my boys got a lancaster bomber model set and a spitfire and messerscmit set for xmas. one came with paints but the other didnt so i need 12 paints.

Didnt realise how expensive they were. are humbrol the best wheres the best place to buy?

Direct on-line from Airfix, Hobby Craft, or go to your LMS (Local Model Shop) who could probably do with the business if mine is anything to go by.

You may be able to mix some of the colours if you only need them for a tiny bit.

went to hobbycraft today they hardly had any.

another question paint before or after gluing?

Absolutely *loads* of places sell model paints on that there eBay…

This is the seller I used when I was getting into model kits a few years ago. HTH! 🙂

Edit: these might be of use if they end up cheap. Might be more of these miniature type pots out there if you do a full search.

(Have a horrible feeling this might be re-igniting a little desire to crack open my model kit box again, got a couple of unifinished kits that I lost my modelling mojo over… 😉 )

If it’s for kids, they might be safest with acrylic paints – Revell “Aquacolor” should be ok. Wash with water, rather than white spirit.
I would prob just get the main colours (black, brown, green etc), and forget about colours needed for any interior details etc.
Paint fiddly details before they go on (wheels etc). Paint the main part of the body after it’s assembled.

Holy Thread Resurrection!

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/show-me-your-christmas-airfix

Fill your boots.

Some parts will need painting before assembly, like inside undercarriage bays, cockpit, Bomb-bay, etc, if they’re open for display. The crew need painting before assembly, usually best if they’re left on the sprue then the little bit that’s left unpainted after they’re removed just touched up to finish.
The main airframe should be glued, and any dried glue that stands proud carefully trimmed off with a modelling knife like an X-Acto, and sanded smooth with something like a nail-file or a needle file, then painted. Cockpit canopies and gun turrets need to be handled carefully ‘cos glue will fog them, especially if you get glue on your fingertips.
Possibly using small blobs of BluTac to hold them while you put glue around the edges and stick them in place might help.
Sometimes it helps to sketch the camo patterns onto the wings, fuselage and tail surfaces with a soft pencil to give a guide for painting.
Have fun, I used to love building kits, don’t have space for them any more. It’s possible to get a bit obsessed with getting details right, so be warned! 😉

Maybe not for kids, but I find airbrushing to give the best results . Start with the palest colours first. Don’t add the undercarriage or breakable bits until you’re finished with the airbrush. Use Tamiya masking tape or Humbrol Maskol fluid to mask off the bits you don’t want to paint with the current colour.
A coat of gloss varnish really helps the decals to sit, followed by another coat of varnish to seal – Matt if it’s a military model.

I prefer acrylics- Revell Aquacolour as mentioned above, but also Humbrol & Tamiya are good. A decent Hobbycraft should stock all of these, but if you have a LMS then please use them in preference. Failing that, try Model Hobbies UK.

Another vote for the local model shop and acrylic paints are nice and easy to use. Currently using them on the current batch of planes and used them on my citadel miniatures when younger.

Used to use enamels for planes but they were much harder to clean up after and ime were harder to clean off brushes properly.

From a miss-spent youth:

Liquid glue is way better than tube glue.

Let a pot of greyish paint go dry and then dry brush the model.Transforms the finish on a new model.

Get some canopy glue for the clear bits, Revell Contacta with a needle applicator for the gluing (bin the squeezy tube), some Micoset and MicroSol for the decals, and Humbrol matt or gloss coat to finish it off.
The decals seem to be the problem for me, after returning to building models with my son, after a few decades off, the new decals just seem to fall off if you don’t faff with them.

Cheers everyone started on the spitfire yesterday and it took me over an hour just to do the cockpit assembly and glue the airframe together!
The glues that came with this set are humbrol ones but seem watery having to put more than one coat on! Am I missing something

Ahem

ashleydwsmith – Member
my boys got a lancaster bomber model set and a spitfire and messerscmit set for xmas.

Cheers everyone started on the spitfire yesterday and it took me over an hour just to do the cockpit assembly and glue the airframe

Of course they were for your boys 😉

well they looked rather involved and didnt want them to overpaint the cockpit!

The glues that came with this set are humbrol ones but seem watery having to put more than one coat on! Am I missing something

Not familiar with the Humbrol glue, but you say it’s ‘watery’, which says it’s possibly a liquid glue. It’s designed to only go on in a thin coat, being liquid it dissolves the plastic more quickly allowing the parts to bond together more securely. A thin coat on each part then the bits put together should stick more cleanly than the stuff in tubes which is pretty thick, and more likely to ooze out and spoil the finish, especially clear parts like canopies.

I am on the tubes of Humbrol glue at the minute.

I use a little puddle of it and apply by tip of a cocktail stick like a dropper .

When I did more modelling I used liquid glue. Overall a bit nicer but a bit harder to get to grips with initially

I use Tamiya acrylics mainly, get some thinners too to slow down the drying a little. 1.50-1.60 per pot (approx.)

as for glue, the really extra thin ‘volatile’ stuff (tamiya do one)has low surface tension and uses capillary action to flow into joints

just discovered it myself, will never go back to gloopy.

edit: use specific clear glue for canopies – revel contacta

double edit:
just finishing off this meng 1/35 Bradley – full detailed interior. bloody beautiful kit

Didn’t mean glue meant paints. That’s what happens when you post off your own home and can’t see what you type!

That tank is awesome!

Modern acrylic modelling paints are meant to be thin… not like enamels back in the day. Thin paints leave a much better finish and don’t clog up in all the details… and allow you to blend your shades more easily etc. You might need multiple coats but then that’s an advantage for layering colours to get more realistic effects.

Of course, that’s not much use when you just want to get it painted…