How to get your model making mojo back

 If you're ever at a loose end, feeling uninspired with whatever miniatures you are making, I recommend building something fun and low-stress to get your model making mojo back. Think of it as a palate cleanser.

We've all felt it. You don't feel inspired to make anything. There's "nothing interesting" in that ridiculously large and expensive stash of unbuilt model kits you own ;) Or your regular subject just doesn't seem to catch you any more.

This video might just help. It has some suggestions at the end which certainly worked for me.

Get back into it!

Dave

Video link: How to get your model making mojo back

Is this really "the most beautiful model kit ever released"?

This week I discuss the famous 1:8 scale Bugatti kit by Pocher. It's been described by many as "the most beautiful model kit ever released", but does it live up to the hype?

It's certainly awe inspiring, partly just because of the massive 1:8 scale size of it - it's about 55cm long!

The details are phenomenal. The windows wind up and down. It has a working handbrake. Apparently when put together correctly, you can even see the cams turn in the incredibly detailed engine.

Am I impressed? Yes. Is it the most beautiful model ever? Watch the video to find out ;)

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Is this really "the most beautiful model kit ever released"?

Cheers,

Dave

New video: Airbrushing - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Last week I had a mixed week with my airbrushing. There was some good - my new Mr Hobby PS-270 airbrush is amazing. There was some bad - I managed to snap off the thread on the tiny nozzle of my old workhorse Sparmax DH-103 airbrush. And there was some ugly - I've realised I'm really rather bad at replicating graffiti on my scale model buildings...

I find graffiti very tricky. It's probably because I never did graffiti when I was an impressionable teenager. But I find it very hard to capture that fluid, smooth motion in the strokes of the pen or airbrush. Because I'm so carefully copying something that feels a bit alien to me, I don't have a fast and easy hand, and I think it shows. Oh well, c'est la vie - as I regularly tell my daughter, we all get better with practice.

But the good news is that I did manage to remove the stuck broken-off thread from inside my airbrush. A couple of people suggested I use an Xacto blade as a sort of jerry-rigged screwdriver, jam it into the broken thread and then screw it out. Hurrah - it worked!

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Airbrushing scale models - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

Cheers,

Dave

New video: What do you do with all your built models?

Yesterday I bought a model that has already been built. It was for sale by a widow, who was getting rid of the scale models her husband had made while he was still alive. It got me thinking about what the hell will happen to all of the models that we build - more specifically, it got me wondering what will happen to all of my built models when I shuffle off?

It's easy enough to sell off your stash of unbuilt model kits if you need to. But getting rid of built models? Not so easy.

The model I bought, a 1/350 Tamiya King George V battleship, is in pretty poor shape. The guy who built it was no master of his craft, but that's what tempted me, I plan to (some day) try to resurrect it, to take the basic structure and improve upon it and make something special. It's a form of recycling - rather than seeing this end up in landfill, which I suspect was the alternative.

Anyway, I'm very interested to hear from you guys as to what you actually do with all your built models, and what you ultimately plan to see happen to them. It's a slightly morbid, but fascinating, aspect to our hobby that I've not really considered before.

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
What do you do with your built scale models?

Cheers,

Dave

New video: Is it time to upgrade your beginner airbrush? Cheap v intermediate examined.

I've been using the same cheap airbrush for the last ten years. The generic Sparmax DH-103 airbrush and compressor cost me $100 Australian back in 2007, and it has never given me a moment's trouble in all that time. Everything you've seen me produce has been painted with that rig. But I recently decided that it was time for me to upgrade, to lift my game and get a better airbrush.

Don't get me wrong - you can get by for a long time with a cheap beginner airbrush (hell, I did). If you're considering your first foray into airbrushing scale models, I would most definitely recommend you pick up a cheap one to learn on. I promise you, once you try airbrushing you will never go back to only using paintbrushes - I guarantee it.

But there are compromises involved in a cheap airbrush, and eventually you will want to get a better brush. It took me ten years, your results may vary (or you might be less of a tightwad than I am!).

