Here’s my long-promised account of how I build a model. As usual, some caveats first. I’ve had to leave a lot out, but as always, I’m happy to answer questions.
There are many steps. I don’t say my way at any of these steps is the best way, or the only way, or any such nonsense. I’d rather say that this is the usual method I’ve developed over almost sixty years of building models. I will caution you about stuff that doesn’t work.
What I will say is that talent comes from experience. As with any hands-on craft, you can watch every YouTube video there is on a subject, but until you set your actual hand to the work, they won’t do you any good. Might even just confuse you. There’s no substitute for doing. But to do, you must first know how. A conundrum. Begin simply.
Choice of subject
I won’t discuss choosing a subject: that’s up to you. Nor the merits of one company over another: most have good, and less-good kits. I’ll just caution that there’s all kinds of rubbish written about certain companies online. You can’t write off an entire company’s product range these days on the basis of one subpar kit. But people do that – then act all surprised when your next fantastic build is from that company they rubbished. I may have been known to do that on occasion.
1/24 or 1/25 is a good scale for starters. You’ll only need a magnifier (without my friend above) for the tiny parts in the newer Hasegawa kits, but for anything else in this scale normal eyesight should do. Yours is bound to be better than mine.
On opening the box, you find several bags of parts. Usually these days, parts of the same colour are bagged together. Japanese kits may have several different colours, even satin-plated wheels as well as chrome; typically, these will all be separately bagged. The Japanese excel at Presentation. Fear not, there are instructions; they’re usually at the bottom.
On taking the parts out of their bags, this is what you find.
Instructions
These are usually done in a wordless pictorial style, with symbols indicating whether glue is needed at a particular step or not. One exception is the American Moebius kits, which have English text. AMT are often wordless; Revell have something like 12 European languages and rely on symbols a lot. In the case of Japanese kits, do not be intimidated by kanji: I can’t read it either, but the pictorial symbols tell most of what you need to know. You may have an app on your phone to translate kanji anyway.
Instructions usually tell you the tools you need. For starting out I’d recommend a small sharp-bladed knife (a hobby knife with #11 blade is ideal, but I started with Grandpa’s pocket knife), small scissors (nail scissors are ideal), some side cutters for cutting the parts from the frames (twisting them off can break the part), and some glue. A few decent quality paint brushes, say a #0 and a #2 for starters.
The first thing to do is to check through the instructions, taking note of any areas that might be especially tricky. In the case of the Cressida, I identified the rear suspension: why did visually identical parts have separate numbers? This was a hint: maybe there were subtle differences between left and right? Closer examination proved this was the case. Lesson: Carefully reading the instructions beforehand with a careful look over the parts can avoid headaches later. Been there, done that…
Painting
You also need to make a note of the paint colours needed, and make sure that you have them. In the case of the Cressida, I ignored the suggested body colour as I usually do, but had everything else required.
For most of my painting I use Japanese acrylics. They don’t have that heavy solvent smell of enamels or lacquers, and dry quicker than enamels. Plus, the brushes clean up in water, avoiding more solvent smell. A lot of American modelers find the price of these to be an issue, but that’s not a problem in my country where all model paints are imported, and Japan is relatively close by. I use British Humbrol enamels sometimes, often for a particular interior colour or a particular metal finish.
Hark that trumpeting! There’s an elephant in the room. Several, in fact.
- Mask up before spraying. Do NOT breathe this stuff. Use a respirator if you have one handy. If you don’t, you can (a) hold your breath and hope (not recommended), (b) wear a surgical mask (Covid leftovers?). If you’re going to be doing a lot of spraying a respirator would be the go. As to what type of respirator and what type of filter, that would depend on what’s available in your country and the type of paints you’re using most often. I’m no expert. Hobby paints are rather innocuous compared to some automotive paints, so I hear. But it’s your health.
