Hello,

I'm going to be starting my next build sometime in the coming week. Summer classes have let out, and work-study jobs don't begin until the term does, so I'm left with a few weeks of over-abundant free time.
Because of that I picked out a Tamiya 1/48 Storch, and it should be in my mailbox tomorrow morning. It'll be the first model I've ever built, excepting a few terribly easy ones as a kid. I want to do it up to look like a Morane 'Criquet' because I've just finished Windrow's The Last Valley where the Morane makes a few heroic appearances.
However, I don't know if that's an easy build, let alone the first thing about painting. So, I'm going to lay out my rough idea of the building process, and would appreciate any critique/tips/advice, esp. with regards to paint. Perhaps someone could even point me to a good tutorial on painting, I looked a bit but couldn't find anything on the lines of "here's how to paint at your desk without spending much and have it not look terrible".

My plan is this -

Step 1 - Unbox everything, check for obvious damage, leaf through instructions, prep work area, etc.
Step 2 - Clean all pieces with some light soap, then lay them out OR re-box them in a way that minimizes the risks of loss/damage for the entire course of the build. (Maybe multiple days/sessions? I don't know.)
Step 3 - Basic assembly. Follow the instructions, don't misplace anything, cut carefully, use good glue (what type?).
Step 4 - Finishing work, assembly of minor exterior parts, choice of decals, etc.
Step ??? - Painting. I've considered painting the unassembled pieces, but I don't know if this would be a better or worse process than painting the finished product. My plan for painting is to lightly sand (fine grit, presumably?) and prime everything whilst it's on the tree then go on to final painting, whether or not that comes before or after assembly. I'm going to spray-can prime, and I'm between that and brushing for the paint itself.

So, I would welcome any suggestions or advice. If there's some interest I might do a photo-journal of the build, because I'm familiar with cameras and it might be helpful to some other first-timer. Or maybe the results will just be funny to those more experienced.

We'd really be interested in a build log (which is what we call them here) of your Storch, but be warned that it's a bit of a complicated model for your first build, given all the struttery and glass.

Perhaps you'd like to do a Bf 109 or a Spitfire for practise first?

There are lots of great articles describing how to build and paint. One of the best is Reading the Seams and then there's the Beginner's Guide to Everything to keep you going.

Don't be afraid to ask questions; the only stupid question is the one which doesn't get asked. Welcome to Aeroscale. I hope you enjoy your stay

Thanks for sharing your plan

Jason,
I'll 3nd what Jessica said. You've picked a rather difficult model to build even right out of the box. Just masking and painting that glass would be a handful for a beginner with a few models under his belt.

I would suggest any aircraft, jet or prop that has a single color over all paint scheme, or at most a single top and single bottom color.

As Jessica said, there are several excellent tutorials right here to help you. Utube has hundreds if not thousands of videos on the basics of model building. Google searches will yield more information then you'll know what to do with. All of this information will at least give you a basic guide to start with.

Joel

I'm sure it's going to be a challenging build, but honestly the plane itself is a part of the motivation. It's a very storied aircraft, and that's why I'm wanting to build it specifically. Although I understand it isn't the world's simplest build, I've done other things that require fine motor skills and basic mechanical/fitting knowledge. Since it's from tamiya and they're known to make kits with close tolerances and good precision hopefully there won't be much improvisation required. If I lay off the coffee my hands are pretty steady, so the build itself doesn't have me too worried, even if that's false confidence.

What I think you're right about is the paint, I'm sure it will be the harder part by far. I'm intending to do it up in French Armee de L'air or Aeronavale colors, which will be a light blue underneath and a darker blue or green on top. As you said, a one or two color paint scheme is probably best. Hopefully it will be straight forward, I can envision the general scheme quite well, and only the exact shades and details need to be sorted. I'm thinking of checking the overall fit, then painting all the major parts by spray-can. The wash and shadows will be by hand. For the canopy I might try liquid masking and then painting with a very small brush.

There are sure to be a few errors, though as long as they're minor I'll be satisfied.

I'll be sure to take as many photos as I can remember, if things work well it will be a good chronicle of a long first-build, if not, a guide to avoidable mistakes.

One last thing that would be immensely helpful is a recommendation for buying paints/brushes in Vancouver, BC. The closest thing google turned up was in Richmond. Would DaSerre's or something of that type have the proper paints?

Given that I live hereabouts, I may as well chime in. Proper hobby paints and brushes may be had at Burnaby Hobbies at Royal Oak and Rumble, Magic Box Hobbies at 37th and West boulevard, Imperial Hobbies on No. 3 Road opposite Landsdowne Mall in Richmond and several other places. You can also get hobby paint in spray cans there, which will make painting your exterior surfaces much easier, and of course proper masking tape to keep it from going the wrong places

One other thing I can recommend is that you drop in at some IPMS Vancouver meetings for inspiration, fellowship, commiseration and general hanging around with your fellow plastic fondlers. Next meeting is this Friday at 7:30.

I ended up going to magic box, they were very helpful and the store is pretty cool, lots of supplies, kits, and good-looking finished pieces.
I took up the idea of doing a slightly easier piece first and got a Hasegawa Zero from them as well. The parts are drying off right now, and I'll be doing a bit of work this evening and tomorrow.

I'd like to say thanks for all of the suggestions and tips so far. Keep an eye out for a few pictures of the Zero going together.

Patrick,
Excellent choice.
Joel

I'm making good progress on the zero. Certain things have been easier than I imagined, others more difficult, but overall everything is going well.
The finished product is certainly going to show that it's a first effort. Because I want to do a good job of the Storch I'm considering doing up another Japanese plane, maybe a 'Jake' or Seiran, to give me a little more practice and to use up the remaining IJN paint colors.

I tried to upload some photos, but I don't seem to be able to.

The best thing to do with photos is to host them off-site on Flickr, Photobucket or what have you. Then use the IMG tool in your posting window to embed the links into your post.

I have decals on the Zero, just need to give it a final wash. Overall it was a good build, but definitely a learning experience.
I'll share a few photos when I have the chance.
In the meantime (The Storch still hasn't arrived) I might get started on another build, though I'll likely go much slower this time and try to get things to go together and paint up a bit better.

Also, thanks for the invitation to the meeting, but unfortunately today's been a rather busy day and I couldn't make it.