?

 

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27 minutes ago, MBM said:

Thanks, I think he's most interested in  Jag E Type, the Revell kit seems to be a relatively new mould. Do you know if it's any good?

 

Hi, not sure is the answer from me, but it has been discussed on this forum. Andy

 

 

 

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