So I got a new, higher-spec airbrush from SprayGunner.com - it's a 0.2mm Mr Hobby Procon Boy FWA Double Action Platinum. It is a bit of an eye opener to me. I can't put it any other way - it is just a lot better than my current cheap airbrush.

If you're interested in picking up one for yourself, here is a link (I get no commission, BTW!) - and even better, if you are a member of The MOD Squad you get a 10% discount. Win / win!

The full details are in the video below, but the main difference is the control of how precise you spray. For fine work, like say freehand airbrushing 1/72 scale camouflage, it makes a huge difference. Watch the video, you'll see what I mean.

Now I need to think about if I ever want to pull the trigger and buy one of the really expensive airbrushes, like a Badger or Paasche. Those are in the US$200+ range, and I've been told that the results you see in a jump to an expert airbrush is the same as the jump from a beginner's to an intermediate. I'm not ready for that expense yet, but it would be interesting to see. Maybe a future video, who knows?

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Is it time to upgrade your beginner airbrush?

Cheers,

Dave

Hope you're all having a wonderful festive season

Christmas pudding with custard and a cup of tea from my Tamiya mug. It doesn't get much better.

I hope you're all having a wonderful break, with lots of modelling time. I'm going to take a rare week or two off releasing videos, I'm taking a family holiday to the beach for a few weeks, and doing the whole Australian Summer thing.

Back in 2019!

Cheers,

Dave

New video: My fails, bloopers and stuff-ups of 2018

It's getting near the end of the year, so I thought I'd share with you the multitude of fails, stuff-ups and bloopers while I was filming in 2018.

A warning: it's chock full of explicit language, so if that offends you probably best to step away from the screen now...

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Scale model video fails, bloopers and stuff-ups for 2018

Cheers,

Dave

New video: The 3 simplest ways to improve your scale modelling skills

I had a moment this week when I was sanding away at a poorly fitting join, and I thought just how much I don't enjoy sanding models. After a little more thought, I decided that sanding and cleaning my airbrush were my two least-favourite parts of the hobby. A little more thought again and I realised that the day I confronted these two least-favourite parts of building was actually a really powerful and simple way I improved my builds.

In light of this, my latest video discusses three really simple ways to improve your builds. These are low-hanging fruit - relatively obvious things, but nonetheless important ways to improve your modelling skills, and like the example above they are powerful and simple tools for improving your abilities, no matter if you are an absolute newbie or if you've been modelling for years.

I hope that the title of this video doesn't feel too "clickbait-y". I promise it's not meant to be!

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
The three simplest ways to improve your scale model builds

If you have any feedback, or if you have any other suggestions for simple ways to improve builds, please comment below.

Cheers,

Dave

The problem of recasting

I don't often post other people's videos on my blog, but when I find something important or extraordinary, I will happily make an exception. This is one of those cases. Adam Savage - one of the guys from Mythbusters - is a model nerd. Who knew, eh? And he has released a video this week about the problem of recasting, where an unscrupulous person will buy a limited release kit and use it to cast their own moulds and then sell their knock-off versions.

I discovered this video via an email I received from Industria Mechanika. If you haven't checked them out before, you should - I got into their aesthetic when I was scratchbuilding The Seahorse, they do great sci-fi and steampunk resin kits. And they are exactly one of the sort of small, short-run model producers who are impacted by recasting. They put in all the effort, pay the artists, produce the amazing kits, and pay their way in the industry.

When someone else comes along and directly copies their work and then starts flogging it off much cheaper on eBay or Etsy or Aliexpress, it may be tempting to grab yourself a bargain. I'll be honest - I've knowingly purchased a recasting before. I'm not proud of it, but I have.

Finding these dodgy bastards took literally sixty seconds.
Part of me didn't want to give exposure, but the main offenders need to be shown.

When Adam says in his video that there are problems with the recasting, that the quality is never as good, I have some doubts. I'm sure some are piss-poor, but I'm sure others are pretty much indistinguishable from the legitimate originals.

