Welcome!

Well then, this is the page for you. There're lots of books and homepages and stuff out there for serious modellers, so if you do want the best possible results, don't give up yet :-) In fact, there's a whole webring dedicated to the art of getting your models to look really, really good (and showing them off afterwards). But if you're just starting, or want some quick, simple hints for fair results, or even just want to find out something that everyone seems to take for granted you know, keep reading.

One final warning:

Sometimes the paint that you buy is not at quite the correct thickness. A rough test is to dip the brush in the paint and hold the brush up so that the paint drips back into the tin. If the paint falls off in great globs, it's too thick. If it drips fast, it's too thin. You can use normal turps to thin your paint, just make sure you mix it in well - and go slowly! You can't un-add the turps later to make it more thick!

You generally need at least two size brushes - a small, fine one, for doing detail, and a medium-ish one for doing the main bulk of the painting. The brush size is normally indicated by a number, but different manufacturers use different numbers - so a Humbrol no.2 brush may be bigger than a no.2 made by someone else. You get a wide range of brushes (and prices) - camel hair, etc. etc. I've found that you don't really need the expensive ones - the cheap ones do just as well (the Humbrol ones are pretty good). You must make sure that the brush is suitable for enamel paint - you shouldn't use the kind for artists or
for kiddies waterpaints :-)

You don't need to wash the parts in warm soapy water before you paint them. I've found that you just end up getting greasy fingerprints all over them while you're painting, and it doesn't really seem to make much difference (and it's a lot quicker). I have since found out, though, that the point of washing the parts first is because in the manufacturing process, they get covered with a thin film of something or other, and this is what you're trying to get rid of when you wash them. Still, though, I haven't found much difference either way.

Whether you paint parts while they're still on the sprue (the frame thing they're all attached to) or not, you're still going to have to touch up parts you couldn't reach the first time. If you paint on the sprue, be careful not to get paint on other parts; either way, wait until the paint is totally dry before you touch up - otherwise you'll have fingerprint marks on your paint (and sticky fingers :-)

You can use Prestik or some kind of sticky putty to stick parts in while your touch-ups dry, but be careful not to use something too sticky or greasy, especially if you're using a gloss paint - it can make the surface dull at the point of contact.

Unless you're using really thin paint, don't worry too much about doing second coats, or base coats. Most parts will get at least a partial second coat when you touch up, but if they don't, it will still look fine. Of course, if you see obvious holes, you know what to do :-)

If you do decide to do a second coat, wait overnight (at least) until you start to make sure the first coat is completely dry.

The most important technique you need to learn is masking. This useful if you need paint a straight edge, for example if you want to paint two colours next to each other.

You start with the lightest colour, and paint the section that you want that colour (it doesn't have to be exact, but rather exceed the area than not fill it in completely).

Now, wait for the paint to dry *completely* - I recommend at least 24 hours. When it's dry, take masking tape and stick it down over what you painted, along the line of where you want the next colour to go.

Now you paint with your 2nd colour, and you don't have to worry about getting it on your first colour because the first colour is covered by the masking
tape!

Wait for the paint to dry (again, I suggest at least 24 hours) and then *gently* pull the masking tape off. Now you have a nice neat line along the two colours!

You do need to be careful: sticky tape can spoil the surface, especially for glossy paints, so stick the tape to your desk or something a couple of times first. Don't take the tape off until the paint is completely dry.

When you use masking tape, make sure you rub the edges down well, otherwise paint may seep in underneath. Also, paint away from the edge of the tape - this avoids leaving a ridge of paint when you pull the tape away, and probably also helps to avoid seepage.

Painting curved edges, even on flat surfaces, can be fairly tricky. Getting the tape to have just the right curve is difficult - if you cut it to shape, then stick it, it'll never fit right; if you stick it, and then cut it, you run the risk of scratching or even cutting in to the plastic. I've never found a good solution - if you know of one, please tell me!

Don't paint too thickly - I know it's really tempting to use lots of paint, but it'll take a lot more time to dry, and will be more vulnerable to dents and scratches because it'll be softer. Fight the urge to just dip the whole fiddly part into the paint and let it drip dry! :-)

Sometimes, there's some fine, raised, details (like panel lines) that you want to bring out, but are way too fine to paint. The solution to this is called "dry-brushing". It takes a lot of practice to get it right, but basically it involves dipping your brush in the required colour, wiping it on the edge of the tin until it's got practically no paint left, then wiping it on paper until there's even less paint, and then lightly brushing it repeatedly over the detail you want to bring out. The theory is that with so little paint on the brush, it will only stick to the raised sections, and won't flow down around to the base plastic.

