HOW TO OPEN DOORS, TRUNKS AND HOODS ON A PLASTIC MODEL CAR

Well this applies to any type of model that you want to create an opening with. It's not that complicated. Take an old X-acto blade with a broken tip. Now with the back of the blade, that means the cutting edge pointing up, scrape inside the panel line that you want to open. Take your time, it's a bit long to start off, but soon enough that blade will dig in the plastic and you will see progress. Go slow and the result will be better, no need to rush things. Once the piece is removed, just finish off with a file or sandpaper to clean up the edges and you're done.

Remember, it's about having fun.

Gerry :)

HOW TO PREPARE AND GLUE CHROME PARTS FOR YOUR MODEL

One common mistake made by beginners in model building is gluing chrome parts together without the proper preparation. It is pretty simple actually, just make sure that you scrape the plating off the part before you glue it at the contact point. You can do so with an exacto blade. What happens is that the plating prevents the plastic to bond with whatever gluing agent you use. No matter how big of a glue blob you apply, that thing will come off in a snap. While we are at it, scrape off any paint on the contact point of the parts you are about to glue. The same principle applies here as well.

Remember, it's about having fun.

Gerry :)

IT'S A MATTER OF SCALE

So you want to get into model building but you are wondering which scale to go into. The scale is usually determined by a couple of factors. First, what do you want to build? Cars, planes, boats and armor have their own scales and very few share them. What kind of space do you have? You'll start with one kit, but soon enough you might run out of space, think about that. The bigger the scale number, the smaller the model. So what are the scales available out there? let's have a look:

• Cars : 1/12, 1/16, 1/20, 1/24, 1/25, 1/32, 1/43 and 1/87 (HO train scale)
• Planes: 1/32, 1/48, 1/72, 1/144
• Boats and Sci Fi ships have there own scales, you also have figurines that are measured in different ways as well and you finally have all the train scales (Don't dismiss the train stuff, there's a lot of cool stuff available that can be carried over for dioramas)

The main thing to remember is space. Also, don't forget that the bigger the model, the more details you'll have to attend to. This is not to say that smaller models don't have any details, if anything the challenge is even bigger and some have surprised many.

Remember, it's all about having fun.

Gerry :)

PLASTIC MODEL TOOLS, WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Tools are the most important part of this hobby. Let's face it, without them nothing gets done. Now it is easy to get over board with tools and get just about everything under the sun. But if you are just starting or starting over after an absence in the hobby there are some basic stuff that you can get that will take you through most everything. Here's what to start with:

• X-acto knife and spare blades
• Different grades of sandpaper (medium, fine and very fine)
• Glue (The Humbrol kind in the blue bottle is the best in my experience)
• Tweasers
• Small cutters
• Q-tips
• Putty
• Tooth picks
  

That would be the basics, now you can add more as you go along and get more creative. Here's some stuff I wouldn't live without while making plastic models:

• Cutting matt
• Needle files
• Paint mixer
• Mustache scissors
• scribing tool
• Drill and drill bit set

I have tons of other little tools and knick knacks, but these are the basics. Before you go out and buy everything, look around the house to see if you haven't already got this stuff lying around. A couple of side notes on the tools mentionned above, the sandpaper must be usable with water, the paint mixer is made from a mini drink mixer. The putty I use is model specific made by Tamiya, but if it is not available to you or too expensive, you can use regular car finishing filler putty. That's the kind found in a tube, not the one in the big bucket. ;)

If there are 2 things that I would put on my list first if you decide to go beyond the basic tools, it is the needle file and the mini hand drill with drill bit set. These are worth every penny and will allow you to advance in leaps.

Remember that it's about having fun.

Gerry :)

BUILDING A PLASTIC MODEL KIT, WHERE TO START

One of the most challenging, affordable, easy and rewarding hobbies out there is building plastic model kits. Sure you can now buy all kinds of pre-built models and they look very good. But nothing equals making something yourself and you have every possible option at your disposal.

Building models can seem tedious and difficult. It is not for people looking for fast results, but it can be easy and the results can be amazing. This blog will show you some of the pitfalls and tricks available to make the job a lot easier. You don't need patience, just the desire and a little bit of willingness. Building a model is like reading a book, time flies and you relax. the main objective is to have fun and be satisfied with your results. nobody can be perfect the first time out, it takes practice. I learn myself something new all the time and I'm not about to run out.

So stick around and get ready to have some fun.

Gerry :)