IntroductionOr Better yet, how did I get here? (warning – long article) I started my modeling hobby around 1978 when I first saw the US Airfix model called the Starcruiser 1 at Dayton’s while shopping with my mom. I got it for Christmas that year and was so excited I couldn’t hardly wait to put it together. The thrill of building what was on the box was awesome! Although it was a snap-together kit with stickers for graphics, it was really cool in the mind of a 10 year old. I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve built hundreds of models in nearly every category: Cars, planes, trains, science fiction, military, diorama, etc. and I have most of the instructions for those kits as a sort of history of what I’ve done and where I’ve been. I won’t reminisce too much about that here. Suffice to say I was good enough to have won a few first and second places in local modeling competitions through the years and even had my local Army recruiters office commission me to build/paint a few of the newest fighting vehicles (M1 Abrams and M2 Bradleys and a few aircraft) for their display cases. I’veu0026hellip;
Equipment and SuppliesAny good house starts with a good foundation, and a good set of tools. Not everyone can afford to go out and buy all the tools one needs so their cache of tools and resources have to be built up over time. My hobby room’s been 30+ years in making. I’ve come up with two lists of Tools and Supplies. One is for someone who is just getting into the hobby, the absolute basics one needs to put together a model and paint it. The second list is a longer (of course), more comprehensive listing that any well stocked hobby bench/cabinet should have. Later, in the Tools section I’ll spend a short time covering what to look for when choosing these tools and supplies. My First Model List Newspapers (to cover workspace) Hobby Knife Glue (Either superglue or plastic cement) Toothpicks Dixie Cups Acrylic Paints Small Paint Brush Shoebox or other small container to keep everything in A Place to Work Good Lighting Well Stocked Hobby Area ASSEMBLY Dedicated workbench Cutting mat Hobby Knives – various handles and blades Jewelers Saw Pin Vice and bits Tweezers – Flat edged and pointed Dremel (or any rotary saw) with bits Dish Soapu0026hellip;
The Work AreaOf course you’ll need a place to do this crazy thing. Your own situations will dictate how much room you can devote to your hobby. A kitchen table will work, an old table in a separate room with a goose-neck lamp is better, a dedicated hobby room is the best. I luckily have dedicated hobby room in our home. The best thing you can do with any work area is to work smart by keeping the things you need organized and close at hand. If you need to hijack the kitchen table and can’t leave your workspace set up all the time I would suggest two small tackle boxes as they’re really cheap. One with the tools and supplies for assembly and another strictly for painting. This way you’re not fumbling around your pliers or fishing through needle files to get to your brushes. Decent lighting is another consideration. The more light the better. I use three lights in my cabinet. One from above and two color corrected daylight bulbs in gooseneck lamps from either side. This helps with unwanted shadows when you’re trying to see what your doing. I know not everyone is going to be able to accomplishu0026hellip;
Tools u0026#8211; Construction
Preparation
- Preparation u0026#8211; MetalsThe first step in putting together a metal model is to wash it. Yep, wash it. You know how you spray a muffin pan with PAM before you bake’em so they pop right out of the pan nice and easy? Metal manufacturers do the same thing only unlike the tasty butter flavored spray, you don’t want this spray left on your model because your paint will have a devil of a time sticking to it. This spray is called a release agent and typically oil based. Like any oily, things don’t like to stick to it, that’s why we have to wash it off. I use regular dishwashing detergent in warm water. Use something that has detergents in it as this is what helps release the oil from the surface. The water doesn’t need to be too hot as thinner sections of certain models can actually bend or deform under very hot water. I simply soak them for a minute or two, swish’em around a bit, rinse them under warm water and towel dry. That’s it. That’s the first trick to keeping your paint on the model. The second trick is primer, which we’ll cover later. START CHOPPIN’ Removing theu0026hellip;

Skullhamma primed

Primed and some Barry shots, – nobs and a battlewagon.

Skullhammer primed

Skullhammer primed

On to paint!

Posted

August 8, 2010

in

Apocalypse, Skullhammer Tank

by

sukigod

Tags:

skullhamma, skullhammer

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