Model Kit Building And Painting Tips And Tricks

Our staff here at Chinook & Hobby West have noticed many of the same questions from our beginner level model builders. We have done some research and pooled our own knowledge to share some tips and tricks to help you along your hobby adventure.

Please leave a comment below and let us know your tips, ideas or if this article helped you.
Enjoy and Happy Hobbying!

Building a Model

1. You need a designated space such as a large table with good lighting.
2. Read through the instructions a couple of times before you start.
3. Cut, don't snap off, individual parts from the plastic sprues.
4. Compare the parts included, to the list of parts in the instructions.
5. Smooth the edges of parts using a sanding stick or file to remove nubs and excess plastic resulting from manufacturing, then wash them in a mild detergent and allow to dry. Make sure to use gentle pressure when sanding so you don't take too much off.
6. Collect your tools.
7. Follow the parts assembly sequence exactly. Be patient and don't jump ahead.

Extra Tips
-Use the minimum amount of glue necessary to make a solid bond. 
-Enhance your assembled model by filling in gaps with putty and carefully sanding the filled surface.

Come down and see us at Chinook & Hobby West or email us if you have any questions.

Painting Your Model

1. Do some research if you're building a replica. Every era has incorporated its own style. A replica of a Cadillac painted pink would not be an accurate model of the original car but may be your vision of your dream car.
2. If you can, find a modeler's club and learn hands-on tips from more experienced modelers. There are some great online forums on the internet.
3. Plan your paint scheme if you're doing your own design. Write down the colours you're thinking about so you don't forget that vision.
4. Work on a clean surface.
5. Clean your model. Use rubbing alcohol or plastic prep and let the model dry thoroughly. This helps to remove all oil and any other contamination, including excess glue.
6. Put the model or model part on a paint stand or on a drop cloth.
7. Shake the spray can thoroughly to mix paint properly.
8. Test the nozzle by spraying a piece of cardboard, such as the inside lid of your model box.
9. Plan on multiple thin coats rather than one thick coat.
10. Start spraying to one side of the model, stroke over the model, and spray past the model before you stop.  Keeping the spray about 6 to 8 inches away from the project.

Extra Tips 
-Aerosol spray paints are good, but you may want to invest in an airbrush as you grow in the hobby.  
-Bright, shiny finishes can be achieved by painting the desired color, letting the model dry, spraying with a clear coat, and then finishing with a buffing compound. 
-Complete the detail work as necessary with fine-tipped artist brushes.
-Use thinners for your type of paint (acrylic thinner for acrylic paint) when brush painting.
-Paint in a ventilated area. 

-Wear a painter's mask if you are sensitive to smells. 
-Many experienced modelers suggest using primers when painting.

We hope that these tips and tricks help you create a piece you can be proud of.  Remember to have patience, take your time and if you get frustrated, walk away (after you clean up). You can always go back to it later!

Please leave a comment and remember, these ideas are not finite; there are so many things to try and experiment with.  Have FUN!

These tips are suggestions and we are not responsible for damage or accidents that occur to your project.

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Lipton Tea Building

First part of the Thomas J Lipton Tea Building mock up (white, 3/16" foam core). This 12 story building served by the HBS is 165ft tall in a U configuration around three tracks. This is a good candidate for laser cutting, since it has a relatively flat facade from its concrete frame and glass infill construction.

The scale of this is impressive. A happy coincidence that there is a large building on the railroad. I like big buildings, but this isn't the reason I chose the HBS to model. This is the tallest building on the layout.

I am being deliberate with all of the buildings (along with everything else), so there will be mock ups and iterations before final models are constructed. At this point I will scratch build every structure. We'll see if that actually happens. 

Off to the store for more foam core. 

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Frequently asked questions about Model Building

Welcome to Chinook Hobby Talk Blog! Ready to learn something?

There are so many great books to get started into a hobby or to hone your techniques.

One of our fav's for Car and Truck plastic model building is:

Here are some beginner questions we get asked:

What is a scale model? 
A scale model is a miniature representation of either the real thing or a vehicle from the builder's imagination. Most scale models are made from kits, but some are made from scratch. Modelers strive to build with care so the result looks like the real thing. Careful research from books, photos, and observing the full-size subjects comes into play. Builders try to eliminate seams and create realistic paint jobs, along with adding extra details. 

What is meant by scale?
The scale of a model determines its size in relation to the real thing. A model in 1/25 scale is one twenty-fifth the size of the original. In other words, it would take 25 models end-to-end to span the measurement of the actual subject. 

