Hi, nice to meet you all. There's a ton of great posts here! I'm about to start working on a 1:72 north afrika storch and was wondering what you guys use for the ground...runways, hangars, etc. I thought I might be able to find a display case that I could paint and add textures too, but haven't seen any that are the correct size.

Also, does anyone use an airbrush for the main camo, etc? That was my plan, but have never used an airbrush before. I found a pretty cheap one ..and cheap meaning cheap and not expensive The airbrush and compressor were about $50 at Harbor Freight. Might be junk but will allow me to make some mistakes without trashing a good one while I learn.

Again, great forum!!

Hi and welcome to Armorama.
Sorry I cant give you any advice on bases.
I use an airbrush for all my camo schemes and the best advice I can give you is to mask carefully and spray in light coats.There are various methods for masking depending on what particular style of camoflage your doing.
Dont be afraid to experiment,and if it all goes wrong you can easily fix this by stripping the paint off with oven cleaner,(which I learnt from this site).It doesnt harm the plastic.
You'll have lots of fun on here and find everyone very friendly,helpfull and informative.Dont be afraid to ask what may seem the dumbest novice questions ever.You will always get helpfull answers.
Ive only recently come back to the hobby and Im learning all the time.
Looking forward to seeing your work.
Feel free to post "in progress" pics and if you get stuck on anything at all you will find the answers on here.
Happy Modelling!!

Welcome Bugnerd!

A good display base suitable for 1/72 aircraft dioramas can be done with a picture frame. There's a wide range to choose from + you can use the frame to put a plaque with info regarding the model.

People have probably used even cheaper airbrushes than yours. Try it and see if like it. You'll probably find that airbrushing is the only way to go, and then you may want to find a really good one!

Good luck!

Hi BugNerd, welcome to Armorama
There are others better qualified than I to give you advice on groundwork, I tend not to put my models on bases, they will chip in soon
I always use an airbrush and as Nige says light coats are the way to go. For masking I would recommend Tamiya tape, it is relatively expensive so use it for the demarcation line and fill in with cheaper tape, I use Scotch tape for this. If you let us know what brand of paint you intend to use we can probably give you some better advice for spraying it.
Again, as Nige says, don't be afraid to ask questions, the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked and we've all been there. Do post in progress pics, we are always here for help and advice
Mal

Welcome BugNerd, 50 bucks does sound cheap even for Harbor Freight, but the key to airbrushing IMHO is practice practice, practice. As for "ground work" I usually use either spackling compound or CelluClay over styroform as a base. Runways are always spackle. Hangers and other buildings can become projects unto themselves, Evergreen offers alot of textured Styrene sheets and and pre cut shapes you can use as building materials. look forward to seeing some of your efforts

Thanks for the warm welcome. I really like the aircraft scenes with flight/maintenance crews and other vehicles. That's what I'm sort of aiming for anyway The Academy kits made in Korea look really nice ot me, but you guys would definitely know. Trying to find colors has been difficult because the numbers don't always match and if it says light blue, I may be thinking of a completely different shade

A friend told me that squadron.com is a good place to find supplies and models. Does Academy make paints as well as models?

Thanks again! Oh, btw, I'm interested in WWII birds because I fly with a bunch of folks online in the flight sim, IL2 Sturmovik. Just thought I'd throw that in there in case any of you fly there also.