Hi guys,

I'm new here. I have build plastic models in the past, the last one being about five or so years ago. However, none of them looked any decent, because most were hand-painted and had no weathering/etc. whatsoever.

Now that I'm a little bit older, I want to get back into the hobby. I look forward to building German WWII planes, but before I do so, what materials will be necessary? Besides the obvious glue, paint, etc., what tools/materials/devices will prove necessary in successfully building a kit?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the site! As for the tools... you have all of them! You may want to add some nippers, side cutters and some sandpapers. Stick around to the site and you'll know more. Actually, it's not the tools that make a modeler but the modeler himself. Practice makes perfect. And if in doubt, log in to Armorama and post it away :-)

Hi scubyfan, welcome to the site. I would recomend buying some model filler and some fine wet and dry sanding paper for tidying up seams, also a bottle of Future for getting a smooth finish before applying the decals and for using on the canopies. A modelling knife with a good supply of blades is handy to have. If you check out the features section for tips and techniques it may give a guide on what other tools you may find handy. The most valuable tool you could want is this site, the guys who come here have a massive amount of knowledge and experience and always offer good advice.

Get yourself a big bucket of patience and determination and don't rush anything.

You'll be fine.

Welcome to Armorama there Scubyfan!

One 'tool' that is often overlooked and is quite necessary to have is an understanding girlfriend or wife. If you have that, you can build any model you want and spend as much time with it as you want.

Enjoy what Armorama has to offer.

Welcome aboard Scubyfan. Below is a link to an excellant article by Rob (Sabot) on this very site about putting together a modeler's tool box.
HTH,
Shaun

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/14

Hi

Just as building a model takes time. Building up your tools and supplies and modeling skills takes time.

I started in the hobby about 3 years ago when my job was cut back to 4 days a week because of lost business so i was on a limited budget.

I started off with the basics that u already seem to have. After that I went to the hobby shop 1 time a week and investested a small amount of my wages into my hobby. Either I would buy myself a tool or a couple bottles of paint or any other item i thought i could use. I normally spent about $10 to 20$ a week in this method.

After a year of this I had just about everything I needed to really build outstanding models and while i was gathering all the "nice to have items" i was busy that year horning my skills in basic model building.

The most expensive outlay I had was an Airbrush If you have a Michales Craft store near you search your local papers for the 40% off of any 1 item coupon they always run.. sometimes its 50% off during special sales weeks. The airbrush I picked up there is the Badger 175 Cresendo its normal cost was about $100 and i got it for about $50. you can also get an aircompressor there doing this if you so choose the model they carry.

I am not recommending you go out and buy this exact brush as that is a persoanl choice that you should make after you have learned more about them and can make your own informed choice. just giving you an example that Hobby stores are not the only place to find hobby items.. check out your local craft stores also. esp michales and AC Moore as they both run the 40% off coupons.

anyways after about a year or so of investing in my hobby this way i have everything i really need to make good models with my current skills.

My Model Gallery

Two tools that for me are essential are the airbrush and the compressor. You will need them for the paint job and you will use them for weathering, applying mate cote, etc...
Don´t get mad about what airbrush to buy, there are good inexpensive brands, eg. Paschee Single Action (about $45).

Then as said patience and time are the most important items in this hobby.

Good luck

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! I really appreciate all the suggestions in response to my post. To be frank, I had an air compresssor and airbrush in my mind as I started the thread. The ones I have seen have been very pricey, but as suggested, I will surely look for deals around my area. We have a lot of hobby and craft stores around here, so I'll scour them all!

Thanks again, everyone! I look forward to spending my time on this forum and learning all the intricacies of this excellent hobby!

for a budget, I wouldn't recomend an airbrush style compressor but rather a cheaper regular air compressor that is sold in autoparts stores or home improvement stores. I got my airbrush for little more than $50, and it is a paschee double action airbrush.
the second mayor tool would be the computer, armorama, and search engines like google, they really help.

Howdy,

I am afraid I don't understand the distinction between the two kinds of compressors. Can you elaborate?

Thanks!

Try to get an aircompressor with a reserve tank and at least with a power of 1,5HP.
You will use it not only for the hobby it´s usefull for a lot of other things.

Hi scubyfan, welcome to Armorama You have come to the right place.
I would just like to add, if you have a question, about any aspect of building your Luftwaffe aircraft, then don't be afraid to ask. Looking forward to seeing some of you models
Mal

G'day mate.....welcome to this great site. I, like you, didn't model for a few (ahem in my case more than a few) years and then came back. I found one of the best things i did was search bargain bins at your local hardware stores. Picking up a set of needle files is pretty handy....and very cheap. It can get pretty expensive at times, this hobby of ours, but once youve built up a set of tools your there and ready to model your like a madman.

hi..well i understand how u feel..now although i do not hav an airbrushes i usually use tamiya spray paints and usually focus on singale tone camo.

Welcome back scubyfan! The toolbox method is quite useful if you don't have a permanent workshop. If you like you can check the thread about my first model which includes a list of stuff I ended up getting. Don't be scared though, I'm sure you'll manage with less - my collection just ballooned out of control.

One thing that I did not have for years..but makes a great difference is quality lighting. Get one of those swing lamps with built in magnifying glass..You'll be glad you did