1st Build lessons

WildD0G

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2022
Messages
31
Hi peoples!
So my plans changed due to what I saw here from tank to an airplane. As well as from a Spitfire to a BF109. 1st decision was made on realizing my skills are crap looking at your stuff. 2nd because of availability of paints etc.
Lessons:
Sprue cutter can make more damage than good, in tight places, use a scalpel.
Tape small part before cutting prevent them flying before the plane is build.
Don’t pre-prime before gluing.
Patience is a virtue best learned by practicing. Give glue time to set.
Last lesson, I’m glad I’m here, I got wonderful guidance and tips.
I need to do some sanding …
Thanks! 88E8C725-8512-4136-9137-9923D29EFCA1.jpeg
 
Hi peoples!
So my plans changed due to what I saw here from tank to an airplane. As well as from a Spitfire to a BF109. 1st decision was made on realizing my skills are crap looking at your stuff. 2nd because of availability of paints etc.
Lessons:
Sprue cutter can make more damage than good, in tight places, use a scalpel.
Tape small part before cutting prevent them flying before the plane is build.
Don’t pre-prime before gluing.
Patience is a virtue best learned by practicing. Give glue time to set.
Last lesson, I’m glad I’m here, I got wonderful guidance and tips.
I need to do some sanding …
Thanks! View attachment 92522
I have found if you can not get the cutter in to tight spots just cut the thicker part of the sprue to free the item then trim it back with the cutters. I also made many a wrong cut until I thought why am I worried about keeping the sprue!! Looking good to me. My first model took 3 months
 
That's what I do all the time , always : I cut the part free from the sprue using the sprue snips leaving a chunk of the gate on the part then I clean that remaining portion of the gate off the part using a sharp hobby blade and file / sandpaper as needed .
 
Ya - cutter so that part of the sprue-tree is still on the part, sharp knife/scalpel/sand to get the last of the sprue off the piece.
 
But ,
use the method that works best for each part .
Sometimes slicing the part clean off the sprue is the best route depending on it's size / geometry / location on the sprue .

I got into the habit of roughly chopping out all the parts necessary for completing a particular step in the instructions and placing them into a container or a pile and then cleaning each piece just prior to inserting them into that assembly.
Just make sure you have a system to keep similar looking parts separated ( like left / right components ) so they don't get confused off the sprue .
Like a left , right container ( obviously ;) ) or just a small slice of masking tape stuck to whatever part you need to keep tabs on .
 
Welcome Wild Dog,
Don't get discouraged by what you see other modelers doing! You will find that you NEVER stop finding new and better ways of doing a particular task. And every model that you build will have something that you look at and feel that you could have done it better.
I have been building models since I was 5 (I'm 61 now) and I am still learning and trying new techniques, materials, and new supplies that are coming out on the market.
I think your 109E is coming out very nice, the 109 is one of my favorite airplanes to model with a million different colorful schemes to pick from.
The bottom line is to enjoy the hobby, building models of any kind is great mental therapy!
Larry
 

Latest posts

Back
Top