What hooked you on building scale models?

What got you interested in building scale models? Can you remember that first kit you fell in love with, that you just had to buy and build? That first old-school hobby shop, with built models in showcases? Or was it a toy shop with a couple of Airfix plastic bags at pocket money prices? What got you hooked?

I recently purchased a Tamiya 1/35 88mm Flak 36/37 model kit. It's a kit that was first released in 1972, and I've wanted to build it since the early 1980s. There are some areas where it most definitely shows its age, but it's going to be a fun build and it only cost $29.99. I started thinking "Why have I waited so long to buy this?", which got me thinking about the early kits that I longed for when I first started scale modelling.

I'll admit it: I am a massive Tamiya fanboy. There, I've said it. All my favourite kits from my formative years as a modeller are from the Tamiya Military Miniatures series. I still have a bucket full of my early builds in the shed, built to a godawfully bad standard, but the important thing is that they still spark my imagination when I hold them thirtysomething years later.

Tamiya was also a game-changer for me in that their builds went together well - they were well engineered compared to some other kits I built (I'm looking at you Revell and Airfix aircraft and AMT hotrods and Matchbox 1/32 Lysander). Tamiya looked "right" as well, they were scale representations, not just "toys". And Tamiya's box art was always incredible - those evocative paintings on plain white backgrounds! I think Airfix had more inspiring box art, but Tamiya's were more iconic.

I'll also admit, I had more than a few "Calvin and Hobbes" moments in my early builds:

Yep. Plus firecrackers also accounted for some.
Source.

I still wonder about the eyebrows sometimes.
Source.

Anyways, enough of me rambling. I want to know what got everyone else into this hobby. I've produced a video about "What got you hooked on building scale models?" and I really do want to hear from you lot. So either comment below in this blog post, or comment in the Youtube comments section - I'm fascinated to see if there are trends, certain kits or manufacturers who really stand out as the first of many builds! What are the gateway drugs to this hobby people?

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
What got you hooked on building scale models?

Cheers,

Dave





P.S. If you're interested in picking up the Tamiya 88mm Flak gun yourself, here's the best price I could find on Amazon. If you purchase using this link, I get a little kickback from Amazon and it doesn't cost you a cent more to purchase - stick it to the Amazon man, brother! ;)

I finally purchased a 1/35 scale Tamiya German 88mm

About a fortnight ago on 11 November I purchased a 1/35 scale Tamiya German 88mm Flak 36/37 from a visit to Metro Hobbies. It's a 55km round trip for me to visit their store in Box Hill now, but for that model at $29.99 it was worth it.

I'm in the process of editing a video all about just what this kit means to me, but in the meantime here is a shot of what I came home with that day.

Jeez, I love hobby shops.

Cheers,

Dave

New video: Comparing 3 x paint chipping techniques - hairspray vs Vallejo vs AK Interactive

Chipping paint is one of the absolute best weapons in a model maker's arsenal - well-chipped paint adds an incredible air of realism to weathered armour, vehicles and aircraft alike. But it can be tricky to achieve, and there are a number of competing claims as to the best way to chip paint in scale. So I've just released my latest video,in which I compare three paint chipping methods for scale paint chips:

1. The hairspray method
2. AK Interactive Heavy Chipping Fluid
3. Vallejo Chipping Medium

I've had previous experience with hairspray and also with AK Interactive. Using the Vallejo product was a new experience for me.

I tried my best to keep it scientific and controlled, and for each of the three media I tested different amounts of product: for each there was a Heavy coating, a Medium coating, and a Light coating of chipping medium.

I used plastic spoons as my test base, but I also wanted to have a little skin in the game, so I also worked with some of the sub-assemblies of my current scratchbuild project. Who cares if you stuff up painting a plastic spoon test? But I would have been rather miffed if I had ruined one of the carefully-built sections of The Seahorse. A little incentive to get the best results, shall we say?

I came away with two main lessons from this experiment. I'll share the first with you here: When chipping paint, it's much, much better to apply 2 or 3 thin coats of chipping medium and paint, rather than trying to get it all done in one thick coat of chipping medium followed by one thick coat of paint.