But the important difference is this: if you buy originals, you support the artists who produce the cool thing that you love and want. You keep them in business. This equals you keep them producing more cool stuff in the future. You win long term.

That dude who knocks it off and flogs it cheap? He's not designing anything cool for release next month or next year. Screw him. Plus, it's just a really shitty thing to do, being a parasite and copying the creativity of others.

If you've ever read this blog before you'll know I love saving money, and doing it on the cheap if it is at all possible. But in this case, it's a false economy. Support the people who actually do the work - your purchase keeps the small guys producing the cool stuff. If they go out of business then less cool stuff for you in the future.

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Adam Savage on The Problem of Recasting

Cheers comrades,

Dave

New video: Wingnut Wings are they really that good? PART 3 FINAL BUILD

The Wingnut Wings Fokker E.IV Eindecker is almost complete. I still have to finish painting the propeller and then rig all the rigging, two topics which I will cover in separate "how to" videos, but as far as finishing everything that is included in the kit - it is 95% complete. As such, I feel ready to answer my question of "Wingnut Wings - are they really that good?"

In this third and final video in the series, I discuss the final construction of the kit, the fit of the subassemblies, and the quality of the Cartograf decals. I could have masked and airbrushed most of the German cross markings, they are not that complicated, but I wanted to experience the entire Wingnut Wings kit and everything it offered.

In addition to the prop and rigging, I've still got some weathering and a final matte coat to go.

But overall I'm tremendously happy with how it has turned out.

So what is my verdict?

Are Wingnut Wings scale model kits as good as everyone says?

Are they worth the hefty price tags?



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:
Wingnut Wings scale model kits - are they really that good? Part 3 FINAL

Cheers,

Dave

Two years of Dave's Model Workshop

I just realised that Dave's Model Workshop is now two years old! Hooray!

I uploaded my first video to YouTube on 12 September 2016. I think you'll all agree we've come a long way since then...

Thanks for coming along for the ride, and stick around for much more to come. You guys are the best.

Dave

New video: Wingnut Wings scale model kits - are they really that good?

In recent years there has been a lot of hype around Wingnut Wings kits. I've seen them winning again and again at scale model competitions, and I've heard a lot online about how detailed and how amazing these expensive kits are. So I finally took the plunge and started one. Does it live up to the hype? Are Wingnut Wings worth it?

Before we begin I have to set the record straight on a couple of things:

• My views are based on a sample size of one. This is the first WNW kit I've built. So my views on all Wingnut Wings kits as a whole probably aren't terribly statistically sound!
• At this stage I'm only about 20-25% into the build.
• Full disclosure - this kit was provided to me gratis by HobbyLink Japan (their website is here) to review. There has been no editorial influencing, no pressure to review the kit one way or the other, but I felt in the interests of honesty I had to disclose that up front.

So, with that out of the way, what is the kit like?

The kit: Wingnut Wings 1/32 scale Fokker E.IV

It. Is. Detailed.

So, so detailed.

I had been planning to build this quite quickly, to do it as a refresher away from what I usually build (I haven't built a WWI aircraft model in about 20 years!). But the kit is so detailed, so intricate, that you really can't rush it. To do so would not be doing justice to the engineering of the kit, to the potential of the kit.

I was all set to be quite skeptical of the hype. Surely one kit is much the same as another, right? But I have to admit that this Wingnut Wings kit is pretty special. The plastic is very forgiving - even when separating the finest, flimsiest pieces from the sprue, it doesn't shatter or snap. The instructions are an absolute joy, with a phenomenal range of references. The fit is pretty amazing.The engineering is just clever.

All that said though, there are some down sides. I won't give too much away here, you'll have to watch the video, but it's not all breathless fanboying from me here. There are compromises, and there are moments when the incredible detail is just too much - sometimes it feels like gilding the lily.

So what are you waiting for? Watch the video now! And if you like the look of it, you can purchase the kit here from HobbyLink Japan.

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Wingnut Wings scale model kits - are they really that good?


Cheers,

Dave

So what the bloody hell happened this month, eh?

