Hi there, so as a first kit i "built" (or better: "messed up") the 24354 by Tamiya. i know it's not supposed to be a beginner kit, but i told myself that if i wanted to start the hobby, i should have done it with a kit that i really liked.
i had some issues that hopefully you guys can help me understand better so i can improve with the next one (that won't be a car).
1 - couldn't mask properly, not even with the masking stickers provided in the kit for the windows. For everything else i used the Tamiya masking tape. As you can see in the photos attached, the paint went all over the windows. Is there any tip you can share about masking? should i let the masking tape "set" for some time before painting over it? (be aware that i had this problem mostly where i brush painted. With the spray can i had more luck)
2- cement ruined the paint in some places. under the rear mirror and in the front right bumber the cement ran a little bit over and removed the paint. I guess for some models it'd be better to cement before paint, but how to do that with a car? Is it possible that this occured due to the fact that maybe i applied too much cement?
3 - Tamiya paints take so long to dry. In many places i ruined the paint by touching it, event after i let it dry for 48 hours (yes, 48!). Again i'm talking about brush painted pieces. Initially i used a 4:1 ratio of paint (Tamiya acrylic) and MR Color leveveling thinner (the one with the retarder). After 48 hours if i touched the piece for more than 5-6 seconds (for example to cement it) the paint would transfer from the piece to my fingers, forcing me to re-paint it while attached to other parts. I tried to modify the ratio to 12:1 but it didn't change too much. I'm pretty sure that even if i have finished the model since 7 days if i'm going to touch it right now i'd still remove the paint somehow. what did i do wrong here?
4 - still regarding paint: for the next model i'm going to use a cheap airbrush: what do you suggest would be the right ratio for paint and thinner? (for both the parts i'm going to airbrush and for the ones i'm still going to paint with a normal brush)
5 - being my first model, i bought very cheap tools, should i buy better ones to improve the final result or it doesn't really matter? (i'm talking about brushes too, not only knives and cutters)
thanks!
i had some issues that hopefully you guys can help me understand better so i can improve with the next one (that won't be a car).
1 - couldn't mask properly, not even with the masking stickers provided in the kit for the windows. For everything else i used the Tamiya masking tape. As you can see in the photos attached, the paint went all over the windows. Is there any tip you can share about masking? should i let the masking tape "set" for some time before painting over it? (be aware that i had this problem mostly where i brush painted. With the spray can i had more luck)
2- cement ruined the paint in some places. under the rear mirror and in the front right bumber the cement ran a little bit over and removed the paint. I guess for some models it'd be better to cement before paint, but how to do that with a car? Is it possible that this occured due to the fact that maybe i applied too much cement?
3 - Tamiya paints take so long to dry. In many places i ruined the paint by touching it, event after i let it dry for 48 hours (yes, 48!). Again i'm talking about brush painted pieces. Initially i used a 4:1 ratio of paint (Tamiya acrylic) and MR Color leveveling thinner (the one with the retarder). After 48 hours if i touched the piece for more than 5-6 seconds (for example to cement it) the paint would transfer from the piece to my fingers, forcing me to re-paint it while attached to other parts. I tried to modify the ratio to 12:1 but it didn't change too much. I'm pretty sure that even if i have finished the model since 7 days if i'm going to touch it right now i'd still remove the paint somehow. what did i do wrong here?
4 - still regarding paint: for the next model i'm going to use a cheap airbrush: what do you suggest would be the right ratio for paint and thinner? (for both the parts i'm going to airbrush and for the ones i'm still going to paint with a normal brush)
5 - being my first model, i bought very cheap tools, should i buy better ones to improve the final result or it doesn't really matter? (i'm talking about brushes too, not only knives and cutters)
thanks!