Of course, sometimes there's the opposite case. There are indented lines that you want to make darker, but they aren't deep or wide enough to paint (for example, planking on the deck of a ship). For this, you can use a wash. There are many ways to do this, using thinner etc., but the easiest way I've found is to use normal kiddies water paint - you know, the kind that comes in blocks. What you do is make your brush very wet, brush it over the water paint (you want a very wet solution, here) and then brush it over the *entire* section (eg. the whole deck). Because it's so wet, the paint will mostly run down into the indentations, just like you wanted. When it's completely dry, wipe the excess paint off the non-indented bits with a wet cloth - since the paint is water soluble, this will clean off the excess paint, but the cloth won't get down into the cracks so your indentations will remain darker :-)

Assemble the parts in the order that the instruction sheet tells you to, otherwise you might find that they don't fit so well :-) It's a good idea to do a dry run, i.e. try fitting the parts together before you start using glue.

If you can, get glue (liquid cement) that comes with a needle type applicator. They're really handy for small parts, edges, and pretty much everything else. What you're supposed to do is hold the two parts together, then run the needle down the join, letting the glue flow between the two edges. If you can accomplish this with little or no mess, great :-) Often the glue spoils the finish of the paint, so you may have to touch up again. What I normally do is run the needle along one edge, and then join them together.

If you can't find a needle type applicator, the one that comes with a brush is almost as good, although it's a bit more difficult to get into small corners. The application technique is the same as for the needle glue. If you really can't get any of these, the kind that comes in a tube (polystyrene cement) is okay.

Never use any of these glues on transparent plastics - it's really easy to mess it on the plastic, and you'll end up with very cloudy windows. Wood glue (it's a thick, white type of glue) is much less risky to use, because it won't affect the plastic. It isn't as strong as the others, though, so don't go overboard with using it.

This is an obvious one, but try to hold the cemented parts together for as long as you can stand it :-) Don't try to glue on another part until the first two are relatively stable.

If you happen to drop a blob of glue on your model, don't try to wipe it off right away - it'll just end up smearing all over, and ruin the plastic. Let it dry, then scrape it off, using fine sand paper to get off the last bit.

Often clear plastic parts get dirty or scratched - use toothpaste to get rid of scratches and to polish the surface. Just rub it on with your fingers (don't forget to rinse the part, as well as your fingers, when you're finished :-)

Use a craft knife or a small pair of scissors to cut parts from the sprue, and then use your knife or sandpaper to get rid of that bit of sprue that always stays on the part. While you're doing this, also cut/sand away any flash (the excess plastic left over from when they moulded the parts). It's much better to use a knife on straight bits, and sandpaper on curves.

Try to leave the decals until last (unless they'll end up somewhere inaccessible), so you'll minimise the risk of damaging them.

When you need to apply a decal, carefully cut it from the sheet and dip it in warm water for about 10 seconds. Slide it carefully into place, and press down gently with a soft cloth to absorb the extra moisture. If you're applying it to a curved surface, wet the cloth in warm water first, to help mold the decal to the shape of the surface. Leave the part with the decal in a more-or-less horizontal position for a while, and don't move the decal around any more than you absolutely have to.

If sliding the decal around left streaks of decal adhesive, wait until the decal has set, and then wipe them off with a damp cloth.

I personally don't generally varnish my models, but it can help to fix decals in place and just finish off the surface nicely. Make sure, though, that you use the right kind of varnish - don't use matt varnish on gloss paint, because it will make it look dull; don't use gloss varnish on matt paint, because it will make it look too shiny.

Sometimes, especially with cheaper models, you'll find that the parts don't fit quite right, and that there are ugly gaps between sections. This is what filler is for :-) You can use commercially available filler (check that's it's okay to use on plastic, first!), but is expensive and can be difficult to use. A much easier alternative, at least for smallish gaps and cracks, it to use white liquid correction fluid (called Tippex, here). It comes with a brush applicator, so just run the brush along the crack and let it dry (you may need to do several coats, but let each one dry in between). When dry, sand it down and touch up over it. It's simple to do, and can really make your model look a lot better!

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to go work on my own model for a while :-). Remember, the most important factor in making models is not historical accuracy, not getting perfect finishes, and not even getting the decals straight - it's having fun. If you had fun building your model, it's a good one, even if there are imperfections.

	This page last updated 24 November 2000 (c) C. Johns 1997
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