Hi All,

My name is Dylan. My wife and I are expecting a baby boy in February and she has "allowed" me to use airplanes as the theme for his room. I fly for Envoy Air out of DFW, so I hope that modelling is a hobby that we'll be able to share together one day. I also hope it'll create a love for aviation and flying that his dad already has.

Yesterday, I picked up a Revell 1:48 Spitfire Mk 11. I was able to find everything I need except for a few paints. I couldn't find Blue Green, Dark Green, Field Brown, Sky Blue, or just standard Yellow at my local Hobby Lobby. Do you know of other names these colors would be known by? Is blue green a color I need to mix, if so what's a good technique? Are the spray paints in the model aisle good alternatives to air brush?

One final question, if you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice before you started building, what would it be?

I'll probably be back with more questions at some point. I appreciate any advice you guys offer.

Thanks!

Maybe this can help?

hataka

Hi Dylan!
... talking about having a new family member:[]--

As a single father I can give you the advice "forget about all of your hobbies (especially modelling) or let them rest for a looong while"
So needless to think about paints and other stuff...

And don't expect (whatever you do or plan to create) any interests from your kid in any hobby of the parents.
Thomas

Hi Dylan,
Congratulations on your upcoming baby and welcome to the hobby and our forums. I'm 58 and just back into the hobby a couple of years ago. I'm a grandfather and I've introduced the hobby to my 7-year old grandson. He likes building the snap together kits. He's a little ADHD so this is also aiding him in learning to focus his thoughts more.

My only model source in town is a Hobby Lobby too. I don't have an air brush so I mainly use spray cans for base colors and brush paints for detail work. The two brands I use the most from HL are Model Master (both enamel and acrylic paints in the small glass jars) and Model Color by Vallejo (acrylic paints in the dropper bottles). There are many other brands out there, but these are the ones I can find locally. I prefer using water based acrylics over thinner based enamels when I can due to the odor, but that's just a personal preference.

Many paint brands will have specific applications in the color title, like RAF Brown, for a color used by the Royal Air Force in their aircraft camouflage schemes. Others will use titles like Leather Brown. Many model manufactures will put paint call outs in their assembly instructions, often with paint ID codes for various brands, that help in identifying the right colors.

I have found through experience that several light coats of paint are usually better than one thick coat. This is especially true when I've painted reds and yellows. I don't know why, but it's just what I've experienced. You may want to consider a spray primer before painting to get better adhesion of the paint as well.

Another thing just came to mind. HL sells several brands of craft paints. Most are made for porous materials but some are made to adhere to plastic. These are cheap and come in a huge selection of colors. Just check the label for use on plastic. If your models are going to be displayed in your child's room, these may be a good option as they are usually non-toxic.

Good luck in building your model and all the best for your wife and baby.
John

For information about paints and colours used by different countries, you really can't beat IPMS Stockholm's colour charts part 1 and part 2.

The UK section is here. The paint names you want to find equivalents for are Dark Green, Dark Earth, Sky and Trainer Yellow. You'll also need the RAF's interior green (which is probably what that blue-green is supposed to be). Many modelling paint ranges such as Testors Model Master have these colours pre-mixed for you.

Basic paints to always keep on hand are matte black, matte white, dark grey, red, green, yellow, and silver. You can never go wrong by keeping a pot each of Tamiya clear red, clear green, clear orange and clear blue on hand. There are always uses for those.

Here are a couple of excellent Spitfires which have recently graced these pages. I encourage you to study the modellers' techniques and adapt them to your building style.

The spray cans can be used in place of an airbrush, but their drawback is that they blast out the paint quite heavily and they always run out just before you're finished painting the model. It takes quite a bit of practise to get good at painting using spray cans.

Advice for the beginning builder? Take your time. Think about what you're trying to do, break it down into logical steps and then be prepared to junk your plan if it all goes wrong. Also don't be afraid to experiment. Most of us keep a junked model around to test new things on.

Dylan,
Welcome to Aeroscale and the hobby. Being a parent of a now 28 year old boy, I still remember that during his infant and toddler years, I had almost no free time for hobbies other then working on the house and yard. Just seemed that my 2nd job was giving my wife a break when I came home from work, and took over the baby care duties. The bottom line is that you'll just have to play it by ear, and see how things pan out. You may find that you have a hour or two here or there and can model.

As for models, supplies, paints, etc, I buy 95% online, and I have 3 hobby shops within a hours drive of the house.

Rattle cans for the most part will be either Tamiya, or Testors/Model Master, and all are Lacquer based. plan on painting in the garage or even in a shed, not in the house as the smell can be over powering. I'm not a fan of rattle cans unless I need to decanter as you really can't control the flow nor the amount of paint. Personally, I'd invest in a airbrush setup. As for specific paints, I'd start with Acrylics, and go from there.

Joel

Welcome to both the hobby and Aeroscale !
As a fairly recent returnee to the hobby myself i'd say the best piece of advice that I benefitted from would be to trawl through the forums and absorb all the tips and tricks on all of the great build blogs.
A bit of light reading as and when you can around baby duties seems like a good way to ease yourself in (to the hobby that is )

you are going to have a ball!

I build my models for my 11 yo son who promptly destroys them but I build them any way and let him have them. He loves 'flying' them but, of course, he ultimately destroys them. Thats how I know he enjoyed them to the fullest. If a plane I build for him survives longer than a week I know he did not play with it.

His love for airplanes I think I instilled in him has led him to want to be a pilot.

At an air show this year but he soon will be in the air, I can feel it.

Congrats on your new to be family member

Thanks for all the advice! Especially with the paint colors! The fuselage and wings are now put together so hopefully I'll finish sometime this next week. I'll upload photos when I finish it.

fist one!....Congratulation!!!... ....me to for the fist one i have te same crazy idea,more time at home and modeling...hahahahahaha....pure Utopia for the first year at least,yes more time at home less with mates but when you have time for modeling you hare in bed try desperately to sleep few hours before the long nights....good luck!...