What is a vacuum-formed kit?
Like an injection-molded kit, these are made from plastic. But vacuum-formed kit parts are heat-pressed into sheets of styrene plastic. Each part must be cut from the sheet, the edges of the parts must be sanded, and a few other special steps must be introduced to the building process to get these kits together. A vacuum-formed kit can be assembled with plastic cements, superglues, or epoxies. They usually are not for beginners, but often may be the only kits available of certain subjects. You should have a couple of years of experience with injection-molded kits before trying one of these. Vacuum-formed kits are generally manufactured and sold by small aftermarket companies. 

What is a resin kit?
Instead of being molded with hot plastic as injection-molded and vacuum-formed kits are, resin kits are made from liquid resins poured into silicone rubber molds. The liquid resin sets after a few minutes, and the molds are separated to release the parts. Resin kits usually are of subjects that are not available in injection-molded kits, and they can be expensive. You must use super glue or epoxy to build resin kits. Like vacuum-formed kits, resin kits are made and sold by aftermarket companies. 

What are photo-etched parts?
These are fine detail parts that usually are obtained as aftermarket items. Parts such as instrument panels, seat buckles, louvers, and grilles, are photographically transferred onto thin sheet metal. Areas outside the images of the parts are etched away in a chemical bath. These add-on parts take some experience to handle and install, but they can improve the look and detail level of a model. 

What kind of cement should I use?
Most plastic kits can be built with tube or liquid-type plastic cements. Superglues (also known as CA for cyanoacrylate) and epoxies also can be used on plastic kits, and will work with other materials such as resin, metal, and wood. 

How can I use superglue on my models?
Superglue can be used to put kits together, and gap-filling superglues (thick formulas) can be used to fill seams and depressions. Cured superglue can be sanded and polished just like plastic. 

Are there kits for people just starting out in modeling?
Yes. Dozens of simple kits have parts that snap together. You won't need glue to assemble them, and you may not need to paint them, either. You can move on to more complex kits after you get your feet wet. 

What kind of paints should I use on a scale model?
Several brands are available, usually in hobby shops. Enamels are oil-based paints and they require paint thinner to thin and clean up. Enamels are easy to apply and come in a wide assortment of colors. Enamels also are available in spray cans, many matching bottled paints in the same line. Water-based acrylic hobby paints are becoming more popular. They are more difficult to airbrush, but they are less toxic than enamels. Most acrylics are thinned and clean up with water. Automotive lacquers, such as touch-up paints, are also used by many builders. Their advantage is they go on thin. These paints require the use of primer, and are very toxic, so a two-stage respirator and sufficient ventilation should be used when spraying them. 

How does a modeler decide which scale to build?
Some modelers prefer to work in one scale only so they can see the size relationship of their subjects. But others may not be concerned with constant scale. If there is only one kit of the subject they are looking for, then that is the model they will build. Usually, large scale models have the best detail, but the variety of subjects is limited. Automobiles usually are found in 1/24 or 1/25 scales. There are some kits in 1/12, 1/16, and 1/20, and 1/43 offers a wide variety of kits and finished models. 

What is stretched sprue?
The material that the parts of a plastic kit are attached to is called sprue. Modelers occasionally use this raw material to produce new parts for their models. For example, by heating the sprue over a candle flame, it can be stretched as thin as hair or bent to produce other shapes. Stretched sprue often is used to represent antennas. 

What are pin marks and mold seams?
During the injection-molding process, certain blemishes appear on the parts. Ejector pins that push the parts from the mold often leave small circular marks on the part. Mold seams sometimes are visible too. They appear as small raised lines along the line where the halves of the mold separate. Modelers try to eliminate these blemishes on their models with filler and sandpaper. 

What is detailing?
Modelers often add details to their models that are not provided in the kits. Some details, such as improved instruments, seats, seat belts, antennas, engine accessories, and decals, are available as aftermarket items, but some modelers make their own improvements. 

Of course there have been many more questions and we are open to answering yours too!  Drop us an email with your questions to hobbywest@shaw.ca and we can help you.

Please feel free to leave comments below!

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Free model train building plans

images taken from various sources for illustration only Free model train building plans

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Time spent on building the layout Youll be surprised!

Read an article the other day on the time it takes to build a layout.  I cannot remember just where I read it but it was probably on a blog somewhere.  It talked about the time it takes to build a layout. It had a lot of great points but I wanted to put my touch on it so here it is!  Now of course we know that layouts come in all shapes and sizes.  A basement empire is going to take longer than say my small room sized layout.  I have broken down the different stages into percents of time spent on each.  So lets go through a build and see where most of your time is spent.  Let's start from the beginning:

Planning:  Most of us are always planning and if you are like me, your even planning after you think all your track work is done.  Starting on a new layout, most know what railroad they want to model and finding that space is always the hardest part.  Once you find that room or basement, the planning is in full gear.  The internet provides more info on specifics than we could ever imagine.
10%