- You CAN use automotive touch-up paint, but you absolutely MUST prime the plastic properly first. Must. No way around it. Otherwise, the solvents in the paint WILL wrinkle the plastic, which may in extreme cases destroy the body.
- Consider the wider spray pattern and higher pressure of automotive sprays. They’re designed to cover a larger surface after all. For a model, you’ll need to spray from further away, misting the coats on from a distance, which means you’ll need to cover a wider area of your bench to avoid overspray. A lot of paint won’t land on the model – ultimately, that’s wastage.
- Oh, and beware of spotty quality control. Cans that leak, cans without enough pressure…. Suddenly those Japanese paints don’t seem so expensive after all.
Now some guys online will swear by a certain brand of hardware store paints. My take on this is – you can be lucky. Hardware paints need the same care as automotive paint, and may be subject to the same lack of quality control. While I have used hardware store brands in the past, I breathe a sigh of relief if they turn out right. It takes a really special colour to make me reach for them.
A check of the instructions showed I had all the chassis and interior colours I needed. A Google image search showed all colours of stock and modified Cressidas – mostly modified. No help there. A trip to my outdoor ‘paint shop’ (aka shed), and I decided on Tamiya Champagne Gold for the body.
Chassis
Assembly usually began with the chassis. Or the engine, if the kit has one; this one didn’t. I went with a semigloss black for the underbody, with my usual assortment of metallics to highlight the different components. The instructions called for most things to be semigloss black. While often correct, this looks boring. I like to highlight the different materials used in construction: steel, iron, various alloys. That’s just my choice. But note that a unibody car is most often body colour underneath; once again Google can help – even if most of the ones you find are modified.
Always test-fit the parts before you glue them. Make sure you know exactly where a part goes. Glue won’t stick to paint or plating, so you’ll need to scrape it from the mating surfaces. You might find you need to enlarge a hole for a part to fit, or for the steering to turn. Best to find this out beforehand.
And as the Cressida represented a modified car, I went with red springs and orange shocks. No, not my usual blue and yellow (Bilsteins), the owner of this car couldn’t afford them. 😊
As is usual for a Japanese model, the steering ‘works’: the front wheels can be posed for left, right or straight ahead. Be sure not to get glue where it shouldn’t be.
Some Japanese kits (some of Aoshima’s Toyotas come to mind) add working suspension, just in case you needed an extra degree of difficulty. Just be careful, take your time, and keep the glue away from any parts that need to move. The instructions will guide you. Japanese instructions in particular are very good, usually making things quite clear even if you don’t read kanji.
Interior
Consider the gloss level of the interior surfaces. Carpet will be matt. Cloth upholstery will also be matt, though often not as matt as carpet, but vinyl is a semi-gloss. Except maybe sixties vinyl that has been Armor-Alled to death. The only place I might use a gloss paint inside a model would be around the door frames, and perhaps the dash on a pre-late-sixties car. Or if I’m replicating polished wood trim. Check your reference material. Generally, I manage fine with just gloss, semi-gloss and matt, but a real car interior may have extra gloss levels between these, if you can discern them. You could mix various proportions of gloss and flat clears to try and mimic this, but I’m not that picky. Hey, any spectators will be looking through that little window…
What about carpet? Many guys will use flocking or embossing powder to replicate carpet texture. That’s a complication I live without. I’m content with flat paint over the moulded-in texture. Nobody’s going to feel it anyway.
Just one caution. And it’s my nemesis: decals
The decal sheet contained decals for all the instrument faces. Here is where you need the most patience. They’re small, and they go into a particular recess. You don’t want to put them upside down, though most of these are too small to notice if you did. Like the one for the shift pattern (yes, the newer kits even include that).