Oh, it's been a rough month. I've not put out a new video in almost three weeks, and I always try to put out a new video for my audience every single weekend. This is pretty poor form, especially for you guys who are members of The MOD Squad and help to financially support Dave's Model Workshop.

Today I've put out a video explaining just what the hell happened in August. It's not looking for sympathy, it's just an explanation and so that you know that I haven't forgotten you.

The worst of it is over, and it'll get better from here. I promise.

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
What the bloody hell happened this month to Dave's Model Workshop?

Cheers,

Dave

Another brutal work week

I'm having another brutally busy week at work this week, just like last week. I'm getting up at 5am, racing to work by 6am, and putting in long days. In the evenings I have no energy left for building models or filming videos. Bugger...

I don't think I'm going to get a video out this week, for which I apologise in advance. As you know, I release a new video every Friday so that you guys all have something new each weekend. But this week it's just not going to happen. Sorry.

I'll make it up to you somehow!

Cheers,

Dave

Having a rough week

This whole "real world full time work" thing really gets in the way of modelling time. 

This week I'd love to get out there on a beach and run the Sand Scorcher. Or make a start on my next model, a WingNut Wings WWI Fokker monoplane.

Instead, it is currently 10pm on a Tuesday and I am working on real, full-time paid work stuff.

Poo.





How do you guys manage to make time for modelling? Got any tips on how to make the real world of earning money take up less of your time?

Cheers,

Dave

New video: Do you ever combine alcohol with scale models?

In my latest video I discuss whether it's ever smart to combine booze and building scale models. This week I rather stuffed something up because I thought it would be a good idea to try airbrushing at 9:30pm after two pints of beer and a glass of wine. Hmm, turns out it was actually not a very good idea at all.

Pictured: not a very good idea.

A few weeks back, while I was still building The Seahorse, I recorded a video after I had had a couple of drinks, and I was very tempted to get stuck in and do some paint chipping. On that occasion I was smart enough to know my limitations, and I walked away from the workbench.

I hadn't released that video before now, as I wasn't sure it was professional enough to release.

After my stuff up this week, I reconsidered my position, and recorded some more video to bookend the original footage with, where I had a slightly more sober reflection on the issue.

Have a look and let me know your thoughts. I'm keen to hear other modellers' ideas on this topic. Goodness knows I could learn a thing or two if that dented helmet up top is anything to judge by...

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
Do you ever mix alcohol and scale models?

Cheers,

Dave






P.S. Remember kids - don't drink and model.

How is 2018 half over already? Time for a half-yearly update.

What? It's the end of June already? How is 2018 already half over? That's slightly horrifying. All those scale model projects we plan each year - how are yours progressing? A half-year reflection is the perfect time for a video update, with my special guest presenter alongside.

In this video I discuss what projects I'm currently working on, what's happening on the Dave's Model Workshop YouTube channel, and what videos are in the pipeline to be released very soon.

The main topic is that I've been building something purely for the fun of it. I'm almost at the stage of painting the bodyshell of my Sand Scorcher. I haven't been taking lots of videos of the build and sharing them, for several reasons:

1. I really wanted to build a fast build. Having spent ten months on my last project, I wanted to knock over something big but not obsess over it for months and months and months.
2. I don't think my audience is actually that interested in RC.
3. I know that there are thousands of people out there already producing youTube videos about RC, and every single one of them is better informed and more experienced than I am! I am never going to set myself up as an authority on radio control - I am purely a dilettante ;)

Not bad for a dilettante.

Anyways, enough reading about it - just watch the video. It's far more entertaining. Plus my daughter insisted on me including some extra bonus footage at the end.

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
How is 2018 half over already? Time for a half-yearly update!

Cheers,

Dave

New video: What modelling tool have you been using the longest?

I recorded a couple of videos while I was finishing up The Seahorse, which I will release in the next couple of weeks. This is one of them. I was cracking open a tin of Humbrol enamel paint, a garish metallic green left over from my very early days of making models when I was rather partial to a loud hot rod model. Then I realised that I've been using this same tin of paint, albeit sparingly, since about 1988. That's thirty years.