Benchwork:  This is usually a quick weekend or two.  Once you know your space and what you want to do, it's time to hit your Home Depot or Lowe's.  Lumber is not cheap these days but is a necessary thing to support our empire.  You will be making several trips here over the years so get used to it.  I love to go to my local Home Depot!
10%

Track work and Electrical:  This is the most important step in the whole process.  Good track work and electrical wiring will save you lots of time in the end.  Try to only wire the track and maybe signals. Electrical turnouts can be hand thrown so this could save you time especially if you have a bunch of turnouts.  Labeling/color coding your wires will definitely help if you have problems later on.
15%

This is the point where a lot of layouts stop.  Because of the simple fact that you can run your trains and that was most of what we wanted to accomplish.  Scenery and build structures are difficult and most have never attempted them.  Maybe the structures.  We tend to keep adding locos and freight cars instead of the obvious.  So the first three categories are complete and we are up to only 35%!

Structures:  These are the life blood of our railroads yet a lot of time can be spent on these.  A lot of modelers even have someone else build them for them because so much time can be spent on them. Mike Confalone is one of these and we see how great his railroad is.  Walther's kits can save time but your layout should not look like the Walther's catalog.  I'm even guilty to a certain degree. I think 80% of us modelers have the Walther's grain elevator. I plan on one day going back and changing that elevator a bit.  It's a good stand in now.   Slight changes to these types of kits or scratch building is a great way to make your railroad look unique.
25%

Scenery: This is the one everyone likes to avoid.  We are all scared we will mess it up.  That's part of life!  When I first started doing scenery, I thought of it as making a pizza. Start at the dough (base) add glue (sauce) and add toppings!  I've noticed my scenery gets better the more I do it.  Scenery Express items are recommended over Woodland Scenics.  I have used both, but SE just looks better!
30%

Weathering:  This category is a lot like scenery, people are terrified of it.  We don't want to mess up a $30 freight car or a $200 locomotive.  This is a must for any realistic layout.  For me, nothing is worse than seeing a beautiful layout complete with shiny freight cars and locomotives   Even a quick shot of Dullcote is better than nothing.  Don't forget to weather the structures too!
10%

In closing, we can see that most of your time will be taken up on scenery and building the structures. I'm at that point now on my layout.  I have several structures to build on my layout including a new grain elevator (Walthers no less!), a depot, country store and farmhouse.  I could have been done on my layout a couple of years ago but I decided to add my lower level.  So this whole process started over.  Hope I helped you put your time into perspective and remember every minute counts and I didn't even count distractions!  That's another topic for another day!  Happy Modeling!

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US Testing Building

Located at 1415 Park Ave, Hoboken, this concrete frame building was the home of US Testing, an HBS customer. Now it is a parking garage.

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Basic Tips For Model Building

Basic Tips For Model Building

– From Valerie at Chinook & Hobby West

1.      Wash all plastic parts in warm water and liquid dish soap.  Use a grease cutting soap such as Sunlight. Do not use soap that claims to be ‘nice to your hands’ because these soaps are designed to replace skin oils in your hands.  They will put oils on the plastic.  You are trying to get rid of the oils and mold release (anti-sticking agents) from the plastic.

     After letting the plastic soak for 10-15 minutes, agitate the water to get the soap into any cracks or grooves and then rinse with clean water.  Let the plastic air-dry.

     Your model is now clean and ready for painting.  You should get in the habit of washing your hands in the same soap anytime you work on your model, both building and painting.  Grease cutting soaps will help to reduce skin oils on your hands better than bar soaps and therefore reduce the chance of getting fingerprints on you model.

2.     Remove parts from their frames only as you need them.  Once all the parts have been removed from a section of frame (sprue), save the frame, it has many uses and costs nothing.

     A section of frame can be used to mix your paints.  It can also be used to test the dryness of the paints on your model.  If you are doing a paint scheme where one color will overlap another color, paint some of the first color on a section of frame at the same time that you paint your model.  When you think that the paint is dry, paint some of the second color on the frame over the first color and wait for about 15 minutes.  If there is no reaction, then it’s safe to paint the second color on your mode.  Repeat this step if further colors are to be used on top of the other tow, such as I a multi-colored camouflage scheme.  This process can also be used to test the dryness of your finished paint scheme before applying clear coats.  If you intend to use clear coats on your models, always install your clear parts AFTER you use the clear coat.  Clear finishes will cause clear parts to fog. Also test the clear coat on your painted frame as some brands of clear coat can cause yellowing to light and white colors.  Install clear parts by using clear drying white glue, as regular model glues will fog the clear parts too.

Building Your Model

3.    After removing the parts from the frame, remove any excess plastic from the parts using your hobby knife, sandpaper, sprue cutter or a file.  When using files be very careful as the plastic is soft and you can take off too much.