Each manufacturer’s decals are subtly different – some conform well to a curved surface beneath them, others need use of a softening solution. For the Cressida, the clear border around the decals stopped them from fitting snugly into the minor gauges as they should. You might ask, well why didn’t I see that earlier and cut off the border? Cutting off the clear border may destroy the integrity of the decal with some Japanese kits. Been there, done that. So I added a drop of Micro Set (a decal softener) with a paintbrush once the decal was in position. This softened the decal enough for it. If it hadn’t, step 2 would be Micro Sol, though I’ve had that totally dissolve some decals, so it’s a last resort.
Body
First caution: What colour is that plastic?
Some kit manufacturers have the idea of moulding car bodies in colour. This is great to avoid the “shelf full of white models” syndrome if you don’t paint them. If you want a different colour? That’s not always easy.
Some pigments used in styrene production are extremely vivid. My spirits sag when confronted with a black body. Even grey primer over a red body will leave the body with a pinkish cast that will not go away no matter how many coats of paint you throw at it. The pigment bleeds through the primer. What’s to be done?
You could try some high-powered sealer from an automotive supplier. Not cheap, but I’m told it works. Or you could just reach for a can of silver. Silver paint seems to reflect the pigment back on itself, so you can just put on a uniform coat of silver, then prime and paint as usual. A cheap trick, but it works for me.
Usually with hobby paints I find three light coats will be enough. If the paint isn’t glossy enough, I’ll finish up with a coat of clear.
Trim
What about the chrome trim? Sure, there are plated parts, but what about say, window frames? There are several ways you can go here.
Silver paint and a fine brush. Now this works for the interior. But even with a steady hand, it still looks like silver paint, not chrome: see this Chevelle.
“Chrome” paint markers. These look much better but I’ve found they tend to dry up and/or the tips clog. And they’re pricey!
Chrome foil. This is my preferred method. I’ve been using Bare Metal Foil for about 30 years now.
I measure the size of the area I’m going to cover, cut the foil to size (steel rule, sharp blade) allowing an extra millimeter or so in each direction….
lay the foil in place….
press it down to adhere, and do a final trim to fit.
Finishing up
Sometimes it can be tricky fitting the assembled body over the assembled chassis. Now you test fitted these beforehand, right? On the Japanese kits these usually snap together with no glue needed.
Add your licence plate and registration decals, along with any stripes, bumper stickers and such.
Some guys polish and wax their finished model. Usually, I don’t. Arguably it is possible to have too much shine to be authentic in scale for a regular street car. But for a hot rod or modified car, go for it!
Any questions, fire away!
There really is no ‘right way or ‘wrong way’ to build a scale model car. After building model cars (and ships and aircraft} for over 50 years, the best way to build ANY scale model is the best way that works for YOU.
Amen, Phil. But it’s amazing how many guys online try to do just that.
I’d like to share a finishing technique that might work on that hot rod or modified car. I start by colouring the piece with a permanent marker. I usually use sweeping parallel strokes so I end up with a textured look not unlike a very bad fake wood. Then I cover the piece with a metallic marker. These come in various colours and are a kind of felt tip marker, except the ink looks like liquid metal and will cover even dark surfaces completely. It also smudges easily but with care a uniform coating can be created that looks sprayed on (but is much more opaque). This should be allowed to dry before the next step. Finally, I use a spray can of transparent sealer. This is the key part because when applied properly it will soften the metallic marker layer and allow the layer of permanent marker to show through. The result is a finish that resembles one of those candy apple finishes that require a million coats to achieve on a real car. By varying the texture created with the permanent marker and the amount of transparent sealer applied different effects can be created. It looks best when the permanent marker and the metallic marker aren’t too far apart in colour, but contrasting colours can also be used if the transparent layer is done just right. After the transparent layer is sprayed on it should be allowed to dry completely and then several more transparent coats applied so that the piece can be handled without damaging the coloured layers, while enhancing the sense of depth the finish has. I developed the technique customizing mice, some of which have seen years of use without signs of wear.
That sounds very cool. Ingenious, and very cool.
I feel sorry for the little mice, tho’… j/k
Interesting! I had to go back and re-read your method (coffee hasn’t quite kicked in yet!). I can imagine it, and it sounds very effective.