It got me to thinking: what are people's oldest modelling tools? What have you been using the longest?

For me, it would have to be a pair of surgical scissors that I use to cut pieces from plastic sprue. I've been using these since my very first model ever.

I'd love to say let's use this as an opportunity for us modellers to work out amazing products, to celebrate brands that make quality tools and use that for future purchases... But I rather suspect that most of the answers are going to be for products from the 1960s-1980s, and I very much doubt they are made to the same standards today. Cue old man complaining about modern things and how they don't make 'em like they used to...

Source.

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
What tool have you been using the longest in making scale models?


Cheers,

Dave

New video: RC Beginner's Guide - what you will need to complete your RC car build

As regular readers would know, I recently bought a radio control Tamiya 1/10 Sand Scorcher. And as regular readers would also know, I am an utter newbie beginner and know absolutely nothing about building RC models. In order to rectify this, and start to get my head around what additional extras I needed to buy, I visited Metro Hobbies here in Melbourne to speak to an expert and get my head around RC transmitters, servos, speed controllers, chargers and batteries.

I met up with Vasco from Metro Hobbies. Vasco is an RC expert - he has his own massive RC YouTube channel - and chatted with him about what an absolute beginner needs to build and get a typical Tamiya RC car up and racing.

I find batteries in particular utterly confusing. LiOn, NiCad, voltages, sizes, Amps and all the rest are just beyond my head's capabilities. The battery section of my video is particularly useful - I wouldn't say I completely understand it yet, but I definitely know more than I did this time a week ago!

There are also some important safety tips regarding safely charging batteries, which it's good to get your head around.

We also discuss controllers, electronic speed controllers, servos, battery chargers, performance upgrades and hop-ups.

I've not done an interview video before, so I hope this is interesting to you guys. We were in the office of a busy shop, so there is unfortunately some background noise of customers chatting, phones ringing, etc. But the good news is that I've been using some new video editing software (Adobe Premiere Pro), and I was able to edit out the worst of that. Hopefully crappy audio is now a thing of the past for Dave's Model Workshop!

Plus I've got a new intro sequence at the very beginning! I can almost hear you all oooh-ing and aaaah-ing in admiration ;)

Video is embedded below, but in case that doesn't work here is the link:
RC beginner's guide - what you will need to complete your RC car build

Cheers,

Dave

P.S. A heartfelt thank you to Metro Hobbies for taking the time and working with me on this video. They're good people.

Balancing model making and time with family

This evening we're off to the airport to pick up my Mother-in-law, who is visiting us for a week.

I get on well with her, so all those corny old Mother-in-law jokes don't actually apply in this case. But the image above does apply - houseguests mean a lot less modelling time.

On the plus side: a lot more time with my beautiful partner.

I really love building models, but it is intrinsically an anti-social hobby. It involves many hours of sitting by yourself, not interacting with your family and friends.

Over the years I've seen a number of memes about models and wives. There are lots of unfunny, borderline misogynist "jokes" on Facebook about having to sneak your latest model purchase past the wife waiting with a rolling pin. If that's the reality of your life, it's pretty sad.

Pictured: Not actually funny.

One group I a member of on Facebook, the Scale Modellers Critique Group, sometimes cops flak for being a bit brutal and cliquey. But to their immense credit, they have a zero-tolerance policy to jokes about battleaxe wives and sneaking your latest model kit purchase home.

Anyway, what it all boils down to is this: if you have a partner and family who support and/or tolerate your modelling hobby, then you're very lucky. It is a solitary hobby, and it takes up a lot of time. But it is better than just brainlessly watching tv, and as vices go there are much, much worse ways to throw away cash and time!

I try to involve my daughter where I can, and I hope that she catches the bug and does make some models in her life, or at least develops a love of craft and building something aesthetically pleasing with her own two hands.

I won't say I've got the balance 100% right - sometimes I get a bit obsessed. Sometimes I spend too much time at the workbench.

Enjoy your hobby, but don't forget to realise how lucky you are if your significant other supports you. I know I am.

Cheers,

Dave