Tips/Help

General     Tips/Help     Color Guide     Airbrushing

General Advice

I wasn't really sure as to what tips to provide until it came time to start posting this site with search engines and the Pike.

So, I briefly thought - "What has helped me the most?"

Scale military models are how I got into this hobby as a kid and so I have always vbeen one for realism. I try to build my kits as realistically as possible. I like a some weathering, zero (or as close as I can get) seam lines and a nice paint job. I've also learned that the best thing to do for a model is to place it on a base with some sort of setting - I've done this twice and it make a tremendous difference. The setting doesn't need to be too fancy. It serves only to help place the model in a place and time - giving the viewer an a better vision of what the kit would be like in real-life 3D.

Anyhow, that's it for know. . .so here's three things that I recommend to get you on the way to building better mecha kits.
  1. Sand, Sand, and then sand some more - when not taken care of properly seam lines really detract from a kit. It's tedious and not very fun but well worth the effort - you'll be thankful once that first coat of paint hits a nicely sanded surface.


  2. Buy/borrow/get an airbrush - yeah sure sometimes you can get away without one, but this is the tool to invest in.


  3. The more kits you build the better you'll get. I often look over my first mechs just to nit-pick on how I could have done a better job on them.

Quick Tips/Help Links

  • When building snap-together kits, specifically the Bandai Gundam kits, remove or trim down the pegs that hold the model pieces together. If you are securing the model pieces with glue these pegs are not neccessary and often create a gap between the two pieces you are connecting.

  • Nevin has done a great job explaining basic modeling techniques.
    Why re-write what he has already done? :)
    * Nevolution -- Model Making

  • * The Model Citizen has some really great information on Battle Damage and Weathering with Pastels. Check out his * Tips and Tricks section for details.

  • * rec.models.scale FAQ   The huge (it's nicely arranged over several pages) and information packed FAQ from the rec.mode.scale newsgroup. Notable sections include: Resin Kits - part 12, weathering tips - part 15, and painting tips - part 17. Great information for beginning modelers and those that are looking for some new tips.

* link will open in new window

Color Guide

I've gotten several inquiries regarding the translation of japanese painting instructions and colors.

First off I'll list links to sites who I "borrowed" this information from. . .
Ok - Basically, I just took screen shots of the Gunze material list from the above link. All you gotta do is match up the katana with the english and you'll be able to figure out what colors are to be used to complete your model. Each screen shot is around 25kb in size and opens in the same window, click away:
Screen Shot 1 Screen Shot 2 Screen Shot 3 Screen Shot 4 Screen Shot 5
Screen Shot 6 Screen Shot 7 Screen Shot 8 Screen Shot 9 Screen Shot 10
The hobby shops in my area carry the Gunze Sangyo Aqueous Hobby Color brand. This is the brand I generally use on my kits. The screen shots for the Aqueous Hobby Color line are in 6 thru 9. I'm guessing Hobby Color is denoted by the H in front of each numeral...?

* link will open in new window

Airbrushes and Airbrushing

Information I've assembled from various sources on the subject.