From what I’ve heard from guys who’ve tried this kind of technique, a lot seems to depend on the combination of markers and sealer. How much experimenting did it take you to get a combo that worked well?
A fair amount. The trickiest part is getting the first transparent layer right. If too far away you end up with a spattered surface, while if too close it will push too much of the metallic layer around and the result will be blotchy. It needs to be uniform but thin and can’t hit with too much force. There’s an optimal mix of pressure on the valve and distance away which varies somewhat with different mixes of product. That said once you get the hang of it you can adjust it pretty easily to what you’re working with. If you’ve worked with spray paint much (I know you have!) it’s not hard to get it right.
Count me as one of the readers who has been eagerly anticipating this post. As a person who appreciates nearly any material that explains visually how something works, seeing the steps involved in creating one of your amazingly well-crafted scale models is a real treat.
I have nothing to add so far as commentary on the technique, but as for random questions/observations…
You address the magnification issue, but what about illumination? I find that as I get older (and we seem roughly equivalent in age) my problems with any kind of detailed work is illumination. If I don’t have bright light I literally can’t see detail. Hence I wear a headlamp for nearly all car work nowadays. Do you have any special lighting on your work space?
I know it is probably hard to generalize, but say for this Toyota model, how long did the build take from your 4th photo to reach the final product (the 1st picture)?
Your storage areas for the boxed kits, paints, etc. look amazing. So much cool stuff.
Finally, your observation about watching Youtube videos and how that compares to actually doing something with your own hands is so very true. I’ve never articulated it that way, but it’s absolutely my experience that this is the case. I really watch the videos for inspiration that something can actually be done (I often need that kind of coaching), but then once I start doing a job I always end up riffing on what I’ve seen by coming up with my own particular procedures. It’s a lot like recipes and cooking. Those who expect to follow recipes as a set of instructions are nearly always going to be disappointed (and/or confused). Whether it’s cooking, or mechanics, one has to have a basic sense of how things (whatever the things are) work and that’s what it means to do something with ones own hands. And that’s something that only comes to fruition with practice.
Great post, Peter!
Jeff, thank you. I did ask for questions, so I’m happy to answer. Just takes me a while.
For the matter of lighting, I have windows behind me and to my right. I have two lights, a floor-standing fluorescent with a heavy weighted base, and a halogen reading lamp that sits at the back of the bench (pic). I tend to use the fluorescent as my go-to, as it covers a wider area of the bench, the shape of the halogen’s reflector makes it more directed. While I can discern a difference in colour between the two, I don’t find the difference makes me favour one over the other. That may well be just me.
This build was spread over a month; if circumstances had permitted, I could have knocked it over within a week, easily. I have to be in the mood. I find I’m spending more time checking instructions and parts than I used to, and my fingers aren’t as nimble as they used to be. And I’m taking more time choosing colours, since I realized I have something of a reputation there to maintain! It was relatively straightforward, with only a few fiddly bits, those being fitting the rear shocks, the decals, and the foil.
My storage is basically trial and error. The two plastic drawer cabinets to my left hold cans of enamel, and brass (strip, rod) and styrene (strip, rod, sheet) supplies, an open tray for commonly-used acrylics is in front of me, with another for less commonly-used tools, and a third for weathering paints. A water glass for cleaning brushes is in front of me, along with a mug for holding the tools I’m not actually using currently. To my right is a jar of turps and all my spare brushes. Three drawers to my right hold spare paints, some commonly-needed spare parts, and such. In the shed, the storage kind of evolved using whatever spare timber came to hand, like old floorboards.
In my comment about Youtube, I now realize I kind of come across as channelling Yoda! But there is so much that can only be learnt by trying. There is a time to watch, and also a time to stop watching and do. 🙂 Wisdom is knowing when to go from one to the other!
