Page 19 - December 2018

What Do I Need to Get Started? What about Glue and Paint?

The first questions we always ask our customers when
they are buying their first model is their age and what kind
of experience they have with other types of "building"
products. If the new modeller is under ten, we often
suggest that they start at skill-level-1, snap-together kit.
These kits only require a knife and file to complete, so they
are perfect for a junior modeller. We may also suggest a
snap kit to children over ten who have had little
experience with building toys. For anybody over ten, we
typically recommend starting with a level-2 model kit.
These kits require glue and paint to complete, but are still
easy enough that the finished model will be something to
be proud of.
Plastic model kits are made out of a soft plastic
that is easily bonded with chemical glues called
plastic cements. These glues bond the plastic
together by "melting" the edge of the plastic and
melding them together to form new seams.

Sometimes these seams are not perfect and
require a little bit of modeler's putty to fill gaps,
but this is fairly rare. Modelling cements come in
two main forms: paste and liquid. We usually
recommend paste for first-time modellers.
Modelling cement paste comes in standard and
non-toxic versions. The latter is lighter on the
smelly fumes, but takes about 50% longer to

cure.
Regardless of skill level, there are two tools that you will
definitely need. The first is a good, sharp hobby knife for
removing the pieces from the sprues (the plastic frames
that hold the individual pieces). The second is a small file
to smooth away the nubs and any imperfections. We
often recommend that a first-time modeller simply use an
old emery board for this purpose, but use a metal files if
you prefer. Kits over level 1 are usually moulded in white or
grey and require a variety of paint colours to
complete. The average kit will include a list of 5-
10 paint colours that you'll need to make the
finished model look just like the picture on the
box. The list can be a little overwhelming for
beginners. For example, sometimes you'll find
kits that suggest using both gloss silver and flat
aluminum (which are basically the same colour).
For a first-timer, we often recommend ways to
cut down on large paint lists and still finish with a
nice-looking model.