As for the second lesson I learnt? you'll just have to watch the video to find out.

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Comparing 3 x paint chipping methods for scale models: Hairspray vs Vallejo vs AK Interactive

Finally, here is a link to a similar video that my friend Panzermeister36 also recently did about comparing chipping methods. Great minds think alike!  You can see Panzermeister36's video "Hairspray vs. AK Heavy Chipping Fluid" by clicking this link. We're looking into doing another collaboration video soon, but it's fascinating to see how his results compare to mine.

Cheers,

Dave





P.S. Below are links for purchasing Vallejo Chipping Medium or AK Interactive Heavy Chipping Fluid, if you're tempted to give either a try after watching my video. If you purchase using this link, I get a little kickback from Amazon, while it costs you nothing extra. Everyone's a winner, and it's a small way to help out with the costs of Dave's Model Workshop - what's not to love about that situation? ;)


             


P.P.S. Bloody hell, I've been slack with videos lately - apart from this latest one, I think I've only uploaded one new video in the last five weeks. I set myself a goal of a new video every week for you guys, so this isn't a great result lately. I've had stuff on, blah blah blah, you lot don 't want to hear my excuses, but I'll be back into a regular routine from now on. Thanks for bearing with me.

Progress on The Seahorse

I've had another quiet week - sorry punters... I've been busy writing an article to appear in the next ModelArt magazine, and filming an accompanying video. I can't release the text of my article for a while, but I can tell you that the process resulted in me painting and weathering some elements of The Seahorse, my current scratch build project.

Here is a photo of what I've been working on and documenting this last week. I've been focussing on realistic paint chipping, and I'm pretty chuffed with the results.

It feels very strange to build and paint finalised components of an overall model, while 90% of the actual build is still to be done - previous similarly completed bits are here and here. Building piecemeal isn't too crazy a departure for me, but painting and weathering bits before most of it is built is distinctly strange. But it has just worked out that way - if I want to produce videos showing the techniques on small pieces, that's just how it is, otherwise we'd all be waiting six months until the whole thing is ready for painting and weathering!

But the good news is that with the article completed, I'm free to make a lot more progress on The Seahorse and not procrastinate so much!

Cheers,

Dave

Scale models on Instagram - Incredible weathering by Eddie Putera

I don't know if any of you lot are on Instagram - certainly the model making community on Instagram is ridiculously tiny compared to say Youtube, Facebook, or even Pinterest. But there are one or two really impressive scale model Instagrammers, and today I found one post in particular which I just had to share.

It is by a Malaysian artist named Eddie Putera (his Instagram feed can be found here).

Impressive stuff indeed.

Construction.

Adding texture for the rust.

Colour modulation!

I love that green shade.

The finished result. Amazing tonal variation and realistic rust.

This weathered steel door is just sublime. The colour is great, the modulation is perfect, and the rust texture is spot on.

I saw it, I loved it, and I just had to share it.

If you're not checking out Instagram, it's worth a look every now and then. Jump in and search for interesting hashtags: I find the most commonly used one for my interests is #scalemodel, but others such as #diorama or #modeltank sometimes deliver. Just don't search for #model or you will be inundated with pouting lips selfies of every wannabee fashion model in the known universe. I wouldn't say Instagram is an essential reference for scale modellers, but it sometimes delivers a little nugget of gold like this. By the way, my Instagram account can be found here. I don't post regularly, but if I get a lot of upswing I might use it more.

Cheers,

Dave

The family that airbrushes together...

We have a public holiday here in Melbourne today for the Melbourne Cup. It's a horse race. Yes, we get a public holiday for a horse race. Insane, I know. But the good news is that I had some time to airbrush outside.

I also had a chance to inculcate the next generation of modeller.

I try to keep her away from airbrush paint particles as much as possible, young lungs and all that, but it's good to involve her and show her how it works.

Now I just need to work on her double-trigger action.

Cheers,

Dave