Dry fit the parts before gluing to make sure the parts fit firmly.  (Known as dry    fitting). Further sanding may be required.  Apply glue sparingly. The more glue you use, the worse it sticks.  This applies mainly to tube glue.  The thicker you apply any glue the longer it takes to dry.  When using tube glue, us glue tips.

To Prime or Not To Prime?

4. You will get different opinions on this but we suggest the following;
• Pre-paint parts that will be difficult to paint after assembly, such as aircraft cockpits.
• Assemble parts first that will end up the same color.
• Assemble parts first when putty will be used to fill seam lines such as aircraft body parts and the paint.

When pre-painting parts, be sure not to get paint on the area where the glue is to be applied.  The glue will not stick through the paint.

The most important thing to remember about building models is:

·        Take your time!!

·        Give paints time to dry!!

·        Give glue time to dry!!

If you have any questions please call us, we can help you.  403-243-1997 or email hobbywest@shaw.ca.

Basic Tools To Have On Hand When Model Building

• Model glue (superglue works well too)
• White glue or canopy glue (for clear parts)
• Hobby Knife
• Sprue Cutter (optional)
• Water (if working with acrylic paint)
• Thinner (if working with enamel or laquer paint)
• Acrylic (water based) or Enamel (oil or laquer based) paint
• Paint brush(s)
• magnifying lense (helps to see numbers on sprues and small print on instructions)
• A SENSE OF HUMOUR AND SOME PATIENCE!

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Building A Road

Would you like to include a road or sidewalk on your layout or diorama?  We have great kits for beginners to experts that give great finished looks.

We know we have a kit that's ideal for you!  Make sure to come down and see us for more info and techniques.

Our first kit is for Beginners or great for school projects:

 the Woodland Scenics Road Kit for building roads and sidewalks on our layouts and dioramas.  Its easy, fast, a good price and looks great when finished!

Woodland Scenics has also released a great video to demonstrate just how easy this kit is to use:
Click Here to view
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Our other kit is for Intermediate to expert:

Road System Learning Kit

LK952

Modelers learn to easily add roads and other paved areas to any layout. The kit contains illustrated instructions and enough of the following products to build a roadway approximately 3" x 4' (7.62 cm x 121 cm): Smooth-It™, Paving Tape™ and Spreader, Asphalt Top Coat™ and the Top Coat applicator.

Here is another great video to help you bring this Road System kit to life for you:
Click Here to view
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Are you looking to add more realism to your road?  Check these out!

Paving Tape™

ST1455

Use this adhesive-backed foam tape to create straight-edged forms for paving, even on curves. Use to model streets, roads, sidewalks and parking lots. Easy to apply and remove. Includes Spreader. Roll 1/4" w x 1/16" h x 30' l (6 mm x 1.5 mm x 9.14 m) makes a road approximately 15 feet long (4.57 m).

Top Coat™ Concrete

ST1454

Top Coat Concrete is a non-toxic, water-soluble compound used to simulate the color of concrete road surfaces. Brush-on application. 4 fl oz (118 mL)
One bottle will cover approximately 9 to 12 square feet.

Top Coat™ Asphalt

ST1453

Top Coat Asphalt is a non-toxic, water-soluble compound used to simulate the color of blacktop road surfaces. Brush-on application. 4 fl oz (118 mL)
One bottle will cover approximately 9 to 12 square feet.

Smooth-It™ (1 qt.)

ST1452

Smooth-It is a plaster material that is used to smooth rough spots, create streets, roads and parking lots. Mix with water and apply directly to any clean hard surface. Covers 26' by 3" by 1/4" (HO Scale - two-lane highway).

Road Striping Pen - Yellow

C1292

Easily stripe roads, parking lots, crosswalks and other paved areas. Road Striping Pens make precise and opaque, realistic markings and dries quickly. Works for scales N through O. Use with Flexi Edge™ to create accurately scaled stripes and lines. 1/pkg and includes extra tip.

Click Here for Video

Road Stripe Remover

C1293

Use with Road Striping Pen - White and Road Striping Pen - Yellow to correct striping errors easily. Removes paint from Top Coat™ painted surfaces, leaving no residue. 1/pkg

The Scenery Manual

C1207

The most popular and comprehensive scenery manual available. Anyone can make beautiful, realistic scenery, and this manual will show you how. The spiral-bound Scenery Manual is loaded with various tips, techniques, ideas and instructions for using more than Woodland Scenics products to model realistic scenery. 170 pages contains hundreds of full-color photos and illustrations. Includes a 22 page addendum featuring the new terrain products.

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Thanks for checking out our blog, we hope you enjoyed this article.  Please leave a comment and let us know if this article was helpful.

Happy Hobbying!

From the gang at Chinook & Hobby West
403-243-1997

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