I don’t have a bird – I presume its function is to counterbalance your head movements. Now I know how you are able to produce such superb models.
Is there a substitute animal that you can recommend (I have tried a cat, but that seems too large and the tail gets in the way of my eyes), or can one use something else to achieve the same effect – a weighted beany hat, for instance?
ROFL! Huey, Dennis just happened to land there, and my daughter grabbed the shot. He’s very friendly, but a bit troublesome to recapture, so now he lives in the aviary outside with her other birds.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend using a cat, as the fur gets in the paint. And vice versa; getting paint off a cat is a nightmare.
Our cats (sadly, all gone) were kind enough to let me use their bedroom as my modelling room.
Most of them knew that being on the modelling desk would incur my wrath.
My cat only tried that once.
Thank you for this backstage pass Peter. I really enjoyed, learning more about your craft.
However painstaking and detailed your hobby is, I do think it is a very positive experience mentally. Almost therapeutic, as a stress reliever. Though I imagine, you take occasional breaks and walks, to clear your mind, and get exercise.
You have so much confidence, given your experience, that an especially complex model would not deter you. I imagine you must be picky now, selecting cars and themes, that maintain your interest.
Your work is much appreciated. And always an inspiration to me. Thank you!
Thanks Daniel. The hardest part for me (as Rich can attest) was boiling it down to this. What I do, I now do almost instinctively, and trying to put myself in the position of someone who knew nothing about it resulted in an article far too long – so I halved it, and added more pictures.
As for taking breaks, there’s always plenty of other things to do here, to the point where sometimes several days can pass with no bench time at all. And there’s always the time while paint is drying.
Yes, I am more picky/particular about subject matter these days. I used to build just about anything. Having built so many American cars and European classics, my tastes have turned more to Japanese cars – only fair, as I see more of them where I live. I’m definitely going to do yesterday’s green DeSoto though, and Tatra87’s Tokyo pictorials are always inspiring. Complex models? Well, there’s this Bandai 1/8 scale E-type Jaguar with opening and working everything that I bought 45 years ago. One day…..
Thanks for your reply Peter! Appreciate, such a thoughtful reply. You have such remarkable commitment, and love for your craft. Serious respect to you.
I can see where you would be inspired and attracted by, Tatra’s amazing domestic market contributions here.
Wow, that Bandai kit is spectacular. Almost intimidating… to me, not you!
Thank you again for sharing your expertise, and thoughts.
Haven’t you noticed the cost of paint rising exponentially?! Everything else, too….
Yeah, even down here. I only go to town every few months to stock up.
Never miss a post of yours, Mr. W. This one had me squinting over each pic, with my mouth agape.
Very interesting read, but not my best look. Thanks to you
Okay, you can close your mouth now! 🙂 Next time it’ll just be a model feature, probably all American cars. They seem to be the most popular subjects.
Peter, this was so great. I really enjoyed reading about your thoughts process and methodology. I also wholeheartedly approve of the subject Cressida!
I recently purchased a “chrome” pen to touch up a diecast model that had some of the chrome on the bumper flaking off. After three attempts, actually, I found the right mirror-finish pen that did just the trick. I digress.
Thank you for sharing more of your model-building magic with us. I feel like I could watch something like this on Public Television.
Thanks Joseph. Those Cressidas just seemed to look so different from anything else at the time. I didn’t like them at first, but the styling has grown on me. I’d built the coupe years ago, but was just waiting for a stock-ish kit of the sedan at a reasonable price.
You may have noticed some of the pictures are not Cressidas – my enthusiasm ran away with me and I forgot to take pictures along the way. But I did use four door sedans! Standing in are a ’91 Nissan Laurel (the parts in the box) and an ’89 Toyota Crown (the parts on the table). A ’32 Chevy shows the paint coats, and that violently red hatchback (yes, it is that bright, I didn’t digitally fudge the colour) is an early-mid eighties Ford Laser. Japanese/SE Asian/ Aussie Ford, that is. I had intended painting it yellow. We’ll see…..
Incredible passion and a much appreciated post, Peter. Thank you!
I built a few when I was a grade schooler but don’t remember them needing paint. Now I can’t remember if they had color or not.
Thank you, Paul. I recall the American companies using coloured plastic for some of their kits back in the sixties, though white was more common. Revell in particular would often try and match the plastic to the box photo if the subject was a specific drag car. Often a certain kit would be a certain colour for the entire production run, though Johan seemed to chop and change plastic colours on a whim, perhaps according to whatever they had on hand that day.
So much easier to store models of cars versus 1/48 aircraft and 1/700 US Navy carriers. Have close to 100 and this is just a short pile but was too busy on the real thing. You know I can’t remember what I started out on when 6 years old. I think it was Navy ships as I know I was drawing them at that age shooting down Japanese planes. Wasn’t into cars yet.
Cars are definitely easier to store! Apart from what’s on display, the others are packed two or three to a tissue-padded model box and stored. I can’t imagine multiple planes to a box, though maybe you could with carriers. Of course we never think of that when we start these hobbies, do we?
Yes Peter – the cat fur in the paint gives an interesting texture resembling the paint jobs I have performed on full size cars, but, as you say, washing the cat is difficult as the scratches on my arms prove. The water soluble paints you recommend would have helped, but using thinners has turned my cat from his original orange to a kind of punk bleached look. Very ‘80s, but the cat does not seem to to appreciate it and has been ignoring me even more than usual. I did eventually try using a bird which worked much better until the cat got it. Probably revenge on his part.
So now I’m back to square one…
Thanks for the fascinating insight into your modelling, techniques, tips and thoughts, Peter. I did recognise some of the methods and your advice on painting is very sound, in particular the potential health dangers and pitfalls.
The Bare Metal Foil is interesting, I assume something akin to gold leaf. I think I might have to get some and give it a try.
The Bare Metal foil is very similar to the technique used in gilding, Bernard. It has some stretch and ability to adapt to a curved surface, but is very thin and tears easily, much like gold leaf though much cheaper. Which is just as well. Interestingly they also do a gold foil (I’ve used half a sheet in 30 years), as well as a matte aluminium, and a black.
Aoshima kits often include a small sheet of foil but it’s like chrome mylar – ultra-shiny, yes, but thicker and not as flexible. A friend in Japan sent me some Japanese foil made by Hasegawa – now that is really super-thin, but like so many of their cool hobby products, seemingly not exported. Ah well, there are Japanese hobby shops that ship overseas.
Thanks for the comprehensive reply, Peter. As most of my models are 1:76 the flexibility would be a must. Main use would be for chrome bumpers.
Bernard, I think your best bet for a model in that scale would be to try a chrome paint marker, like Joseph mentions above. I’ve found the Molotow brand gives a realistic shine. I’ve used foil on a friend’s Dinky ’49 Ford he was restoring, and then only for the side trim; I wouldn’t want to try it on anything smaller.
Tremendous article – thanks Peter. You make it sound, if not easy, than much more manageable given time and patience, and a well organised work station and paint rack.
The level of detail these kits and craftsmen/artists like you go do never ceases to impress.
My efforts will not be photographed for CC, but I did enjoy making a red MX-5 Mk 1 a few years back.
Thanks Roger. I’ve been fortunate to have had a dedicated work area wherever I’ve lived, even if only the size of a card table at one stage. Except when the kids were young. Being able to leave tools and paints on the bench and come back to them, rather than having to get them out every time is a big help. With a memory like mine it’s great to be able to just see the paint I need rather than having to rummage through a box.
I have a lot more in the way of tools and supplies than when I started out; some guys would be surprised I have “so little”! No airbrush, no lathe, no 3D printer… But you can get by (and do quite well) without a lot of stuff.
Of course your MX-5 was red, weren’t they all?